Best Mark Scarbrough Podcasts (2026)

1
Brides, Grooms, And Virgil: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 1 - 21 29:18

Play Pause

1d ago29:18

29:18

The grand parade of revelation has come to a stop across Lethe from our pilgrim, Virgil, and Statius. Everything seems to hold its breath: the constellations stop moving, the crowd goes quiet, one voice calls out for the bride, then a hundred angels appear, calling out for the groom . . . which is surely Jesus, right? We seem to be on the verge of …

1
The Second Coming Of Beatrice: A Read-Through Of PURGATORIO, Cantos XXX - XXXI 18:45

6d ago18:45

18:45

As we have done throughout PURGATORIO, let's read through a chunk of the canticle to get the plot down so that we can then focus on the many moving parts that comprise it. Here are cantos XXX and XXXI, in many ways the climax of the first part of COMEDY: the arrival of Beatrice, long awaited since INFERNO, Canto II. Her arrival is like nothing we c…

1
The Conclusion (For Now) Of The Timeless Parade Of Revelation: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 121 - 154 31:01

9d ago31:01

31:01

The pilgrim has found the perfect perch to see the full scope and length of the parade of allegories at the top of the Mount Purgatory in the garden of Eden. After the griffin and its chariot come seven merry women and seven more somber men. They are complex allegories that have inspired much debate. More than that, they are also an atemporal momen…

1
The Shocking Emptiness Of Revelation: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 106 - 120 30:38

13d ago30:38

30:38

The parade goes on to include a Roman, two-wheeled, victory chariot between the four animals. It's a brilliant moment, a chariot better than even famous Roman conquerors got, pulled by a griffin, a legendary two-natured creature . . . yet with a curious moment of emptiness right in all of the victory. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we continue deeper…

1
No Time For Poetry: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 88 - 105 23:31

16d ago23:31

23:31

The parade goes on, now that the pilgrim, Dante, is in a good spot to see it. After the twenty-four lords in white come four animals with green fronds as crowns. They are like the Cherubim in both the prophecies of Ezekiel and in the Apocalypse of St. John (or the book of Revelation). Except not really. Or sort of. Well, the poet doesn't have time …

1
The Parade Of Revelation: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 58 - 87 34:08

20d ago34:08

34:08

The parade goes on! Our pilgrim, Dante, turns back from Virgil's amazement and finds more of the parade coming toward him . . . at least, he does so after he's reprimanded by the lady who stands across Lethe. In this passage, the poet's craft heightens to reveal gorgeous poetry that comes from the apocalyptic tradition but far exceeds its beauty wi…

1
That Which Walks In The Forest: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 31 - 57 33:29

23d ago33:29

33:29

As the pilgrim, his poets, and the beautiful lady continue to stand beside Lethe, they see the approaching parade of the apocalypse, which is an example of emergent revelation, the truth coming in slowly and even deceptively. Our poet has set up a poetic space that leaves even Virgil speechless as we witness the first of the parade of multiple, ope…

1
Let The Apocalypse Roll: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 1 - 30 31:39

27d ago31:39

31:39

Our pilgrim, Dante, and the beautiful lady across Lethe walk on for a bit before the stream bends and the pilgrim ends up facing the right way to see the first flash of light that will signal the great apocalyptic parade in Eden. The opening of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, brings us back to the pastoral world of Guido Cavalcanti's poem before launching …

1
The Essential Fulcrum Of COMEDY: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 134 - 148 18:44

1M ago18:44

18:44

The beautiful lady winds up her discourse with a corollary that combines both revelation and reason to offer a fulcrum to COMEDY as a whole: The classical world dreamed of Eden. Redemption is a cul-de-sac, returning us to our primal state while also offering us a way to remain readers of the classical world's poetry. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we…

1
The Abundance Of The Poet's Imagination In Eden: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 109 - 133 28:32

1M ago28:32

28:32

The lady across the stream continues her answer to the pilgrim Dante's question about the breeze and the water. In this case, she explains the ecology of Eden, offers an understanding of global botany, and finally layers the meaning thick over the rivers of Eden, one of which is the poet's utter invention. The landscape itself is becoming allegoric…

1
The Breeze Of The Poem's Faith: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 85 - 108 24:02

1M ago24:02

24:02

The lady in Eden says she's come to answer the pilgrim's questions. And he's got one. It just might not be the first question on our minds. But it's one that reveals the hall of mirrors that the poet has created in COMEDY, in which the poem itself justifies its own fictional if scientific answers to questions that lead the fictional pilgrim (and th…

1
The Many Contraditions In Eden: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 67 - 84 30:30

1M ago30:30

30:30

The lady in the forest has come to face the pilgrim and his poets across the stream in the forest. The pilgrim clearly feels a sexual attraction toward her, one that might even make us think of his reactions to Beatrice. She, however, has other ideas, like answering their many questions. Except in so doing, she raises even more questions than she h…

1
The Darkening Poetry Around The Solitary Lady: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 43 - 66 30:09

1M ago30:09

30:09

Our pilgrim, Dante, calls the solitary lady over to him. She can't cross the stream that divides them, but she can dance in place before coming closer to him. All the while, the poet keeps darkening the poetry around her with threatening references in the pilgrim's mouth--that is, classical examples of profane love that end up in tragic circumstanc…

1
Of Brooks, Solitary Ladies, and Layered Meanings: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 22 - 42 27:10

2M ago27:10

27:10

Our pilgrim continues walking through the old-growth forest, so dark that very little light can get into its cooling shade. He is eventually blocked by two seemingly small things: a little brook flowing to the left and a solitary lady across the way, singing and picking flowers. But the poet Dante gives us hints that all is already not what it seem…

1
Our Pilgrim Let Loose (Again) In A Dark Wood: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 1 - 21 34:12

2M ago34:12

34:12

Our pilgrim has been set free--crowned and mitered, in fact--and can wander at will through the dense, thick wood that tops Mount Purgatory. The opening lines of Canto XXVIII are fully from the pilgrim's point of view. They offer us a wealth of naturalistic detail that looks simple on first blush but that will get layered with sedimentary meaning o…

1
The Top Of The Mount (Part One): A Read-Through Of PURGATORIO, CANTOS XXVIII - XXIX 21:06

2M ago21:06

21:06

We've come to the top of Mount Purgatory, on the other side of the globe from Jerusalem and the closest earth ever comes to the heavens above. Our pilgrim, Dante, begins to wander around in this new place, almost unprecedented in the poem (except for perhaps that hill and those three beasts back in INFERNO, Canto I). This episode of WALKING WITH DA…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about childhood favorites that even we food snobs can't make better! 20:09

3M ago20:09

20:09

1
The Climax Of Virgil In COMEDY: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 124 - 142 32:52

3M ago32:52

32:52

We have come to the climax of Virgil's in COMEDY: the apex of his character, the moment when he is what he should have been all along, a poignant and fitting summit for this most difficult figure in the poem. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we stand at the top of the final staircase on Mount Purgatory and take our first steps into the Garden of Eden w…

1
To Refocus Virgil And COMEDY: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 109 - 123 25:37

3M ago25:37

25:37

We come to the climax of Virgil's character in the poem, the end of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII. Let's take this dramatic and chilling scene in two episodes, starting with the moment our pilgrim, Dante, wakes up from his third dream on the mountain. Virgil steps forward to offer a grand and perhaps new hope. The journey is not about the need for justic…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about fall grilling! 19:37

3M ago19:37

19:37

It's not too late in the year for grilling! Although we're starting to tip to autumnal colors and although Mark is busy taking down our gardens, we're still firing up both the charcoal and the gas grill for great dinners after the shorter and shorter days. Mark, the writer, has a list of great things to match the season on the grill. Bruce, the wri…

1
The Third And Final Dream On Mount Purgatory: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 91 - 108 25:36

3M ago25:36

25:36

Our pilgrim has lain down on a step of the final staircase of Mount Purgatory, positioned between Statius below and Virgil above him. As he watches the large and bright stars, he suddenly falls asleep to dream of Leah (and her sister Rachel) in an Edenic garden, the hope for self-reflection bound up in the promise of the contemplative life. This dr…

1
The Flames Don't Burn Up Irony: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 49 - 90 34:17

3M ago34:17

34:17

Our pilgrim has entered the flames of lust. For the first time, he is not a voyeur of the torments. He experiences them on the last terrace of lust. He then hears a call to enter Paradise . . . before he falls asleep on the mountain's rocky staircase. Problem is, those flames don't burn up irony. It's thick in this passage. A goat even gets into Pa…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about secret ingredients to up your cooking game! 17:30

4M ago17:30

17:30

Did you know there are simple additions to recipes that can take your favorite dishes over the top? We've got a list of single ingredients that up the game for all sorts of foods (or even take-out fare). We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of thirty-seven cookbooks and over twenty thousand original recipes. We've made a career out of f…

1
Of Fraud, Flames, And Love: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 19 - 48 28:59

4M ago28:59

28:59

Our pilgrim stands on the brink of the flames. Virgil has to use every rhetorical trick in his bag to get Dante to move . . . and the only thing that works in Beatrice. In so doing, our poet Dante attempts his first run at defining this desire that is driving him up into the heavens. But he does so in a most curious way: by bringing up Geryon, the …

1
The Whole World Is On Fire: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 1 - 18 30:46

4M ago30:46

30:46

Our pilgrim has come to an impasse: the flames of lust. There's no way forward except to step into them. He must finally feel the sufferings that he has witnessed over the course of COMEDY to this point. This suffering comes after a discussion of the craft of poetry, after a unifying vision of the world, and after Dante's own memories of both seein…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about the weirdest foods we've ever eaten! 24:51

4M ago24:51

24:51

We've been in the food business for over twenty-five years . . . and we're involved with food long before we started to writing about it. We've eaten a lot of weird things. So here are some of the strangest things we've dared to eat. (Beware: The list includes a lot of innards.) We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about packaged poultry from th…

1
Final Thoughts About Poetry, Lust, And Meaning On The Last Terrace Of Mount Purgatory 19:26

4M ago19:26

19:26

As we pass Arnaut Daniel, the last penitent soul of Mount Purgatory, let's look back over the discussions of poetry and lust in the seventh (and even sixth) terrace of the mountain. Dante has laid out a fairly straightforward theory of poetry through his encounters with three poets. Are these in a logical progression? Are they causally linked, not …

1
French Poetry Doesn't Have To Condemn You: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, Lines 136 - 148 18:57

4M ago18:57

18:57

Guido Guinizzelli has pointed to another figure in the purifying flames of Purgatory's seventh terrace. And now he steps forward, one of the greatest troubadour poets, a model of high-brow poetry and a writer of the sort of lusty verses that led to Francesca's downfall. Arnaut Daniel breaks COMEDY in some ways. He speaks in (a version of) medieval …

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about ketchup! 24:11

4M ago24:11

24:11

Ketchup. We all know what it is. But do we? It's not a thing. It's actually a category. Where's the word come from? How was it originally used? When was the first ketchup recipe? How has it become the condiment we know today? We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen cookbooks. This podcast is about our major passion in l…

1
Sweet Becomes Truthful Becomes Poetic: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, Lines 115 - 135 32:15

4M ago32:15

32:15

Dante has found his poetic father, Guido Guinizzelli, burning in the fires of lust on the final terrace of Mount Purgatory. Our pilgrim-poet has praised his poetic father for the sweet art that will last. Then Guinizzelli takes the discussion further, morphing that sweetness into truth, offering a metaphysical meaning to a physical sensation. He th…

1
The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, Lines 94 - 114 23:54

4M ago23:54

23:54

Guido Guinizzelli has named himself and our pilgrim, Dante, is aghast. He gets lost in a classical simile that almost loses its sense, only to finally find his love for this poetic father and express himself in the straightfoward, new style from which his own poetry was born. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through another complicated but ulti…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're reacting to a list of the top chain restaurants in the United States! 30:53

4M ago30:53

30:53

What are the top chain restaurants in the United States? Have we been to them? What do we think about them? You might be surprised by how many we have (or haven't!) been to. We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about better batters for pancakes or cakes. And we're very happy about pork belly this week. We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, au…

1
Queenly Embeasting: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, Lines 67 - 93 23:59

4M ago23:59

23:59

We finally come to know who has been our spokesperson for the lustful penitents: Guido Guinizzelli, perhaps the most important Italian poet working before Dante. Guinizzelli explains who the penitents are by using two classical allusions and even making up words to describe their sin, in the ways that poets always manipulate and even invent languag…

1
The Pilgrim Writes His Way Into Revelation: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, Lines 49 - 66 21:45

4M ago21:45

21:45

We've seen the two crowds of the lustful on the seventh terrace of Mount Purgatory and we clearly identified them in the last passage (and on the last episode of this podcast). But Dante the pilgrim didn't know who they were. He's stuck, confused. He then seeks to break out his manuscript and rule his paper to find his way into the shocking revelat…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about chaos cooking! 26:17

4M ago26:17

26:17

Chaos cooking. A new trend. Well, sort of new. About two years old at this point, but it's found it's way into restaurants across the country. What started as a "throw it from the pantry into a pot" technique has morphed into the new version of culinary fusion. We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of more than three dozen cookbooks, inc…

1
The Episode In Which My Voice Breaks: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, Lines 25 - 48 27:57

5M ago27:57

27:57

Our pilgrim, Dante, may have opened his mouth to answer how he got to where he is in his corporeal body, but he's interrupted by something completely unexpected: a group of people, moving the opposite direction of everyone else on Mount Purgatory. He's witnessing the moment when love moves the fence. These are the homosexuals on the doorstep of hea…

1
Poets Make The Flames Of Lust More Colorful: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, Lines 1 - 24 27:32

5M ago27:32

27:32

The pilgrim, Dante, Virgil, and Statius walk on the narrow ledge between the flames of lust and the drop into the abyss. The penitents in the flames notice that the pilgrim's body makes the flames of lust more colorful . . . the work of any medieval poet in the troubadour tradition when it comes to love! Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we encounter th…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about fiber-maxxing, the latest social-media craze! 21:44

5M ago21:44

21:44

Fiber-maxxing. It's the latest social-media craze among food and fitness influencers. What is it? Why is it absurd? But also, why does it touch on something very important? We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen cookbooks (plus Bruce's knitting books and Mark's memoir). Food and cooking are our passions. We're so happy…

1
The Flames And Abyss Of Lust: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, Lines 109 - 139 28:57

5M ago28:57

28:57

Dante, Statius, and Virgil arrive on the seventh terrace of Mount Purgatory filled with the flames of lust. The pilgrim must make his precarious way between those burning fires and the abyss just to his right, a narrow path that may give us a clue to the poet's own fears of lust. This passage is a grab-bag of ideas, hymns, references, and emotions.…

1
The Corporeal Afterlife Of The Immaterial Soul: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, Lines 79 - 108 33:02

5M ago33:02

33:02

Statius concludes his discourse on embryology by finally answering the pilgrim Dante's question about how souls can take on material attributes in the afterlife . . . and by gently correcting both Virgil's incomplete answer to the question in this canto and Virgil's larger explanation of the soul's journey after death in THE AENEID. This passage is…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're talking about the rise and fall of the Instant Pot. 29:35

5M ago29:35

29:35

What happened to the Instant Pot? It's come off its highs and changed dramatically. Its story is not one of overproduction or the whims of popularity. It's a more complicated story that involves investment finance and private equity. Join us, Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of four Instant Pot books, including THE INSTANT POT BIBLE. We w…

1
The Breath Of Life, The Breath Of Poetry: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, Lines 52 - 78 29:00

5M ago29:00

29:00

Statius goes on to the second part of his discussion of human embryology by following the fetus through its developmental phases until it finally has a brain. At this point, the prime mover knows it's capable of reason and so breathes a new spirit into it . . . to make it capable of self-reflection. This passage is astounding discourse on developme…

1
The Natural Process Of Life: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, Lines 34 - 51 25:04

5M ago25:04

25:04

Dante the pilgrim has asked the pressing question of how immaterial souls can take on material attributes like leanness. To answer that, Virgil has offered a couple of unsatisfying answers, then turned the lecture over to the redeemed Statius . . . who begins by discussing human digestion. As understood via Aristotle, Aquinas, and more, food is pur…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: What have we learned after publishing thirty-seven cookbooks? 26:31

5M ago26:31

26:31

We've learned a lot after writing and publishing after thirty-seven cookbooks. We'd love to share with you those lessons. We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough. We've actually written forty cookbooks, including two knitting books by Bruce and a memoir by Mark. We've been around the block! We'd love to tell you what we've learned over this long pu…

1
Virgil's Inadequacy On Full Display: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, Lines 22 - 33 22:02

5M ago22:02

22:02

Our pilgrim, Dante, has asked a very pressing question: How can shades grow thin? How does the immaterial act like the material in the afterlife? Virgil has given the pilgrim the confidence to ask this question. So Virgil takes the first crack at an answer. Problem is, he offers a whole unsatisfying answer and then turns the discussion over to Stat…

1
Hesitancy Is The Deadly Sin Of Art: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, Lines 1 - 21 20:58

5M ago20:58

20:58

Dante the pilgrim, Virgil, and Statius begin the ever-quickening ascent to the final terrace of Mount Purgatory. As he climbs, the pilgrim has a question about the gluttons on the previous terrace . . . but it's really a question that's been brewing since almost the opening of COMEDY itself. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at the opening lines…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: What's with so much nostalgia in food trends? 29:37

5M ago29:37

29:37

Nostalgia is such a big part of food trends. It shows up in dining, cooking, cookbooks, food writing, even food packaging. Think of that old-fashioned truck on the Peach Truck boxes! Why is nostalgia such a big part of food trends, dining options, and even flash-popular things in North American cooking? Let's talk about the part of nostalgia in bot…

1
A Read-Through Of PURGATORIO, Cantos XXV - XXVII 30:01

5M ago30:01

30:01

Virgil, Statius, and our pilgrim, Dante, head up to the seventh and final terrace of Mount Purgatory. During the climb, Statius engages in a complicated and fascinating discourse on embryology (at least as understood in Dante's medieval learning). Then we find ourselves standing before a wall of flames with the lustful penitents walking, singing, a…

1
The Compensations Of Contemplation: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIV, Lines 130 - 154 23:58

6M ago23:58

23:58

Virgil, Statius, and our pilgrim, Dante, walk along in contemplation, together but also alone with their thoughts. They're interrupted by the angel at the stairs who shows them the way up to the final terrace of Mount Purgatory. Our pilgrim loses his sight but gains precision in his other sense. And our poet gains the daring to rewrite one of Jesus…

1
WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: The biggest trends in burger toppings for 2025! 22:37

6M ago22:37

22:37

Burgers! What are they without their toppings? Let's talk about the most popular trends for burger toppings in 2025! We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, veteran cookbook authors of thirty-seven cookbooks (plus Bruce's knitting books and Mark's memoir!). We're going to get Bruce's honest reactions to the most popular burger topping trends for 2…