Call Us by Your Name

This week on Unorthodox, we’re wining and dining. Our Jewish guest is author André Aciman, whose 2007 novel Call Me by Your Name was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film starring Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet. He tells us about being forced to leave Egypt with his family as a teenager, getting recognized on the Upper West Side after the film premiered, and his absolute favorite coffeemaker.

Our gentile of the week is journalist Kevin Begos, whose new book is Tasting the Past: The Science of Flavor and the Search for the Origins of Wine, a literary undertaking that began when he found an obscure wine from Bethlehem in a hotel room minibar in Amman, Jordan. He tells us how the course of Israeli wine changed when Edmond de Rothschild arrived in Israel in the 19th century and opted to make European wine instead of embracing ancient local grapes, and why we should ditch the pinot noirs and cabernets and drink wines made from Israeli grapes like jandali, hamdani, and dabouki instead.

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This episode is sponsored by One Day University. Get 20% off your ticket to see Mark Oppenheimer’s Oct. 14 lecture on religion in America by using the code MARK when you register at OneDayU.com.

This episode also is sponsored by Harry’s. Get $5 off a shave set from Harry’s with code UNORTHODOX at Harrys.com.

Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.