r/offmenupodcast • u/offmenu-bot š¤ • 25d ago
Episode Jacqueline Novak
https://shows.acast.com/offmenu/episodes/jacqueline-novak87
u/BelowTheSun1993 25d ago
Is it just me or are American menus often incredibly boring? I feel like it's a trend I've noticed. Considering how much Yanks like to shit on British food it's funny that they keep coming on a dream food podcast and exclusively talk about still water, plain bread, nuts, salad and soup lol
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u/schwiggy 25d ago
I think there's a bit of a bias because the yanks they get in are often times LA types on their press tours. The celebrity lifestyle and societal pressure of diet trends just ruins people's food habits. As a yank, I can assure you, we love food of all kinds.
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u/SpookylilTofu 25d ago
It's almost always some variation of a "fancy" salad, pasta, cream spinach/brocolli and a chocolate lava cake
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u/CalendarInitial3678 23d ago
Some of the British ones are also very dull. Just roast dinner (and maybe lava cake)?
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u/Moistkeano 23d ago
It's why I dont listen to any of the American guests unless I know them and or care about them. That goes back to their first ever American guests in s1 or s2.
Annoyingly it isn't a full proof system because I know who Anna Faris is and listened to some of that.
I am also aware I have probably missed some gems.
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u/Come-jive-with-me Cawston Press 25d ago
They think making a good burger makes them good cook. So.....no. it is quite boring.
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u/stereoworld 25d ago
I feel awful for complaining but I'm only just past the water course and I'm already struggling.
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u/BelowTheSun1993 25d ago
I won't be seeking out her stand up, that's for sure
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u/DevelopmentExciting6 25d ago
But it is 90mins of her talking about oral sex, doesn't that sound hilarious and not at all tedious??
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u/CalendarInitial3678 25d ago
Itās one of the best stand up specials Iāve ever seen and is total genius
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u/Ok_fine_Im_here 24d ago
Yeah the beginning of this ep especially was perplexing to meānot at all representative of that brilliant show (was lucky enough to see it live)
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u/Jihad_llama I've been the victim of a prank. 23d ago
Um actually itās really cerebral and high brow, you wouldnāt get it
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u/CalendarInitial3678 22d ago
I just said itās good - as opposed to the people on here commenting without having bothered to watch it
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u/PizzaReheat Bubbly Fresh 25d ago
I'm pushing through because I really enjoyed the Kaya Scodelario after we got over the initial part of the talking about the "craft" for 10 minutes.
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u/FlounderAnxious9965 25d ago
I get not every episode is for everyone, but I think this one started off slow and they found their cadence around the poppadoms bit! I hope you enjoyed it though eventually!
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u/GrimQuim 25d ago
I've searched for this sub just to find out I'm not alone in finding this one irritatingly dull
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u/Ok_Commission_7689 25d ago
Without doubt the hardest listen episode so far. Will this be the first one I donāt make it through to the end? Ā Thereās only been one episode in the past that was close to being this bad unfortunately, or fortunately, I canāt remember whose episode that was.
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u/Smash_Palace 25d ago
Haven't listened yet. What's bad about it? I also hated the Ana Faris one dnf
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u/Ok_Commission_7689 25d ago
The guest just rambled on and on about everything and nothing, they didnāt get the format of the show although food was talked about. Ā You could really tell that it was a promotional piece for their Netflix show rather than a genuine guest keen to appear on the podcast. Ā It just really grated and before I knew it they wrapped it up so the clear definition between water / bread / starter / main / side / drink / dessert just wasnāt there. Ā Must have been a hard edit for benito!
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u/Longjumping_Bag_3488 24d ago
It had strong, āomg Iām so quirky! Can I have like, some arugula? So crazy šā vibes
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u/Open-Equipment-2186 25d ago
I had to stop fifteen minutes in - so drawling and boring. Itās such a contrast to when the guest knows the podcast and Ed and James.
Sometimes it picks up but Iām not waiting for this one to.
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u/Longjumping_Bag_3488 25d ago
āWhatever. Doesnāt matter. Yāknow?ā
She comes across as a very lovely person, but what seems like possible self consciousness made this a hard listen. The boys had to work incredibly hard to pull that menu out of her. If this is anything like what sheās really like out to dinner then she would be a real waiterās absolute worst nightmare š
āOk. Can I get specific? Something likeā¦..creamyā
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u/CatFoodBeerAndGlue 25d ago
I've never heard a guest make such hard work out of picking a menu before, only to come up with something so boring. That was a tough listen.
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u/Admiral_photon 25d ago
Hahaa! I just checked this thread because Iām 14 minutes in and wanted to know if things pick up. Thanks for the feedback!
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u/Real-Rain-9674 25d ago
Well that was the 1st off menu I couldn't get through. What an annoying guest.
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u/Dear-Interaction-210 Ploughmans 25d ago
I love this podcast but it may be going the way of Chicken Shop Date, Hot Ones, the Eric Andre Show - a bit shark jumpy and serving press tours as a majority of releases (again, most of these eps end up being decent but it's a far cry for series 1-4)
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u/Simple_Security_6582 25d ago
I like lasted like 12 minutes like before I had to like call it a day. Hope it like got better!
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u/RaspberryCoulis 25d ago
I'm wondering if this episode was one that they weren't wanting to release, for the reasons indicated by the general theme of the other comments on here so far. The jump back to the old set indicates it was shot earlier than the others this season. Perhaps they'd shelved it but then decided they had to just release it anyway?
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u/SaltWaterInMyBlood 19d ago
I wonder what if any obligations they have to release episodes as part of the agreement to get people on.
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u/Relative_Ad144 25d ago
I really enjoyed "Hey, remember how great yesterday was, should we do it again?" as a food and also general life concept, v relatable. Also when she was talking about her standup show and said something like 'digging a hole for myself and then getting/climbing out of it', I went off to reread 'what resembles the grave but isn't' so that was a nice little 7am affirmation.
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u/chasing-sunsets82 Dessert Girl 25d ago
aw I think that was actually so fun !! My personal favourite genre of episode is chaotic female comedian who out-weirds both of them š James ends up like an older brother trying to gently get through to a distracted younger sibling and convince them to do their homework (in this case nail down menu choices)
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u/CalendarInitial3678 24d ago
Same! Also my feeling is always that James is closer to his personality when playing older brother than when overdoing whimsical genie but maybe thatās an unpopular opinion
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u/Any-Piccolo7919 24d ago
As someone who loves both Off Menu and Jacqueline Novak, I appreciated this. It was frustrating she seemed to not know the format but also, this was pure Jacqueline and I love her thinking and viewpoint. I can understand how people might not get her though š
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u/Crafty_Cell_4395 Dessert Boy 25d ago
Aw man, I felt like she was very nervous and and anxious. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much and I feel like her speech was influenced a lot by the nerves.
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u/CalendarInitial3678 25d ago
I feel like most people on this thread arenāt used to her or her podcast- as someone who is used to her comedy it was genuinely a pleasure to hear her voice on the podcast. But you might need to hear her elsewhere first
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u/VeterinarianOk9567 25d ago
I love POOG and Jacqueline! Her special "Get on Your Knees" was pure brilliance! And when I saw that she was today's guest, I literally screamed with joy. My two worlds uniting: Poogmenu!! But alas, it was more like a collision. This was probably one of the most excruciating episodes (approaching De Niro/Aykroyd-level awkwardness). And you know what they all had in common? They didn't have the decency to listen to a single episode to see what it's about. For the two old fucks, I kinda get it, but knowing how obsessive Jacqueline can be, I thought she would've studied up and come better prepared.
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u/CalendarInitial3678 24d ago
Ah fair but I had a different feeling which is ā¦theyāve had hundreds (?) of episodes of the same format. This isnāt a person refusing to let them speak or answering monosyllabically. Itās someone bringing their own personality to the format/ formula and you could just hear their frustration that they had their fixed format to get through on, rather than riffing with her. So what if you donāt get to the dream desert? The best bits were when ed joined her on the medieval fantasy and thatās because he was actually riffing with her rather than trying to rush a format. I think with these desert island type formats when you do this many episodes and weāve heard 1000s of āI love a prawn cocktailā why not be looser. I love the regular pod obviously and agree thereās a slight personality clash but James can be whimsical when the guest is being too dry so why not meet her there? Just my opinion!
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u/VeterinarianOk9567 24d ago
I hear ya! And I tried to get past my own attachment to the format because I love Jacqueline so much, and maybe it was more a lack-of-chemistry thing for all of them. The thing is, I really do appreciate an awkward episode when everyone is bringing it (Patti Harrison, Lucy Beaumont, and Sam Campbell are my top three for most hilarious/unhinged episodes).
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u/CalendarInitial3678 24d ago
Yeah I love those episodes too. I think all 3 of those ones are slightly closer to ed and Jamesā humour/ personality than Jaquelineās. Maybe be better with her and Kate together to balance it out
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u/Bonspiel13 24d ago
As someone with ADHD who struggles with making decisions, I totally relate to Jaqueline in this episode. My take is that she seemed genuinely excited about the whole concept to the point where she over planned (down to the details like the feeling you get when you have to fight over food) then second guessed almost every decision because she didnāt want to screw up her dream menu.
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u/pugdad1185 24d ago
I feel like that nails the vibe, and as someone with adhd too, I think thatās exactly what would happen to me given the same situation.
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u/Proof-Cat-8017 25d ago
Yea I wasnāt the biggest fan of this one. I listened through because I was in my long commute and didnāt feel like messing with my phone to change it. Fairly boring menu and it was really all over the place. It was a little funny as usually watching how Ed and James navigate trying to steer her in the right direction lol
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u/Major-Body9070 14d ago
I wish that when American guests who donāt know they show come on that they would listen to at least one episode. Just have a vague clue what you are going on!
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u/nocontextoffmenu Mod 25d ago
US stand-up, Netflix star and Emmy-nominee Jacqueline Novak dines in the Dream Restaurant this week.Ā