We’re All Perfectly Cooked ft. Stephen Buranyi

This is an unlocked bonus episode! Find the original post, as well as our extensive backlog, on our patreon!

Writer and editor Stephen Buranyi joins the pod this week to talk about his latest feature, which explores the shadow economy driving food reviewers and the restaurants who love and loathe them.

Stephen talks about the evolution of the food influencer, their distancing from being considered critics, and the ways that video-based platforms demand more from them, while also giving them less. Stephen explains how the evolution of food reviewers and influencers have reshaped the way restaurants operate and market themselves, and how influencers themselves are fighting each other for exclusivity.

We also commemorate Kirkmas, and look back on that strange day in 2025 when the right’s Horst Wessel got memed into irrelevance.

Read Stephen’s article, here: https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/sep/03/a-crisis-of-authenticity-the-truth-about-food-influencers

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LEBANON AID LINKSHere are some fundraisers to support collective rebuilding and survival efforts on the ground in Lebanon.

-Beit El-Baraka started out as a food bank, but has grown to help people afford rent, cover their essentials, and live with dignity. https://beitelbaraka.org/donate-directly/ or donate in general https://beitelbaraka.org/donate-now/

-LiveLove was a charity for a number of other matters, but since 2024 has been solely comitted to helping people displaced by Israeli attacks.https://livelove.org/donate

-Lebanese Food Bank supports displaced and impoverished peoplehttps://lebanesefoodbank.org/take-action/donate/

Solar Powered Lebanon is an initiative to restore people's power using solar panels, since larger infrastructure is at constant risk of attack.https://fundahope.com/en/campaigns/solar-powered-lebanon

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