Something Squirrelly this Way Comes

Tyler Florence, that is. He's a chef on the Food Network.

So I finally remembered to turn on Tyler's Food Talk radio show today. And, as luck would have it, the show was mostly about fish. I don't eat fish. Haven't since 1992. But I listened anyway because I can switch the fish for chicken and still have a good meal. :)

I toyed with calling in during the first 45 minutes of the show. I was trying to form a proper fish question. To no avail. When the show is almost over and I figure I've missed my chance for calling in, Tyler informs us that he's sticking around and to call in anyway, he'll talk to us off air. I figure, what the hell? I dial the number.

The phone rings, my heart rate speeds up. Even though I've called into other radio shows and know it's just the producer, engineer person who will answer. But it's that much closer to Tyler! The producer lady answers and I tell her that I want to ask for any good foods for colds, other than chicken soup. She laughs.
"You have a cold now?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Okay, hold on the phone and turn off your radio."

I listen to the end of today's show, a bit of the news, some silence and then the music for Food Talk starts again and Tyler is talking. He takes a call from a lady in NY (or NJ) about pork. I figure it's just a tape of an earlier show. Then he wraps up with her and says "Now we're going to G in DC". And I was like OH CRAP!! It's a tape for a future show! Now I can't ask if he saw Edge at Sundance cause the intro said nothing about Sundance and I didn't want to get cut from the show for blowing that it's a taped show. And yes all that raced through my brain in the 5 seconds it took me to reply with "Hey Tyler!"

I was on hold for not quite 15 mins before Tyler is talking to me. What a Huge thrill!! Sure I met him during his first book tour in Richmond, VA some years ago but this was Now! :) Here's a recap.

"Now we go to G in DC. Hi G!"
"Hey Tyler!"
"How are you?"
"I'm okay, how about you?" then I mentally kick myself because I should've said I have a cold.
"I'm good.. How bout you?"
"Oh, well, actually I've got a cold"
"That's too bad"
"Yeah.. you have any good recipes for foods to help ease cold symptoms other than chicken soup? Anything? Possibly?"
He chuckles and then says "Well I'm not a doctor you know, but I play one on TV." We both laugh and then he continues, "Garlic actually is good for colds and good overall general health. But there's nothing like a good cup of chicken soup. Let me give you a good recipe for chicken broth."
And then he does. Says to oven roast the chicken first before putting in the soup pot. That the roasting really brings out the flavor. Then he tells me how to robusticize* it with some white beans.

After the recipe, he starts to wrap up the call but I pipe in with, "So I shouldn't just eat a clove a garlic a day? Keep any vampires and colds away."
He laughs and says, "Well just make sure the person you're with has one too!" though, I swear he said making out with! But surely not?! Right?? He wouldn't say that on the radio.. Would he??? We both laugh and then he says "Feel better and call me back to let me know how you're doing."

Ahhhh me oh my. What a great way to feel better! Chicken soup might be great and garlic grand but talking to Tyler is definitely the best way to feel better quickly! :)

*Tyler did not, in fact, say robusticize. He did say that I could make the soup more robust and Tuscan style by adding the drained white beans. Robusticize is purely a squirrelly word of my invention that will soon take over everyone's vocabularly. Rather like detartify. *grin*