- [Aaron] A little sweet?
- Because it's frickin'
peanut butter chips
with (beep) blueberries.
Hello, and welcome to
another week of Budget Eats.
This week, we have no
budget and I'm not cooking.
It's really hard to tear
myself away from the work.
As my friend Jen said, it's
more like living at work.
So, Julia pitched me this idea
that I would follow my
partner's diet for one week,
to which I said, "Yes, I will do this."
I just really don't want
to cook for an entire week.
That sounds glorious.
It's like a staycation.
So this week we're gonna be eating
exactly what Aaron eats, no
budget, no modifications.
First thing's first,
I think we have to go shopping.
(cheerful jazzy music)
Nice haircut, Aaron.
I gave him that haircut.
(cheerful jazzy music)
That's like one serving.
Are you gonna get a bag for me?
- [Aaron] Do you want ...
Oh, wait, I can't ask you.
What I want, that's right.
- You decide.
- Yeah.
- [June] You decide.
How does it feel to be God?
- [Aaron] Pretty good.
- [June] Me too cat.
Me too.
Want to come home with me?
We'll give you some Indian sweets.
(cat meows)
Nice to meet you.
Have a great week.
We took a long time to shop.
It is 4:00 PM,
and this is gonna be our lunch.
- [Aaron] These are Reese's
chips going on the blueberries.
- [June] Oh my God.
This is not how you eat.
- [Aaron] It actually is, yeah.
I've had this, you probably
just didn't notice.
- [June] Are you doing this to torture me?
- [Aaron] I'm doing this because
this is actually what I like.
I'm being completely honest here.
- [June] And some maple syrup?
- [Aaron] Mm-hm.
- [June] And cinnamon.
Wow, this is the chef at work here.
(sighs) This is gonna be a long week.
(Aaron laughs)
Is that what I think it is?
- [Aaron] Olive oil?
Yes.
- [June] Oh bother.
Cherries, extra virgin
olive oil, and tajin guys.
- [Aaron] That's right.
Let's eat.
- You know, we've been
together for so long
that I've never thought about
the different ways in which we eat.
We just let each other eat
whatever the other person wants to eat,
but now that I have to eat it
I'm realizing now I have to eat it.
- You're welcome, June.
(both laugh)
- It is very soft and squishy.
Smells lightly like caramel
and lightly like paper
that it's wrapped in.
Very soft.
Mm.
Mm!
Mm!
- Oh yeah?
(laughs) That's a good "mm."
- At first bite it tastes
like natural peanut butter
that's right off the spoon,
but without the fattiness.
But that same amount of light
sweetness, it's really nice.
And it has a slightly gritty texture.
It's probably made with
some sort of milk powder,
which think a lot of Indian sweets
are made with milk powder.
- [Aaron] It's like
the peanut butter blob.
- Peanut butter blob, but better.
- [Aaron] Mm-hm.
- Next up, this guy.
It's everything that I've ever wanted.
Mm.
- Yes.
- It's a little bit sweeter
and it's a lot creamier.
It hits you with that
milkiness right away.
It's like a slightly cooked milk flavor,
if you've ever had simmered milk
that's what exactly this tastes like.
It's that baby food texture
that I'm absolutely in love with.
I wonder what this one tastes like.
Is it saffron-y?
- [Aaron] It's a thicker
texture than the white one.
- Mm!
- [Aaron] You've had it before.
Did you forget how much you liked it?
- Mm-hm.
This one is the finest in
texture of all of them.
It's the densest, but
it's also the smoothest
and it's absolutely like so rich
and that condensed milk flavor.
I think this is the sweetest of the three.
We have more sugar coming.
- Yeah.
- Why do you eat more sugar than I do?
Mm-hm.
The pastry is very flaky, very light.
Not oily at all.
It's very fluffy and airy.
The curry isn't as strongly flavored
as I thought it would be.
Chicken he said?
- [Aaron] Mm-hm.
Chicken with some spices and herbs.
- Beans?
Are there beans?
- [Aaron] Actually those look
like they could be lentils.
- Look at those flaky layers.
That's amazing.
One day I'll be able to make these, maybe.
And that egg wash, like Aaron said.
- [Aaron] June, you're
great a pastry, come on.
- We're getting a real multi
course meal here, guys.
Next up, blueberries,
and peanut butter chips,
and cinnamon powder,
and bourbon maple syrup.
- [Aaron] Which do you think is weirder,
the cherries with olive oil and tajin or--
- This one is definitely weirder.
- [Aaron] Why?
Because this is a combination
of sweet and savory.
- Because it's frickin'
peanut butter chips
with (beep) blueberries.
- [Aaron] You've never heard of
a peanut utter blueberry muffin?
- This is not a muffin.
- [Aaron] It's a deconstructed one.
Vote in the comments down below
if you think the cherries are
weirder than the blueberries.
- Great YouTubing, Aaron.
Great YouTubing.
- [Aaron] Yeah, like,
subscribe, vote in the comments.
A little sweet?
(Aaron laughs)
I like the contrasting
textures of the Reese's chips.
- Is this ...
- Why ruin a good blueberry like this?
Look guys, it's Aaron doing dishes.
- This is for all the
haters in the comment
who thought Aaron never did the dishes
and made June do it all the time.
- Aaron, do I have to finish all of these?
- [Aaron] No, I'll take care of it.
- Thank you.
- All right.
- Look at that tajin.
It's beautiful.
I actually really love this.
- [Aaron] You've never
told me that before.
I make it all the time
and you refuse to eat it.
- This one is delicious.
This one I would give like an 8.75.
The blueberries and peanut butter
get a three out of 10 for me.
Can't we make a salad out of this?
- [Aaron] This is for your own good, June.
Olive oil, healthiest food in the world.
Good for your skin, good
for your bones I assume.
(Aaron laughs)
(June coughs)
- Oh wow.
(coughs) okay.
- Good, isn't it?
- Oh man, I forgot there
were chili powder in it.
- [Aaron] Yeah, you
forgot the tajin thing.
- That's pretty good.
Really wakes you up.
What's for dinner Aaron?
- [Aaron] Don't know yet.
I would make--
- Please no more sugar.
- Oh yeah, well, I was about to say
I would make the halibut tonight
but I don't want to kill you.
- No, please God.
- Or do I?
- I'm hungry.
Guess we'll just have to
wait until he's hungry.
I'm so hungry.
What do I do without food?
What is life without food?
I either come out of this week
being so mentally aware
and in touch with myself
or absolutely bonkers.
I truly don't understand
how he's not hungry.
11:11, make a wish.
My wish is dinner.
Wow, that was easy.
Great wish, June.
Man, he really likes his garlic.
Aaron, one to 10, how
hungry are you right now?
- [Aaron] A solid eight and a half.
- Eight and a half.
I am so hungry I can smell the hunger
coming from within me.
What are the onions for?
- [Aaron] Eggs.
- Oh, wow, we're eating
more than just broccoli?
- [Aaron] We are eating
onion and scrambled egg taco.
- Wow, what a treat.
- [Aaron] Crispy, crispy
chili fried tacos.
- Onion tears.
Whew.
Dude, are you gonna make me drink
the fat out of this too
like you did the cherries?
- [Aaron] Yes, but in a different way.
We're gonna be cooking our eggs in this.
- [June] Oh good.
Never enough spice for Aaron.
- [Aaron] That's true.
(June squeals)
- [June] What's the chili powder tonight?
- [Aaron] This is Korean.
It is red pepper nice tasty.
- Have you ever been so hungry
that you're not hungry anymore?
Because that's where I am.
Oh, it's a scramble.
- Yes, it is a scramble.
- [June] Dammit, I really
wanted some sunny side.
- [Aaron] Well, this is Aaron week.
This honestly looks a lot
worse than I expected it to,
but I think it will taste good.
- [June] You know what?
At this point, I don't care.
Do we know how old that
packet of Frank's is?
- [Aaron] No idea.
I'm using what I find in the fridge.
- Okay.
- It's like there's a
YouTuber on the Delish channel
that inspires me to do stuff like that.
- [June] Don't know who
you're talking about.
Those garlic pieces are all yours.
- [Aaron] Mm-hm.
- [June] This is so romantic.
Thank you.
- Yes.
If I knew the eggs were gonna come out
looking like this I would
have done sunny side up.
- [June] Crunchy!
Oh my gosh.
- [Aaron] First bite
of food in a long time.
- [June] I'm so hungry
and this is so good.
It tastes like junk food.
- [Aaron] You don't have to be nice, June.
- No.
- Be completely honest.
I'm always honest with you.
- [June] I want the onions to
be a little bit more cooked
'cause I like my onions
a little bit sweeter,
but I know you like your
stuff a little bit spicier.
- [Aaron] Mm-hm.
- [June] But man, this
is really hitting it.
- Tasty hands.
- Tasty hands.
Needs salt for sure.
Steamed broccoli gets a seven out of 10.
I think it's perfectly tender.
Very nicely vibrant green.
I give the tortillas,
the bacon fat, olive oil,
curry powder, gochugaru tortillas
a solid 10 out of 10.
- [Aaron] No.
- Yep.
- No.
You don't give anything a 10 out of 10.
- [June] They're so
perfectly fried, so crunchy,
and absolutely addictive.
I think the egg scramble itself,
the textures are great,
I just really want the onions sweeter
so I'm gonna give it a seven out of 10.
- [Aaron] All right, I will take it.
- I like how the only time
we ever eat a meal together
is when my work forces me to.
(June sighs)
Guess I'll just keep drinking water
until we have breakfast.
I'm so hydrated.
Like, who needs food, right?
Just water.
Water is great.
I saved the cardamom pods from last night
so I guess I can just
chew on a couple of these.
That's allowed, right?
They were from last night.
I saved them.
I rationed it.
Mm, minty.
Oh my God, sugar?
All three?
- [Aaron] Mm-hm.
- Can I have food please?
I'm so hungry.
It's a feast.
So we had papad, which are lentil crackers
that we heated one up in the microwave
and one over the store.
And then we have our desserts.
The rest of our desserts
from Premium Sweets.
We have two apples and two tangerines.
(Aaron laughs)
- Now you got to tell me,
the microwave or direct heat?
- Microwave.
- Okay.
I like this method of eating.
- It's delicious.
Is it extra spicy?
- It actually is, yeah, decently spicy.
It doesn't look spicy, but it is.
- That's hitting me just now.
- Yeah.
- Please give me an apple.
Mm.
Juicy.
- How much can you talk about an orange?
What's there to say about an orange?
- Absolutely nothing.
I'm just eating at this point.
That's delicious.
I think I see cardamom on top, right?
- [Aaron] Yeah.
- No, it's too fine to be pistachio.
I think that's cardamom.
That's delicious.
- [Aaron] You're too fine
to be pistachio, June.
- Gulab jamun.
Aaron's favorite.
- My favorite.
- A donut basically soaked with syrup,
usually flavored with rose
or orange blossom water.
- [Aaron] If you thought donuts
weren't sweet enough already.
- That is delicious.
You get a little bit of fryer oil richness
with that nice sweet syrup.
It's almost like if you took a funnel cake
and you just doused it in maple syrup.
Is there cheese in there?
- [Aaron] No idea.
I got it 'cause it looks cool.
- It's very red.
- [Aaron] Indian red velvet.
- It's softer and mealier than this one.
Less textured and a little bit spongier.
- [Aaron] Is your favorite
of all six the white ball?
- The white ball will
forever be my favorite.
Since Aaron didn't cook any of these
I will not be rating them,
but this was a delicious breakfast.
My body is thankful.
Happy Monday, y'all.
We're gonna go to a store
called Parrot Coffee and Grocery
and we're gonna grab some
snacks for the rest of the week.
(energetic music)
I've never had head cheese
and I don't quite know what it is,
but I guess we'll see.
Is this just turning into
our poor man's charcuterie board now?
- Yes.
- The cutting board
is a charcuterie board.
- Yes.
- [June] Is this dinner?
- [Aaron] This is, you know, dinner-ish.
- [June] Interesting.
It looks like different
cuts of meet in an aspic.
That's spelled A-S-P-I-C, guys.
What if I were lactose intolerant?
- [Aaron] Glad you're not.
- [June] But I am.
- [Aaron] Not too much.
- Head cheese, snacks,
black garlic, more cheese.
Olives are always great.
Love always.
- [Aaron] It says string
cheese, but it's a lot chewier
than the string cheese we're used to.
- Mm.
- Mm-hm.
- It's like a semi-hard, semi-soft cheese.
- [Aaron] Yeah.
- It's like a little bit
dehydrated mozzarella.
- [Aaron] Who needs to
cook when you have snacks?
- Not Aaron.
What's next?
- [Aaron] Next is you put a black garlic
on a mochi cracker.
You can squeeze it out if you want, yeah.
Now there's a sandwich.
- Do you want one?
- Mm-hm.
- Very interesting.
The black garlic is almost a little tangy.
The crackers are sweeter
than the black garlic.
What's next?
- [Aaron] We got to dive
into that head cheese.
One of us should probably
google what this is.
(Aaron laughs)
- It looks like several
cuts of different meat
probably from the head of the animal.
Pretty sure this is ear meat right here.
And I'm pretty sure the clear bits,
where you can see the light
shine through, are aspic.
So that's just basically gelatin.
- [Aaron] Do you like it?
- Yes.
- Really?
- Mm-hm.
Very, very, very, very
hammy in texture and flavor.
Those Japanese rice crackers
are definitely still my favorite.
This cheese is probably
my second runner up.
I don't want to do this.
- [Aaron] Take a little nibble.
- I don't like spicy things.
- [Aaron] That's why I'm
giving you the mild one.
Mine's pretty mild too, honestly.
I think all that soaking
in brine milded it out.
- How anticlimactic.
Not sure if that was our dinner or lunch,
but it was fantastic.
I guess I'll see you at
midnight for our dinner.
(pensive orchestral music)
I'm showered, I'm clean, I'm tired,
and I'm hungry.
Aaron?
- What?
- Are we having snacks tonight
or should I just brush
my teeth and go to sleep?
What are we making tonight, chef?
- Curry rice.
- Whoa.
- My second favorite food in the world.
- For curry we like these
short grains of rice.
Tiny, tiny, tiny.
- [Aaron] Knuckle method.
- Does it work?
- Always.
- [Aaron] Knuckle test,
which June just reminded me
is from the surface of the rice,
not from the bottom of the pot.
I'm really dumb.
- [June] Okay, well, that was
nine years of really good luck
of making perfect rice
measuring it the wrong way.
- [Aaron] Maybe I was onto something.
- [June] At what point
do you slap the lid on?
- [Aaron] I guess when I see some bubbles.
Look, clearly I've been making
rice wrong my whole life,
and sort of like Mr. Bean I've
been failing successfully.
- [June] It's been tasting great though.
You make better rice than I do.
- [Aaron] Start melting that block.
This is a mild to me,
but there's nothing hotter
that they sell than extra hot
so that's what I got to go with.
- [June] Okay.
How much water did you add?
- [Aaron] A eyeballed amount.
- [June] That's way too much liquid.
- [Aaron] It is.
- [June] I (beep) it up, didn't I?
- [Aaron] You did.
Should have gone with
the original knuckle.
- [June] Damn, that
rice looks good though.
- [Aaron] It does.
Love the ultra short grain.
Look at that sticky mass.
- [June] Is it too gummy?
- [Aaron] No, I like the stick.
Oh yeah, look at that stick.
No way to tell if it's the right ratio
until the last bite,
if the spoon is half rice and half sauce.
- [June] What spice level is this?
- [Aaron] Extra hot curry
with red pepper nice tasty level spice,
so this is a solid mild for me.
- Itadakimasu.
- Itadakimasu.
- [June] Rice first.
A little bit too soggy,
because I (beep) it up,
but the rice is so nice.
The flavor is so floral.
Nice and creamy, soft and tender kernels.
A little bit glutenous,
a little bit sticky.
- [Aaron] Did you get the curry bite?
- [June] Mm-hm.
Yum.
It's like chicken broth
concentrated to 100 times.
- [Aaron] Well, don't thank me for it,
thank the Golden Curry Company.
- [June] Thank you Golden Curry.
- [Aaron] So how close
are we to CoCo curry here?
- [June] Like zero, but I'll take it.
- [Aaron] On a scale of easiness to make
to pure deliciousness, Japanese curry is--
- 100 out of 10.
- Yeah.
- [June] I give this meal a 10 out of 10.
- [Aaron] I am humbled and honored, June.
- [June] It is so good.
What are we doing?
- [Aaron] So, a long time
ago I got this as a gag gift.
Glazed donut flavored vodka.
And it tastes as disgusting as it sounds.
And my idea to salvage it
was soak it in a mixture with craisins,
and that's what we got.
Would you like to pour it?
- [June] Craisins?
- [Aaron] And glazed donut flavored vodka.
- [June] How much are we pouring?
- [Aaron] You know, a
standard drink amount.
- That's enough.
- Okay.
- [June] Say you open
a bar in New York City,
how much would you charge for this?
- [Aaron] Oh, this is at least $16.
The time, effort that went
into this, there's no doubt.
- [June] Do you actually like this drink?
- [Aaron] I do, yeah.
Its not my ideal cocktail.
I like whiskey based
stuff, but it's drinkable.
Liquid candy.
- Oh.
That's not bad I guess.
I would like to eat the craisins.
- [Aaron] You'll get them.
- [June] I am very warm and
bubbly inside right now.
- [Aaron] From a single sip?
- [June] That is very strong stuff.
If I take a sip to get that craisin
I'm gonna be taking the whole jar.
This cocktail after four sips of it
is an 8.5 out of 10
and I am ready to bed.
Welcome to Tuesday.
It's a busy day.
I have not washed my face.
Aaron is currently running an errand
and he has to go out the
door in about 15 minutes,
so we're just gonna eat some apples.
Keep it simple.
Some days it be like
this, and that's okay.
I'm okay with just an apple.
Wait, you're putting PB on yours?
- [Aaron] Yes, we're having it with PB.
- Oh.
Peanut butter is the love of my life.
- [Aaron] This will be the
best part of your week.
- This will be the best part of my week.
- [Aaron] Extra crunchy dark roasted,
whatever that means.
- [June] You didn't even
mix the oils in, dude.
- [Aaron] It's fine.
- [June] Feelings on natural
versus unnatural peanut butter?
- [Aaron] I like any
peanut butter, honestly.
- Extra thick with four C's.
I love peanut butter so much
I wrote a sonnet about peanut butter.
Do you want to hear it?
- Yes, June.
(June clears throat)
- An ode to peanut butter.
I love you smooth, I love you crunchy.
I love you naked, salty, or sweet.
I love you with roasted
vegetables or meat.
I love you with fish
sauce, a little funky.
I'll toss you on a soft bed of noodles,
spread you on bread with a touch of honey.
This love just can't be bought with money.
You're by my side when
I'm poor and frugal.
I eat you by the spoonful in my dreams.
A love this true makes me
feel full to the extreme.
Aaron has returned and we
are gonna make some halva.
So we're making a sugar syrup,
then we're toasting
the semolina with ghee.
- Yes.
- Then we are cooking the
semolina after it's been toasted
with the nuts and soaking
it in the sugar syrup.
- That's right.
- Okey-dokes, let's do this.
So, this is ...
- This is what?
- [June] Sugar and butter?
- [Aaron] Right, this is
basically just an excuse
to eat sugar and butter, you're right.
- [June] Looks like my heart is gonna cry.
- [Aaron] Continuous stirring.
- [June] This smells so good.
- [Aaron] Yeah.
- [June] Little baby saffrons floating.
- [Aaron] I've also read online
that you can pack this down
and essentially make a cake,
and cut it into slices.
- [June] Do we want to do that?
That's a lot, Aaron.
That's like 80% butter.
- [Aaron] It is.
I guess I went overboard.
- Cheers.
This is lunch?
- [Aaron] Yeah.
- We're leading a very
good lifestyle here guys.
Very balanced lifestyle
of butter and nuts.
Nuts are good for you.
And carbs.
- [Aaron] And also a full cup of sugar.
- Why doesn't it taste as
unhealthy as it was to make?
You know what I really want on this?
- [Aaron] Hm?
- Cracks of black pepper.
As is, I give this one a eight out of 10.
I was gonna say 7.5, but then I was like
why would I be such a scrouge?
I'm excited to cut into the cake tomorrow
that we packed into the other small bowl.
Guys, I know we said no modifications,
but does black pepper
and salt really count?
What do you think?
- [Aaron] I love it, yeah.
The bites with the salt,
it's exactly the same thing
it does to like a chocolate chip cookie.
- [June] And for dinner,
because we ate all that butter
and sugar for lunch,
we are having a (beep) ton of broccoli.
Of course garlic.
Never leave out the garlic.
What'd you put on here?
- [Aaron] Chili powder, black pepper,
a spicy seasoned salt, and mustard seed.
- [June] So we're not
just having broccoli?
I thought we were cleaning
ourselves of our butter.
- [Aaron] Broccoli and cheese.
- [June] Okay, I'm down with that.
I'm excited 'cause I love goat cheese.
I think we should take a shot of this.
- [Aaron] Let's.
- Are you gonna come drink this with me?
- [Aaron] Be right there.
- Oh.
I like your shirt, it's cute.
- Thank you.
- That's actually really good guys.
It's like vegetable stock,
a little bit creaminess comes
through from the broccoli,
and then all the spices in there.
- I actually just threw
out all the broccoli.
We're just having this.
There's a cooking pro tip.
Steam broccoli, throw it
all out, drink the water.
- I'm hungry.
- [Aaron] I brought the black
bean garlic sauce because we
already added chili.
- Love it.
I never knew how much I loved vegetables
until I ate a whole bowl
of butter and sugar.
- [Aaron] It's pretty refreshing.
- [June] Thank you for cooking.
- [Aaron] Thank you for eating.
- [June] It's so creamy.
- [Aaron] Yeah, is it
creamier than normal feta?
Less crumbly.
- It's softer.
- It is, yeah.
- [June] Silkier, more delicate.
- [Aaron] There's almost no crumble.
- [June] It almost forms a
smooth cream cheese like paste.
That's so delicate.
- [Aaron] These French
know how to make feta.
So, has your perception
of my taste in food
changed at all so far?
- [June] Yes.
I always just like to eat dry oatmeal
out of the sack like a
sad, sad deflated balloon.
- [Aaron] Which always impressed me
how good of a cook you are
based on your normal diet
that you eat for yourself.
- [June] I mean, nobody has actually
tasted my food besides you.
Am I a good cook?
- [Aaron] Yes, because I have good taste.
How has your perception of
me changed in general at all?
- [June] I think I would like
to join you on more meals.
You're not really doing
well on the budget though.
Like I calculated the price
on one of our breakfasts
and it was over $9.
- [Aaron] Well, this week's on June,
so I'm okay with that.
- [June] I think your
key strategy this week
is to keep me hungry enough
so that I rate all of your meals highly,
because this one is getting
a 10 out of 10, baby.
- [Aaron] No, no.
Steamed broccoli and cheese,
that doesn't deserve a 10 out of 10.
- It does.
Sometimes the simplest things in life
are what do it for me, you know?
Dessert time.
It smells so good.
(June coughs)
(Aaron laughs)
Oh God.
That's why I don't drink.
How to stop thinking about food.
Thinking about food is
actually a sign of hunger.
You don't say.
(ice crunching)
Here we are, fridged from yesterday,
it's pretty solid now as a cake
and we're going to cut into it,
maybe into wedges, serve it cold.
Maybe sear it, serve it hot, I don't know.
This smells exactly like peanut butter
and I am so excited.
It's just ...
- So dense.
- Very dense.
- Yeah.
- I have a feeling that the butter content
has frozen into the bowl,
so let's microwave this and
let's try to flip it inside out.
(June sighs)
It's that kind of day.
I ruined it.
That's the way the cookie crumbles.
It's still gonna be
perfectly delicious though.
Don't know if Mercury is in
retrograde today or something
because it just got really dark outside,
I messed up cutting into the cake,
and I broke one of my favorite bowls.
It's not a great Wednesday.
It didn't slice perfectly,
but I did get some chunks.
- [Aaron] It smells like peanut butter.
- Yeah!
- Mm-hm.
- Exactly. It kind of tastes
like peanut butter too.
- That changed so much.
- Mm-hm.
It tastes like tahini peanut butter.
It tastes like sunflower
butter, peanut butter,
and sesame seed butter.
- [Aaron] I strongly
prefer the fresh, hot kind.
I don't kind of even want to eat this.
- Uh-oh.
- Yeah.
- Should we heat the rest up?
Do you like this better?
- [Aaron] I do, definitely.
This tastes much more like
how it was originally cooked.
- I think cold the rose water comes across
more strongly than warm,
and I don't mind that,
but in general I'm not a fan.
Is this all we're eating?
- I brought out some fruit.
- I'm just gonna palette cleanse
with some of these vodka craisins
that I saved from last night's cocktail.
Boozy.
- [Aaron] I'm drunk already.
(June laughs)
- I think it goes great
with this semolina pudding.
Tell me that that doesn't
taste like cherries.
It tastes like amaretto cherries.
- It does, yeah.
It's a fun combo.
- With the amaretto cherry,
that one is an eight out of 10.
Without it, it's like a 4.5 out of 10.
It's not that great.
- There's berries and cherries.
- Oh, cool.
Are we just eating them straight?
- Yeah, I'm not doing
anything crazy to these.
- These are delicious.
The best of what summer has to offer.
I'm gonna eat these,
and then I'm gonna curl into bed and cry.
- Have fun with that.
- Thank you.
The sky has finally cleared up outside,
so Aaron and I are gonna take a walk.
We're gonna grab some tacos
from one of the most famous
food trucks in the area,
and hopefully it won't rain on us again.
Okay, we took a lovely walk,
but the line was so long.
We were not expecting that
after a huge thunderstorm.
The line was probably like 40 people deep,
and it was really muggy outside,
so I said, "Let's do it another day."
But I'm hungry.
Maybe soon Aaron will feed me. (laughs)
- [Aaron] Maybe if June's lucky.
- I think Aaron was very sad
we did not get the tacos,
but I am very hungry and he is not hungry,
but I am very hungry.
- What's up?
- So I think we're just
gonna keep drinking water.
Yeah, I'm not hungry anymore.
Who said I'm hungry?
Exciting development y'all,
I think Aaron is cooking.
I hope it's dinner, or
lunch, or just food.
Looks like he's got a
bit of onions and garlic.
Oh, snap.
- it's experimental.
- [June] What is that?
Oh, the glutenous rice.
- [Aaron] It's the sticky
rice and tamarind paste.
- Oh, it's warm.
- [Aaron] Yeah, I reheated it.
- Oh, it's spicy.
- It's a little sour, isn't it?
- Mm-hm.
- I used too much tamarind. (laughs)
From the first bite I realized
I used too much tamarind.
- Do you want to put some honey in that?
- Yes, I do.
- Mm.
- That's much better.
- You're welcome.
- It's weird.
- I still don't like it.
- It's weird, but I like it.
- I'm gonna give this a 5.7.
- Not my greatest invention.
- That was very spicy rice.
- It was too much.
(June laughs)
It was too much tamarind
and too much sambal.
I see that now.
- Okay chef, you want to
tell us what you're making?
- Yeah, it's tortilla soup.
- Tortilla soup.
- We're gonna crisp up the tortillas
and then we're gonna stick
it in a pork stock soup.
- Okay.
Is this your way of compensating
for our lack of Birria Tacos?
- [Aaron] It is, yeah.
I was trying to think of
how best to replace it,
and they serve a consomme there
that is pretty much this.
- [June] Red pepper nice tasty.
- [Aaron] Red pepper nice
tasty, everybody's favorite.
- [June] More cheese.
- [Aaron] Remember our old
friend the string cheese?
- [June] Yes.
- [Aaron] We're topping the
soup with that. (June gasps)
Cheesy spicy tortilla soup.
- [June] Perfect.
- [Aaron] I'm not basing
this on any recipe
except my own messed up
recesses of my brain.
- [June] Oh, that looks
like my kind of cheese.
Head cheese.
- [Aaron] Another night,
another Aaron dinner
that revolves around garlic and chili.
- All right, soup.
Mm.
Whoa.
That's flavor, baby.
I can taste the fried tortilla flavor
and the oil though that
went into this broth,
and that's pretty perfect.
Oh yeah.
- You're crumbling?
- I'm crumbling.
- [Aaron] I'm going for a dip.
This is why I'm going for the dip.
- [June] Oh, the cheese?
The queso.
- [Aaron] Look at that cheese pull.
- [June] Wow!
Wow! (laughs)
- [Aaron] I done good?
- Mm-hm.
- [Aaron] I'm hitting
gold on these dinners.
- You are.
It's a 10.
It's a 10.
Okay, there's lemon peel
in here and I do not
like lemon peels.
- There is, yeah.
- [June] But I will take an olive.
- [Aaron] In the store they
were just called Turkish olives.
- [June] Oh, that olive is delicious!
So lemon-y.
- [Aaron] I thought you
just said you didn't like I.
- [June] Well, I don't
want to eat the lemon,
but I love the lemon-y olives.
- [Aaron] I don't think you're
supposed to eat the lemon.
- [June] Yeah, you are.
- [Aaron] Then I dare you.
- [June] I'm gonna eat it.
One piece for you and one piece for me.
- Okay.
- Ready?
Cheers.
- [Aaron] That's actually
not as bad as I expected.
- That's really good.
Everything is a win.
These are homemade marshmallows.
- [Aaron] And what's special
about them right now?
- [June] They are frozen.
This is a frozen marshmallow, y'all.
- [Aaron] Gimme, gimme.
- [June] Okay, okay.
Wow, this is the hardest marshmallow ever.
Why do you like eating this?
- [Aaron] I like fridged
marshmallow texture best,
but this is--
- Whoa.
This kind of tastes like taffy.
- [Aaron] Here you go.
- [June] That's a lot of chocolate, dude.
Okay.
How do you eat this?
- [Aaron] I don't know,
eat it however you like.
- [June] Just chocolate
on a frozen marshmallow.
Cheers.
- Cheers.
After the very spicy soup
I figured we needed this.
Did you need it?
- [June] No, but I welcome it,
never say no to sugar.
- [Aaron] It's almost like ice cream.
- Yeah.
- A block of ice cream.
- Taffy ice cream.
- Mm-hm.
- Good morning, welcome to Thursday.
It is a very rainy day outside
but I'm very excited because I think
we're gonna go eat sushi tonight.
Finally I will be going out of
the house, and out of Queens,
and into the wonderful
borough of Manhattan.
It's time for a mid-week check in.
I think for all of the
dishes that I've eaten
it's been pretty amazing,
and I've also been super thankful
that I've gotten a break
from cooking this week.
Even though I love cooking,
it's just sometimes nice to take a break.
On the one hand, I haven't
been stress eating as much
because to follow the rules of this diet
I can't stress eat on my own.
And on the other, I just
haven't been stressed as much,
which is a really nice feeling,
'cause it's been a hard year.
- [Aaron] Bend the rules slightly
to let June pick from food we--
- Why do I get to pick?
- Because I don't know.
Because we just have whatever.
Oh, we're filming.
(June laughs)
- Gotcha!
This is real TV guys.
- It is, yeah.
- This is real TV.
- [Aaron] What are we having, June?
- [June] Let's go with fruit.
I vote blueberries.
- [Aaron] You want to
eat all the blueberries?
- [June] All of them.
- [Aaron] Okay.
The label of that papad reminds
me of a Dr. Bronner's label.
- [June] Oh yeah.
- [Aaron] So it must be good.
- All right, let's eat this then.
A moment of zen.
So we reheated some of
our halva in the pan
with some oil, the natural ghee seeped out
and made it really crispy.
Mm, lip gloss.
Ghee lip gloss.
It's the new thing of 2020, get on it.
- Do you like the crispy bits?
- I do.
Do you like the crispy bits?
- I do.
- We have pan fried papad with some oil
and we have an oil free microwaved papad.
Chili.
(papad crunches)
Nice.
They're so good.
This one tastes like a
baked Lay's potato chip.
The spices and the
saltiness come more alive
in this version, the pan fried version.
Aaron, how much are you looking forward
to sushi tonight?
- That'll be our first time eating out
together at a restaurant since when?
- All of this started.
From March to August I
marched through the years
of my midlife crisis.
- I don't even remember when I had a life.
- Well, Aaron.
- Quality breakfast.
- Great breakfast, thank you.
- We'll see you guys at something
we kind of even forgot
existed, a restaurant.
- Hope it doesn't rain.
It's nice and overcast,
and we're gonna walk to Manhattan.
So a little bit of
background to this dinner.
Aaron had not seen his friend
Tyler for half a year now,
and they had scheduled this meeting
to eat at a sushi omakase place,
and then Julia presented
me with this video project.
So because I was eating what
Aaron was already eating
for a week, I too had to
go to this omakase place.
Now, normally you know me,
from my Budget Meals I
ain't that kind of girl.
This omakase was $60 for the set,
and truly that money hurt.
But thankfully, Delish is covering this,
and I got to say, that rice was perfect.
Rice is the most important part of sushi
and that rice was perfectly seasoned.
The fish, some of them
were a little bit bland
and very plain, but some of those pieces
were absolutely amazing.
There goes a plane.
I loved the rice and I loved
the texture of the fish.
Some of those pieces were so creamy.
I don't know what they did to
that shrimp, but I'm a fan.
Aaron got one drink.
It was a little spicy, a little lime-y.
- [Aaron] It did have a
jalapeno floating in it.
- And I got to say, even as someone
who doesn't normally
drink, that was delicious.
Two of our set meals, plus one drink,
plus tax, plus tips, it came to over $180.
Guys, that's a lot of money.
- Even for New York.
- So is it work it?
If you're the kind of person
who can spend $30 for an entire week
and be satisfied with
the food that you eat,
it's probably not worth it.
- You made such amazing
food during that $25 week
it just for like 10 times the cost,
or 15, 20 times the cost,
there's no comparison.
Your food wins.
- Three pieces of sushi
or eight dinners for two?
I'll just leave it at that.
- Yeah.
- But it was great.
We loved it, so there's that.
- We got out to a real
restaurant, which was crazy.
- I'm gonna go take a nap.
Aaron's asleep
and I am very, very hungry.
Normally Aaron would be
feeding me right now,
but I think he got really tuckered out
from our walk today, so.
(pensive orchestral music)
Aaron has a few phone calls lined up today
'cause he's a busy man,
so we're just gonna throw
some (beep) together
on a platter.
- I'm a busy man!
I'm a business man,
I do business type things
all day, making deals.
- Okay.
(Aaron laughs)
- [June] So definitely remove this rind
off of our head cheese before eating it
because it is not really edible.
It's like paper and you keep
chewing on it like casing.
Oh, maybe it is casing.
- [Aaron] It's probably like intestine.
- [June] Mm, intestine.
Have I told you how much I love cheese?
- [Aaron] Many times.
- [June] I love cheese.
- [Aaron] That's the first thing you say
every day when you wake up.
- I don't think you guys need to hear
us talk about the same food
for the 4,000 time in a row,
but I'm sure it's great.
- That's cheese,
that's oranges, that's head
cheese, this is olives.
You guys know what it is.
- Oh, I should not have
just brushed my teeth
before eating that.
Don't tell anyone I said this
but this is better than sushi.
Snack time.
The God of Aaron has granted
me one frozen marshmallow.
He's eating it right now
in front of his computer
but I guess he won't know
if put this on a fork
and then start to make it better.
As far as toasted marshmallows go
I don't like mine super burnt,
but this is burnt just enough.
Just a little bit of cancer
is good, not a whole lot.
What's sweet without the bitter?
Everything in perfect balance
and harmony, you know?
And if you want the recipe
for this marshmallow
Julia will have it for you there.
- [Aaron] Are you okay?
- [June] Mm-hm.
I'm working on a Friday that's
supposed to be my (mumbles).
- [Aaron] Wait, this is your job?
I thought you just film
yourself recording food stuff
vecause it's just your
passion, and you love it,
and you love sharing your
love of food with the world.
- Sure.
Of course I do.
- Of course she does.
- I don't need a break at all.
I'm totally human.
Oh, what's this?
What is--
- We know what this is.
- [June] Okay.
Aaron, what are you doing?
No, I don't want sugar on my papad.
That's gross!
Dude!
Why, why, why?
Why are you ruining my Lay's
potato chips like this?
Dude!
- [Aaron] Sorry, whose week is this, June?
(June groans)
- [June] Well, this is
Aaron's great invention,
honey on papad.
Okay, so I need to ask, is this my lunch?
A single piece of papad?
- [Aaron] There's no
breakfast, lunch, dinner
in the Taylor-Xie house.
There is simply snacks.
- [June] Cheers, chef.
- [Aaron] It's not the worst thing.
- [June] But do you like it
with or without the maple?
- [Aaron] I like it with the maple
if I want something sweet and spicy.
I like it without if I
just want something spicy.
- [June] Oh, that is pretty spicy.
- [Aaron] Mm-hm.
- I'm gonna give this a
seven.
Not bad.
- [Aaron] Let me know what
you think of the honey.
- [June] I think I might
like the honey better
because it has less competing
flavors with the papad.
Honey is just sweet with a dark, syrupy,
bee made goodness.
- [Aaron] I think that's exactly right.
I already like the honey
better because of that.
- Honey gets an 8.5.
- [Aaron] So you like it?
- [June] Mm-hm.
- [Aaron] It sounded like
it was gonna be painful
for you to eat this.
- [June] It kinda was, but you know what?
Some days I can be an optimist.
- [Aaron] I put a bonus ingredient on it.
- [June] You put a bonus ingredient
on the tajin and cherries today?
- [Aaron] Yes.
What is it?
- [June] Is it some sort of salt?
- [Aaron] Tajin has the salt.
- [June] Cumin?
- [Aaron] Close.
It is szechuan peppercorn.
- [June] I dig it.
A.
A.
Did it work?
I suck at video games.
Definitely a 9.5.
Like so?
- [Aaron] Yes.
That's a lot of scallions.
Are we eating all those now?
- [June] Yep.
- [Aaron] Our friend's back.
Red pepper nice tasty.
- [June] Scallion?
Too much, too little?
- [Aaron] Just right.
- Mm, this smells so cheesy.
And I'm so hungry.
- What do you think?
Rate it right now.
- I'm gonna give it a 7.2 out of 10.
I think with a little hit of acidity
- [Aaron] Let's do it.
- it could be like an 8.5, or even a nine.
- A nine?
- Yeah, we just need a
little bit of acidity.
- Okay.
- Really?
You're gonna go Chinese on this?
- [Aaron] Yes.
- Let's hit it.
There is nothing that
vinegar doesn't make better
in my opinion.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
- [Aaron] Now I have to taste it.
- No, you get your own vinegar.
- [Aaron] I want a taste, just a bite.
Thank you.
That's a lot better.
- Mm-hm.
I gives it almost a fast
food-y type of taste.
Like you're walking in a
very boring part of the hike,
and all of a sudden you hit vinegar trail,
and at the end of vinegar trail
you find this mythical berry.
Do berries grow on hills?
- [Aaron] What the (beep)
are you talking about?
- Anyway, vinegar makes things better.
Mm, mm, mm.
Nine out of 10.
Nine out of 10.
- [Aaron] I'm taking this back to my food.
Goodbye everyone.
- Bye-bye.
Whoa.
What did you make?
Soy rice crackers with peanut butter,
and chocolate, and feta.
- [Aaron] I think this is food
for people who smoke weed.
- [June] Okay.
- [Aaron] Except I don't even smoke weed.
- [June] Can I just ask
what your inspiration was?
- [Aaron] My inspiration
was, as it has been
for almost everything
we've eaten this week,
I went into the kitchen,
saw what food we had,
and thought, "Can I put
these things together?"
- Huh.
- Cheers.
- [June] Cheers.
- [Aaron] Feta and a rice cracker.
- [June] Hm, hm, hm.
- [Aaron] Is it a winner?
- [June] It kind of tastes like
cream cheese on a bagel toasted.
- [Aaron] I can see that, yeah.
- [June] But with a little it more umami.
- [Aaron] That sounds pretty good.
- [June] I like it.
Next I want to try this
bit of peanut butter
that has feta on it.
- [Aaron] The fatty richness
of the peanut butter
mutes the flavor of the mochi cracker,
so you can't even tell
it's a spicy soy sauce mochi cracker,
it just sort of becomes crunch.
- [June] I think for me
to have peanut butter
is a savory application
I need it to be spicy.
This is not spicy.
Cheers.
- Yes.
- [June] I cheated, I just
ate the peanut butter off.
- [Aaron] Do you want me to just get you
the peanut butter jar with a spoon?
Don't answer that. (laughs)
- [June] Shall we?
- [Aaron] This is what inspired me
to make this plate in the first place
'cause I just wanted to eat chocolate,
and I was like, "The viewers
don't just want to see
"a couple people eating chocolate.
"Everybody's eaten some
chocolate in their life."
- [June] But I would have just
preferred to eat chocolate.
This is weird, dude.
- [Aaron] Well, the point of this week
is making you eat weird (beep).
This is less good than I expected.
The winner is definitely the feta.
- [June] Out of the three,
my favorite is the chocolate.
- [Aaron] No.
- Yes.
- Why?
Such a weird combo.
- It is,
and that's why I like it.
The cheese goes well with the crackers
and it tastes the most normal.
- [Aaron] It is very normal.
- [June] Which is also the most boring.
So if I'm gonna put weird stuff
on seasoned rice crackers,
then I'm gonna go for some chocolate.
I will give them platter ...
- [Aaron] A two out of 10
is what I think I deserve.
- [June] I'm gonna give
it a 7.2 out of 10.
- [Aaron] (laughs) June.
- Simply because you had
the guts for innovation
and it was not terrible.
Good morning and welcome to Saturday.
Today is the last day of our Aaron diet
and it's gonna be a good one.
We're gonna go to Phayul.
I would have to say that Phayul's momos
are the best I've ever had.
They're finally reopened
since eight years ago,
and I haven't seen my
friends Chris and Nez
since eight years ago.
And we're gonna see them,
and we're gonna eat with them,
and it's gonna be delicious food.
And it's so sunny outside
today, it's just beautiful.
Some days are good and
I'm thankful for those.
Aaron, please wake up.
It's 10:22 and you have
18 minutes to get ready.
Chop chop.
(upbeat disco music)
- [Woman] Should I get a drink?
Am I day drinking at Phayul?
- [Aaron] Thank you very much.
- Then just eat it.
We got some beef and radish stir fry.
So saucy, so good.
Perfect when you put it on top of tingmo,
which is steamed bread.
It's soft, fluffy, bouncy, chewy.
Really a perfect bread.
We got some fried veggie momos.
It has mashed potatoes inside.
It has the taste of chicken-y
rich gravy-ness to it.
The outside is perfectly fried and crispy.
The inside is mushy and creamy.
Spicy chili oil on everything,
because that chili oil is so fragrant.
What else did we get?
Blood sausage.
So creamy as well and
it's super nicely spiced.
We got a nice light cucumber
salad, slightly spicy,
tossed with a little bit of peanuts.
It's the perfect side to cool down
on a hot summer day.
And the service was awesome.
Best of all, the meal was
a fraction of the cost
of our sushi omakase.
Not to compare the two,
completely different cuisines,
completely different
settings and restaurants,
but man, you can see why this
is my favorite restaurant.
For four people it was only
about 50 something dollars.
You add on a hefty amount of tip,
because it's hard working
during a pandemic,
it's only still $70.
Afterwards we decided
to walk off our brunch.
We went to a couple of shaved ice places.
We got some mango lime slushie
with hot sauce and tajin,
and it was really refreshing.
It came with a nicely
spiced tamarind candy stick.
That was delicious.
I don't know if we're gonna eat dinner.
I might just pass out.
- [Aaron] Did you have fun?
- Yes.
- [Aaron] I had a lot of fun too.
It was actually really fun.
- It's like basically midnight now,
so the week's over.
I can do whatever.
- [Aaron] I'm eating it
with you, so it's okay.
- I don't need your approval.
I don't need nobody's approval.
(June coughs)
Eat all the things that
make you happy and cheers
until we meet again.
(June laughs)
Get out of here.
(Aaron laughs)
(cheerful disco music)
