Speaker 1 (00:00): Coming up on Art Palace. Nothing, just so barely fits in the definition of a pizza than a Lunchable pizza. That is the very edge. I don't think it's kind of an exciting frontier to be on in a way. Welcome to Art Palace, produced by Cincinnati Art Museum. This is your host, Russell iig. Here at the Art Palace. We meet cool people and then talk to them about art. Today's cool person is Sean White, the museum's head chef. So have you listened to any episodes of the show or anything, or? Speaker 2 (00:57): Unfortunately, I have not. Speaker 1 (01:01): Oh, well join the club. So how did you come to the museum? Where did you come from? Speaker 2 (01:12): Well, I was the executive chef at the Celestial Steakhouse, Speaker 1 (01:18): Just Speaker 2 (01:18): Around the corner over here. I was there for two years, and it took, are in a fine dining environment of that nature. You work 65, 70 hours a week, and it's pretty grueling. And I started looking elsewhere just because I wanted to have more family time and I just happened to come across museum. I thought it sounded like a pretty interesting proposition. Very different from anything that I've ever done before. Speaker 1 (02:00): Why is it different? Speaker 2 (02:03): For one, I've generally been in the realm of a la carte fine dining, and it was a new challenge, and so far it's been great. Speaker 1 (02:22): So the menu is much more casual than what you would do, and I think this is the first time ever I've heard somebody be like, oh, working at the museum is less work. That's usually not how it goes. Usually it's like Speaker 2 (02:40): For my normal routine Speaker 1 (02:45): For you, Speaker 2 (02:45): I have so much free time right now. I don't know what to do with myself. Speaker 1 (02:48): Wow. Yeah. So now I'm just, as you're talking about a grueling kitchen environment, all I can think of is I'm like, it's basically Hell's Kitchen though. You're not? Speaker 2 (03:03): No, I don't run the kitchen that way. Speaker 1 (03:05): No. Speaker 2 (03:06): I'm Speaker 1 (03:07): Not someone Speaker 2 (03:07): Who yells at people. Speaker 1 (03:08): If I go downstairs, you're not going to be down there smashing plates and forcing people into a freezer to talk to them for Speaker 2 (03:17): You have to go to your timeout. Speaker 1 (03:19): Yeah, exactly. Speaker 2 (03:20): Stay in that freezer for 10 minutes. No. Are Speaker 1 (03:22): There different coats? People can win though. If a kitchen staff is really good, I would like that system if I knew, oh, they've, they've got the fancy coat. Speaker 2 (03:35): Not here. It doesn't work that way. But yeah, definitely it is like that. And that's not necessarily a coat style, it's just what you have printed on your jacket. Speaker 1 (03:50): Really. I just realized, all I know about the world of cooking is basically reality. TV informed. So I'm not, Speaker 2 (03:59): And as we all know, reality TV is not reality tv. It's so real. It's so real. It's not scripted at all. Speaker 1 (04:08): No, no, no, Speaker 2 (04:10): No. That's stuff is totally blown up for television. Speaker 1 (04:13): And Speaker 2 (04:14): If there was a kitchen that was actually ran that way, this stuff has to come from somewhere. But no one would work there, Speaker 1 (04:26): Just like the worst environment ever. Right. Speaker 2 (04:34): You'd have just, or guys who were coming out of the military, they may work there. Speaker 1 (04:38): Yeah. It's Speaker 2 (04:40): Normal for them. Speaker 1 (04:42): This is comforting to be yelled at now around the clock. Speaker 1 (04:47): That would be so horrible. I feel like I do so many things to avoid being yelled at all the time. To me just being yelled at, oh, that's the worst thing. I don't want somebody yell at me. I would go out of my way to just be like, oh, I don't know. That person might yell at me. I don't know. I don't know. I still have a mentality of, I don't know, an eight year old in that way or something. I don't want to be yelled at. That's really well, that's pushing things. So you've been working on a new menu Speaker 2 (05:19): Too? I have. Speaker 1 (05:20): So I guess, I don't know if this is even exciting to listen to, but what's on it? Make me hungry. Speaker 2 (05:29): Oh, make you hungry. Speaker 1 (05:31): Yeah. Speaker 2 (05:32): I Speaker 1 (05:32): Did just eat as we were Speaker 2 (05:33): Discussing our breakfast, Speaker 1 (05:35): So this will be an extra challenge. Speaker 2 (05:36): Yeah. You had some eggs. Speaker 1 (05:37): Yeah. Speaker 2 (05:38): Well, I'm not going go down the, you Speaker 1 (05:41): Don't have to, don't have Speaker 2 (05:42): The whole list here, but it's a pretty well diversified menu. I tend to not stick to one genre, one type of cuisine. Speaker 1 (05:58): I think it's probably good too, because people coming to a museum cafe are not here for one type of cuisine, so it makes sense as well. People are just here because of the museum, and so it's like having variety is good for that reason too. Speaker 2 (06:14): But lately I've been in a real Mediterranean and Latin kind of, it's kind of what's influencing me right now. And since we have the dress to hill going on right now, I wanted to infuse a little bit of Japanese here and there where I can. Speaker 1 (06:34): Oh, cool. Speaker 2 (06:36): But that being said, it's not a fusion thing where I'm mixing Latin, Mediterranean and Japanese. Speaker 1 (06:42): You have a Japanese item separate. Yeah. Speaker 2 (06:46): Right, right, right. Speaker 1 (06:49): Just putting wasabi and everything. Speaker 2 (06:53): We don't have a wasabi Greek dressing on salads. Speaker 1 (06:56): Right, okay. There's Speaker 2 (06:58): Nothing like that happening. But we have a wheat berry salad, which is one of the dishes on the menu that has a Latin feel to it has some pomegranate, some avocado, heirloom tomatoes, chi seeds, which are kind a trendy thing right now with the whole superfood thing. Blood orange vinegarette. And then we have another salad that's more of Mediterranean inspired. It has a whole bunch of different roasted veggies, some hazelnuts, Speaker 1 (07:33): Some Speaker 2 (07:35): Fat of cheese and lemon rosemary dressing. And we'll have a couple of tacos on the menu. We have tacos, the el pa store, which is a very traditional style taco. Speaker 1 (07:51): Have we ever had tacos on the menu before? Speaker 2 (07:53): I heard that they had 'em on there last summer. Speaker 1 (07:55): Oh, okay. Honestly, I work at a museum. I can't afford to eat in the cafe usually, Speaker 2 (08:03): So Speaker 1 (08:04): I typically go in and get our staff special and then run. So the few times when I go in for a meeting or something and I get to eat is once or twice a year, and I'm like, oh, it's always so surprising. I'm like, oh, look at this. Well, this sounds fun. So yeah, I totally don't think I had ever been in when they had tacos, so I was like, oh, tacos. Speaker 2 (08:27): Well, I mean, the tacos are going to be, that's one of those things that it'll be a low dollar item on the menu. They are purchased. They will be purchased individually. So if you've ever been to a baker's field or something like that in O T R, it's the same way they do it there. Speaker 1 (08:47): Just buy the taco. Speaker 2 (08:48): Yeah, it's buy it individually. You can get however many you want, and they're not large. Speaker 1 (08:55): Oh, that's nice. Speaker 2 (08:55): Yeah, it's a nice, it's one of those great things for lunch. You're not going to get, if you feel like having a lot of food for lunch, you can, if you don't, you don't have to. And we are going to have a Banno, Speaker 1 (09:12): Which Speaker 2 (09:12): Is, it's a very popular sandwich going around right now, so I kind of wanted to jump in on that. Yeah, Speaker 1 (09:24): It's usually like pork, right? Speaker 2 (09:26): Yeah. Slow roasted Speaker 1 (09:28): Pork ham, or is there ham on it or, oh, Speaker 2 (09:31): Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 1 (09:31): It's a pour ham. It's Speaker 2 (09:32): Roasted pork, it's ham, it's Swiss cheese, mustard Speaker 1 (09:35): Pickles. Speaker 2 (09:36): Most important part of a banno is the bread, and I've managed to get a very good source for that. So did a tasting for the other day, and it was delicious. Speaker 1 (09:48): Yeah. Wait, who got to be on that? Speaker 2 (09:50): I didn't get to pick them. Speaker 1 (09:52): I didn't get to pick them. I was like, man, Speaker 2 (09:54): If it were me, it would've been, Speaker 1 (09:57): Yeah, I'll have to keep my ear to the ground when I hear this tasting. Seems like problem is, I'm like a human garbage disposal. So I'm like, oh, it's great. This is great. I know Speaker 2 (10:08): Everything's great. Speaker 1 (10:09): Not terribly critical of food. It was like, yeah, I'd eat that. Speaker 2 (10:14): But no, I mean, the way that I've always done new menu tastings in the past, I've never been in this type of environment before, is your servers come in because they're the ones serving the food, Speaker 1 (10:25): So Speaker 2 (10:25): They have to know what it is. Speaker 1 (10:28): Makes sense. Speaker 2 (10:28): And this one was not done that way. Speaker 1 (10:31): Oh, okay. Speaker 2 (10:32): It was more of like a approval. Speaker 1 (10:38): Oh, okay. Speaker 2 (10:40): The head of this department comes in head of that department comes in and everyone tries the food. I wouldn't say it was intimidating, but Speaker 1 (10:49): Yeah. Like a grand high council of Speaker 2 (10:51): Lunch. Yeah. Speaker 1 (10:57): Decree the sandwich worthy. Speaker 2 (10:59): This is, or Speaker 1 (10:59): Their Speaker 2 (11:00): Worthy, Speaker 1 (11:01): Just imagine everyone has a gavel and when they like the sandwich, they tap their gavel. Speaker 2 (11:06): It's medieval times and doing a couple of things that may, I'm counting on a little bit of pushback from the people who have come to the cafe Speaker 1 (11:25): For a long Speaker 2 (11:26): Time, gotten things like Speaker 1 (11:27): Cafe controversies. Speaker 2 (11:29): Yeah. I'm counting on it, but I think once they try, Speaker 1 (11:33): What's the controversy? What are you worried about? Speaker 2 (11:34): Well, I'm changing the club sandwich. Speaker 1 (11:37): I'm clutching my pearls. Speaker 2 (11:39): I know, right? I know. I Speaker 1 (11:42): Mean, how much can one change a club sandwich? Isn't it kind of always sort of reliably the same? Speaker 2 (11:49): You can put as long as it has its basic. You can, as long as you put in a word here or there, Speaker 1 (11:58): It's Speaker 2 (11:58): Still a club, but I made it more because this is a spring menu, so I wanted to make it more spring. So it's rather than serving an non-regular white bread, we are currently, it'll be on wheat berry bread and it has avocado and Speaker 1 (12:19): Heresy, Speaker 2 (12:20): Right. Avocado? No, Speaker 1 (12:23): It sounds great. Speaker 2 (12:24): Roasted red pepper aioli and kind of in the style of a pepper jack cheese, but it's a three chili. Speaker 1 (12:34): Oh wow. Yeah. That sounds good. Speaker 2 (12:38): Delicious. Speaker 1 (12:39): Yeah. I mean, honestly, again, with me, you could just say you had me at cheese. Speaker 2 (12:45): Right? Speaker 1 (12:46): So I would've been like, oh, cheese. Great. And it's covered in craft singles. Oh no. I would've been like, oh, yummy. Speaker 2 (13:00): Have baloney and Speaker 1 (13:01): Yeah. Yeah. Just drop off a lunchable for me and I'll be happy. Speaker 2 (13:09): The pizza Lunchables are the worst. Speaker 1 (13:11): Oh. So I kind of love 'em, but they are terrible. I Speaker 2 (13:14): Understand. I get it. Speaker 1 (13:15): Well, because it is, it's Speaker 2 (13:17): Cold. Speaker 1 (13:18): Yes. Which I don't mind cold pizza, so that I'm okay with, but all pizza to me is acceptable at a certain, and that is, I feel like, I mean, there's a scale. Obviously I have taste, but if somebody was like, oh, there's pizza. I would not be like, where is, I don't care. I don't ask questions when they're, where's that pizza from? Right. So I feel like a Lunchables pizza is the very, it is the edge of the definition of pizza. Speaker 2 (13:46): Yes, most definitely. Speaker 1 (13:47): Anything below that, Speaker 2 (13:49): Most sauce and cheese. Speaker 1 (13:50): But the one step below that would just be a cracker with ketchup on it. Right. There's nothing that is the, I can't think of anything. Speaker 2 (14:01): And that processed white American cheese, Speaker 1 (14:04): Nothing, just so barely fits in the definition of a pizza than a Lunchable pizza that is Speaker 2 (14:11): Seriously Speaker 1 (14:11): The very edge. I don't think it's kind of an exciting frontier to be on in a way. You kind of imagine if somebody could come and trump the Lunchables pizza. We've done it. We've created a pizza that is technically a pizza, but is so unappealing that we're just Speaker 2 (14:31): Going to make people angry with this. This is what's going to happen. Speaker 1 (14:34): But yeah, I don't know. I don't don't mind cold food, though. I am kind of one of those people who loves cold leftovers and almost likes them more. I don't like super hot food. Speaker 2 (14:45): I am right there with you. Speaker 1 (14:47): If I am eating something that's really hot, I just wait to me. I can't it if it's really hot. So I have to have it at least just a little bit cooler. That happens a lot with soups. I feel like I'm trying to eat a soup and it's so hot, and I'm just like, oh, I have to give this a second, because it just tastes like my mouth is burning. It's on fire. Speaker 2 (15:07): It tastes like burning. Speaker 1 (15:09): Exactly. Speaker 2 (15:10): From Simpson's episode a long time. Speaker 1 (15:12): Yes. It's a rough wig line, I'm pretty sure. Yeah. Well, Speaker 2 (15:19): No, I learned that a long time ago from a chef. I used to work for God 15 years ago, and we were doing a new menu tasting. Speaker 1 (15:30): He Speaker 2 (15:30): Explained all this food is room temperature or cold, because that's when it's this most flavorful. Speaker 1 (15:38): Yeah. Speaker 2 (15:38): Now, you're not always going to like it that way, Speaker 1 (15:41): But Speaker 2 (15:41): You're going to get every flavor that is in this dish. Speaker 1 (15:43): Yeah. Yeah. I love, I sometimes prefer Chinese leftovers cold or even Indian food. I kind of love cold. I don't know. I know a lot of people just think that's repellent. I wouldn't go Speaker 2 (16:00): With the Chinese or Indian cold. Speaker 1 (16:02): What's that? I Speaker 2 (16:03): Wouldn't go with the Chinese or Speaker 1 (16:04): Indian cold. Can't mess with that. Speaker 2 (16:07): I can't handle that. But I can do cold pizza every once. Speaker 1 (16:09): Yeah. I can. Even the rice cold doesn't bother me. Speaker 2 (16:12): Ooh, that's hard. Speaker 1 (16:17): Again, the theme of this episode so far has been like, I am a human goat who cool, just munching on a tin can or whatever. Over here. It's really, yeah. I'm not picky, but I do. And probably half of it is like laziness too. Oh, well, I have to. You mean I have to warm this up? No. Oh, it's good. Straight out of the fridge. What are you talking about? Luke came in its own box. Speaker 2 (16:45): I remember when I was a kid, we went on a fishing trip to Minnesota and out on the boat all day, and hey, we're hungry. And my grandpa throws me a, throws me a can of SpaghettiOs in Speaker 1 (17:03): A can in car. In the car? Speaker 2 (17:04): No, in the boat. Speaker 1 (17:05): Oh, in the boat. Okay. Throws Speaker 2 (17:07): Me a can of SpaghettiOs and a can opener says, there you go. What do you mean it's cold? Trust me, it'll be good. And I swear to God, it was the best SpaghettiOs I've ever had in Speaker 1 (17:18): My Yeah, because you're hungry. It's like, yeah. If you're hungry enough, I don't even tastes good. It's like I feel like camping. Anytime I've gone camping, whatever I eat, it's because I'm usually exhausted and just so hungry. And by the time food is ready, you're just like, this is the best hot dog I've ever had. It doesn't matter. You're just like, if you're hungry enough like, oh, this is so good. I'm sure it was the most delicious spaghetti. It Speaker 2 (17:45): Was amazing. Speaker 1 (17:47): Where are you from originally? Speaker 2 (17:49): I am originally from Rising Sun, Indiana. Speaker 1 (17:52): Oh, okay. So not too far. Speaker 2 (17:53): Not far at all. Speaker 1 (17:54): Okay. I wasn't sure how far you had journeyed to us. Speaker 2 (17:59): I have not ventured out of this area. Speaker 1 (18:01): No, Speaker 2 (18:02): I've always lived in this. Oh, of course I've ventured, Speaker 1 (18:04): Right? Never outside of the tri-state. Speaker 2 (18:07): No, I've always lived in this area. Speaker 1 (18:09): Okay. Yeah, for the most part. Me too. So what else? We've gone on such a digression, but that again is, Speaker 2 (18:18): That's Speaker 1 (18:18): My specialty. What else is on? What else is on the menu? Speaker 2 (18:23): We got a Jamaican jerks chicken sandwich. Speaker 1 (18:25): Okay. Speaker 2 (18:26): Mango salsa, some avocado. Once again, once you put avocado on the menu, you got to spread it out or else you'll lose it all. Speaker 1 (18:35): They Speaker 2 (18:35): Go bad pretty quick. Speaker 1 (18:36): Yes, Speaker 2 (18:38): We got that. We have vegetarian option, which is the roasted veggies from that arugula salad that we're basically just taking that salad and putting it on a sandwich. But during the tasting, it sounds like a cop out, Speaker 1 (18:57): But Speaker 2 (18:59): One of the most important things in making a menu is cross utilization. You have to have ingredients that you're using in other areas in multiple areas. But some of the people that were at the menu tasting, that was our favorite thing on the menu, which was extremely surprising to me. And we'll have a couple of entree type options. It's a lunch cafe. You're not really usually coming in there to have entrees Right now. We currently have a pot roast and apparently sell a lot of it, Speaker 1 (19:37): Which Speaker 2 (19:39): That was very surprising to me. But we're going to have, it says Spanish style, short rip polenta, calamata, olives, tomatoes, black beans, cilantro. And then we'll also have a shrimp in polenta, which is kind of a play on shrimp and grits. Speaker 1 (20:03): Okay. Yeah. Speaker 2 (20:05): But pretty diverse mini, and I'm excited about it. Speaker 1 (20:10): Yeah, I know. I definitely want to try some of those. Sound great. So have you gotten to spend, I know you're probably, we hired you and then probably sent you immediately to the basement, to the dungeon. Get down there. So have you gotten to walk around and look at art much since you've been here? Speaker 2 (20:29): Haven't I've seen everything that's around the Great Hall, and that's pretty much it. By the time I'm done with work at the security guard, trying to force me out of the building. So no, unfortunately I have not gotten to see a lot, but it is definitely my priority list. Speaker 1 (20:50): Well, that's good because that's what I wanted to go do, and I'm glad I wanted to show you something that I figured you maybe hadn't seen yet. So I think this will probably be something you haven't looked at yet. I don't know. Maybe you have. So I was hoping it would be a little bit of a surprise. Sure. So if you're ready, we can go. Yeah, let's go. We can go walk around. Alright. We are in Gallery two 19 looking at the toy kitchen from Germany, and this is actually the folk art gallery. So a lot of things that kind of untrained artists or things that maybe were made for purposes other than art, and in the sort of capital, a sense of it that we traditionally think of. Speaker 2 (21:48): It's kind of like the first edition of the Barbie Dream House. Speaker 1 (21:51): It is. I love this piece. I think I'm just, again, maybe I am a child that still likes toys, but I just, oh, this is so fun. I think I also just love miniature worlds. I love going to the museum, a natural history museum or something, and seeing dioramas and things. So I just love this Speaker 2 (22:14): Lego land. Speaker 1 (22:15): Oh yeah. So what are some things you noticed about it right off the bat? Speaker 2 (22:22): Well, I noticed what they would've been cooking on. Speaker 1 (22:26): Oh yeah. Speaker 2 (22:26): Obviously. I mean, that's just one great big fire with, well, obviously this isn't a toy, Speaker 1 (22:33): But if it were real, it would be very dangerous to have in the museum if it was on fire. Speaker 2 (22:37): That's just a one giant piece of cast iron Speaker 1 (22:42): With Speaker 2 (22:44): A huge fire under it. Speaker 1 (22:46): And so the little sliding door would be kind of where you would feed it? Speaker 2 (22:49): Yeah, that's your bread oven. And over here in today's kitchens, we still use something like that, and it's called a French top, and it's just a huge slab of cast iron with fire underneath of it. And different sections of it are hotter than others, and depending on what you're doing, you just have, if you need it at the hottest, you of course have it right in the middle. Speaker 1 (23:18): Oh, okay. Speaker 2 (23:19): If you're simmering something, you move it to the sides. So Speaker 1 (23:23): That makes sense. So it's like instead of having dials and everything to control it because you just that the fire is hottest in one place and you just move out from there. Speaker 2 (23:35): Exactly. Speaker 1 (23:36): Oh, that's so cool. I honestly would never have paid attention to that and never really thought about the mechanics of it. Just I don't think too much about that. So the little box here with the kind of tombstone shaped door, you said that's the bread oven? Speaker 2 (23:52): Yeah. Yeah. That would've been a bread oven. Speaker 1 (23:54): That's so cool. And then anything else you notice about this? Anything different than kind of a contemporary kitchen or, Speaker 2 (24:04): Well, it has a butter churn. You don't see those very often. Speaker 1 (24:06): No, that's true. Not too much butter churn. Although we did at a family for Saturday, not too long ago, we did make our own butter. Speaker 2 (24:17): That Speaker 1 (24:17): Was one of our art projects. Cool. It was to make butter. It was for when we had American Gothic here, so we had kind of a farm themed day. Speaker 2 (24:26): Very Speaker 1 (24:26): Cool. So we were kind of just really struggling to come up with stuff. We're like, what should we do? Let's have Speaker 2 (24:30): Kids churn butter. Let's make butter salt in the cafe. It's free labor. Speaker 1 (24:34): I know. And I was like, alright. And I made some and took it home. I ate it for quite a while. It was really good butter, and it was super easy to do. I Speaker 2 (24:43): Know over at the orchid that that's one of the things that chef Todd Kelly is working on right now. He's taken under his, he's, he has them making their own butter Speaker 1 (25:01): For Speaker 2 (25:01): The entire hotel, and it's like a big project for him. Speaker 1 (25:04): I mean, the way we did it was super easy. We just put it in, we just had little jars, and then we just let kids shake it. Of course, they were plastic so they wouldn't go flying across from brace chatter across the wall. You can imagine somebody drops it. But yeah, I was like, it takes a while, but it wasn't, I mean, I was kind of amazed. It's just like something you never, if you just, well, you just go to the grocery store and you buy butter, and then you realize like, oh, this isn't that hard to do if you, I don't know, Speaker 2 (25:37): Time consuming, but it's not difficult. Speaker 1 (25:39): Yeah, no, it was pretty delicious too. So one of my favorite little details about this that I always notice is the little chicken coop in the Speaker 2 (25:51): Oh, yeah. Speaker 1 (25:53): In the kitchen. Speaker 2 (25:54): That's not sanitary at all. Speaker 1 (25:57): We couldn't get away with that, but it's so fresh. Speaker 2 (26:01): Yeah. Speaker 1 (26:02): Just grab yourself a chicken Speaker 2 (26:04): Right there. I killed it five minutes ago. Speaker 1 (26:05): I know. It's always one of the things that makes this piece both fun and dark to talk about with kids where you're just like, oh, look at that. Look, Speaker 2 (26:13): Chickens. Okay. This thing, the cast iron, big, huge stove would be putting off so much heat. The chickens are that close to it. They're not over here. Speaker 1 (26:30): They Speaker 2 (26:30): Are way as far away from that thing as they could possibly be. Speaker 1 (26:33): Yeah. Yeah. Well, and probably, I'm assuming this is one of those things where the reality of the situation would probably be like if you had the rest of this room, Speaker 2 (26:47): You Speaker 1 (26:47): Would probably put the chickens on the other side Speaker 2 (26:49): Or outside. Speaker 1 (26:50): Right. Speaker 2 (26:51): Or outside. Speaker 1 (26:52): But for the sake of showing us all the parts, they were like, okay, let's put 'em Speaker 2 (26:58): Here. It's a cool little part of it. Speaker 1 (27:00): Yeah. Probably also, I mean, I'm just guessing here. I don't know. I am just guessing. You wouldn't probably want a piece of wood that close. No, absolutely. A piece of wood furniture. Speaker 2 (27:10): Absolutely Speaker 1 (27:10): Not that close to the stove either butted up against it, that that doesn't really make a lot of sense. Maybe give a little sense. That's Speaker 2 (27:18): How you lose your home. Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 1 (27:22): Also, one of the things I noticed, and I think I've seen it before, but I always think it's so funny, these spoons at the top, because if they seem like just actual spoons, right. And then But the scale of them in this, Speaker 2 (27:43): Yeah. Speaker 1 (27:44): If a person picked that up, what's a Speaker 2 (27:45): Decoration? You see? Speaker 1 (27:47): But people would have enormous spoons. Let's say a person is sitting in this chair, they stand up. That spoon is basically, Speaker 2 (27:57): That's how big they are. Speaker 1 (28:00): Yeah. That's like their head to legs basically. That's like a torso sized spoon. That would be insane. That one Speaker 2 (28:08): There's for the children. Speaker 1 (28:10): Yeah. Imagine. I mean, even just some of these pots too. Speaker 2 (28:14): Daddy, can I have my spoon? Speaker 1 (28:16): Imagine some of the pots. If you think about the scale of a person sitting there and then this big kind of gold colored one that's hanging, that would be Speaker 2 (28:28): Enormous. I mean, it's enormous. It Speaker 1 (28:32): Just sort Speaker 2 (28:32): Of, yeah, I didn't think about that. I did not think about that at all. Speaker 1 (28:36): I mean, I guess there could be pots that big. I mean, the handle is what makes it so silly. Speaker 2 (28:41): There are, there's pots half the size of that, Speaker 1 (28:45): Right? Yeah. The pot itself is not sort of so ridiculous. I guess it's kind of a pan with the handle is what makes it, Speaker 2 (28:52): That's a big pain. Speaker 1 (28:52): That's what makes it so funny, because she's like, Speaker 2 (28:55): That's a big saute pan. Speaker 1 (28:56): Just imagine somebody standing at the end of that handle. It would be enormous. Speaker 2 (29:02): It's funny to watch, because we do have saute pans that are large Speaker 1 (29:08): Saute Speaker 2 (29:09): Pans. But it's funny when you watch one, try and flip one of those for the first time, Speaker 1 (29:13): Oh my gosh. Speaker 2 (29:14): Oh, I've never flipped one this big. Well, go ahead and try it, and half of it ends up on the floor. Speaker 1 (29:19): Is this a little, I guess like a punch bowl over here. I was just noticing with the, Speaker 2 (29:23): Yeah. Yeah. That's exactly what that is. Speaker 1 (29:27): And then with Speaker 2 (29:27): A huge ladle. Speaker 1 (29:28): Yeah. Again, the scales are a little iffy. It goes back and forth. Sometimes it seems like, oh, when you look at the table by itself, it's like, oh, that seems about right. That's right. But, but then you start to imagine the other rooms, objects in the room with that table. You're like, oh, that would be an enormous, even that rolling pin is like, Speaker 2 (29:49): That's a huge rolling pin. Speaker 1 (29:50): That would be huge compared to the table. It would just be so big. You do Speaker 2 (29:53): Not want to make her mad. She's going to knock your head off with that rolling pin. Speaker 1 (30:00): Do you think, what's this sort of ceramic piece that has the, it looks like a juice or something. The one with a little cone in the middle sticking out. Speaker 2 (30:10): Oh, I know what that is, but I cannot remember the name. It's kind like a mortar. Speaker 1 (30:17): Oh, okay. Speaker 2 (30:19): Not a mortar, but the wooden stick and going into the clay pot and you're grinding stuff up in it. For some reason, that mechanism is escaping my words at the moment. Speaker 1 (30:34): It's okay. And then, Speaker 2 (30:36): But no, no, I'm sorry. I'm mistaken. Yeah, that is kind of like a juicer. Speaker 1 (30:41): Okay. Speaker 2 (30:41): Yeah. Speaker 1 (30:42): That's kind of what it looked like to me. But it also seems so, again, so weirdly scaled. It Speaker 2 (30:47): Is it, but that's the juicer for the punch bowl. Speaker 1 (30:51): Right. Speaker 2 (30:53): Which is Speaker 1 (30:53): The same size as the punch bowl. Just leave the juice in there. Why even transfer it? Just leave it. Just put the ladle in that and then you're good. Yeah. And then I guess are, what do you think? Are these some kind of mold or something? Can't they seem really specific? Why would you have an anchor? Speaker 2 (31:14): I, I believe that's what that would be. Molds for cookies. Speaker 1 (31:19): It just seems like an anchor shape. I don't know. That seems like, wouldn't that break? Speaker 2 (31:22): It Speaker 1 (31:24): Doesn't seem Speaker 2 (31:24): Very practical. That's not a functional mold. But the other ones are. Speaker 1 (31:27): Yeah. Speaker 2 (31:28): And then this one, the thing below it there is kind of scary. Speaker 1 (31:32): Yeah. What is that? Speaker 2 (31:33): That is a mandolin that is still known as the most dangerous tool in the kitchen, and it's for slicing things very thinly or, Speaker 1 (31:45): Okay. That's what it looked like. A slicer of some sort. Speaker 2 (31:47): Yeah. Or have you ever seen, you watch reality Speaker 1 (31:51): Cooking shows? Sometimes? Yes. Speaker 2 (31:53): They get this little piece out and it's got a sharp blade Speaker 1 (31:58): And Speaker 2 (31:58): They're kind of shaving truffles on it. That's what that is. But there are ones specifically for truffles, and there's ones that are just for things in general, and they have different attachments. You can do a Julianne cut, you can do, which are long sliced thin vegetables. But yeah, that thing is scary looking. When you put it into scale with everything else, you could really do some damage with that. Speaker 1 (32:30): Yeah. It is just so big. Almost as big as the tabletop. Speaker 2 (32:36): Yeah. Yeah. You could Julian cactus with that thing. Speaker 1 (32:44): What's this giant wood? It just like a Speaker 2 (32:48): Circle? Speaker 1 (32:48): Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 2 (32:50): It's for pizza or for dough. Speaker 1 (32:54): It's like transfer, like a paddle or whatever to put Speaker 2 (32:57): It into that bread up, which that paddle is entirely too big. Speaker 1 (33:01): I know they have nothing. That's what I was trying to figure out. I'm like, that's not going to Speaker 2 (33:04): Fit. That's not fitting in there. Speaker 1 (33:06): That is not going to fit in there. Yeah. You're just going to put it on there and then just be like, oh, I guess we got to take it somewhere else. We have to go down the street where they have the big oven. Speaker 2 (33:19): I think we have to keep in mind that this is not a functional kitchen. Speaker 1 (33:22): Yeah, it's true. This was infected a toy for children. Right. This is a toy who asked way less questions. They just enjoyed their toy. Speaker 2 (33:31): Mommy, my paddle won't fit into my bread oven. Speaker 1 (33:35): Yeah. Speaker 2 (33:37): Overall, I give this toy a seed. The scales are very off, Speaker 1 (33:46): But apparently I was reading the label. They said the actual, I guess apart from the scale, the details of the kitchen are actually really good in that they really do show you what a kitchen at this time, which I didn't say this is the late 18th century would've been like. So it's kind of crazy how, actually not all that different things are, I guess, in a way. Really. Speaker 2 (34:14): Not really. I mean, obviously things are more modernized, but it's still the basic, Speaker 1 (34:18): A lot of the same stuff. Yeah. Speaker 2 (34:19): The basic concept of what you're trying to accomplish is there. It's still the same. Speaker 1 (34:25): Alright, well, thank you for coming to look at Art with me today. Speaker 2 (34:28): I appreciate it. Thank you. Speaker 1 (34:30): Sure. Thank you for listening to Art Palace. We hope you'll come visit the Cincinnati Art Museum and have conversations about the art yourself. General admission to the museum is always free, and we also offer free parking. The menu we discussed in today's episode will begin on March 21st. Special exhibitions on view right now are dressed to kill Japanese arms and armor, transcending reality, the woodcuts of Saka Gaje, and the poetry of place, William Cliff, Linda Connor, and Michael Kenna. For program reservations and more information, visit Cincinnati art museum.org. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Snapchat. Our theme song is Fra Al by Lounge, and as always, be sure to rate and review us on iTunes, but only if you're going to give us five stars. I'm Russell Iig, and this has been Art Palace produced by the Cincinnati Art Museum.