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Wednesday on BPR, live from the BPL:
"Ask the Governor" with Gov. Maura Healey, 11am-12pm
Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner
Comedian Faith Soloway with her band One Long Earring
The Culture Show's Jared Bowen
CNN's John King
Recent segments
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Corby Kummer On The 'Windowless Production Kitchens' Of The Online Food Ordering Industry
As online delivery becomes more popular, some in the industry are moving away from traditional restaurants to virtual kitchens to fulfill demand. -
Chris Fleming Reflects On Success in 2019, ‘Gayle’, And The Clashing Personas Of Jim Braude
The YouTuber says his upcoming stand-up show will be “a fun and flirty time." -
BPR Politics Roundtable: How Strong Is Trump's Influence On Republicans?
On Monday, Michael Curry and Lylah Alphonse joined Boston Public Radio for a politics round table. -
A New Poll Says Mass Democrats Are More Likely To Lean Moderate
The poll found that while progressive Democrats were a significant part of the state’s Democratic electorate, they only made up 22 percent of the entire population. -
The Top 5 Boston Public Radio Segments Of 2019
Jim and Margery's favorite segments of the year. -
All Rev'd Up: Christianity Today's Editorial Calling For Trump Removal
The hosts of WGBH’s "All Rev’d Up” debated the longterm impact of last week's piece, titled “Trump Should Be Removed From Office."
Listen to previous shows
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The 'Windowless Production Kitchens' Behind Your Online Food Order
As online food ordering becomes more popular, a new restaurant trend is popping up to deal with the demand: ghost kitchens, or production centers to handle delivery orders only, with no store front at all. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Monday to discuss the trend, first adopted by restaurants, which is now expanding into the food delivery apps themselves. "The idea is, you save a lot of money if you don’t have to rent a store front location and you don’t have to have your own staff doing delivery. So Seamless and Doordash are starting their own ghost kitchens. What are these? They're windowless production kitchens ... you can't order takeout, you can't go in, they're only to fulfill online orders." For example, Doordash has partnered with various restaurant chains to open a shared kitchen, to be a one-stop production kitchen for multiple brands that deliver through the app. "You order something, it has a separate brand identity online, that's the only brand identity it has, because it's online only. It's the same staff reaching for a different set of spice bottles, often they share the same raw ingredients," said Kummer. "It's kind of as soulless and mechanical as it sounds." Corby Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy -
BPR Full Show: 12/27/19
We’re on tape today, replaying some of our favorite conversations, which include: Harvard Business School's Michael Norton discussed his research into why we fall for marketing gimmicks that give us a false sense of exclusivity. Margot Lee Shatterly discussed her book, "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race." Former UN Ambassador Susan Rice discusses her memoir, "Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For." Salman Rushdie discussed his latest novel "Quichotte." Imani Perry talked about her new memoir, "Breathe: A Letter to My Sons.” Writer Lindy West discussed her latest book, "The Witches are Coming." -
The Generational Divide On Restaurant Tipping
A new poll finds that new Millennials, the generation that loves to dine out, tip less frequently than the two previous generations. Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to explain the “confusing, messy” world of restaurant tipping. The poll, published by YouGov, found that 63 percent of Millennials tip regularly, compared to 89 percent of Baby Boomers, and 81 percent of Generation Xers. But, according to the poll, Millennials feel guiltier about their habits. “The only good thing about this is that they feel guilty,” said Kummer. “They think they should be doing more, and they’re not sure how to handle it.” Waiters and waitresses in most states in America rely on tips to cover a substantial part of their income, as employers can pay servers about $2 an hour as long as tips cover the remainder of the minimum wage. If tips don’t get employees to minimum wage, employers are required to pay the difference, although Kummer said this system often leads to wage theft and isn’t often enforced. Even so, attempted solutions didn’t end up changing consumer behavior. “The solution was to incorporate tips right into the check … but restaurant customers don’t like it, they feel their control is being taken away from them, they have no autonomy, and they wish to be able to punish the people who didn’t come to the table or give them good enough service. What they’re not thinking in that moment of wanting to withhold tips is that signal will not be sent to the server, they’re almost always pooled.” Kummer said there’s one surefire way to absolve any guilt you have of your counterparts who may not tip: “You need to personally make up for it.” Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. -
BPR Full Show 12/26/19
We're on tape today, replaying some of our favorite conversations: Mark Leibovich, chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, discussed his book "Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times." Anand Giridharadas joined BPR to talk about his book "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World." Comedian and podcaster Hari Kondabolu talked about his documentary, The Problem With Apu. Journalist, author and animal behaviorist Sy Montgomery joined Jim and Margery for another edition of the Afternoon Zoo. Comedian, actor and screenwriter Ike Barinholtz discussed his film, The Oath. -
BPR Full Show 12/25/2019: A Very Christmas Rerun
We're on tape today, replaying some of our favorite conversations: Ron Chernow joins Jim and Margery to talk about his biography, “Grant.” Harvard Business School's Michael Norton discusses his latest research, which looks at what is more valuable to people, saving money or saving time. Author Karl Ove Knaussgard discusses his book, “Autumn.” Patti Smith discusses why she considers herself a writer above all her other talents. It’s the subject of her memoir “Devotion (Why I Write).” Salman Rushdie discusses his novel, “The Golden House.” Sy Montgomery and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas discuss their book “Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal Kind.”