Best Hrishikesh Hirway Podcasts (2025)

1
Show up for yourself to show up for others, by Jefferson Fisher 38:03

Play Pause

2d ago38:03

38:03

Lawyer and master communicator Jefferson Fisher loves taking care of other people. You can feel this in the supportive videos he posts on his wildly popular social media channels. Again and again he puts the wants and needs of others ahead of his own. In his story this week, Jefferson discovers the power of showing up for himself, and when he does,…

1
Can Kolaches Be Bigger Than Texas? 30:19

3d ago30:19

30:19

In parts of Texas, a kolache is about as common as a donut — but it’s relatively unknown outside the Lone Star State. The kolache is a traditional Czech pastry made with a sweetened, yeasty dough and filled with either fruit, cheese or sausage. It got a foothold in Texas after a wave of Czech immigrants came to the state more than a century ago. Th…

1
“The World Eats Here:” Stories From The Queens Night Market (Reheat) 32:17

6d ago32:17

32:17

This was supposed to be the Queens Night Market’s big summer... When the open-air market debuted in 2015, the crowds were massive. Founder John Wang selected food vendors who represented more than 90 countries. And he had one rule for them: no item could cost more than $5. That way the market would be accessible to nearly everyone, and big business…

1
Jeff Tweedy - How to Write One Song 43:34

7d ago43:34

43:34

In June 2024, I got to go to the Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts, which is organized by the band Wilco. I performed some of my new songs, and I got to interview Jeff Tweedy, the lead singer of Wilco, on stage as part of the festival. Jeff, in addition to being in Wilco and the band Tweedy, and putting out his solo albums, has als…

1
Giving birth to a wiser self, by Elizabeth Lesser 31:45

9d ago31:45

31:45

One icy morning on a Vermont farm, Elizabeth Lesser is witness to a miraculous thing: the birth of a bleary, bleating baby lamb. Years later, as a midwife, she is still filled with this sense of awe and wonder at every birth. It’s through that process of coaching new life into the world, she learns how to sit through the difficult – even the painfu…

1
Sebastian Maniscalco’s First Stage Was At The Dinner Table 33:35

10d ago33:35

33:35

Sebastian Maniscalco is one of the top-grossing comedians in America, beloved for his stories about the food-obsessed family he grew up in, and his constant irritation at just about everyone around him. And in 2021, he parlayed his love of food into a new Food Network show, Well Done. Sebastian talks with Dan about what it’s like going from a worki…

1
New Jersey's Pork Roll-Taylor Ham Wars (Reheat) 25:24

13d ago25:24

25:24

A 150-year-old blood feud over processed meat... When the New Jersey State Legislature tried to designate an Official State Sandwich, a fight broke out. Should it be pork roll, egg, and cheese — or Taylor ham, egg, and cheese? Thing is, pork roll and Taylor ham are the same food. New Jerseyans just can't agree on what to call it. And this debate ha…

1
Lorde - Sober 19:35

15d ago19:35

19:35

Lorde is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer. Her second album, Melodrama, debuted at number one on the charts in June 2017 – five months before her 21st birthday. In this episode, Ella breaks down her song “Sober.” You’ll hear how it started, with the original demos she made with her co-producer Jack Antonoff, and how the song …

1
Three love stories, by Rohan Gunatillake 15:42

16d ago15:42

15:42

Love sneaks up on us. It’s a sudden awakening from the mundane. It’s divinity in the everyday. In this special episode, Rohan shares a trio of stories about his love, Lucy. The childlike purity and sweeping hold of love will wash over you in this intimate listening experience from Meditative Story’s very own Rohan. Each episode of Meditative Story …

1
How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat 32:49

17d ago32:49

32:49

Food critic Brian Reinhart fell in love with spicy Mexican cuisine as a teenager in Texas, but over the years he started to notice that the jalapeños he’d buy in the grocery store were less and less hot. So he called up an expert who studies chili pepper genetics, and she shared a shocking revelation. In this episode from our friends at the Slate p…

1
What Makes Some Seltzers Sparkle? (Reheat) 34:05

20d ago34:05

34:05

How to judge seltzers, plus the science of carbonation... Over the past decade, seltzer has exploded. Sales have doubled, and companies like Coke and Pepsi are buying up brands and creating their own sparkling waters. So in a crowded field, with a drink that doesn't have much flavor to begin with, how do you tell which one is best? We talk with the…

1
The joy of being an unwilling traveler through life, by Maya Shankar 30:51

23d ago30:51

30:51

Maya Shankar is a cognitive neuroscientist and host of the award-winning podcast A Slight Change of Plans. As a girl, she struggles with taking things too seriously: herself, the sufferings of others, the hypothetical misfortunes she imagines for the future. She turns to her father for perspective — and he takes her on a memorable walk, one that he…

1
How Much Should You Tip For One Muffin? 45:40

24d ago45:40

45:40

Are the vibes at a restaurant more important than the food? Would you rip a bagel and drag a piece through cream cheese, instead of slicing and spreading? Do you tip less when you get bad service? We get into these questions and a lot more in this edition of The Salad Spinner, our rapid fire roundtable discussion of food news and trends, live at Si…

1
Nigella Lawson Orders Food Like A Method Actor (Reheat) 31:04

27d ago31:04

31:04

Nigella Lawson is a domestic goddess of the highest order. She strikes the perfect balance between aspiration — a beautiful garden, perfect lighting — and accessibility — sheet pan dinners and a disdain for pretentiousness. Nigella reveals how her own cooking show persona comes from her discomfort in social situations, and shares the two condiments…

1
Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World 28:19

28d ago28:19

28:19

Tears for Fears is a duo formed in 1981 in Bath, England by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. They’ve sold over 30 million albums, starting with their first, The Hurting, which went to number one in the UK. But it was their second album, Songs from the Big Chair, that made them international stars. It came out in 1985, and had huge singles like “Shout…

1
Mud, sweat, and tears, by Shani Tran 33:49

30d ago33:49

33:49

Midway through a grueling, muddy obstacle course, Shani Tran is so grateful for the support of her father, her teammate, who cheers her on and pulls her through. But in other parts of life, she knows, he’s just not there for her in the same way. And that’s ... okay. She shares three stories — with humor, and with honesty — that build to a lifelong …

1
How The Real José Cuervo Invented Modern Tequila 33:40

1M ago33:40

33:40

José Cuervo was a real person, and he revolutionized the tequila industry in the early 1900s. He navigated bloody business rivalries, cozied up to a dictator, and survived the Mexican revolution thanks to a daring escape. After that, with his business in shambles, he had to figure out how to sell tequila in Prohibition-era America. His solution wou…

1
Cooking In An Immigrant Time Warp With Maangchi (Reheat) 34:04

1M ago34:04

34:04

In 2007, Maangchi was 50 years old, a single mother of adult kids, and was addicted to online gaming. Her son suggested she post a cooking video to YouTube. Today she has 4 million subscribers and has taught fans all over the world how to cook traditional Korean food. This week she tells us her story, and talks about cooking when you're in an "immi…

1
Learning to heal by learning to feel, by Niall Breslin 39:53

1M ago39:53

39:53

From the outside, Niall Breslin — known by legions of Irish fans as Bressie — appears to have led a charmed life. He’s had a professional Rugby career, achieved national stardom as a musician, and been a coach on The Voice of Ireland. But behind all those achievements lies Niall’s struggle with repressed emotions and generations of unresolved pain.…

1
Hydrox, Oreo, And The Fight For Sandwich Cookie Supremacy 38:48

1M ago38:48

38:48

Hydrox cookies are known as a cheap knock-off of Oreos, to the point that Hydrox has become pop culture shorthand for “second best.” But did you know that Hydrox came first? And that these two cookies have a rivalry that goes back more than 100 years? This week Dan talks with Mackenzie Martin, a host of the KCUR Studios podcast A People’s History o…

1
Jason Mantzoukas Sees Every Meal As A Threat (Reheat) 33:08

1M ago33:08

33:08

Actor and comedian Jason Mantzoukas is known for playing characters that are overzealous, exuberant, and more than a little wacky. But these characters are the exact opposite of how Jason felt growing up — like a “boy made of glass.” Jason has a life-threatening allergy to eggs, and that constant threat has forced him to live a life of vigilance. D…

1
Cultural Anther-pology (with Sumesh Uncle) 47:58

1M ago47:58

47:58

Big News! Samin’s second cookbook, Good Things, will be published this September! You can preorder it here now! And to celebrate the book release, Samin will be touring across North America this fall for a series of conversations with friends (and occasionally, Hrishi). Get your tickets now for these events, which promise to be full of laughter, co…

1
Lizzo - Still Bad 28:57

1M ago28:57

28:57

Lizzo is a Grammy- and Emmy-winning singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She’s been putting out music since 2013, and her last two albums both went platinum. Her fifth album, Love In Real Life, comes out this summer. For this episode, I talked to Lizzo, as well as her longtime collaborator, Grammy-winning producer Ricky Reed, about the making o…

1
Rewrite your inner monologue, by Kim Fields 21:58

1M ago21:58

21:58

When the way we talk about our own bodies becomes negative and self-deprecating, it’s time to rewrite that inner monologue. Actress and director Kim Fields, star of The Facts of Life, Living Single, and the Netflix series The Upshaws, leads us through a process of reevaluating the words we say to ourselves. It’s an invitation to send love to every …

1
Men Have Eating Disorders Too. Why Don’t They Seek Help? 49:17

1M ago49:17

49:17

Public discussions about eating disorders tend to focus on women, and in the past, so have our episodes on the subject. But millions of men also struggle with some form of disordered eating, though they’re far less likely to be diagnosed or to seek treatment. Today we hear stories from three men—in three different stages of life—who have complicate…

1
The Geometry Of Pizza (Reheat) 24:54

2M ago24:54

24:54

A neuroscientist calls in to debate the geometry of pizza, and food science guru Kenji Lopez-Alt explains how woodworking can help us make a better bagel and cream cheese. This episode originally aired on September 16, 2017 , and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Shoshana Gold, with editing by Dan Charles. The Sporkful team now includes …

1
Key Change: Samin Nosrat on Ani DiFranco 26:42

2M ago26:42

26:42

My guest today is my friend Samin Nosrat, the author of the bestselling, award-winning cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat, and the host and executive producer of the hit Netflix show that's based on it. Her second cookbook comes out this fall, and it's called Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share With People You Love. Back in March 2020, Samin and I s…

1
Joseph Goldstein: It's ok not to know 39:53

2M ago39:53

39:53

Co-founder of Insight Meditation Society (IMS) and author of several popular books on Buddhism, Joseph Goldstein has been a legend in the world of mindfulness for nearly half a century. But when he returned to US from India in the early ‘70s, penniless and without a job prospect, he had no way of knowing what his future held. This week, Joseph tell…

1
Roy Choi Can Summon Flavor From His Fingertips 41:30

2M ago41:30

41:30

Roy Choi is a legend in LA. He was one of the first chefs to start cooking out of a food truck, and one of the first to mashup different cuisines in the way that’s become so popular. His Kogi korean beef taco truck was a sensation in LA when he debuted it in 2008 -- it later inspired the movie “Chef,” starring Jon Favreau. Roy wrote a bestselling c…

1
Are All Vodkas The Same? (Reheat) 29:50

2M ago29:50

29:50

Is there really a difference between cheap and expensive vodkas? In this collaboration with NPR's Planet Money, we go on a mission to learn how super premium vodka is made and marketed. Then we make our own, to see how it measures up. This episode originally aired on March 25, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini. The Sporkful team …

1
Finding possibility in life’s forced pauses, by AD 34:38

2M ago34:38

34:38

As a WNBA player, AD is used to saying, “I’m good” as an automatic response, no matter the injury. It’s what allows them to be a successful athlete, and to wrap their whole self around that identity. But when basketball is fully stripped away from them, they have to look inward to explore who they are — and the full range of identity available to t…

1
Comedian Matteo Lane Says ‘Your Pasta Sucks’ 34:01

2M ago34:01

34:01

Comedian Matteo Lane comes from a large Italian family, which gave him his passion for food and his sense of humor. A few years back he started posting cooking videos on social media, and now he’s published Your Pasta Sucks, a collection of recipes, stories, and jokes. The book includes a quiz to tell you if you have an Italian grandmother, as well…

1
Malcolm Gladwell Only Drinks Five Liquids (Reheat) 38:37

2M ago38:37

38:37

Author and podcast host Malcolm Gladwell immigrated to Canada when he was young, the child of an English father and Jamaican mother. He’s always felt like an outsider. He hated maple syrup, in a town that hosts the largest one-day maple syrup festival in the world. That outsider’s perspective served him well as he became a cultural observer, and ov…

1
MJ Lenderman - You Don't Know The Shape I'm In 27:34

2M ago27:34

27:34

Jake Lenderman plays and records under the name MJ Lenderman. He put out his first album in 2019. In addition to his solo work, he’s been a member of the band Wednesday, and he’s also featured on the Waxahatchee hit song “Right Back to It." In September 2024, the fourth MJ Lenderman album came out. It’s called Manning Fireworks. The New Yorker name…

1
Staying insightful, playful, and alert, by Rohan Gunatillake 16:06

2M ago16:06

16:06

This April Fool’s Day, Rohan embraces the sense of play that exists in all of us, designing a unique meditation to foster a feeling of alertness on this day of pranks. He then invites you to take on the mantle of the wise fool, that all-seeing court jester who upends convention and ensures that we all see the world through a brighter lens. If this …

1
All Aboard The Pizza Bus! 32:43

2M ago32:43

32:43

Scott Wiener, founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours, has made a name for himself as one of the most knowledgeable and passionate pizza experts in America. (He has the Guinness Record for the world’s largest collection of pizza boxes -- nearly 2,000.) This week, Dan and his family join Scott on one of his famous Sunday tours, in which pizza pilgrims board …

1
Green Apple Bad Apple (Reheat) 33:37

2M ago33:37

33:37

When Dan hit 40, he noticed his body wasn't feeling as good. So recently, he embarked on a journey to change his lifestyle. Today, you'll meet the three people who've inspired him. (This episode is a satire. Please enjoy it as such!) This episode originally aired on March 31, 2019, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Ngofeen Mputubwele…