Creamy, creamy, crunchy food Court, food Court, food Court with St. Blaze? Are you in food Court? Court with Blaz? Welcome to food Court a production of I Heart Radio. Okay, listen, I am Richard Blaze and this is my courtroom. Welcome. I'm the host and the judge, which is kind of like being an actor who can also sing, or a chef who's also mid handicapped caller or something like that, and joining us in the court. Today, we have two women who are already friends, who co host a live comedy show in Los Angeles called High Gear Comedy. First, we have someone known as much for her impeccable television show recomm Dation's asked for her love of weed. It's Ashley Ray. Hey, Ashley, what is going on? I'm so glad to be here. And yes, TV and weed that those are the things I love. They can't they work. It's like tomatoes and basis. Yeah, it just works. And I love how you said Basil to like. Your improv comedy skills are impeccable. I didn't have to say anything, you just picked up yes, and we finally, you have to teach me all this stuff. You have to teach me all of this stuff. Yeah, yeah, Babs and I we teach a class. You teach a class. We don't. Okay, you should, you should growing up against Ashley. We have a comedian, podcaster and writer who's podcast, Brittany's Graham, kicked off the international Free Brittany movement. It's Babs Gray. Hello, Hi, happy to be here. Yeah, no one knows that you're not actually here, but we will. I think we need to reveal it because you don't know. There might be some videos on Instagram stories. Babs joining us from your own studio, which is part of your contract. From what I understand, you have your own Yes, yes, yes, I only accept billings from my own studio. So sorry, there it is that works. Actually, you did join us, not that that's going to affect any sort of decision from the judge. You did. You you got here, you braved traffic, You made it happen so much l A traffic, you know. But I'm not gonna brag if anything. I think being a here and person will probably work against me. You think so, Oh my gosh, I hope that's not the case. That's not true, because she got the hype up time in the car to like go over her points and I've just been here stewing, you know, so I don't know. I think she's just been listening to music because I've been tracking the Twitter. Yeah. No, yeah, it's just literally just this morning, I watched the Sex Pistles TV show and then I remembered music was good. You know, I forget because I watched TV, and it's hard to listen to music when you watch TV as your job, and so then I sometimes I'll just listen. I'm like, oh my gosh, this music is so great. I actually totally feel that, right though. I'll go weeks without really listening to music, and then I'm like podcasts, yeah, past, and then you finally you put something on and you're like, oh my god, I see white people cared about like David Bowie. Wow, this is this is wonderful. Now I just willed nod my head. But you seem like you get really into the lyrics. Now I tracking you today, but like you're like really dissecting lyrics. I've always been a lyric person. I guess I was a writer. I wasn't much of a musician, so I was always like the lyrics, that's where the real music is at look at that. I love it now, BABS producer Crystal tells me that your bio includes big hair, big heart, big mouth, and I gotta ask, you're stealing my bit a little bit. You can't see it because I got the hat on. But the hair is big and controversial. The mouth is obviously big as well, and some people say I have a big heart, which one is the biggest? Who's got the biggest hair? Though? Oh I think I do. I've just cut my headphone. Yeah you win that one. No, no, I don't think we can even debate that one. Yeah, I gotta go, Babs, And I feel like this is even full volume, that's what it is. No, this is like tamp down. Okay, So then I have a question for you, just because like this is potentially embarrassing for me. But then, do you have a specific product that you like to turn to for high volume? Well, I don't need I actually try to get less volume because it's like two um, so I'm the other way. I just give gosh, like, yeah, that's how it's just like too much. I'm trying to like calm it down. It's a there's just one called to do. It's a moose. That's really great. I would have like that sounds it doesn't it it's fancy like mine's big sexy cvs. They just say what you want to look like. It only comes in like a sixty four like and it gets confiscated on every flight, and it's always very embarrassing for me, Like, don't they're confiscating that in your checked luggage. No, I'm trying to carry it on. Oh, we'll come on. You don't want to lose your big sexy I mean, you want to get your value out of that entire bottle. Try and hide it in your hair next time. That's all right. Listen for the case that you've brought a tale of two cereals to the food court, and we're gonna get into that in a second, but we're gonna get to know each other a little bit better, Ashley. Know, for your TV REX, what shows right now are your absolut lute must, your favorites right now, my absolute must. Right now, we got Hacks, which just premiered about two weeks ago for its second season. It's on HBO Max. It's so funny that Bravance, this like aging comedian who she's like my icon she's my my like Don Draper, She's everything I want to be as I grow up. Oh, I love it. Okay, So then that's is that relatively new or I've seen that? Yeah, premiered last year. Yeah, season two jeans smart. It's it's just so funny and incredibly sharp sharp still And then see I didn't com prepared with TV REX because I was so focused on the serial argument and I like, what TV do I even watch? Actually? Also, when you think about this season of ninety Day yeah, reality TV wise, this season of ninety Day Fiance, which I cover for Vulture if you want to know my weekly thoughts, is so incredible and good. They have people this season who truly hate each other, but somehow are just like in this horrible electric dance of awfulness every episode. And it's like this season they found men who are like I don't just want to bring this woman to America and waste her time. I want to like, like like mentally manipulate her. It's like a new level of gas lighting this season that I don't think I've ever seen on reality TV before. Oh wow, that's I mean, that's saying a lot. Yeah, and producer Crystal by the way big fan of the show. But All is a nightmare. But All is such a It's a show I've never watched. But I'll just if you don't know the concept, cause a lot of people think it's like a reality show, like, oh, what do these people have ninety days to get married? But there's an American law that says, if you marry someone from another country, you have a k one visa that last ninety days, and if they don't get married in that period, they have to go back home. So it's basically these couples. Some of them are just like, we've only ever met online, and some are like, oh, we've been dating for years and then finally they get this visa. Oh my gosh, Okay, it's wonderful. You gotta watch me. And now here's a tough one. Which shows have gotten canceled that you think are like the most tragic of the cancel Absolutely, I'm gonna go with the Big Leap. It was on Fox. It was an incredible show. I think it's going to become a cult one hit. Wonder Fox just didn't promote it. They didn't know what to do with this amazing satire vehicle of like a Hopeful Optimistic Dance show. I actually am so mad at Fox for canceling that show. I refused to talk about other Fox shows, even if I like them. I just because they canceled the Big Leap. I have just been personally boycotting Fox. Um, it's tough. It's tough because they have great shows, they have wonderful show and I hate to bring this back to the court, Ashley, but I have a show, I mean yeah, and you're gonna have to mention it because I won't. And I mean, I'm just saying I really would like you to at least not boycott Next Level Chef. Can we Yeah? Yeah, I mean Next Level Chef. I mean I will not take it into my verdict today, Ashley, because I am a judge with integrity. Next Level Chef, Bob's Burgers some things you can't say no to, that is true. But the Big it was just it was so beautiful, it made me sob Piper Parabow is in it, and they canceled it. It made no sense. Okay, fair enough, fair enough. One of one of my absolute ultimate goals is to just get a small cameo on Bob's Burgers. I'm just gonna throw that out there. Happen. That's what I'm saying, Like I have the Fox relationship. That's why I'm doing this. By the way, thank you, because that's my new thing. Like sometimes just say it out loud, that's gonna happen. But that's happening, I hope. So oh yeah the burger, Yeah, I love it. I mean, so Bob comes on as a as a competitor. I mean, I mean maybe, yeah, they can make that work with holograms and stuff. These days, we're so as it has to happen. Okay, now listen, this is for both of you. Babs. You go first here. Everyone wants to know where are you from? Where are you from, and what are your like food, your early food, Not to get too serious, but your early food. What were you what were you eating at home? I okay, So I was born in California, but I was raised in Salt Lake City, which, if you don't know, not a great food place. So I feel like I didn't taste actual food until I moved back to California because like, salt Lake is literally known for green jello funeral potatoes, which are potatoes with corn flakes on top. So not a lot of flavor. We're looking at, not a lot of fry sauce. What do you call someone from Utah Utah Uton? We have some Utah's in my family, my extended family, and I have had funeral potatoes and they are delicious. They can be very good. Yeah, they're just cheesy potatoes, like creamy cheese che potato with corn flakes. Like I am here, I'm here great. I'm from the Midwest, so I love a casserole like dish. So you're just here for the cheese and yeah, I'm like, it's great. Can't go wrong now, green jello. By the way, Producer Crystal, I think this is a topic green versus red Chello. Oh yeah, that's a good call. Let's weigh in on it right now, speed round Actually red red, Okay, that's I'm going to have to say green, just to be true to my roots. Oh yeah, because I'm sorry. That's I can't believe that. I think that was the yes end part there too, because you don't clearly believe that green jellatter you. No, I don't, it's not think it's okay, we all know that. I don't. I can't even think of what taste it is, but red. I could actually picture tasting it. It's kind of like a sometimes it's a limes. It's like a yeah, it's like a weird I feel like an actually fresh lime flavored jello would actually be pretty good. It should be, but I don't know if it is. And then what flavor is red? Oh it's I want to say straw. Yeah, you want to say cherry, but I don't know what it is. Okay, Actually, what about you? For being from the Midwest, I'd say pretty similar. Upbringing it was a lot of like tunic cast rolls. I loved my mom's tunic cast role. So I grew up kind of like in Rockford, ill and Way, which is ninety miles outside of Chicago, and it has its own weird cuisine, Like it's a mixture of Swedish and Italian people. So like this weird cuisine developed where there's like this Italian place, Maria's, that like was known for some of the Swedish food they made, or we would go to like the this like really famous Swedish restaurant and they made you know, Italian and Swedish meatballs. Yeah, well, yeah, I love that. First of all, I love these mashups too, and and you'd find when you travel that there's so much more commonalities within commonalities a word. But like Swedish meatballs. It works with Italian food. I'm pretty sure it's so good. Yeah. And then my mom came from the South, so she, you know, was always cooking at home. She loved the fry fish and stuff. Oh yeah, it was all I feel like. It was a lot of just like down home cooking. Oh I love it. Now the fried fish Friday in the Midwest, Are you frying herring? Because if you have this like Swedish influence, like I mean, I did data Swedish boy who like his family would always make pickled herring every time I came over and they would just like heap it on my plate and I would just try to get it down. I hated it. But no, we did catfish. Yeah, I understand that. Again, as someone who's Scandinavian and Swedish, I still the herring. It's it's under the two. I did love Lincoln berries. That was great, same wonderful and Swedish pancake. I prefer Swedish pancake to any other pancake out there. So I was gonna say, like, I got the gavel over here, but but that was you gave me. Yeah, sorry, al right, first of all, hot topics already here. I think we got to three more episodes right past this, Babs, you ostensibly freed Brittany, which is absolutely incredible and like, oh my gosh, like what an honor to have you even virtually in the room. And also it makes me feel like especially lazy about how I spent my pandemic trying to become a golfer. I do like to give people for the Yeah, I'm like, what'd you do learn how to make sour dough? Well? I freed an international superstar. Yeah, although I mean making it's a good sour though. I mean I'm just yeah, I mean it's not really impressed by some of those sour though. I saw. I was gonna say that was my favorite part. I've said. It's like how everyone wasn't gluten free anymore. Yeah, it just disappeared. That's it. So what is the follow How do you follow that up? Like? Who's next to freeze? There? Who who's next to you? I think? Yeah, debating food on podcast, That's what I'm following. No, I don't know. I mean it was. It was wild, you know, took over my life, and I'm incredibly happy with it actually resulted in you know, her getting free. So yeah, Now, I mean, we're still helping work with lawmakers on conservatorship laws and stuff like that in California, but personally I'm moving on and kind of starting to investigate other stuff. So I would love to go to sushi with her or something. Food Court will go on the road to break down some sort of sushi debate with you and all of us. We're all going, I bet she has great sushi opinions. I don't. Okay, let's I mean, let's let's let's let's play this game. I mean, Brittany's sushi order is, oh boy, I think very basic. I'm going basically California right, going absolutely California roll, and like one that's like slightly like spicy or exist like a rainbow roll. She's like, oh, this sounds fun. You know this sound's fun. I was gonna, yeah, I was gonna say her her out there choices even more basic, like a spicy tuna roll, like just's like it's a spicy more basic yeah. Like She's like, it's but it's a spicy tune of y'all that's too spicy sometimes, Like I feel like that's okay, fair, fair enough. I said, you know what, I'm gonna go rogue and say I think that there's there's because she's got this Louisiana right like back, I think there's like a crispy shrimp, extra spicy serracha. Just I'm just I don't know that that's where. That's just what I want. Someday you're gonna you're gonna figure it out, you're gonna meet her, and I can't wait for that to happen. There it is, okay, listen back to the business here, Ashley, tell us a about the case that you've brought in one sentence or so, it is a matter near and dear to my heart. And it is hot cereal versus cold cereal. Yeah, just let everyone sit on that hot Cereal verse cold cereal, literal hot taps. I feel it's a comparison people are afraid to even talk about. I feel like we we run from this conversation, we run from this debate. Even as a judge. And again I'm biased here, but like I kind of like healed back a little bit, like like this one is This one is as serious is against In the food court, Berhabs, you have a different opinion, which is Cold Cereal rules Hot Cereal Jewels taste. I guess I did not state I am team Hot Cereal. I I believe the diversity, the range of flavor options makes Hot Cereal the clear winner. Okay, listen, I'm already. I don't want to have to gabol in. But where you can tell that our competitors are eager to get into the bates before we get into the arguments. Here in my courtroom, I like to have what most courtrooms do, and that is a quick trivia round, a quick trivia A lot of these in Brittany's court. Yes, yes, there always comes the first round trivia trivia. Here we go, trivia around. Here's how it's gonna work. The winner of the trivia round gets to decide the order that you present your arguments. But also, trivia is fun unless you lose. Actually, you are here in studio. I've gone with purple. Okay, let's see what what did you see? What the sound is? Oh? The clown car? I like that Purple. The clown car. Now Babs and you get to choose whatever sound you want to make, you could be verbal. I'm gonna say Hong Kong that I love sounds like her so i ha ha or something. Yes, and again there it is the Hong Kong verse, the actual, actual clown car sound effect. You can hear this should I try one? It doesn't work? All right? Oh my god, that's too much like that of buzz That reminds me of the game Operation, is it? Yeah? Oh? I kind of like that. Okay, you're gonna go? Are you gonna go with the buzzer? That took too long? It's too slow. First of all, a strategist, the verbal can be a quicker way to make a noise than you act. She's got a physical you know. Yeah, Okay, here we go. Question one everyone, what percentage of Americans start their day with serial A B see seventy two? Pent Hu That is gonna be Ashley. I believe got in first. Crystal threw up her hands. You were supposed to be the One thing I can't decide is who makes this sound first? It was a tie. Yeah, well listen, I meant to each other right here. And like I said, I'm a judge with integrity, But Ashley is a studio. I mean, okay, now, I feel like that's is so confident. I'm gonna go with a forty Okay, A was and that answer is absolutely correct Ashley Ray coming in forty nine, Nearly half of Americans eat cereal for breakfast, so this is clearly a topic that people have opinions on. Okay, here we go, question two now with Ashley up one zero on Apollo eleven astronauts eight to cereal made into cubes so that it could be eaten without milk. What cereal has been an outer space hint? It's made by Kelloggs. Kelloggs cereal. Alright, that's gonna be Babs. Corn flakes. Corn flakes is right as well. I was gonna say frosted flakes, which we would have needed. We would you wouldn't You would have had to re answer anyway. So corn flakes is correct. And for some more in depth personal trivia, producer, Crystal's grandma at a bowl of corn flakes for breakfast every single morning for twenty years over two. That is kind of amazing. Who's recently they hold up? They're very good. Yeah, it's good, good stuff. That's like some more in Buffett stuff who likes like was like a McDonald's hamburger and a diet coke like every day. And yeah, the guy who made it, he was like Kella. He was like a serious, like business guy. Seventh Day of Venice, like you know, made people work hard. It was like corn flakes is all you need to live. He was like, that's all the body needs. And that's clearly all the astronauts. They didn't even need milk. Yeah, my sister didn't like milk growing up, so she would eat cereal with orange juice and it was a nightmare. Who's that's where is She's got to get on the podcast? Yeah, I don't know what that was about, but it wasn't a fan I can't I know. I can't even Yeah, I'm a creative chef. I can't even figure that one out. I don't know. All right, here we go questions three, and this is we're all tied up at one one here, no Shenanigans needed question three for the win and the right to determine who will present their arguments. First. Question three in Quaker Oats of all companies helped finance a movie. It was a creative move at the time, so they would have rights to the products in the film. Wow, that is product placement, like to the degree. Right there? What movie was it? Hints one? I love how this one has multiple hints, Crystal. One product featured was Everlasting gob Stoppers. That was Ashley, Willy Wonka and the Factory. The answer is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The hints was an obvious one, and that the only way I would there. There it is, there it is and wait, but they didn't. So wait did they produce that movie because there was no I don't remember any oatmeal. Yeah, they helped finance the movie from what I understand, and Crystal does in depth research Crystal coming in from the drive through window. They runs and lay based on the movie. So oh oh, I like that, and Launce created for the movie. I mean that makes total sense product placement wise, doesn't it. That's genius. Banana laughy taffy one of my favorite flavors of all time. I like it too. I like it too. I like It's not that the whole production booth thumbs down banana flavored stuff. I just can't do it. This is listening. I only like banana flavored laffy taffy only. Do you like fresh banana? I can not often, but I like, but you prefer synthetic banana. I'm like no, Like, if I'm making a smoothie, I won't real banana fair enough, that's true, But I really love the flavor of synthetic banana. There's a couple I like synthetic lemons. I can't think of any other situation where I'm engaging with synthetic banana, Like I can't think of many things I'm eating Babs. You were totally disgusted by it, Like so you're not like it's one of those fake Like I like other fake flavors. I like grape flavoring, you know, I like lemon flavoring like lemon, I like lemon heads. Lemon can be good. Yeah yeah, I'm just saying my kids cannot stand, like we we go get the shave ice or something like that, like I love the I love banana. They're like, oh yeah, yeah, which is also like how can they judge they're getting cotton candy and bubblegum as flavors for shave ice. I'm just gonna say, next time I'm watching, next time I'm watching you judge food I'm gonna remember I like banana flavor, artificial banana flavor stuff. Oh my gosh, what about circus peanuts? Do you remember they can? Oh? Yeah, I hate those. I have to clear. I have to clear. I have to clear the mechanism here. Okay, So that means that Ashley, you have one our trivia around two points to one, and you get the big decision here? Did side who presents their argument first? So what are you thinking? Who goes first? I would love for my co host to go first. There you go? Okay, so perhaps you were going to present first. But before that, let's take a quick break back to food court. We have the case of hot Cereal verse cold Cereal, and we're about to get into the arguments. The way this works that each of you will have three minutes to state your case, and during this three minutes you need to lay out your case and not focus on your opponent or their case. Use the first three minutes to passionately make your case. Does that make sense? Yes? Yes, I can't promise I won't talk a little bit of but I'll try. Don't worry, because I will give you another turn to just go nuts against each other and say all the stuff you want to say about their case in the rebuttal? Does that work for everyone? Okay, so here we go, Babs, you were gonna be first. Crystal is gonna start the stopwatch here. You'll have three minutes and I will ding the bell when you're three minutes are up. So Babs, your first case for why cold cereal rules starts now. Okay, well, I just want to say that I think, starting off, when you think of cereal, what do you think of That's right, You think of cold cereal, You think of cheerios, you think frosted flakes, you think of raisin brand. Your your brain is not going to hot cereal because it's so far away from the thing that you actually want to consume that you're not even considering it. First off, when someone says the word cereal, and I just want you to think of like the process of pouring yourself a bowl of cereal on a Saturday morning. Maybe you're young, maybe you've got cartoons on, and you know you have the whole process that pouring into the bowl, got the splash of milk, the crunchiness, it sogs up a little bit, so you get that milk in every single bite. Then you have milk left over at the end that you can either add cereal two or you can drink it straight from the bowl. It's an entire ritual, you know what I mean. And there's so much variety, Like you don't have to do anything. I'll ease do is port into a bowl and you could have any flavor you want. We can do healthy or unhealthy. Yeah, there's both in this range. Okay, you can do fruity or chocolate e honey out cheerios or plain cheerios. I mean, there's Reese's cereal, for God's sake. We've got granola cookie, crisp frostam Anywa's Raising brand, fruit loops, Cocoa crispies, fruity pebbles, and of course we cannot forget the cereal that is so delicious. You will cut yourself, you will harm yourself, tear up the top of your mouth for it. And that is oh, captain, my captain, Captain crunch. I mean, how do you even you know? So that's all I just want you to sit there and think to yourself about when you walk down that aisle, all the arrays of of cold cereal in front of you, the variety, the breadth of of bounty that it is offering to you to make your morning's bet a better place. Thank you, Babs coming in hots for cold cereal. Oh my gosh, that's got a lot of amazing points. You rattled off a bunch right there and invoking our childhood in the nostalgia of watching cartoons. I don't know, Babs, if you've seen an episode of Top Chef, maybe a season that I won where I made Captain crunchius cream. Don't know if that you know went into your process, but that will not be something I factor into this. Although I want Captain Crunch's hat. I'm just gonna say that right now. It's an amazing hat. I always wanted the Is he a captain though to me he's an admiral. I think that's an animal's hat. But we'll have to go back and look at lots of variety, healthy, unhealthy. I don't know the colors, so many points, the even getting into a little bit of the a s m R. Of the poor, of the breakfast, the ritual of the morning breakfast. Lots of things there. But we're about to hear the case for hot Cereal. Hot Cereal Ashley, You're three minutes to talk about why you love hot cereal and why we all should starts now ding ding Hey, okay, hey, hey ding ding. It's the breakfast club. You think of a diverse group of friends all coming together to get to know each other, much like hot cereal, something that across the world features so much diversity, from congi to muse le two rice to oatmeal, all variations of hot cereal breakfast people around the world can enjoy. There's something about cooking hot cereal that warms the house. It creates a hearth within the home, within any home, and that's across class bound injuries. It doesn't matter if you're a college student with just a microwave and a pack of that stuff with the weird maples powder and the oats and just water too. You know, an aficionando like myself who can make something like say, you know, a carrocake oatmeal, you know, or something even healthier with with a Greek yogurt involved, or an overnight oat which would still I think count it not cereal because I eat up my overnight oats, so I'm putting it in there. It will be allowed. That will be allowed as evidence in this court. Okay, thank you, thank you. Also, when we look at the class issue, look at how much more you can do with a small amount of cream of wheat, musely oatmeal. All you need is like one cup, one cup, and you're feeding like four people. Not to mention the longevity. Okay, you make a big thing a oatmeal, put it in the refrigerator. Guess what you got oatmeal for them sorrow? Okay, you got oatmeal for tomorrow. You're not doing that with your cereal. You're not letting that soggy cereals sit out. Also that oatmeal hot cereals. They aren't getting soggy on you. Okay, they are not getting soggy. You know it. Also, I believe forces you to learn a skill. Do you know how many man children I've met who can only make a cold bowl of cereal? I am impressed. If they can pull out a pan, boil a milk. Oh and if they use a milk base instead of water, that's a skill you can learn and and you know, charm people with. That's all I gotta say. And in passion debate is brewing right here. I was not expecting to dip our toes into the savory hot cereal world. Yeah, my mind is blown right now. CONGI. I mean it opened grits, Polentza, whatever you're talking about. Are they hot cereals? That is something this jo was not prepared to you. I'm getting goose bumps eloquently presented, and I am I a little offended by the man child thing. I know I can make hot cereal. I'm not because I'm a man who was caught out of fish and I'll eat for a lifetime. Isn't at the saying something like that as cereal, box of cereal? That's just like I give a mat. Wow. I was not expecting to get that deep with the hot cereal cold cereal debate? Is overnight oates hot cereal? I heat up my overnight oats. I hated cold. That's how into hot cereal am that? I hate cold overnight oats. As you said it, there was that moment where you're like, am I I but personally I draw that because I put I get it, I buy it from a store. I'm taking it home, putting it into the microwave. Cong Grits blenty savory hot Cereal for dinner. Yes, I'm here for it. Time to get into the rebuttals. Babs. You are up right now with two minutes to let Ashley know why overnight oats might not be hot cereal. Your two minute robottal of Babs starts now, all right, I mean we yeah, overnight oes. That's a cold cereal. I'm taking it somewhere with me. I'm not warming up. It's an on the go thing that's just beyond this discussion. Also, okay, so actually saying, you know, oatmeal doesn't get soggy, yeah, because it is soggy. That's all it is. It's pure sog you know what. It's also known as gruel. Hot cereal is gruel everyone. It is the stuff that they give to prisoners in books. It's the stuff that Dickenzie and children asked for because it's literally the only food available to anyone. That's what hot cereal is. I just want you to think about that, that gray that gray water sopping around a little pile of oats. That's what we're discussing here, versus the joy of cold cereal. I mean, where's the joy in this? Hot cereal actually's talking about how you learn a skill, how much you have to work for it. I don't want that with my cereal. I want to just pour it into the bowl and have a good time, you know. And what's up with your branding? Like your best your best mascot is a Quaker. We've got Leprickns. Baby, We've got bees and bunnies over here. We're having a party. Meanwhile, it's just the Quaker oats guy, you know, lording over the other, the other hot cereals. I just I gotta say, you're defending gruel at the end of the day. This one got off off track pretty quick. Quakers versus Lepricns a very valid. I mean, it's something that Judge is going to have to consider. Is texture is soggy with no texture contrast, is hot cereal just soggy? Alright, Actually, you have two minutes now to let Babs know whyte cold cereal? Yeah, alright, your two minutes starts now. Actually, just to point out if the benefit or pro of cold cereal is that it's so quick an easy to make, how can you say overnight cereal is cold cereal when literally in the name it has to sit overnight. That's not easy to go. That's literally something where you have to mix flavors textures. You have to let it sit overnight. You have to decide is it gonna be a little lemon some vanilla. You really have to think in terms of hot cereal in order for it to be good. You're not just putting milk and oats and a thing and a Mazon jar and putting it in your fridge and then eating it the next day. Absolutely not. It is a hot cereal anyway when it comes to texture. Yet again, I think it's sad my opponent here is limiting herself to such a Western worldview of what hot cereal can be. To to be stuck in such a British I would say mind frame of Dickensie and porridge and gruel is limiting itself to to the world of diversity of hot cereal. To to say that that beautiful breakfast grit doesn't have that wonderful text her to to mix it with a peach if you like a sweet grit, or a shrimp if you like a hot grit, that is also within the hot cereal family, My friend, The world of textures is alive and bright there, you know, when we look outside of of this American point of view, which I think is common amongst cold cereal people, because I will say the cereal aisle is predominantly like an American thing. Those ovary sugary cereals that are so fun with their lepre cons that are banned in other countries because they cause childhood diabetes, where as hot cereals so healthy. You add texture, you can add raisins, carrots, so many different things to get what you would like a musely cream of wheat. There we go. Okay, wait, something to make it better. Adding reasons are amazing, Babs, you will have a moment for one last comments. This judge has to gavel you out all right, there it is. You have heard the cases for hot and cold cereal and that at this point it's going to have to take me a long time to sort of figure this one out. I don't know about as long as this commercial will be we'll be right back. Good throw down. Oh it's not. Nothing's more fun than taking something too seriously. Okay, we are back, and I think I've made up my mind. But before I give my verdict, do either of you have a final word to potentially sway my opinion. This is your last chance, Babs. Anything you'd like to say, I mean, I said it a little bit before. All I have to say is that my my opponents offered raisins as a way to improve her food. And that's I rest my case. I'm not a fan of sun dried grapes. As she also said, raisins and carrots the craziest cake. Like what like, there's so many these you put in on meal? Again? Okay, I listen, Ashley. Anything you got to say here? Yeah, And I would like to end on a personal note. In high school, as a child, a friend and I started a club. It was actually called the Breakfast Club, and we would come into school earlies at seven am, and we convinced the school to buy hot cereal supplies for us. And every morning we'd come in and we try a new hot cereal recipe and then we'd make like a giant bowl of it, and other students would come, some who wanted breakfast in the mornings, who didn't eat at home, and they could have some of our hot cereal that we learned to make in the breakfast club. And that's just one of the many ways hot cereal can bring people together. Because what you want to show up to a cereal party and people are like, here's a bull of soggy cereal. Here's some what milk leftover. Milk cereal is gross, by the way. It's gross. It's just got like it's listening out. Milk that's not okay, and oatmeal that's different. It can sit out and it brings coming through at the end and the final final moments there letting us know that hot cereal can basically save the world. It can bring us together. It's about community, and I have had a lot to think about right here. This chord has taken into account the fact that Ashley's making carrot cake oatmeal ready for competition. By the way, regardless of I don't know what's going to happen here, but I mean that is next level part of the post. Hot cereal is all about community. Cold cereals about you know, maybe I don't know, eaten by yourself in a basement. I don't know. Texture verse saggy. That is something that I've had to really really weigh here. Is it convenience versus cooking? That's another part of this equation. Yeah, I mean porridge and gruel versus marshmallow hearts, which might be the title, which might be might be the title of this episode, Healthy versus Unhealthy. The case of hot cereal cold cereal was a close one, but this court we'll weigh in favor. Come on, sorry, this is my sorry, this is my TV judge moment. We're panning to the contestants. We're looking around. This court weighs in favor of cold cereals. Yes, I will say that there's I was not expecting this to be as close, Ashley. I mean, the whole community, global aspect of this, the education, the fact that you're cooking really made this a close call. But at the end of the day, I want marshmallow hart cold. Come on, I want crunchy things and soggy You want to know my favorite serial raisin brand crunch. That being said, listen, actually, this court advises you to compete eat on a cooking show because you are making carrot cake oatmeal and you're bringing the world together. I make a coconut chocolate oatmeal. This is what I'm saying. Yeah, you're just competing in the wrong show, Ashley. That's all I'm saying. You're ready to cook where I mean making the hot cereal is gonna win and just pouring some you know, frosted flakes or lucky charms or whatever, but it is. It is lepre cons over Quakers. At the end of the day, everyone, thank you so much for joining us at food Court. I was your judge. Richard Blaze. You can find Ashley talking about TV shows on her podcast TV I Say with Ashley Ray and her writing on shows like Alabama Jackson and in Vulture, The New York Times, and on Twitter at the Ashley Ray Yes with two Ease. You can find Babs on her podcast Lady to Lady and Toxic The Brittney Spears Story. Her comedy album If I Did It is out now and you can check her out on Twitter at Babs Gray. If you're in Los Angeles, you can catch their monthly comedy showcase High Dear Comedy at the Airliner and listen everyone, I know what do? What do you think about this audience? What's your favorite way to eat cereal? You have lots of opinions. You let me know all the time. Well, you can let me know on Twitter and Instagram at Richard Blaze or on the food Court Instagram at food Court Pod. Food Court is a production of I Heart Radio. I'm Richard Blaze. My producer is Crystal Pamahi. Food Court was created by Christopher Hasciotas. The rest of my food Court clerks are Jonathan Dressler, David Wasserman and Jasmine Blaze are Amazing. Theme songs by Jason ni Smith. For more podcast from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you, I hope we can be we can be friends. Yeah. Yeah, it was a close fight and a good argument. It really was, you know,

Creamy, creamy, crunchy food Court, food Court, food Court with St. Blaze? Are you in food Court? Court with Blaz? Welcome to food Court a production of I Heart Radio. Okay, listen, I am Richard Blaze and this is my courtroom. Welcome. I'm the host and the judge, which is kind of like being an actor who can also sing, or a chef who's also mid handicapped caller or something like that, and joining us in the court. Today, we have two women who are already friends, who co host a live comedy show in Los Angeles called High Gear Comedy. First, we have someone known as much for her impeccable television show recomm Dation's asked for her love of weed. It's Ashley Ray. Hey, Ashley, what is going on? I'm so glad to be here. And yes, TV and weed that those are the things I love. They can't they work. It's like tomatoes and basis. Yeah, it just works. And I love how you said Basil to like. Your improv comedy skills are impeccable. I didn't have to say anything, you just picked up yes, and we finally, you have to teach me all this stuff. You have to teach me all of this stuff. Yeah, yeah, Babs and I we teach a class. You teach a class. We don't. Okay, you should, you should growing up against Ashley. We have a comedian, podcaster and writer who's podcast, Brittany's Graham, kicked off the international Free Brittany movement. It's Babs Gray. Hello, Hi, happy to be here. Yeah, no one knows that you're not actually here, but we will. I think we need to reveal it because you don't know. There might be some videos on Instagram stories. Babs joining us from your own studio, which is part of your contract. From what I understand, you have your own Yes, yes, yes, I only accept billings from my own studio. So sorry, there it is that works. Actually, you did join us, not that that's going to affect any sort of decision from the judge. You did. You you got here, you braved traffic, You made it happen so much l A traffic, you know. But I'm not gonna brag if anything. I think being a here and person will probably work against me. You think so, Oh my gosh, I hope that's not the case. That's not true, because she got the hype up time in the car to like go over her points and I've just been here stewing, you know, so I don't know. I think she's just been listening to music because I've been tracking the Twitter. Yeah. No, yeah, it's just literally just this morning, I watched the Sex Pistles TV show and then I remembered music was good. You know, I forget because I watched TV, and it's hard to listen to music when you watch TV as your job, and so then I sometimes I'll just listen. I'm like, oh my gosh, this music is so great. I actually totally feel that, right though. I'll go weeks without really listening to music, and then I'm like podcasts, yeah, past, and then you finally you put something on and you're like, oh my god, I see white people cared about like David Bowie. Wow, this is this is wonderful. Now I just willed nod my head. But you seem like you get really into the lyrics. Now I tracking you today, but like you're like really dissecting lyrics. I've always been a lyric person. I guess I was a writer. I wasn't much of a musician, so I was always like the lyrics, that's where the real music is at look at that. I love it now, BABS producer Crystal tells me that your bio includes big hair, big heart, big mouth, and I gotta ask, you're stealing my bit a little bit. You can't see it because I got the hat on. But the hair is big and controversial. The mouth is obviously big as well, and some people say I have a big heart, which one is the biggest? Who's got the biggest hair? Though? Oh I think I do. I've just cut my headphone. Yeah you win that one. No, no, I don't think we can even debate that one. Yeah, I gotta go, Babs, And I feel like this is even full volume, that's what it is. No, this is like tamp down. Okay, So then I have a question for you, just because like this is potentially embarrassing for me. But then, do you have a specific product that you like to turn to for high volume? Well, I don't need I actually try to get less volume because it's like two um, so I'm the other way. I just give gosh, like, yeah, that's how it's just like too much. I'm trying to like calm it down. It's a there's just one called to do. It's a moose. That's really great. I would have like that sounds it doesn't it it's fancy like mine's big sexy cvs. They just say what you want to look like. It only comes in like a sixty four like and it gets confiscated on every flight, and it's always very embarrassing for me, Like, don't they're confiscating that in your checked luggage. No, I'm trying to carry it on. Oh, we'll come on. You don't want to lose your big sexy I mean, you want to get your value out of that entire bottle. Try and hide it in your hair next time. That's all right. Listen for the case that you've brought a tale of two cereals to the food court, and we're gonna get into that in a second, but we're gonna get to know each other a little bit better, Ashley. Know, for your TV REX, what shows right now are your absolut lute must, your favorites right now, my absolute must. Right now, we got Hacks, which just premiered about two weeks ago for its second season. It's on HBO Max. It's so funny that Bravance, this like aging comedian who she's like my icon she's my my like Don Draper, She's everything I want to be as I grow up. Oh, I love it. Okay, So then that's is that relatively new or I've seen that? Yeah, premiered last year. Yeah, season two jeans smart. It's it's just so funny and incredibly sharp sharp still And then see I didn't com prepared with TV REX because I was so focused on the serial argument and I like, what TV do I even watch? Actually? Also, when you think about this season of ninety Day yeah, reality TV wise, this season of ninety Day Fiance, which I cover for Vulture if you want to know my weekly thoughts, is so incredible and good. They have people this season who truly hate each other, but somehow are just like in this horrible electric dance of awfulness every episode. And it's like this season they found men who are like I don't just want to bring this woman to America and waste her time. I want to like, like like mentally manipulate her. It's like a new level of gas lighting this season that I don't think I've ever seen on reality TV before. Oh wow, that's I mean, that's saying a lot. Yeah, and producer Crystal by the way big fan of the show. But All is a nightmare. But All is such a It's a show I've never watched. But I'll just if you don't know the concept, cause a lot of people think it's like a reality show, like, oh, what do these people have ninety days to get married? But there's an American law that says, if you marry someone from another country, you have a k one visa that last ninety days, and if they don't get married in that period, they have to go back home. So it's basically these couples. Some of them are just like, we've only ever met online, and some are like, oh, we've been dating for years and then finally they get this visa. Oh my gosh, Okay, it's wonderful. You gotta watch me. And now here's a tough one. Which shows have gotten canceled that you think are like the most tragic of the cancel Absolutely, I'm gonna go with the Big Leap. It was on Fox. It was an incredible show. I think it's going to become a cult one hit. Wonder Fox just didn't promote it. They didn't know what to do with this amazing satire vehicle of like a Hopeful Optimistic Dance show. I actually am so mad at Fox for canceling that show. I refused to talk about other Fox shows, even if I like them. I just because they canceled the Big Leap. I have just been personally boycotting Fox. Um, it's tough. It's tough because they have great shows, they have wonderful show and I hate to bring this back to the court, Ashley, but I have a show, I mean yeah, and you're gonna have to mention it because I won't. And I mean, I'm just saying I really would like you to at least not boycott Next Level Chef. Can we Yeah? Yeah, I mean Next Level Chef. I mean I will not take it into my verdict today, Ashley, because I am a judge with integrity. Next Level Chef, Bob's Burgers some things you can't say no to, that is true. But the Big it was just it was so beautiful, it made me sob Piper Parabow is in it, and they canceled it. It made no sense. Okay, fair enough, fair enough. One of one of my absolute ultimate goals is to just get a small cameo on Bob's Burgers. I'm just gonna throw that out there. Happen. That's what I'm saying, Like I have the Fox relationship. That's why I'm doing this. By the way, thank you, because that's my new thing. Like sometimes just say it out loud, that's gonna happen. But that's happening, I hope. So oh yeah the burger, Yeah, I love it. I mean, so Bob comes on as a as a competitor. I mean, I mean maybe, yeah, they can make that work with holograms and stuff. These days, we're so as it has to happen. Okay, now listen, this is for both of you. Babs. You go first here. Everyone wants to know where are you from? Where are you from, and what are your like food, your early food, Not to get too serious, but your early food. What were you what were you eating at home? I okay, So I was born in California, but I was raised in Salt Lake City, which, if you don't know, not a great food place. So I feel like I didn't taste actual food until I moved back to California because like, salt Lake is literally known for green jello funeral potatoes, which are potatoes with corn flakes on top. So not a lot of flavor. We're looking at, not a lot of fry sauce. What do you call someone from Utah Utah Uton? We have some Utah's in my family, my extended family, and I have had funeral potatoes and they are delicious. They can be very good. Yeah, they're just cheesy potatoes, like creamy cheese che potato with corn flakes. Like I am here, I'm here great. I'm from the Midwest, so I love a casserole like dish. So you're just here for the cheese and yeah, I'm like, it's great. Can't go wrong now, green jello. By the way, Producer Crystal, I think this is a topic green versus red Chello. Oh yeah, that's a good call. Let's weigh in on it right now, speed round Actually red red, Okay, that's I'm going to have to say green, just to be true to my roots. Oh yeah, because I'm sorry. That's I can't believe that. I think that was the yes end part there too, because you don't clearly believe that green jellatter you. No, I don't, it's not think it's okay, we all know that. I don't. I can't even think of what taste it is, but red. I could actually picture tasting it. It's kind of like a sometimes it's a limes. It's like a yeah, it's like a weird I feel like an actually fresh lime flavored jello would actually be pretty good. It should be, but I don't know if it is. And then what flavor is red? Oh it's I want to say straw. Yeah, you want to say cherry, but I don't know what it is. Okay, Actually, what about you? For being from the Midwest, I'd say pretty similar. Upbringing it was a lot of like tunic cast rolls. I loved my mom's tunic cast role. So I grew up kind of like in Rockford, ill and Way, which is ninety miles outside of Chicago, and it has its own weird cuisine, Like it's a mixture of Swedish and Italian people. So like this weird cuisine developed where there's like this Italian place, Maria's, that like was known for some of the Swedish food they made, or we would go to like the this like really famous Swedish restaurant and they made you know, Italian and Swedish meatballs. Yeah, well, yeah, I love that. First of all, I love these mashups too, and and you'd find when you travel that there's so much more commonalities within commonalities a word. But like Swedish meatballs. It works with Italian food. I'm pretty sure it's so good. Yeah. And then my mom came from the South, so she, you know, was always cooking at home. She loved the fry fish and stuff. Oh yeah, it was all I feel like. It was a lot of just like down home cooking. Oh I love it. Now the fried fish Friday in the Midwest, Are you frying herring? Because if you have this like Swedish influence, like I mean, I did data Swedish boy who like his family would always make pickled herring every time I came over and they would just like heap it on my plate and I would just try to get it down. I hated it. But no, we did catfish. Yeah, I understand that. Again, as someone who's Scandinavian and Swedish, I still the herring. It's it's under the two. I did love Lincoln berries. That was great, same wonderful and Swedish pancake. I prefer Swedish pancake to any other pancake out there. So I was gonna say, like, I got the gavel over here, but but that was you gave me. Yeah, sorry, al right, first of all, hot topics already here. I think we got to three more episodes right past this, Babs, you ostensibly freed Brittany, which is absolutely incredible and like, oh my gosh, like what an honor to have you even virtually in the room. And also it makes me feel like especially lazy about how I spent my pandemic trying to become a golfer. I do like to give people for the Yeah, I'm like, what'd you do learn how to make sour dough? Well? I freed an international superstar. Yeah, although I mean making it's a good sour though. I mean I'm just yeah, I mean it's not really impressed by some of those sour though. I saw. I was gonna say that was my favorite part. I've said. It's like how everyone wasn't gluten free anymore. Yeah, it just disappeared. That's it. So what is the follow How do you follow that up? Like? Who's next to freeze? There? Who who's next to you? I think? Yeah, debating food on podcast, That's what I'm following. No, I don't know. I mean it was. It was wild, you know, took over my life, and I'm incredibly happy with it actually resulted in you know, her getting free. So yeah, Now, I mean, we're still helping work with lawmakers on conservatorship laws and stuff like that in California, but personally I'm moving on and kind of starting to investigate other stuff. So I would love to go to sushi with her or something. Food Court will go on the road to break down some sort of sushi debate with you and all of us. We're all going, I bet she has great sushi opinions. I don't. Okay, let's I mean, let's let's let's let's play this game. I mean, Brittany's sushi order is, oh boy, I think very basic. I'm going basically California right, going absolutely California roll, and like one that's like slightly like spicy or exist like a rainbow roll. She's like, oh, this sounds fun. You know this sound's fun. I was gonna, yeah, I was gonna say her her out there choices even more basic, like a spicy tuna roll, like just's like it's a spicy more basic yeah. Like She's like, it's but it's a spicy tune of y'all that's too spicy sometimes, Like I feel like that's okay, fair, fair enough. I said, you know what, I'm gonna go rogue and say I think that there's there's because she's got this Louisiana right like back, I think there's like a crispy shrimp, extra spicy serracha. Just I'm just I don't know that that's where. That's just what I want. Someday you're gonna you're gonna figure it out, you're gonna meet her, and I can't wait for that to happen. There it is, okay, listen back to the business here, Ashley, tell us a about the case that you've brought in one sentence or so, it is a matter near and dear to my heart. And it is hot cereal versus cold cereal. Yeah, just let everyone sit on that hot Cereal verse cold cereal, literal hot taps. I feel it's a comparison people are afraid to even talk about. I feel like we we run from this conversation, we run from this debate. Even as a judge. And again I'm biased here, but like I kind of like healed back a little bit, like like this one is This one is as serious is against In the food court, Berhabs, you have a different opinion, which is Cold Cereal rules Hot Cereal Jewels taste. I guess I did not state I am team Hot Cereal. I I believe the diversity, the range of flavor options makes Hot Cereal the clear winner. Okay, listen, I'm already. I don't want to have to gabol in. But where you can tell that our competitors are eager to get into the bates before we get into the arguments. Here in my courtroom, I like to have what most courtrooms do, and that is a quick trivia round, a quick trivia A lot of these in Brittany's court. Yes, yes, there always comes the first round trivia trivia. Here we go, trivia around. Here's how it's gonna work. The winner of the trivia round gets to decide the order that you present your arguments. But also, trivia is fun unless you lose. Actually, you are here in studio. I've gone with purple. Okay, let's see what what did you see? What the sound is? Oh? The clown car? I like that Purple. The clown car. Now Babs and you get to choose whatever sound you want to make, you could be verbal. I'm gonna say Hong Kong that I love sounds like her so i ha ha or something. Yes, and again there it is the Hong Kong verse, the actual, actual clown car sound effect. You can hear this should I try one? It doesn't work? All right? Oh my god, that's too much like that of buzz That reminds me of the game Operation, is it? Yeah? Oh? I kind of like that. Okay, you're gonna go? Are you gonna go with the buzzer? That took too long? It's too slow. First of all, a strategist, the verbal can be a quicker way to make a noise than you act. She's got a physical you know. Yeah, Okay, here we go. Question one everyone, what percentage of Americans start their day with serial A B see seventy two? Pent Hu That is gonna be Ashley. I believe got in first. Crystal threw up her hands. You were supposed to be the One thing I can't decide is who makes this sound first? It was a tie. Yeah, well listen, I meant to each other right here. And like I said, I'm a judge with integrity, But Ashley is a studio. I mean, okay, now, I feel like that's is so confident. I'm gonna go with a forty Okay, A was and that answer is absolutely correct Ashley Ray coming in forty nine, Nearly half of Americans eat cereal for breakfast, so this is clearly a topic that people have opinions on. Okay, here we go, question two now with Ashley up one zero on Apollo eleven astronauts eight to cereal made into cubes so that it could be eaten without milk. What cereal has been an outer space hint? It's made by Kelloggs. Kelloggs cereal. Alright, that's gonna be Babs. Corn flakes. Corn flakes is right as well. I was gonna say frosted flakes, which we would have needed. We would you wouldn't You would have had to re answer anyway. So corn flakes is correct. And for some more in depth personal trivia, producer, Crystal's grandma at a bowl of corn flakes for breakfast every single morning for twenty years over two. That is kind of amazing. Who's recently they hold up? They're very good. Yeah, it's good, good stuff. That's like some more in Buffett stuff who likes like was like a McDonald's hamburger and a diet coke like every day. And yeah, the guy who made it, he was like Kella. He was like a serious, like business guy. Seventh Day of Venice, like you know, made people work hard. It was like corn flakes is all you need to live. He was like, that's all the body needs. And that's clearly all the astronauts. They didn't even need milk. Yeah, my sister didn't like milk growing up, so she would eat cereal with orange juice and it was a nightmare. Who's that's where is She's got to get on the podcast? Yeah, I don't know what that was about, but it wasn't a fan I can't I know. I can't even Yeah, I'm a creative chef. I can't even figure that one out. I don't know. All right, here we go questions three, and this is we're all tied up at one one here, no Shenanigans needed question three for the win and the right to determine who will present their arguments. First. Question three in Quaker Oats of all companies helped finance a movie. It was a creative move at the time, so they would have rights to the products in the film. Wow, that is product placement, like to the degree. Right there? What movie was it? Hints one? I love how this one has multiple hints, Crystal. One product featured was Everlasting gob Stoppers. That was Ashley, Willy Wonka and the Factory. The answer is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The hints was an obvious one, and that the only way I would there. There it is, there it is and wait, but they didn't. So wait did they produce that movie because there was no I don't remember any oatmeal. Yeah, they helped finance the movie from what I understand, and Crystal does in depth research Crystal coming in from the drive through window. They runs and lay based on the movie. So oh oh, I like that, and Launce created for the movie. I mean that makes total sense product placement wise, doesn't it. That's genius. Banana laughy taffy one of my favorite flavors of all time. I like it too. I like it too. I like It's not that the whole production booth thumbs down banana flavored stuff. I just can't do it. This is listening. I only like banana flavored laffy taffy only. Do you like fresh banana? I can not often, but I like, but you prefer synthetic banana. I'm like no, Like, if I'm making a smoothie, I won't real banana fair enough, that's true, But I really love the flavor of synthetic banana. There's a couple I like synthetic lemons. I can't think of any other situation where I'm engaging with synthetic banana, Like I can't think of many things I'm eating Babs. You were totally disgusted by it, Like so you're not like it's one of those fake Like I like other fake flavors. I like grape flavoring, you know, I like lemon flavoring like lemon, I like lemon heads. Lemon can be good. Yeah yeah, I'm just saying my kids cannot stand, like we we go get the shave ice or something like that, like I love the I love banana. They're like, oh yeah, yeah, which is also like how can they judge they're getting cotton candy and bubblegum as flavors for shave ice. I'm just gonna say, next time I'm watching, next time I'm watching you judge food I'm gonna remember I like banana flavor, artificial banana flavor stuff. Oh my gosh, what about circus peanuts? Do you remember they can? Oh? Yeah, I hate those. I have to clear. I have to clear. I have to clear the mechanism here. Okay, So that means that Ashley, you have one our trivia around two points to one, and you get the big decision here? Did side who presents their argument first? So what are you thinking? Who goes first? I would love for my co host to go first. There you go? Okay, so perhaps you were going to present first. But before that, let's take a quick break back to food court. We have the case of hot Cereal verse cold Cereal, and we're about to get into the arguments. The way this works that each of you will have three minutes to state your case, and during this three minutes you need to lay out your case and not focus on your opponent or their case. Use the first three minutes to passionately make your case. Does that make sense? Yes? Yes, I can't promise I won't talk a little bit of but I'll try. Don't worry, because I will give you another turn to just go nuts against each other and say all the stuff you want to say about their case in the rebuttal? Does that work for everyone? Okay, so here we go, Babs, you were gonna be first. Crystal is gonna start the stopwatch here. You'll have three minutes and I will ding the bell when you're three minutes are up. So Babs, your first case for why cold cereal rules starts now. Okay, well, I just want to say that I think, starting off, when you think of cereal, what do you think of That's right, You think of cold cereal, You think of cheerios, you think frosted flakes, you think of raisin brand. Your your brain is not going to hot cereal because it's so far away from the thing that you actually want to consume that you're not even considering it. First off, when someone says the word cereal, and I just want you to think of like the process of pouring yourself a bowl of cereal on a Saturday morning. Maybe you're young, maybe you've got cartoons on, and you know you have the whole process that pouring into the bowl, got the splash of milk, the crunchiness, it sogs up a little bit, so you get that milk in every single bite. Then you have milk left over at the end that you can either add cereal two or you can drink it straight from the bowl. It's an entire ritual, you know what I mean. And there's so much variety, Like you don't have to do anything. I'll ease do is port into a bowl and you could have any flavor you want. We can do healthy or unhealthy. Yeah, there's both in this range. Okay, you can do fruity or chocolate e honey out cheerios or plain cheerios. I mean, there's Reese's cereal, for God's sake. We've got granola cookie, crisp frostam Anywa's Raising brand, fruit loops, Cocoa crispies, fruity pebbles, and of course we cannot forget the cereal that is so delicious. You will cut yourself, you will harm yourself, tear up the top of your mouth for it. And that is oh, captain, my captain, Captain crunch. I mean, how do you even you know? So that's all I just want you to sit there and think to yourself about when you walk down that aisle, all the arrays of of cold cereal in front of you, the variety, the breadth of of bounty that it is offering to you to make your morning's bet a better place. Thank you, Babs coming in hots for cold cereal. Oh my gosh, that's got a lot of amazing points. You rattled off a bunch right there and invoking our childhood in the nostalgia of watching cartoons. I don't know, Babs, if you've seen an episode of Top Chef, maybe a season that I won where I made Captain crunchius cream. Don't know if that you know went into your process, but that will not be something I factor into this. Although I want Captain Crunch's hat. I'm just gonna say that right now. It's an amazing hat. I always wanted the Is he a captain though to me he's an admiral. I think that's an animal's hat. But we'll have to go back and look at lots of variety, healthy, unhealthy. I don't know the colors, so many points, the even getting into a little bit of the a s m R. Of the poor, of the breakfast, the ritual of the morning breakfast. Lots of things there. But we're about to hear the case for hot Cereal. Hot Cereal Ashley, You're three minutes to talk about why you love hot cereal and why we all should starts now ding ding Hey, okay, hey, hey ding ding. It's the breakfast club. You think of a diverse group of friends all coming together to get to know each other, much like hot cereal, something that across the world features so much diversity, from congi to muse le two rice to oatmeal, all variations of hot cereal breakfast people around the world can enjoy. There's something about cooking hot cereal that warms the house. It creates a hearth within the home, within any home, and that's across class bound injuries. It doesn't matter if you're a college student with just a microwave and a pack of that stuff with the weird maples powder and the oats and just water too. You know, an aficionando like myself who can make something like say, you know, a carrocake oatmeal, you know, or something even healthier with with a Greek yogurt involved, or an overnight oat which would still I think count it not cereal because I eat up my overnight oats, so I'm putting it in there. It will be allowed. That will be allowed as evidence in this court. Okay, thank you, thank you. Also, when we look at the class issue, look at how much more you can do with a small amount of cream of wheat, musely oatmeal. All you need is like one cup, one cup, and you're feeding like four people. Not to mention the longevity. Okay, you make a big thing a oatmeal, put it in the refrigerator. Guess what you got oatmeal for them sorrow? Okay, you got oatmeal for tomorrow. You're not doing that with your cereal. You're not letting that soggy cereals sit out. Also that oatmeal hot cereals. They aren't getting soggy on you. Okay, they are not getting soggy. You know it. Also, I believe forces you to learn a skill. Do you know how many man children I've met who can only make a cold bowl of cereal? I am impressed. If they can pull out a pan, boil a milk. Oh and if they use a milk base instead of water, that's a skill you can learn and and you know, charm people with. That's all I gotta say. And in passion debate is brewing right here. I was not expecting to dip our toes into the savory hot cereal world. Yeah, my mind is blown right now. CONGI. I mean it opened grits, Polentza, whatever you're talking about. Are they hot cereals? That is something this jo was not prepared to you. I'm getting goose bumps eloquently presented, and I am I a little offended by the man child thing. I know I can make hot cereal. I'm not because I'm a man who was caught out of fish and I'll eat for a lifetime. Isn't at the saying something like that as cereal, box of cereal? That's just like I give a mat. Wow. I was not expecting to get that deep with the hot cereal cold cereal debate? Is overnight oates hot cereal? I heat up my overnight oats. I hated cold. That's how into hot cereal am that? I hate cold overnight oats. As you said it, there was that moment where you're like, am I I but personally I draw that because I put I get it, I buy it from a store. I'm taking it home, putting it into the microwave. Cong Grits blenty savory hot Cereal for dinner. Yes, I'm here for it. Time to get into the rebuttals. Babs. You are up right now with two minutes to let Ashley know why overnight oats might not be hot cereal. Your two minute robottal of Babs starts now, all right, I mean we yeah, overnight oes. That's a cold cereal. I'm taking it somewhere with me. I'm not warming up. It's an on the go thing that's just beyond this discussion. Also, okay, so actually saying, you know, oatmeal doesn't get soggy, yeah, because it is soggy. That's all it is. It's pure sog you know what. It's also known as gruel. Hot cereal is gruel everyone. It is the stuff that they give to prisoners in books. It's the stuff that Dickenzie and children asked for because it's literally the only food available to anyone. That's what hot cereal is. I just want you to think about that, that gray that gray water sopping around a little pile of oats. That's what we're discussing here, versus the joy of cold cereal. I mean, where's the joy in this? Hot cereal actually's talking about how you learn a skill, how much you have to work for it. I don't want that with my cereal. I want to just pour it into the bowl and have a good time, you know. And what's up with your branding? Like your best your best mascot is a Quaker. We've got Leprickns. Baby, We've got bees and bunnies over here. We're having a party. Meanwhile, it's just the Quaker oats guy, you know, lording over the other, the other hot cereals. I just I gotta say, you're defending gruel at the end of the day. This one got off off track pretty quick. Quakers versus Lepricns a very valid. I mean, it's something that Judge is going to have to consider. Is texture is soggy with no texture contrast, is hot cereal just soggy? Alright, Actually, you have two minutes now to let Babs know whyte cold cereal? Yeah, alright, your two minutes starts now. Actually, just to point out if the benefit or pro of cold cereal is that it's so quick an easy to make, how can you say overnight cereal is cold cereal when literally in the name it has to sit overnight. That's not easy to go. That's literally something where you have to mix flavors textures. You have to let it sit overnight. You have to decide is it gonna be a little lemon some vanilla. You really have to think in terms of hot cereal in order for it to be good. You're not just putting milk and oats and a thing and a Mazon jar and putting it in your fridge and then eating it the next day. Absolutely not. It is a hot cereal anyway when it comes to texture. Yet again, I think it's sad my opponent here is limiting herself to such a Western worldview of what hot cereal can be. To to be stuck in such a British I would say mind frame of Dickensie and porridge and gruel is limiting itself to to the world of diversity of hot cereal. To to say that that beautiful breakfast grit doesn't have that wonderful text her to to mix it with a peach if you like a sweet grit, or a shrimp if you like a hot grit, that is also within the hot cereal family, My friend, The world of textures is alive and bright there, you know, when we look outside of of this American point of view, which I think is common amongst cold cereal people, because I will say the cereal aisle is predominantly like an American thing. Those ovary sugary cereals that are so fun with their lepre cons that are banned in other countries because they cause childhood diabetes, where as hot cereals so healthy. You add texture, you can add raisins, carrots, so many different things to get what you would like a musely cream of wheat. There we go. Okay, wait, something to make it better. Adding reasons are amazing, Babs, you will have a moment for one last comments. This judge has to gavel you out all right, there it is. You have heard the cases for hot and cold cereal and that at this point it's going to have to take me a long time to sort of figure this one out. I don't know about as long as this commercial will be we'll be right back. Good throw down. Oh it's not. Nothing's more fun than taking something too seriously. Okay, we are back, and I think I've made up my mind. But before I give my verdict, do either of you have a final word to potentially sway my opinion. This is your last chance, Babs. Anything you'd like to say, I mean, I said it a little bit before. All I have to say is that my my opponents offered raisins as a way to improve her food. And that's I rest my case. I'm not a fan of sun dried grapes. As she also said, raisins and carrots the craziest cake. Like what like, there's so many these you put in on meal? Again? Okay, I listen, Ashley. Anything you got to say here? Yeah, And I would like to end on a personal note. In high school, as a child, a friend and I started a club. It was actually called the Breakfast Club, and we would come into school earlies at seven am, and we convinced the school to buy hot cereal supplies for us. And every morning we'd come in and we try a new hot cereal recipe and then we'd make like a giant bowl of it, and other students would come, some who wanted breakfast in the mornings, who didn't eat at home, and they could have some of our hot cereal that we learned to make in the breakfast club. And that's just one of the many ways hot cereal can bring people together. Because what you want to show up to a cereal party and people are like, here's a bull of soggy cereal. Here's some what milk leftover. Milk cereal is gross, by the way. It's gross. It's just got like it's listening out. Milk that's not okay, and oatmeal that's different. It can sit out and it brings coming through at the end and the final final moments there letting us know that hot cereal can basically save the world. It can bring us together. It's about community, and I have had a lot to think about right here. This chord has taken into account the fact that Ashley's making carrot cake oatmeal ready for competition. By the way, regardless of I don't know what's going to happen here, but I mean that is next level part of the post. Hot cereal is all about community. Cold cereals about you know, maybe I don't know, eaten by yourself in a basement. I don't know. Texture verse saggy. That is something that I've had to really really weigh here. Is it convenience versus cooking? That's another part of this equation. Yeah, I mean porridge and gruel versus marshmallow hearts, which might be the title, which might be might be the title of this episode, Healthy versus Unhealthy. The case of hot cereal cold cereal was a close one, but this court we'll weigh in favor. Come on, sorry, this is my sorry, this is my TV judge moment. We're panning to the contestants. We're looking around. This court weighs in favor of cold cereals. Yes, I will say that there's I was not expecting this to be as close, Ashley. I mean, the whole community, global aspect of this, the education, the fact that you're cooking really made this a close call. But at the end of the day, I want marshmallow hart cold. Come on, I want crunchy things and soggy You want to know my favorite serial raisin brand crunch. That being said, listen, actually, this court advises you to compete eat on a cooking show because you are making carrot cake oatmeal and you're bringing the world together. I make a coconut chocolate oatmeal. This is what I'm saying. Yeah, you're just competing in the wrong show, Ashley. That's all I'm saying. You're ready to cook where I mean making the hot cereal is gonna win and just pouring some you know, frosted flakes or lucky charms or whatever, but it is. It is lepre cons over Quakers. At the end of the day, everyone, thank you so much for joining us at food Court. I was your judge. Richard Blaze. You can find Ashley talking about TV shows on her podcast TV I Say with Ashley Ray and her writing on shows like Alabama Jackson and in Vulture, The New York Times, and on Twitter at the Ashley Ray Yes with two Ease. You can find Babs on her podcast Lady to Lady and Toxic The Brittney Spears Story. Her comedy album If I Did It is out now and you can check her out on Twitter at Babs Gray. If you're in Los Angeles, you can catch their monthly comedy showcase High Dear Comedy at the Airliner and listen everyone, I know what do? What do you think about this audience? What's your favorite way to eat cereal? You have lots of opinions. You let me know all the time. Well, you can let me know on Twitter and Instagram at Richard Blaze or on the food Court Instagram at food Court Pod. Food Court is a production of I Heart Radio. I'm Richard Blaze. My producer is Crystal Pamahi. Food Court was created by Christopher Hasciotas. The rest of my food Court clerks are Jonathan Dressler, David Wasserman and Jasmine Blaze are Amazing. Theme songs by Jason ni Smith. For more podcast from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you, I hope we can be we can be friends. Yeah. Yeah, it was a close fight and a good argument. It really was, you know,