Papa Johns Michelin Attempt, the History of Popcorn, and Tasting Birthday Cake!

Food News

The Ringer

Society & Culture

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, Juliet and Jacoby share their thoughts on a fake tamale review, dive back into the food being served at the Olympics, and discuss the world’s first AI companion cafe. For this week’s Taste Test, Juliet is surprised with cake for her birthday. Finally, they share their Personal Food News and react to some Listener Food News. Do you have Personal Food News? We want to hear from you! Leave us a voicemail at 850-783-9136 or email ListenerFoodNews@Gmail.com for a chance to have your news shared on the show. Be sure to check us out on YouTube and TikTok for exclusive clips, new taste tests, and more! Hosts: Juliet Litman and David Jacoby Producers: Mike Wargon and Ronak Nair Musical Elements: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	McDonald's wraps all flavour, no mess. No drips on your drip or grease on your shirt. No crumbs on your keyboard or sauce on your dashboard. Just all the flavour of sweet chili chicken, barbecue and bacon chicken and new Tika chicken. Wrapped up neat. Served after 11am. Teaker chicken wrap available until the 13th July 26. Fees applied to delivery orders subject to availability. The Philly Cheese Stack is back at McDonald's and it's still intensely cheesy. Imagine the cheesiest thing ever. Now cover it in cheese. Add two beef patties, cheddar cheese sauce, crispy onions and even more cheese. The Philly Cheese Stack. Did we mention it's cheesy? Available until the 16th of March, 26, from 11 a.m. Fees applied to delivery orders.
0:38.2	Price and participation may vary.
0:39.3	Subject to availability.
0:51.6	Welcome to Food News.
0:52.8	I'm Juliet Litman.
0:53.9	If you want to be a part of this podcast, you have a question for us. Give us a call at 8.5. Welcome to Food News. I'm Juliet Litman. I'm David Jacoby.
0:54.6	If you want to be a part of this podcast, you have a question for us.
0:57.3	Give us a call at 850.
0:59.6	Stu!
1:00.3	136.
1:02.3	Jacob's last week I sent you into an existential crisis by asking you if you cared about this, like, a news story.
1:09.6	So I'm a little hesitant to ask you any questions, but like, how are you today? I'm doing well today. Okay, great. I feel good. Great. Very prepared for this podcast. Anything goes. Very prepared for this podcast. All right. Awesome. Let's get into it. First story on the docket is about a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona called the Tam tamale store. You may have heard of the
1:29.3	tamale store because it went viral when a reviewer named Rebecca O left a negative review
1:35.3	saying her tamale was really tough and hard to bite into. And then a really positive review
1:39.8	shortly thereafter when she realized that actually she had not taken the husk off.
1:44.8	Well, plot twist, everybody.
1:47.4	It turns out both of those reviews were posted by the proprietor of the tamale store,
1:54.5	Pauline Alvarado, and it was like a joke to get attention and make fun of many of the people who come into the store and don't know how to have it to Molly.
2:04.3	I had a lot of thoughts about this. What was your initial reaction?
2:09.3	I'm going to not answer the question and ask you a question.
2:13.0	Classic Jacoby right there.
2:14.6	I've been watching a lot of a Night of the Seven Kingdoms. I love it.
	...

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