Program 735: American Thanksgiving; Feeding the World; Tom Miller; German Sausages

A culinary historian explains how Americans' beloved Thanksgiving meal has changed over time. Then the head of World Food Program USA describes the challenges — and opportunities — of feeding the world's most impoverished communities. Also, we remember the life and work of travel writer Tom Miller, who chronicled life in Latin America, Cuba, the US Southwest, and along the US–Mexican border with curiosity, wit, and insight. And tour guides from Berlin give us a taste of the variety of sausages Germans relish, no matter the time of day.

• Culinary historian Sarah Lohman, author of "Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine" (Simon & Schuster)
• Barron Segar, president and CEO of World Food Program USA
• Travel writer Tom Miller, author of "Where Was I? A Travel Writer's Memoir" (Molinero Press)
• Berlin-based tour guides Iris Andre and Matthias Unger

• Culinary historian Sarah Lohman is the author of "Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine." Sarah's newest book is "Endangered Eating: America's Vanishing Foods." Rick will talk with her about that in a future edition of Travel with Rick Steves. Her historic gastronomy food blog is archived at fourpoundsflour.com.
• Barron Segar is the president and CEO of the World Food Program USA.
• The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Program in 2020.
• Travel writer Tom Miller specialized in covering life in Latin America, and along the US border in the Southwest. His writings are in the special collections at the University of Arizona. The Tucson.com website published his obituary in December 2021.
• Tom reflected on what constitutes great travel literature in the open to the anthology "Best Travel Writing 2005."
• Rick used his smartphone to film sausages being readied for Munich's Oktoberfest celebration.

• Paul Speer, "Mediterranean Highway," Oculus / Rainstorm Records (paulspeer.com)
• St. Andrew's Strings (from Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida), "Simple Gifts," Simple Gifts / self-released
• Dock Boggs, "Turkey in the Straw," Dock Boggs: His Folkways Years (1963-1968), disc 2 / Smithsonian Folkways
• Van Dyke Parks, "Battle Cry of Freedom," Geronimo: An American Legend (soundtrack) / Columbia
• Bobby Horton et al., "Beech Spring (The Corps of Discovery)," Ken Burns' "Lewis & Clark" (soundtrack) / Columbia-Legacy
• * St. Andrew's Strings (from Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida), "Simple Gifts," Simple Gifts / self-released
• Raft, "Femmes du Congo," Madagascar / Universal (France)
• SON_AFRO_0131_02301_Balafon_Melodic_Groove_APM
• Adelicia Ensemble, "'Connecticut Country Fair' from 'New England Suite' (Vally Weigl)," Music for the Appalachian Trail / Gasparo Records 
• Jack Dangers, "Ava (Nu Wage Remix)," A Luaka Bop: Roots, Rock and Rhythm (collection) / Luaka Bop
• Mark Isham, "In the Blue Distance," Vapor Drawings / Windham Hill
• Katia Cardenal, "Canto de Despedida," Misa Campesina Nicaraguense / Moka Discos
• * Katia Cardenal, "Ofertorio," Misa Campesina Nicaraguense / Moka Discos
• George Winston, "Variations on the Kanon by Pachebel," December / Windham Hill
• CEZ_UBM_2158_00901_Alone_On_Route_66_APM
• Orquesta de las Americas, "La Bamba," México Sinfónico, disc 3 (collection) / PMD
• Grupo Siembra, "La Bamba," Geografía Musical de México, vol. 2 / Agave Music
• Fats Waller, "All That Meat and No Potatoes," If You Got To Ask, You Ain't Got It / Bluebird-Legacy
• Rita Ford Music Box, "O Tannenbaum," A Music Box Christmas / Sony-BMG (1961)
• Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ), "Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major, III-Allegro (BWV 1051, J S Bach)," For Thy Pleasure: J. S. Bach and other Baroque Masters / Delos

* Indicates filler music used during breaks

• The segment A interview on program 735 centers on historic trends with the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. The holiday is also mentioned in this week's billboard and promo.
• Rick also refers to complications of "the past few years" in the billboard and during the segment B interview.
• Rick opens segment A noting that we'll hear an update on the efforts of the World Food Program, and pay tribute to the late writer Tom Miller.
• Rick opens segment B saying there is a growing gap between rich and poor in the US, and that nearly half of the world lives on the equivalent of five dollars a day. He adds that the World Food Program provides assistance in 120 countries.
• At 21:54, Barron says the cost for WFP and its partners to provide a meal averages 50 cents, and about 35 cents for providing a school meal.
• At 28:25, Barron predicts that progress in addressing world hunger will be on the upswing again, following the impacts of the covid pandemic and current conflicts. At 30:28, Barron notes that the money spent on US foreign aid is about 1% of the federal budget.
• Rick asks Barron about his recently completed visit to Lebanon, starting at 32:48. Barron mentions the impacts of the deadly port blast in Beirut (August 2020). They also talk about being in Poland near the Ukraine border, three weeks after the war in Ukraine started.
• Rick mentions that Tom Miller died a few months after his interview last year, in the open to segment C, and in the reset at 46:50, where Rick adds that his papers are at the University of Arizona Special Collections.