Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
When we talk about streaming culture, we’re usually enthusing about what’s new, but one of the best things about streaming is how it’s made old and obscure cult hits available to a new generation. Presenting Cult Corner: your weekly look into hidden gems and long-lost curiosities that you can find on streaming.
Television has given us a lot of great things, from memorable characters we secretly think of as our best friends to powerful stories that can bring people together. However, when it comes to food, your favorite TV characters typically have a garbage diet. That’s what makes Binging with Babish such a delight.
Andrew Rhea has one goal for his YouTube Channel — to recreate food from your favorite shows and movies. You may think that Rhea might limit himself to pieces of pop culture that are at least partially about food, but you would be wrong. Sure, there are some tutorials for food-centric shows and movies like Chef, Ratatouille, and Bob’s Burgers, but there are also tutorials for less food-obsessed shows, from The Office and Friends to Adventure Time. If there is a culinary creation onscreen, there’s a good chance Rhea has a plan to bring it into real life.
There are a lot of great food tutorials on YouTube, but Rhea’s is something special regardless of his pop culture slant. Rhea has a calm, assured voice, and his tutorials are quick, typically averaging three to five minutes. The longest by far is the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia tutorial, which is a little over nine minutes long. They’re fast and fascinating enough that you can watch them guilt-free at work, but they’re also in-depth enough you can pretend you might recreate his recipes at home. You probably won’t, but you can dream.
What I like most about Binging with Babish is that Rhea creates each dish at least twice. The first attempt follows the corresponding show or movie’s directions exactly, which often results in a disgusting monster dish. That’s especially true of the Always Sunny episode in which Rhea tackles Crow Milk, Milk Steak, and something called a Grilled Charlie. However, on his second attempt, Rhea actually tries to make the dish edible. The results typically look mouthwateringly delicious.
Binging with Babish is always a fun channel, but it should get a special round of applause this week. On April Fool’s Day, Rick and Morty released its first episode of Season 3 completely unannounced. Szechuan sauce, a dipping sauce that McDonald’s released for a limited time during its promotion of the Disney film Mulan, received an unexpected starring role in the premiere. The sauce was heavily referenced all throughout the episode. By April 4, Rhea had released a video that contained not one, not two, but three different different recipes for Szechuan sauce. Demand for McDonald’s to return this sauce from Rick and Morty fans has been so great, the company is now considering bringing it back. However, thanks to Rhea and Binging with Babish, you can make it for yourself right now. Binge-watching our favorite shows has never been so delicious.
