Products Named After Places: Cheddar, Tuxedos and Chicken, Alaska

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Products That Come From the Map

Is cheddar a place? It is: a village in England. In this episode of The Absurdists, Marlo Anderson switches topics at the 11th hour and quizzes Mary Murphy on products that come from the map, starting with cheese: cheddar, plus Colby, one of the few cheeses born in the USA. Mary admits she broke up with ice cream, and Marlo reports on the 8 p.m. ice cream line.

Then it’s food and drink: Champagne and the widow behind the bubbly, cognac, tequila, pilsner, bologna (and a surprise duet of the bologna jingle), hamburgers, Brussels sprouts and Belgian fries, lima beans, Fig Newtons, Boston cream pie and Buffalo wings. Plus, what would a sandwich called “The Murphy” be, and why does Marlo smash his? Meet the Marlo Mash.

From there it’s fabric and fashion (denim, tuxedos, jersey, cashmere, angora, calico and muslin), cologne, magenta and the Battle of Magenta, and Panama hats that come from Ecuador. They wrap up with real towns that sound like a menu: Sandwich, Massachusetts; Hot Coffee, Mississippi; Chicken, Alaska; Pie Town, New Mexico; Two Egg, Florida; Oatmeal, Texas; Toast, North Carolina; Tea, South Dakota; and Sugar City, Idaho.

The Absurdists, where logic takes a back seat. Season 2, Episode 6 with Marlo Anderson and Mary Murphy.