[The Roaming Fork is a new regular column at Rice and Bread where musician and foodie Deacon Batchelor picks four other musicians or foodies each instalment and asks them about their food experiences on the road. This time Batchelor talked to Frank Turner, Rick Johnson, Elizabeth Cauvel and Jeff Rosenstock.]
Frank Turner, songwriter and leader of Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls
I noticed that you guys jumped the pond over to Nashville to record a new album recently. Was there anything in the realm of Southern cuisine that you really enjoyed?
I am a huge, huge fan of Buffalo wings. It’s really not a thing over here in the UK. I mean, you get wings, but not “Buffalo” wings; the sauce isn’t really done, and certainly never right. So every time I’m in the US I run out to find the best wings I can. Obviously, the Anchor Bar in Buffalo itself is the mart of darkness, but I’ll take what I can get. Nashville was great; we had some good food here and there. BBQ is a similarly foreign concept for us limeys, and so some great pulled pork went down the hatch.
You travel all over the world rocking the masses. Is there anything that you’ve seen in your travels that you absolutely wouldn’t eat, or something that made you completely mental?
I have done some touring in China. I’m not usually the most adventurous eater, but the first time I was there I was traveling with just a Chinese guide for company, and I resolved to beat my pickiness and try everything. For the most part it was great; I ate some really cool things, but there was one meal in particular which seemed to revolve around cold, rubbery, weird-shaped mushrooms that really made my stomach turn. It’s not good even thinking about it out now.
I would guess that you probably spend the majority of the year away from your comfortable flat in the UK. What’s the thing from home that you wish you could eat while you’re gone?
I guess I’d say a proper, greasy-spoon breakfast. It’s the British equivalent of a diner, but it has a particular taste and ambience to it; super cheap, greasy food in a rundown atmosphere. I can’t get enough of it; it really makes me feel homey. Every time I get off the road I run straight to my local greasy spoon and settle in for the long haul.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine Rick Johnson, bassist for Mustard Plug and Sharkanoid
You’re quite the globetrotter, Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine. Has there been any meal in your travels that really blew your mind or changed how you look at food?
When I am on tour or traveling I pretty much stick to the “I’m going to eat the regional favourites” rule. That being said, Shrimp Po Boys in New Orleans at either Verti Marte, Parkway or Parosols; breakfast tacos from the now-closed Tamale House #5; BBQ in Kansas City; any corner New York pizza place; the list could go on.
Any cultural cuisine that you’ve come across that was just plain gross or weird?
When my girlfriend and I went on a trip to Beijing our tour guide kept telling us about open-air markets where you can sample “the silkworm, scorpion, and snake.” It seemed around every corner he was telling us about these markets. Finally, I asked him if he ever partook in the “silkworm, scorpion, or snake” and he said no, that it was just something the tourist do, and it is terrible.
Is there a food that takes you back home to the comforts of Grand Rapids, MI?
Grand Rapids is a weird spot because there isn’t really a culinary specialty. I guess the only thing might be Polish food, but I don’t eat a whole lot of that. I’m originally from a town called Muskegon, MI, which has a chili dog famous for being a “Greek” chili dog, which is sort of similar to a Detroit Coney dog, but with a slight twist. Lots of lunches of my youth were spent eating these.
Elizabeth Cauvel, runner-up contestant on MasterChef USA, Season 5
So, after being robbed of the title of MasterChef USA, I noticed you began doing a lot of traveling. What were some of the best foods you’ve had while traveling?
First of all, thanks for saying I was robbed! Travel makes it all better. Soon after getting back from MasterChef, I went to Italy with my mom. We ate a lot of amazing food there, but by far the best meal we had was on a boat off the island of Capri, near some beautiful lagoons. Our boat captain made us a simple lunch of fresh bread, mozzarella, a salad of potatoes and olives and freshly sliced tomatoes, and we drank white wine. It was the epitome of simplicity, but it tasted so good. They say everything tastes better on a boat, and that must be true!
You seem like a very adventurous carnivore. Is there anything that you’ve eaten that pushed your comfort zone, or grossed you out?
I’m definitely adventurous. When I was in Los Angeles shooting the show we ate at the restaurant Animal, and I had veal brain. That was definitely pushing the limits for me. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t say I crave it on the reg. I recently ate at Marea in NYC, and I tried their famous crostini with sea urchin and lardo; I wish I could say I loved it but, honestly, it was really kind of weird. However, I recently tried sweetbreads (fried sheep thymus glands) and I couldn’t get enough of those: go figure. I also love any sort of liver pate: chicken liver, duck liver, any liver. Whip up a liver with some butter and serve it with toast and I’m a happy girl!
I know you were on set and isolated from the comforts of home while shooting MasterChef. What was the one meal that you wish you could’ve had to make you feel at home?
It definitely got a little lonely in LA. On the weekends in Brooklyn, my husband and I like to go to a little Irish pub near our house (Harefield Road, if you’re curious) that serves a really cheap, awesome and crowded brunch, and I always get the breakfast burrito with rosemary potatoes and a Bloody Mary. So that really would have hit the spot.
Jeff Rosenstock, musical icon and all-around awesome dude
What’s cracking, Jeff? I heard you recorded The Smith Street Band in Australia recently. Was there anything in the realm of down-unda cuisine that blew your mind?
Well, the first thing that blew my mind about Australian cuisine is how fucking expensive breakfast is! Like, holy shit. Just looking at a menu for a cafe near where I was staying, avocado and feta on toast costs $14! I mean, it’s tasty, but still! For the most part we were eating spaghetti sangers, which is Chef Boyardee spaghetti and cheese, put between two slices of white bread in a sandwich press. Those sandwiches are testaments to how fucking awesome and necessary sandwich presses are.
I know that you’ve toured all over the world with Bomb the Music Industry!, The Bruce Lee Band and as a solo artist. What would be some of the more adventurous things you have eaten, or things that straight-up weirded you out?
As a vegetarian, other countries can be really hard to eat in and feel like you’re part of the culture. Since I’m a vegetarian, I don’t fuck with eating bugs, or kangaroo or any other animal we might not eat here in the States. Luckily, I get nice people in different countries to show me the tastiest cheap stuff, vegetarian or non-vegetarian. The ones that will always stick with me are going to the pasteleria in Campinas, Brazil; eating street papusas in Belize; okonomyaki and ramen in Tokyo; and, oddly enough, this mixture of sesame oil, garlic and sea salt that they were fucking with in Seoul… it’s such a simple combination of flavours, but it was soooo good.
When you dream about your sweet digs in Brooklyn, what’s a meal that you wish you could have when you’re halfway across the world?
All the cheap stuff, man. When I’m paying like $7 for a falafel somewhere and I know that Mamoun’s falafel costs $3 and is the best falafel ever, I get stressed. Generally speaking, on the way back from the airport we’ll stop at Vinnie’s Pizzeria and get some pizza because, sorry, that’s just not as good anywhere else. And as a little fat treat for my fat ass, I like to go to Matchless in my neighbourhood for vegetarian biscuits and gravy, eggs and hash browns for breakfast, occasionally; it’s only $10 and so much tasty food. Bars that give out free pizza are your friend. And when you eat on the cheap most of the time, it’s easier to not feel guilty about spending a little extra to go to Momofuku every now and then!
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