Connection

I listen to a radio show on NPR called Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. It is a sort of news quiz/comedy show, where both panel members and guests that call in are quizzed on their knowledge of the recent news. The panel in WWDTM is composed of comedians, actors, authors, and others. There is a set of around 20 panel members that rotate in and out in groups of three (not set, however. For instance, one week it might be Paula Poundstone, Roy Blount Jr., and Faith Salie, but in a few weeks it could be Paula, Alonzo Bodden, and Tom Bodett). A frequent panelist is one called Mo Rocca, a comedian/actor/journalist.

This is where the connections come into play.

Recently (relatively) Food Network started the Cooking Channel, which focuses more on actual cooking and less on arena-style battles for culinary dominance, people tearing into restaurants with sledgehammers, and Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. With new demand, new shows sprung into existence. One that caught my eye was "My Grandmother's Ravioli" with Mo Rocca.

Now, normally this kind of show doesn't interest me. I have never been a huge fan of home cooking shows like Giada, Barefoot Contessa, or any of those other shows like that. But what happened was that when I recognized the name Mo Rocca, I felt a strong connection to the show, like the show had been made specifically for me. Like I knew Mo Rocca personally, and everyone else was just fans. This, of course, is comepletely false. Mo Rocca has appeared on almost every major channel on television, has appeared on Broadway, and of course on many radio programs such as WWDTM. Not to mention that 60 million homes have the Cooking channel, and over 3 million people listen to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. So, (somewhat optimistically) I am one of around 1.5 million people who both listen to Wait Wait and watch the Cooking Channel. So I really have no reason to feel that connection

That's it. I don't really have a point with this post, it's more of a story. I hope you got something out of it.