Welcome to the Podcast Sommelier, where I recommend a podcast and a libation for you to consume while enjoying that podcast.
Today I’m recommending the “Epidemiology” episode of Ologies (hosted by Alie Ward) with Dr. Erin Welsh and Dr. Erin Allmann-Updyke of This Podcast will Kill You.
Ologies is a comedic science podcast where each episode focuses on a different -ology, like fearology, volcanology, or areology. Ward describes Ologies as a podcast where she “[tries] to get you to love and appreciate things you think you do not care about because people and subjects are crazy and beautiful with just a little bit of context.”
Ward interviews experts in their particular field, and she is the perfect interviewer. She lets her guests get excited about their passions and fills in any information that a layperson might not understand. She is also an excellent audience surrogate, in the sense that she clarifies her subjects’ answers or adds her own metaphors. For instance, she jumps out of the interview in this episode to explain her conspiracy theory on Lyme disease while at the same time giving listeners a summary of Lyme disease.
Ologies’ motto is “Ask Smart People Dumb Questions,” and it works! Every expert has been eager to answer these so-called “dumb” questions, and you learn a ton. Halfway through an episode about an -ology I’ve been on the fence about, I find myself texting a friend newfound knowledge or picking up a book that the episode expert recommended.
The recommended episode “Epidemiology” is a great one to start with because you get to know the Drs. Erin as well as Ward. You find out how the Erins met, what they studied, and how they started down the epidemiology path. They also talk about the flu and how it’s the scariest of scary. Ward even compares RNA to your sloppy drunk friend, which will stay with me for a while.
I absolutely loved this episode because it’s why I started listening to podcasts in the first place. I enjoy listening to knowledgeable people talk about what they are excited about. My favorite question Ward asks this episode is, “How often do you wash your hands?” It is an insightful episode where they converse about the plague, flu, Lyme disease, the Salem Witch trials, academia, and what’s next for them.
Now I’m sure you are thirsty or at least need a drink after hearing all the talk about the flu. I have to pay tribute to This Podcast will Kill You where the following “quarantini” was first created.
It’s called the H1Drink1. This drink will definitely kill whatever is inside you. Since it’s also known as the Corpse Reviver No. 1, it also might just bring you back from the dead.
Directions:
- 1.5 oz cognac
- ¾ oz Calvados or apple brandy
- ¾ oz sweet vermouth
- Optional ½ oz chilled water
Add all the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake until the shaker is cold and strain into a cocktail glass. You can garnish with an orange peel if you are feeling fancy.
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