BORDERLINE SALTY

On this episode, hosts Rick Martinez and Carla Lalli Music offer sweet and salty snack ideas for your next movie night, share safety tips for using a mandoline, and break down their philosophies around recipe development.

This week’s recipe book:

As always, we’d love to hear about your cooking conundrums at 833-433-FOOD (3663). 

Find us on Instagram @borderlinesalty

Find full episode transcripts and more about the podcast on our website borderlinesalty.fm. 

If you can’t get enough of our hosts – we don’t blame you! Subscribe to Carla's newsletters here and find links to her Instagram and YouTube channel at www.carlalallimusic.com. 

You can order Rick’s cookbook “Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico here, watch the companion Mi Cocina video series here, and find all of his socials at www.rick-martinez.com

EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION

Rick Martinez: Hi. I'm Rick Martinez. I'm a cookbook author, video host. And I love a good foot massage. 

Carla Lalli Music: Oh, smart man. I'm Carla Lalli Music. I'm also a cookbook author, video host, and I have never seen an episode of Sex and the City. 

Rick Martinez: We would not have been friends in the nineties, just FYI. This is Borderline Salty, the show where we take your calls, boost your confidence and make you a better, smarter, happier cook. 

Carla Lalli Music: Today, we'll discuss quick appetizer ideas, mandolin safety and how to build your own recipe. 

Rick Martinez: Ooh. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah. If you could let me know how to do that, it would be super helpful for my career. 

Rick Martinez: Okay, stay on the line after the show. I'll teach ya.

Carla Lalli Music: But before we get into it, I want to share that this week's segment of Tell Me Something Good is brought to you by the Sonos Move, a powerful and portable smart speaker for listening all around your home and beyond. Soundtrack your summer with Sonos. Discover Move plus other speakers and Soundbars at Sonos second. Okay, Rick. Now tell me something good. 

Rick Martinez: Well, Carla. So Carla and I recorded an IG live version of the podcast, and while we were recording, I was actually making a chicken soup that I had had in a town called Tlaxcala, which is in central Mexico. And it was really amazing because it is a chicken soup with a lot of farm, fresh veggies, but it's simmered in a milky broth, and I hadn't had it for probably three years. So I've been developing this recipe from The New York Times. And as I was telling Carla how much I loved the soup when I had it. And post our recording, I tasted it. And Carla, let me tell you, that soup was so incredibly delicious that it actually was better than I remember. The texture of the soup is so incredible because it's almost as if you put a can of coconut milk into a simmering soup. It's not super milky, it's not super creamy, it's certainly not thick, but it just has this really pleasant texture. It rounds out all the flavors, the all of the vegetables I use squash and corn and mushrooms. And then the chicken, it's topped with fried tortilla strips, crema, queso fried chile del arbol. It was so, so good. 

Carla Lalli Music: Tell me the name of the soup again. 

Rick Martinez: It's called Sopa tlaxcala. 

Carla Lalli Music: Aha. So it's just the soup from that region. 

Rick Martinez: Yeah. So I'm making this for you when I go back to New York. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah, it sounds very fallish. Like with the corn and the squash, you know, it's sort of like that bumper crop kind of time of year. 

Rick Martinez: Oh, yeah. Be great for September. 

Carla Lalli Music: Can't wait to try it. 

Rick Martinez: So, Carla, why don't you tell me something good? 

Carla Lalli Music: Well, my something good is not foolish at all. It is peak summer season, in fact. And this past weekend, Fernando and I were staying with friends. Our friends Kate and Andrew, who have a house like not that far out on Long Island. And they're right around the corner from this amazing farm called Hog Farm. And we got to go and feed all the chickens. So there's like three chicken coops out in this pasture. So when we were walking across the field, Andrew said, "Oh yeah, definitely, like, some chickens are missing from that third coop." He was like, "They must have been dispatched on Friday." And I was like, "Okay, cool." And he was like, "Yeah, we'll have those hearts later." And I was like, "Come again?" So we like, move the chickens, watered the chickens, talked to the chickens and gave them their whatever they eat. And then that night I was making a salsa verde. Somebody else had the fire going, something else was going on. And Andrew just like rolled up next to me with a big bowl of chicken hearts that he was just cleaning. And I've had chicken hearts before. I like them, but I've always had them [phonetic] yakitori style. Like, that's really the only setting that I've had them. I've never had them cooked in someone's home. So we just, like, threw some salsa verde on them, some olive oil, some salts, some chili flakes, let them marinate, and then he grilled them, like, really hot and fast. They got this char on them, squeeze lemon juice over, and they were so good. 

Rick Martinez: Oh, my God. 

Carla Lalli Music: They were so chickeny. And, like, when you bite into them, they were almost, like, snappy, poppy, crunchy, like, almost like the casing of a really good hot dog. And then it was very [phonetic] cue cue huge texture, like the bouncy, crunchy, chewy and fatty. And they were also so fresh and they were like very happy chickens rights right up until the end. 

Rick Martinez: Until they were dispatched. 

Carla Lalli Music: So it was great. It just made me really happy to be like out in nature like that. And it was a great experience. 

Rick Martinez: That sounds absolutely amazing. That actually sounds like the perfect summer experience. I'm kind of jealous. I want to do that. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah, it's nice to, like, be like, yep, this is where your food comes from. And you know, I was thinking about you because you've talked about knowing how the chickens are raised, knowing how the pigs are raised, and and getting to see it IRL. And maybe it's not the best life you could have as a chicken, but because it ends the way it does. But, you know, they have it pretty good out there. A lot of fresh air. 

Rick Martinez: A lot of fresh air, yeah. Did you get some eggs? 

Carla Lalli Music: No, weirdly. 

Rick Martinez: Okay. Go back. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah. Next summer, we'll be having hearts and egg salad. Oh, I think the phone is ringing. Can somebody. That's probably a listener. Can somebody pick it up? 

Caller 1: Hi, Rick and Carla. My name's Anna. And my question is this:Your closest friends are coming over for an impromptu movie night and to impress them with quick but accessible dishes. What is the one sweet and salty appetizer you'd be making with things you already have in your kitchen cabinets? Time's ticking; your friends are coming over in an hour. Help!  

Rick Martinez: Ah, Anna, always have things available in case of friend emergencies. So first of all, since it's movie night, I would actually start with popcorn and then just find fun ways to doctor it up. A really good. An easy way to make a sweet and salty treat for your friends for movie night. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah. So for me, the key to, like, being able to invite people over and give them something in an unplanned way also leans on these pantry things. And one of the things that we always have that can be turned into a dip very easily is Greek yogurt or even regular yogurt and almost always have cucumbers in the house. So I would take yogurt, drizzle a little olive oil, some lemon zest, some lemon juice, dice up the cucumbers or cut them into spears. And then I would just kind of gently toast some seeds, like sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds, peanuts, chopped cashews, almonds, whatever, in some nice olive oil, gently, until it's golden brown. And then you can add salt and pepper to that mixture and just spoon that over the top of the yogurt. And it'll make like these nice little olive oil rivulets, and you can dip the cucumbers into that, or you could stir the cucumbers in, you can have it with chips, you could have it with other other crudités-type of thing. And then a sweet thing that could also be sweet and salty this time of year, I would definitely cut open a cantaloupe or a melon or a [unclear] or even a honeydew, guys, I'm like. 

Rick Martinez: I love honeydew. 

Carla Lalli Music: Honeydew has got a bad rap because of overuse and abuse in the eighties, like the Green Melon Ball, the Midori. Like, I just feel like it was one of those flavors that got corrupted. 

Rick Martinez: Let's bring it back. It needs to come back. 

Carla Lalli Music: Bring it back. And melon is so vegetal and delicious so it can go sweet or salty. So I would drizzle a little bit of honey. I would do some crunchy salt, I would do a little Aleppo pepper, I would do a squeeze of lime and some nice cantaloupe wedges, and it'd be so refreshing. That would go great with the popcorn actually, because you have salty and then refreshing. 

Rick Martinez: Totally, yeah. Cantaloupe with a little bit of tajin, squeeze of lime. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yes, 100 percent.

Rick Martinez: And if you have any chamoy or just like pull out the chili powders, have some fun with it. 

Carla Lalli Music: Ooh, we're out of tajin. And Leo has reminded me twice. Thank you. Thank you for the heads up.

Rick Martinez: You always need tajin and Valentina, which I have, like, a gallon of this shit, so I can actually bring you some. 

Carla Lalli Music: Amen. 

Rick Martinez: Line, two. You're on. 

Caller 2: Hey, Rick and Carla, this is Melissa. I am terrified of a mandoline. You know, this summer, I like having lots of salads and, you know, picking up fresh produce from the farmer's market. And I just end up slicing it by hand and getting kind of subpar results because I'm terrified of using it. And I tried using it before. I feel like I'm not using it properly. I'm really struggling. How do I use a mandoline? 

Carla Lalli Music: I love this question because it is an amazing tool, but like any other sharp object in your kitchen, you have to use it properly. You have to practice good technique with it. And I think, Rick, you recently caught the ire of the mandolin, the mandolin safety community. 

Rick Martinez: I did. There was a gentleman that watched one of my videos, and to be fair, I was taking liberties with the mandolin and using it probably in not the safest manner. But it is one of my favorite tools and I have been using it for years. Years and years ago when I was working at ABC Kitchen and I started out on the [unclear] Station, we had several salads that were made [unclear] on a mandolin. And, you know, one of the cooks told me, wear gloves. And what I ended up doing is I put five layers of latex gloves on my hand that I was using to move the vegetable over the deck, so that if I got nicked by the blade, it would cut through the five layers of latex and, you know, not actually cut my skin. Now, I typically don't wear gloves just because I it's so comfortable for me. I can feel the vegetable as it approaches the blades. And so I know when to stop and how much pressure to apply. But I think it's like any other tool. It's all about, you know, experience and using it. But I definitely think that for first time users of the mandolin just put lots and lots of gloves on and you will be fine. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah, I think you raise a great point about knowing when to stop. And as you're shaving the vegetable down and you're holding the vegetable and as you go, your fingers are getting closer and closer to the blade, I would just say, like, you don't have to get down to the very scrap of the nub, you know? If you're using mandolin at home, don't be a hero. There's no, there's no glory in that. And if you don't have latex gloves, I would recommend holding the vegetable with a kitchen towel. So the kitchen towel will actually start to snag way before you can keep your fingers tucked behind it. The kitchen towel will snag on the blade as you get closer. And that's you know, that's when to be done. Literally throw in the towel. And if you're left with like you're left with a nub of carrot, that's great. Put it on the edge of cutting board that bring a little salt on it and have a little bunny snack. 

Rick Martinez: You know, when you're first starting out, start out with something that is going to slice much easier. And also, I wouldn't recommend julienning anything right off the bat because you need to get a feel for how the mandolin works. And so slicing a cucumber or apples or pears or potatoes are going to be a lot easier and you'll get the feel for the device. And, and then once you get comfortable with it, then you can, you know, graduate to something that maybe is a little bit more difficult, the jicama and the celery root are on like the very high end. So I would not go there unless you know, you just really have an intense need for a julienned celery root salad. But definitely you want to wear the gloves and do all the safety things and try and get as much experience before you jump into that. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah. And if, you know, if you're watching a video where Rick is going very, very fast, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth and flying fennel's flying everywhere go slow. There's nothing about the mandolin that says it only works if you go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth really fast, like take it slow, take it comfortable. And if it's not helping you be faster or more consistent, then don't use it. Just cut with a knife. It's all good. 

Rick Martinez: Do it by hand. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. 

Carla Lalli Music: Slow and steady wins the slice. Borderline Salty, you've reached us during working hours. 

Caller 3: Hi, Rick. Hi, Carla. My name's Jerome, I use the pronouns he/him. I'm a huge fan. My question is about cheese. Like hard cheeses. I've been trying to buy, you know, more actual blocks of cheese as opposed to the pre shredded stuff. But I don't know where to keep it. Should I keep it in the refrigerator? It then feels like it gets really hard and dry. If I keep it out on the counter, I feel like it gets moldy very quickly and then I end up not being able to use the cheese. And then sometimes I like wrap it in a plastic wrap and then it gets very wet and oily. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. Is it, what, where should I be putting the cheese? Any help would be appreciated. 

Carla Lalli Music: Can you just hear all the mice on the like? On the on the. What is the trucker like the CB radio. They're like, we've got a live one, Jerome's leaving cheese out on the counter. 

Rick Martinez: Okay. Yeah, but except they're been like, we've hit the jackpot because this guy is not leaving out the Velveeta. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: He's leaving out the wheels of palm. 

Carla Lalli Music:  The mouse fan was like, um calling all mouse in a radius of [phonetic] Jerome's house. 

Rick Martinez: I've never wanted to be a mouse until right now. So, [phonetic] Jerome, great that you're buying big blocks of cheese. Don't leave a mouse on the counter for the mice. 

Carla Lalli Music: Nope, nope, nope. 

Rick Martinez: It's actually pretty simple. What I usually do is I just wrap it in parchment paper. Or if you have butcher paper, that is also good. Just wrap it up and then put it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah, your harder, cheese, those can be wrapped in paper. I like wax paper because I feel like I can get it really airtight around the piece of cheese. And I read this a really long time ago in Steve Jenkins' The cheese book, which is like still one of the great books about cheese, you need to use a fresh wrapper every time you rewrap that she is because the outside of the cheese is getting on to the paper and the next time you go to seal it, you're never going to get like an airtight seal again. So yeah, parchment, if that's what's in your drawer. Wax paper is great. And actually one of the great presents I ever got was from my Aunt [phonetic] Christina, who gave me at Christmas a roll of actual cheese paper, like what they used. 

Rick Martinez: Cheese paper, wow. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah, it's, like, sturdier, and it kind of has, like, a coating on the inside, but it folds, like, really satisfying gift wrapping paper that you get, like, all the really nice hard corners. Anyway, I used it up, I never bought more, but that was a great gift. And sometimes if I just need to hold it closed, if it's like we said, hard to use, your parmesan or aged cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere things that you would grate wrap them. And then I keep rubber bands from bunched vegetables in my drawer and I'll just throw rubber end around it to hold it closed or put it inside of a zip top bag just for another layer of air sealing. And then I think the best way to keep cheese fresh before it gets moldy or goes off is to just not buy too much. So I love like getting away from buying pre grated cheese which is going to cost you more ounce over ounce than buying it in the whole piece and doing it yourself. But just don't buy don't buy more than you're going to go through in a couple of weeks because that's when you'll like with anything else in the fridge, that's when you're more likely to have waste. 

Rick Martinez: You should definitely buy in small quantities, but if you're like me and you see that big block and you really got to have it, buy it. But then do you like Anna. Invite your friends over, have a big party, have a movie night, make a charcuterie board, put that block out and enjoy it with your friends. 

Carla Lalli Music: The mice family. 

Rick Martinez: And the mice. That's the after party. 

Carla Lalli Music: The after party. 

Rick Martinez: Oh my God. 

Caller 4: Hi, Rick and Carla. My name is Natalie and I use pronouns she/her. I have a broad question about a recipe building. I have a goal for this year to test and write my own recipe, which is very outside of my comfort zone. I'm not the most creative home chef, and so that's why it's a goal for me. I really have no idea where to start. I have some general ideas about flavor combinations I like, but the idea of creating something somewhat new completely boggles my mind. I don't know how I can even start. So one, is this a stupid goal? And two, if you have any tips or frameworks, places to start, that would be so helpful. 

Carla Lalli Music: I mean, first things first, is this a stupid goal? Absolutely not. I love this so much and I love it. I love it because I love the idea of being at the bottom of the learning curve with something that you are interested about, because all of the opportunity, all of the excitement, all of the potential is in front of you. I think this is so cool. And the other thing I would say to [phonetic] Natalie specifically saying, you know, how do I come up with something completely new, it totally boggles my mind. Guess what? You don't have to come up with something completely new. In fact, the amount of recipe developers who completely break the mold with something that has never been invented before very far and very few between. No one expects you to be like the chef at Noma, like feeding people live ants that they've never been. Like a new experience. But like most cooking methods are as old as going back thousands of years and a lot of these combinations and techniques like have been done. And that doesn't mean that, like, you can't do it a little bit different and then it's yours. 

Rick Martinez: Not to say that we don't love live ants, just FYI. No, you know, and I really. I really love what you said. Because there was a moment in my career where I would get an assignment, and I put so much pressure on myself to make something, you know, different than everybody else. We were in a very competitive kitchen at Bon Appetit. And, you know, there was a lot of pressure to I mean, let's let's be honest, like outdo one another. Right. Or impress our colleagues. 

Carla Lalli Music: Sure. 

Rick Martinez: And what I learned after a few years of that is that it's easier, more satisfying, more fun, and, frankly, more delicious if I start from the point of what do I want to eat? 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah. 

Rick Martinez: You know, if I'm craving something in this moment and then I just try and put all of those flavors together in my head and then use that as the point of departure for this recipe, and then just try and put together something that actually makes sense. So, you know, if I'm craving tomatoes and corn and peppers and maybe that's a sandwich, maybe that's a pasta, maybe that's a side, maybe that's a main. And and then just decide and it's like a choose your own adventure story. And it doesn't have to be complicated. It's just a matter of what is it that you want to eat? What is going to make you happy in that moment? And that to me is, I think, why I love this job so much, because I don't put that pressure on myself anymore. I don't, I'm not competing with anybody, not even really myself. It's like it's a much easier way to look at food, at least for me. That's, you know, how I've learned my process. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah. I mean, even going back to the very top of our episode where you were talking about the soup that you had and you loved and you have been thinking about these flavors and years have gone by and you're like, You know what? I'm going to work on that recipe. That dish exists. That's that's a dish that already exists. But when you set out to develop it, you did it in a way that like fits with the process and the way that you believe the best techniques are. I'm sure there was a lot of thinking about, you know, what ingredients, when to add which ones, how you wanted to cut the vegetables to make it beautiful to you, like the aromas, the different chilies you used, you know, whatever those personal touches were but you didn't like, that's a dish that exists.

Rick Martinez: Completely. 

Carla Lalli Music: But that doesn't mean that you as a recipe developer didn't make an original recipe that you can put your name on. Going back to [phonetic] Natalie, if you set out to become a recipe developer, just accept that your first or second pass, you know, is probably not going to be where you want it to end up. So be sure that you're comfortable with, there's a bit of financial investment that goes into the recipe testing. Sometimes the food I eat my mistakes, but sometimes they're like, No good. And you got to like start over. That's money, that's time. But that's the whole point. Like Rick and I, for every recipe we've put our name on there were three or four versions that like were not quite good enough. 

Rick Martinez: Right. And I would say, you know, one of the things that's key when you start developing is just taking very copious notes and having a plan before you start. And, you know, some people have much more detailed plans than others, I am the kind of cook that I will write out, essentially my ingredient list and kind of make in my in my head sort of the game plan for like what I'm going to do and in what order. So that I have like a blueprint for how to do it. But I have enough creative wiggle room that I change things. But you also need to record all of those notes. And, you know, I typically have both my phone and my laptop in the kitchen with me at all time so I can either do a voice note, I can write something down in my on my phone in the notes section or I'll have like a full on word doc open on my laptop. But it's just key because you won't remember. And you know, I think the worst thing that happens is when you make something that is incredibly delicious and then you forgot what you did.

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah. 

Rick Martinez: And then you spend time trying to recreate it or reinvent the the dish. And that happens. 

Carla Lalli Music: Ah, the the, the masterpiece no one no one saw or tasted. Another thing that I would be confident about and know that is most people's process is looking at other people's recipes is okay. It is a good idea, it will help you. That's most recipe testers or recipe developers. So yeah, get inspired by other people. That's what libraries are for. Go look at a bunch of cookbooks and and then just kind of feel your way through it. If I had to sum this up in one sentence, my advice for where to start would be take a recipe that you already know and love and add one thing to it, change one thing about it, do something slightly different, see how it goes. Bingo, Bango. You just made your first original recipe. 

Rick Martinez: And invite friends over with their Tupperware to eat all of your tests. 

Carla Lalli Music: Exactly. All right. Before we head out the door, here it is time for one more segment. And today it is time for, you guessed it, Rad Fad or Bad Fad? 

Rick Martinez: Yay! 

Carla Lalli Music: This is the segment where I make Rick watch a ridiculous Tik Tok trending video and we find out if we should all watch it or if we should pretend it never existed. And as always, this video is going to be linked in our show notes so you can have access to it and watch right along with Rick. All right. Rick, are you ready? This is a summary one. 

Rick Martinez: Okay, I am so ready. 

Carla Lalli Music: All right, great. Let's roll it. 

Tik Tok Video: Okay. My pilates instructor makes this drink almost like every day. I think she told me. And it's a healthy alternative to a Coke. And I am not joking you. It tastes just like a Coke and you're gonna think I'm insane. So do you like a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Rick Martinez: No, no, no, no, no, no. 

Tik Tok Video: Ice in a cup. And then take any sparkling beverage. 

Rick Martinez. Stop it. Stop it. 

Tik Tok Video: And it can be like any flavor. 

Carla Lalli Music: Any flavor. 

Tik Tok Video: This one's the guava. It's like the summer flavored. 

Rick Martinez: Guava. 

Carla Lalli Music: Any flavor. 

Rick Martinez: And balsamic vinegar. 

Tik Tok Video: See it honestly already looks like a coke. 

Rick Martinez: No, it doesn't. 

Tik Tok Video: But I swear to God, it tastes like a Coke, and it's healthy and it's good for you.

Rick Martinez: No it absolutely doesn't. 

Tik Tok Video: You guys try it out. 

Rick Martinez: Shut up. No. How is that? You just keep lying to yourself, lady. No. That, ugh.

Carla Lalli Music: You know what's funny? If this just said let me show you how to make a shrub. 

Rick Martinez: Yeah. 

Carla Lalli Music: It would be like, cool, okay, cool. Show me. 

Rick Martinez: Yeah. I mean, and also lean into the like, put it put a slice of fruit in it or put some herbs in it and like make it a thing. But like, that is not a Coke. Sorry. No, you lose balsamic vinegar, first of all. Okay. Like. Ugh. I'm like, I need to calm. I'm going to breathe for a second. 

Carla Lalli Music: Breathe, breathe baby.

Rick Martinez: Okay. Here we go. First of all, I actually thought, like when the video first started, I actually thought she was going to pour olive oil into a real Coke. And then I was already I was preparing myself kind of like, you know. You know, people put butter in coffee sometimes? 

Carla Lalli Music: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bulletproof coffee.

Rick Martinez: Or rum. It's I was. I was gearing up for that. I was like Coke and olive oil. Bleh. And then I was startled by the the the black liquid that then came out of the [unclear] olive oil bottle. 

Carla Lalli Music: Also the fact that, like, it's delicious no matter what flavor La Croix you use. Right? That's a lie. It's just a lie. 

Rick Martinez: Yeah, it's also a big lie. I just think if she were going to make a summery drink that is healthy, that is great for post-Pilates workout, we're going to start with some balsamic vinegar, a splash of your favorite bubbly liquid, a squeeze of lime, a sprig of mint, a thing and a this, great. I got it.

Carla Lalli Music: Great, great. 

Rick Martinez: Amazing, rad fad. But I'm sorry. When you try and tell me you're going to make healthy Coke. 

Carla Lalli Music: It sounds like we object strictly on the branding and marketing promise alone. 

Rick Martinez: It's all about spin. It's all about spin. I think -- 

Carla Lalli Music: You are not you are not buying this spin. 

Rick Martinez: I am not buying this spin. No, you can't -- 

Carla Lalli Music: You've spun out on this spin. In fact. Okay, Rick, this trend truly is sweeping the nation. But you tell me, is it Rad Fad or Bad Fad?

Rick Martinez: It is a poorly named fad. 

Carla Lalli Music: This is a mad fad. 

Rick Martinez: This is a mad fad. Yeah.

Carla Lalli Music: He's mad. 

Rick Martinez: And that's it for this week's episode of Borderline Salty. 

Carla Lalli Music: You can find recipes and recommendations from this week's episode in our show notes. 

Rick Martinez: If you have a question or a fear you want us to help you through, you can always leave us a voicemail at eight three, three, four, three, three-FOOD. 

Carla Lalli Music: That number again is eight three, three, four, three, three, three, six, six, three. 

Rick Martinez: Borderline Salty is an original production by Pineapple Street Studios. We're your hosts. I'm Rick Martinez. 

Carla Lalli Music: I'm Carla Lalli Music. You can find links to our work in the show notes for this episode. 

Rick Martinez: Natalie Brennan is our lead producer. 

Carla Lalli Music: Janelle Anderson is our producer. 

Rick Martinez: Our managing producer is Agerenesh Ashagre. 

Carla Lalli Music: Our assistant producer is Mari Orozco. 

Rick Martinez: Our head of sound and engineering is Raj Makhija. 

Carla Lalli Music: Mixing and Engineering by Davy Sumner and Jason Richards. 

Rick Martinez: Our assistant engineers are Sharon Bardales and Jade Brooks. 

Carla Lalli Music: Original jamming music from our very own Raj Makhija. 

Rick Martinez: With additional music from Vincent Vega, Spring Gang and Glovebox courtesy of Epidemic Sound. 

Carla Lalli Music: Legal Services for Pineapple Street are provided by Bianca Grimshaw at Granderson des Rochers. 

Rick Martinez: Our executive producers are Max Linsky and Jenna Weiss-Berman. 

Carla Lalli Music: We appreciate Anna, Melissa, Jerome and Natalie for calling in this week. 

Rick Martinez: I want to, I actually I want to thank who was what was the Rad Fad woman's name? 

Carla Lalli Music: That was Mandy. 

Rick Martinez: I would like to thank Mandy for her fad, because I feel weirdly cleansed now. I feel like I had a lot of, like, backed up, intense emotion that has now been released, and I just feel so free. So maybe, maybe. 

Carla Lalli Music: Maybe it was healthy. 

Rick Martinez: Maybe it was a rad fad because I feel good. And I didn't even drink it. 

Carla Lalli Music: Yes. That's why they say you love to hate whatever. I think you just had you love to hate some healthy Coke. 

Rick Martinez: So, Mandy, enjoy your healthy Coke. And I'm going to have a great day now. Thanks. We will talk to you next week. 

Carla Lalli Music: Hey, Rick, before we go. 

Rick Martinez: Yeah? 

Carla Lalli Music: Have a Coke and a smile. 

Rick Martinez: Coke is it. No, what, coke is it, Coke is the one? 

Carla Lalli Music: Taste the feeling. 

Rick Martinez: I'd like to teach the whole world to sing in perfect harmony.

Carla Lalli Music: [unclear] And except I'm zoned out. So, like. Hey, but. Coca Cola. Mexican Coke. Yes. 

Rick Martinez: Oh, my God. We love a Mexican coke. 

Carla Lalli Music: Give us. Give us the O.G..