Shows
Girls' Lunch21. Hungry for High Scores: Video Games, Part 2Would You Like to Load Your Last Save File? >Yes. In Part 2 of our video game series, Nicole and Julia resume play in the 1990s, chronicling some of the great restaurant sims of the era. We play some browser-based flash games in the school computer lab instead of doing our math homework, invoke the flaming-eyed wrath of Cooking Mama by failing to separate an egg, and win back our grandparents' bakery from Generic MegaCorp by clicking lots of buttons. Mainly, our goal is to make Papa Louie proud. This episode sponsored by your local Pizza Syndicate, a legitimate business...2025-07-061h 19Girls' Lunch20. Hungry for High Scores: Video Games, Part 1Let's go to the arcade! In part one of our two-part series, Nicole and Julia take you through the cooking games leaderboard and introduce you to some of the genre's "top players" in the 1970s and 1980s. We'll see the formation of a lot of popular mechanics and gameplay that persist in cooking and food-related video games today. We'll also talk about girl(y) games, representation, and the time Julia was personally victimized at a GameStop circa 2008. Don't forget your quarters! Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://loui...2025-06-091h 06Girls' Lunch19. Boobs, Bottles, and Baby FoodWe’re taking it back to where it all began with this one, and we mean that quite literally, because today we’re talking about baby food! In this special episode, Nicole and Julia prepare for Baby Andreas and learn about the history of how we humans have fed our babies throughout time. We also taste test some baby food and try not to gag. Whether you were a bottle baby or breast was best, this episode has something for everyone! Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezon...2025-05-011h 17Girls' Lunch18. Botany: The Study of Plants and How to Steal ThemEver wondered why we have Hass avocados and Medjool dates at the grocery store? Or why there are Japanese cherry trees all around the Tidal Basin in D.C.? Well, we can thank the same man for both our grocery store produce and the nation’s pinkest attraction - American botanist David Fairchild. Join Nicole and Julia as they trace grocery store produce from their local Kroger back to the Gilded Age and the heyday of food exploration. But wait, there’s more! Tune in to hear about Jeanne Barat, a French botanist in the 1700’s with a bit of a s...2025-03-211h 22Girls' Lunch17. Unless You Got Buns, Hun: Hot DogsCompanion website: hotdogs.expert Hot dog, it’s a summer episode in the middle of winter! In this wien-derful successor to our hamburger episode, Nicole and Julia learn (literally) how the sausage is made and take a frank look at competitive eating. Hop aboard the Wienermobile and strap in for a journey down the Hot Dog Highway (destination: Joey Chestnut’s stomach). Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on Instagram @girlslunchpod. Nicole's website is nicolehylton.com. Have an epis...2025-02-091h 09Girls' Lunch16. RIP Brownie Wise, You Would Have Loved MLMsDoes anyone else pronounce Tupperware as “Tubberware?” No? Just me? Well, in this episode Julia and Nicole travel back to the post-war 50s to learn about the one woman who’s responsible for your plastic leftover containers piled high in your kitchen cabinet. Along the way we’ll learn how to throw a Tupperware party, experience some real Sales Department shenanigans, and watch the rise and fall of the first MLM Queen — Brownie Wise. Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on Instagr...2025-01-041h 18Girls' Lunch15. Midway Mania: The Carnival and Carnival FoodStep right up, step right up! Feast your ears on a true spectacle of food and amusement history! In this episode, stroll through the fairgrounds with Nicole and Julia to learn about the history of the carnival, snack on some traditional carnival foods, and discuss 20th century American dating norms. Strap on your ill-fitting, definitely-not-up-to-code safety belt and get ready for a bumpy, possibly bruise-inducing ride! Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on Twitter at @girlslunch and on Instagram ...2024-11-131h 16Girls' Lunch14. Big Ag and Brown Bags: School Lunches, Part 2Julia and Nicole (and David) return for the thrilling conclusion of the history of school lunches! We’ll wade through the Cold War, and then in the 60s, things really pop off for the school lunch program, feminists, and the Black civil rights movement. Like, seriously. Shit gets wild. So grab your Uncrustables and carton of milk and get ready to learn. Class is in session! Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on Twitter at @girlslunch and on Instagram ...2024-10-071h 03Girls' Lunch13. Big Ag and Brown Bags: School Lunches, Part 1Do you recall the halcyon days of your youth? The days spent in school, anxiously awaiting the bell, going to find your friends in the lunchroom, the same table every time? Surely you also remember the tasty lunches served to you in that room. Scrumptious salads with fresh vegetables, lovingly crafted sandwiches, bowls of gooey mac and cheese. No? Not sounding familiar? Your school lunch sucked?! Wow, pizza was a vegetable?! Gritty chicken nuggets! No, that can’t be right. All school lunches are delicious and nutritious! Unless… On this episode, we discuss the lengthy and opinionated history of scho...2024-09-0957 minGirls' Lunch12. How the Burger Hamburglared Its Way Into America’s HeartAlternate theme song: “Ai Like Hamburger” by The Idolm@ster Ah, the hamburger. Whether you call it a Steamed Ham, a Royale with Cheese, or a Quarter Pounder, this beefy spheroid is one of America’s proudest exports. But did you know that a little more than a hundred years ago, the hamburger was regarded with intense suspicion, suggested to “fortify even Satan himself”? Join Nicole and Julia as they take a peek inside the bun to figure out just what it is that makes the hamburger so quintessentially American, and how meat-eating reinforces our notions of masculine...2024-08-111h 14Girls' Lunch11. Queens of the SupermarketAlternate theme song: “Queen of the Supermarket” by Bruce Springsteen A dream awaits for you in aisle two of this product-packed episode! Join Nicole and Julia as they grocery shop through the ages, from bartering at markets in the early 1800s to grocery delivery services in the age of Covid. Marvel at mind-blowing innovations, such as the grocery cart, chain stores, and - gasp - the Piggly Wiggly man! So grab your reusable Trader Joe’s tote and come with us down to the local supermarket for a fun, food-filled adventure. Our theme song is “Red Onio...2024-07-101h 12Girls' Lunch10. The American Girl Cookbook SpecialIs a corn oyster REALLY an oyster? In their most self-indulgent and least food-related episode yet, Nicole and Julia take you inside the world of the popular historical doll series American Girl, and their much less popular series of cookbooks. In addition to learning about dolls and some specific American Girl characters, you’ll also learn what it was like to cook and dine on the Minnesota frontier in the 1850s and richy-rich upstate New York in the early 1900s. And, finally, maybe, you will learn what the heck fruit soup is. (We still don’t know either.) O...2024-06-081h 07Girls' Lunch09. From Stove to Screen: TV Cooking ShowsWe’ve had cooking shows as long as we’ve had TV (and even before that, if you count radio!) But have you ever asked yourself, “Self, why do I like watching someone ELSE roast a chicken and say “BAM”?” Well, as it often turns out on this show, many people have many hot opinions on that. Join Nicole and Julia on this channel chase from radio to public TV to cable TV to YouTube and beyond as they learn about the history and some early pioneers of cooking shows. Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off...2024-05-051h 14Girls' Lunch08. Not Your Average Farmer's DaughterAlternate episode title: I’ll Farmer Your Fannie Do you look at your kitschy, 90’s, chicken-themed measuring cup set and wonder why we use measuring cups at all? We can thank the “Mother of Level Measurements” for making it cool to use measuring cups, the basic recipe format, and so much more. Join Nicole and Julia as they follow Fannie Farmer from her humble beginnings to being the absolute alpha girlboss that we still know and love today. And if you love rambling tangents, then this is the episode for you. Our theme song is “Red Onions...2024-04-011h 07Girls' LunchBONUS: Oops, All Bits!We've had a chaotic few weeks here at Girls' Lunch Inc.--health issues (both familial and personal), work stress, mid-semester craziness--so we thought we would put together a silly minisode for you all. These are all bits and goofs from our forthcoming April episode about Fannie Farmer that have nothing to do with the episode subject. It's an episode trailer that tells you nothing about the episode. Maybe it's more like an early April Fools' joke. Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul 2024-03-1405 minGirls' Lunch07. M&Ms and the Sexiest SpokescandyWe all know them—those little, round, candy-coated, chocolate-filled rainbow chips that “melt in your mouth, not in your hand.” But did you know that M&Ms are made by one of the biggest corporations in the world, originally spawned via a partnership with its biggest rival? Or that a LOT of people have weird sex things with a piece of candy? Join Nicole and Julia on this colorful caper through candy history, where they dare to ask…what IS it about the green ones? Also, we assign genders to anthropomorphized corporate mascots, as is our right and custom as Ameri...2024-02-021h 14Girls' Lunch06. Southern Maryland’s Secret HamAs one old guy once said, “The French can have their snails, and the English can have their plum pudding and goose, but I beg of you, give us the old stuffed ham.” What’s stuffed ham, you ask? Find out more about this secret Southern Maryland delicacy with Nicole and Julia as they discuss why Maryland is kinda like Harvey Dent and what stuffed ham even is anyway. Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on Twitter at @girlslunch and...2024-01-1449 minGirls' Lunch05. "The National Discs of Delight": Pumpkin PieHave you ever heard the saying, “As American as apple pie”? Whoever said that clearly knew nothing about pumpkin pie, the TRUE American icon. Join Nicole and Julia as they learn about the history of this one-crust wonder, beginning in Colonial New England with the first American cookbook and leading all the way up to modern day, where canned pumpkin reigns supreme. They also play a new game about ice cream! Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on Twitter at ...2023-12-041h 10Girls' Lunch04. Harvey Girls in a Harvey WorldChoo choo! All aboard the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway! Destination: Fred Harvey. Today’s episode takes you on a journey across the American landscape and through time as we learn about the progenitor of fast food and franchises. We’ll also learn about the Harvey Girls, one of the first independent employment opportunities for women and who definitely all got married and nothing gay happened, don’t even sweat it, bro. Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on T...2023-11-141h 13Girls' Lunch03. Women Be Eatin!: The Rise of RestaurantsAlternate episode title: “Bashing Our Husbands and the French Since 2023” Inns, taverns, and cookshops, oh my! Come along with Julia and Nicole on a journey through time following the development of the modern restaurant. From Pompeii to the French Revolution, people have always enjoyed eating out and having opinions on what women are allowed to do. We also get wiggy with the feminist restaurants of the 1970s and Julia only mispronounces “aristocracy” wrong like three times at most. Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiez...2023-10-011h 10Girls' Lunch02: Doughnut Lassies Would Want You To Eat That DoughnutRejected episode title: “Get Your Nuts Hot, Fresh, and Cream-filled: All About Doughnuts” We’d like to argue that the doughnut is possibly one of nature’s most perfect foods. But behind that sprinkled and glazed exterior is a past filled with nostalgia, innovation, and controversy. In this episode, Julia and Nicole learn how the simple doughnut faced satirical novelists, industrial revolution, the Great Depression, and two World Wars to get to a Krispy Kreme near you. We’ll also meet the Doughnut Lassies, an old sailor from Maine, and the marvelous “Christy Creams.” Ou...2023-09-011h 08Girls' Lunch01. Graham Crackers to Cure Your “Fleshly Lusts”Alternate episode title: “Primordial Childhood Cannibalism Fantasy: A History of Graham Crackers.” The graham cracker: the bread of the s’mores sandwich, a crust for your cheesecake, or something easy on your tummy when you’re sick. But where did this humble wafer come from? Join Nicole and Julia on a journey to 1830s New England to meet Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister obsessed with bran bread, abstinence, and “good digestion” (aka. pooping). We’ll talk about this “anti-pervert pervert” and how trends like farm to table, raw foods, and clean eating aren’t quite so “modern” after all...2023-08-0149 minGirls' Lunch00. What's Our Deal?/Let's Get Wiggy With ItWelcome to the first episode of Girls’ Lunch! In this episode, you’ll get to know hosts Nicole and Julia, learn about our backgrounds, and our goals for the show. We’ll talk about the origin of Girls’ Lunch, Tumultuous Tummy Times, and what you can expect in future episodes. Have some lunch with us! Everyone is welcome. Our theme song is “Red Onions” by Louie Zong, off of his album Vegetable Soul: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/vegetable-soul We’re on Twitter at @girlslunch. Nicole is on Twitter @nicoleh262 and her website is nicolehylton.com. Julia is s...2023-08-0120 min