“Gonger’s a master chef. He can make anything. But you know, you can’t go wrong with cookies.” — Cookie Monster
“We the best of friends. We buddies. And you know, I’m thinking about renting a little place, live next door to Cookie Monster, above the laundromat maybe.” — Gonger
“I often say to parents, when you watch Sesame Street with your child, watch it through the lens of a parenting show. Because our human cast is modeling how to talk to your child, and how to answer their questions, how to guide their play.” — Rosemarie Truglio
I started watching Sesame Street when I was a sophomore or junior in college — long before my first kid was born — with friends of mine. We were often in an altered state of consciousness, lying around on the couch, chilling with our favorite monsters, who were, at the time, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, Grover; plus Gordon, Maria, Bob, Mr. Hooper (the fabulous humans). It was really fun, extremely comfortable, and it took on a new level of comfort once I did watch it with my kids, who were presumably the intended audience, and I got to revisit it yet again once my grandson started watching TV.
Now, incredibly, this week Sesame Street is starting its 52nd season (cue the weeping), and in honor of that, I interviewed two of the show’s most lovable current monsters, Cookie Monster and Gonger who are stars of the show’s Monster Foodies. Yes: I did get to do that, and yes, you do get to listen to it, and yes, it’s every bit as much fun as you’d think.
I also want to call out the incredible amount of work that goes into making Sesame Street, which I was made even more aware of after talking with the esteemed Rosemarie Truglio, who is Senior Vice President, Curriculum and Content, for Sesame Workshop. My chat with her is after my chat with the monsters, so be sure to keep listening for more of that sweet, sweet Sesame content that we all love.
The recipes featured in today’s episode are here (Tofu Jerky) and here (Whole Wheat Farfalle with Roasted Sweet Potatoes).
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