Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - Everyone & Pay Phones

Episode Date: May 11, 2022

Tom Bodett celebrates a heroic payphone and gets advice from author Samin Nosrat.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hey everyone, I'm Emma Choi from Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. This is everyone and their mom with a story we just gotta know more about. This week we're phoning home with Wait Wait panelist, comedian, and my number one choice for an apocalypse survival buddy. It's Tom Boudet. Hi Tom! Hi Emma, thank you very much. Thanks for being here. Let's just get right into it. I want you to imagine you're a little kid, okay, and you're lost. And you're praying for a miracle to come save you.

Well, that's exactly what happened in our story this week. Last fall, a man in Minnesota, Brian Davis, turned heads by finally fulfilling every man's greatest dream. He finally installed a payphone in his front yard. These days, just finding a payphone anywhere is kind of a miracle. Yeah, I know. It's like something of novelty in the neighborhood, right? So people come to gawk at it, to take prom pictures with it. And a lot of people thought that Brian was crazy. But Brian and his payphone actually made the news recently

when a lost boy used the phone to call 911 to rescue himself. Brian's payphone is a hero, you know? Take that, haters. What happened? I mean, what was the kid, he was lost, like, in this guy's neighborhood? Hello, this is Brian. Oh, Brian? Hey, hi, Emma. How are you?

Oh my God, it works. Would you introduce yourself to us? Oh, absolutely. So I'm Brian Davis, and Emma, you just call me on my pay phone. Can you tell me where you are right now? Just out front, my front yard. It's kind of cool because incoming calls are free, so I don't have to pay any money to talk to you.

That's awesome. Okay, I'll let you go back inside but let's keep talking. Okay. So we heard that a kid used your front yard payphone to call for help. He did. He did. Yeah, would you mind telling us that story from the beginning? So I mean the payphone itself, I installed this back Labor Day of last year. And just like a couple of weeks ago, I got up, made coffee. I'm looking out the kitchen window and I kind of noticed like this young boy kind of running around playing and stuff. And he seemed a little young to be maybe by himself. And so I just was kind of paying attention to him. And eventually he made it to the payphone. So I went up to him and actually I walked way up around him

because I didn't want to scare him. And he's on the receiver and he's talking to somebody. So I said, Hey, are you, are you talking to somebody? And he's, he kind of shushed me away and he said, yes. So then I kind of smiled. I thought, okay, this kid's really into make believing. So I walked away, I came back in the house. And then all of a sudden, there's like three squad cars out front. And I thought, oh, my goodness, what number did this kid die? Yeah. So I went back outside, and the officers were there.

And I said, did he call you guys? And he said, yes, he called us because he was lost. So that's what happened. He's from another city, and he was here visiting his grandparents. And I live right across the street from like a city park. So he made his way to the city park, but for some reason, maybe he just didn't know how to get home. Yeah. Can you take us to the moment this phone dream was born? Like, did you just wake up one morning and realize like my calling is to install a payphone in my front yard well I knew it was kind of a crazy thought you know right yeah and I wasn't sure if I could really pull it off you know like okay I can really get this phone to ring

and so I actually cover up with a moving blanket I hooked up all the wires and stuff under a blanket it was like 100 degrees out I had a flashlight you, I'm kind of in the dark, but it's during the day. Because I just was so nervous. Like, can I really do this? Can I get this thing to work? And so when I kind of got all the wires hooked up and stuff, I called my cell phone from the pay phone. And that was just like the craziest, coolest thing. I feel like that's how Alexander Graham Bell felt like when his first telephones are ringing,

you know, he's like, pour myself a drink. I did it. That's awesome. Well, you always wanted a pay phone in your yard and your dream came true. So do you have anything to say to our listeners about pursuing their dreams? Oh my gosh, go for it. Absolutely. A hundred percent go for it. If it's, if you've been thinking about it for more than, you more than a month or something, I don't know. Just absolutely go for it. People were like, you really want people in your yard? And I'm like, come on.

That's the least of my worries. It's supposed to be fun, positive. Get whatever you want out of it. Do your thing. Call mom. Make a prank phone call. Whatever you want out of it do your thing you know call mom make a prank phone call whatever you want to do you know so yeah what a beautiful fun joyful thing to have in your front yard yeah thank you for talking this is great well thank you so much truly You know what's funny about this story? This guy was basically saying, kids, get on my yard.

You know, and I think that's a really refreshing take from get off my yard, kids. You know, it's possible, too, that he just ran out of things to do. I have friends like that now. Men reach a certain age, especially if they've retired or perhaps they have businesses or work that don't take up a lot of their time. They really don't know what to do with themselves and they come up with really weird things. Yeah. Yeah. I have a friend who has five grills. Oh. No, they're all different. They're, I mean, to him, they're all different. That's a cry for help.

Well, in my defense, they all do something different, and some are very specific. So that's kind of how, you know, that's why I have five. My name's Chad Farnham, and I'm a friend of Tom Bodette's. Hell yeah, me too. Yeah, walk us through, what does each of your five grills do specially? Okay, so the first one that I ever got was a charcoal grill, and then I have a gas grill that's very similar to that. Then I have an offset smoker for cooking pieces of meat like ribs or a brisket, or if you want to smoke chicken and make it really soft and tender. And then I have a griddle. And then I just got grill number five yesterday, as a matter of fact,

and just put it together. Okay. So I'm in this special group of friends. There's six of us, and Tom is one of them. And I just turned 50. And for my birthday, they bought me this grill. So it got delivered yesterday. It was a complete surprise. And I almost cried. So it got delivered yesterday. It was a complete surprise and very, I almost cried. So it was such a special moment. So. Oh, happy birthday. Thank you. Chad, if you met a grill master, is there anything you'd want to ask them? Like anything you're trying to troubleshoot? You know, I don't have a good chicken recipe. Like what, what would be the best way to take a chicken and prepare it either on the smoker or on one of the other many grills that I have? I don't have a good chicken recipe. I have a few that I've tried that I haven't been happy with.

Yeah. A whole chicken? Yeah. Yeah. What kind of event are you thinking? I think I'd be thinking of a chicken for the family. Like, you know, I'd like to, you know, you go to the grocery store and those rotisserie chickens are so juicy and delicious. And I've never been able to replicate that at home.

So how would I cook the chicken just right to be that juicy and that flavorful? Oh, I want to know that too. Hi, my name is Samin Nasrat and I'm a writer, a teacher and a cook. I wrote Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Yes, the New York Times bestselling cookbook. Yeah, and you're a celebrity chef, food writer, and the reason our producer Jennifer owns Diamond Crystal Salt. So thank you for changing her life. And you're writing another cookbook, What to Cook, like as we speak, right? Very, very slowly, yes.

That's so exciting. Well, Samin, we wanted to talk to you because we just talked to a man named Chad who has five grills. Okay. Is that a lot of grills? That's a lot of, well, I mean, I don't know what Chad's life is like, what his job is, but it sounds like a lot of grills to me. Yeah. I mean, how many grills do you have? I hesitate to admit that I have two, but they're very small. Are there other cooking tools you have multiples of? Many. Yeah. What's the tool that you have the most of? I have so many, like an absurd number of wooden spoons.

What? I actually, I should have counted before we got on we before we got on the line but yeah i i actually it's one of those things where everywhere i go like any trip any trip i take i collect wooden spoons but also i think before it became an intentional collection it was a thing that one of my best friends aaron who's a an art historian and a lot of his research takes him to countries in Latin America and South America. He would just bring me the most sort of like absurdly large wooden spoons, like almost the size of a shovel. So they're just oars at that point. Okay. Well, Chad, you know, the guy with five grills. Oh, yeah. Tell me all about Chad.

Chad, what a guy. What a guy. Chad doesn't have like a good chicken recipe and he wants one he can make either in a smoker or on one of his five grills. So is there like one chicken recipe he should definitely know? A super simple way to cook chicken on, I think, on a grill that I personally love is to spatchcock the chicken it's essentially butterflying a chicken so that it lays flat and cook it under a brick so I think also always consulting the meat in advance for any meat is a great idea if you have enough room in your fridge you could put it on a sheet pan and leave it uncovered, skin side up in your fridge. And then because refrigerator air has a refrigerator has like a compressor spinning dry air inside.

That's going to dry off that skin and the chicken skin will be a lot crispier once you go to grill it. Yeah, that's great. Well, we also asked, we asked him what occasion the chicken for, and he specifically asked for a chicken for the family. Is this like, would you regard this as a good family recipe? This is definitely a family chicken. I love it. Okay, so if this is a family chicken, is there a chicken recipe that's better for like clubbing with the girls? Ooh, clubbing with the girls chicken? Yeah. What kind of chicken do the girls want to eat? Maybe just beer can chicken. Get it a little boozy.

Oh, a beer can chicken's not a bad idea. I mean, I think that's a great idea. Yeah. Okay. We're going to tell Chad that and he's going to do it. Okay. One last thing. Okay.

So we have a game for you. Oh, I love a game. Yay. Okay. Okay. So you're an expert on cooking and menu planning. So we wanted to test your skills with a game we're calling What's for Dinner? So we're going to give you a super specific event and you tell us what you would serve for dinner.

Okay. Okay. You can do it. Perfect. Okay. Here we go. Your neighbor's goldfish dies and they throw a mini funeral. What's for dinner?

Goldfish crackers. Oh, too soon, Samin. Jesus. You know what? I'll lock it in. Next. You want to convince your landlord not to raise your rent. What's for dinner?

There's a story behind this, but it's going to be ribolita soup, which is... Okay. So it's a Tuscan bean and bread soup. which is, so it's a Tuscan bean and bread soup. It's a classic example of the Tuscan cucina povera, which is like the poor people's cooking. Come eat my stew. I'm so poor.

Another one. You're pulling an all-nighter to write an essay about the Salem witch trials. What's for dinner? Ooh, ooh, ooh. Clam chowder. Okay, last one, okay? And go with me on this. What's for dinner? Ooh, ooh, ooh. Clam chowder. Okay, last one, okay? And go with me on this. It's a story. So you installed a payphone in your front yard,

and a small lost little boy called 911 from it and got rescued, and you want to celebrate your payphone playing its part, okay? What's for dinner? I think I would probably make a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Oh, and on the top can be frost like congrats on not being lost anymore. Yeah, 100 percent. Yes, I love it.

You won our game and thanks for helping our friend Chad. We can't wait to read your book. Congratulations, Chad. Well, let me ask you this, Tom. Here's the age-old question, okay? Landline or cell phone? Hmm. Oh, you have hit me at a very vulnerable moment in my phone life.

I eliminated my landlines. I have one that just goes to voicemail because they just become overrun with, you know, ad calls and stuff. And replaced it, you know, and then we just use our cell phones and all that was fine. And two weeks ago, I changed cell phone carriers and I won't name names, but I wish I would. What does it rhyme with, Tom? What does it rhyme with? Yeah, it rhymes with S-finity. Okay, thank you. And it's awful. I mean, I live in southern Vermont, and the cell phone service here, even the best of them are not good. But this is so awful, it's almost like not having a phone.

What negative? Yeah. And so I am suddenly in Siberia where I'm, I'm kind of, I'm out of communication with my life. So wait, Tom, can I'm now I'm really curious. Can I, can I test your service and call you right now and see if it gets to you? You could. Yeah. Let's try it. Yeah, here, let me get my phone. Hang on. Okay, here we go. Oh my God, there it is, from Falls Church, Virginia. You're getting it? Yay!

It's not a total loss. Hello? I can hear two of you right now. Give me your best phone voice. Oh, yeah. Hi, Tom here. Hi, we're calling about your car's insurance fee. It's running out soon. I'm sorry, you're kind of cutting out. Could you repeat that? I've got a very weak signal.

Hi, we're calling about your car's insurance fee. Could you please pay us... Here's the chickeniest part of the podcast, the credits. This show was brought to you by Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. This episode was produced by Haley Faker, Zola Ray, Lillian King, Nancy Seichow, Sophie Hernandez, Simeone This, and the wine lady on the front of all the birthday cards for our sassy ladies. Our supervising producer is Jennifer Mills, and our Miss America is Mike Danforth. Once again, Lorna White, thank you so much for helping us with sound.

We don't know how to do it, but you know how to do it so good. Thank you to Chad Farnham for grilling us so good with your five grills. I can't believe you want to talk to me about this. And thanks to Brian Davis for letting me call you on your payphone. That was incredible. It's pretty crazy. Thank you to my one disgusting sweatshirt for letting me call you on your payphone. That was incredible. It's pretty crazy. Thank you to my one disgusting sweatshirt for getting me through finals week. But guess what,

everyone? School's out for summer, baby. Samin Nosrat, thank you so much for being cool about it when I fangirled over you. It's like you're seeing directly into my soul. Check out her amazing book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and her Instagram and Twitter at Chow Samin. Thank you to my co-host, author, humorist, and Twitter at Chow Simun. Thank you to my co-host, author, humorist, and craftsman, Tom Beaudet. I'd be happy to partner up if we have to. Tom was the founder of Hatchspace, a woodworking school and community workshop in Brattleboro, Vermont. Tom made someone on our staff a cutting board once, and she literally will not stop talking about it. It's amazing. Check it out at hatchspace.org. I'm Emma Choi, and you can find

me at WaitWaitNPR, and learning the true meaning of Christmas, it's amazing. Check it out at hatchspace.org. I'm Emma Choi, and you can find me at WaitWaitNPR and learning the true meaning of Christmas. It's friendship. Okay, I'm done. This is NPR. All right. What else can we do? Can I try you again, and then can we listen to your voicemail? Oh, yeah. I don't even know what it is, so go ahead Can I try you again, and then can we listen to your voicemail? Oh, yeah.

I don't even know what it is, so go ahead. I'd be curious, too. Okay. We can all hear it together. Don't pick up, Tom. It's on speaker. Hi, this is Tom Sell. Leave me a message.

Thanks. Oh, that's kind of friendly. Oh, yeah. I love that. That's not terrible. Let me tell you why I like that. It's short. It sounds like you, and you don't sing.