I live like General Sternwood in The Big Sleep (1946), enjoying the mediated pleasure of others rather than needing to experience them myself, although orchids don’t really seem to have the flesh of death. "Hum, nice state of affairs when a man has to indulge his vices by proxy." TV food shows do that for me, starting with Julia Child’s first appearances on PBS. That and the exotic possibility of someday trying to make or taste new foods still compels me to want to get on the road, despite the cost of fuel.

The Best Restaurant In Every College Town pic.twitter.com/WUE3WVs3dR

Like hoarding cultural objects resembles a vernacular history of collecting memories, I like visiting college towns when traveling by car. They sometimes have interesting food, but mainly because they have more interesting bookstores with the occasional bargain.

The internet has fortunately changed all that and the best that can happen is often some not very healthy dining choices aside from the usual franchise eateries.

When traveling I like to find more regional junk food, because despite a better supply chain, there are treats like Ginger Mints that have yet to be sampled but not because of the horrible treatment of Georgia poll workers.

Similarly, regional cooking is pretty interesting and I’ve found a new TV program on PBS, Roadfood, now in reruns and seemingly unlikely to have a second season, that tries to do the food travelogue better. The host is really into random acts of kindness and for some, not that great a host. 

Maybe it’s because I miss Anthony Bourdain’s snarkiness and still don’t quite appreciate Stanley Tucci’s tour of Italy’s regional cooking on CNN, using the same formula. And now PBS is trying to present a pale mash-up of MasterChef and Top Chef, except in a massive barn. Roadfood at least seems more casual and less competitive, and I now know something about Serbian style chicken in Barberton Ohio.

Join us in this episode on Route 66 and take a drive.  This is the way to get somewhere when you want to slow down your trip and you are about the journey, not the destination.  Here in Oklahoma, we eat the Fried Onion Burger, which is made a couple of different ways in the diners that dot Route 66.  Misha Collins and the great Michael Stern hit the road and Michael shows Misha how to be a professional eater.

They start their trip off right with a double onion burger and onion rings at  Johnnie’s Grill.  Michael gives Misha the background story of how he and Jane started their Roadfood adventure.  At the time, the two had no background in writing.  They were curious about food and wanted to understand where the best places to eat were.

I am a MAJOR re-watcher of shows I love. I can watch them about 15 billion times. If you are like me and need to re-watch Roadfood with @mishacollins to feel the feelings and drool over the food, go here! 💜🥰 #gifttoselfhttps://t.co/QdWdIpsdkU

Their new show " Roadfood" is supposed to be an homage to Jane and Michael Stern, authors of the seminal " Roadfood" books, but the episode filmed in Rhode Island seems like a hastily researched treatment featuring a spectacularly unfit host.

Bite into the many layers of Rhode Island's surprisingly rich calamari industry story with @mishacollins. Watch 'Roadfood' https://t.co/eFAH6hllsZ pic.twitter.com/Hab2Vrg80A

The  new PBS show  is sponsored by a tea brand owned by Coca-Cola and a financial services company. Given that the “Roadfood” name and the  Stern website  now appear to belong to the show, it looks like the Sterns have decided to cash in, which I understand. They are still cool with me. Their impact on the food universe of the 70s can not be overstated. They celebrated road food and diners at a time when the foodie universe badly needed to be brought back down to earth. They are great writers and a lot of fun.

I always keep some things far too long in the fridge, because hoarding food is stupid unless you have a dehydrator or know how to can things.

NO https://t.co/1YY3LAvfkc

Single mayo theory. What with that Trumpian ketchup on the wall, a thousand islands are dressing up the massive word salads being generated to divert your attention from the insurrection. More important are so many other culinary tragedies:

Migrants found dead inside truck in Texas allegedly sprinkled with steak seasoning to cover smell amid sweltering temps https://t.co/W4Uzcmi9Oy

Artwork could be the highest example of controversial hoarding.

“The Art of Banksy”, an exhibition, invites art lovers to pay to view privately held works originally intended to be publicly accessible and free https://t.co/bxVTf7QsBt

👀 Something big is coming soon...#BarbaraKruger’s bold textual statements about truth, belief, and power will envelope the Marron Family Atrium in a large-scale commission "Thinking of Y̶o̶u̶. I Mean M̶e̶. I Mean You." Opening July 16. Learn more → https://t.co/JAksDR9hgr pic.twitter.com/pkLE9CSmIS

Freeports: Where the Wealthy Hide Art https://t.co/jZwwo1QFdd

is anyone starting to get really weirded out about society's apparent current obsession with trading cards eBay is introducing a way to buy and sell trading cards while keeping them inside eBay's storage facility. they never have to leave. this feels pathological pic.twitter.com/I9Z0dHRB9z

Sanctions on Russian oligarchs put focus on assets and art stowed away in Swiss freeports https://t.co/ajIlurC4T2