Confrontations, Condiments and The Paranormal

0:14Romesh Ranganathan:Welcome to the Wolf and Owl podcast email special. Up in your grill piece. Two in the chamber. Wolf Alpod One in the clock Yeah WolfAlpod at gmail.com for all your email requirements Like and subscribe because it's an amazing podcast where both of us just chat And you want to be notified about episodes you don't want to miss anything do you? It'd be foolish to miss anything wouldn't it? Yeah It would be a silly mistake Do you listen to the episodes back? Now and again yeah I like the clips that come out But sometimes people will say to me about something I've said two years ago Yeah I realised that I say some weird stuff on this some of that honestly weird stuff I don't think you do I think it's just you yeah it's me no no no it is me yeah this is the yeah what the fucking hell is this opening to this email by the way dear the elegant wolf and the grumpy old owl the grumpy old owl like an old fusty owl that's stuck in someone's loft hello you sweet sweet souls hope you're both doing well yeah mate My best mate is seeing his ex again.

1:24Romesh Ranganathan:No, don't do it, Jan.

1:30Romesh Ranganathan:Again, you don't know what the tone of this is, do you? No, never leave a bone behind. Come up for air, soldier. His brother was killed in military action. Oh, God. My best mate is seeing his ex again, but swears blind he's not. I couldn't care less who he's with, but the lying is starting to grate on me. I first got suspicious when he showed me a video on his phone and I could see her messaging him. After this, he cancelled plans to go to his dad's, having told me earlier that his dad was on holiday. Then I was in a McDonald's drive-thru and spotted him and his ex in the car right behind me. A couple of days later, I asked him what he'd been up to and he told me he'd been visiting his grandma in hospital.

2:06Romesh Ranganathan:Bizarre lie, straight to my face. We've known each other for years and it stings a bit that he's still happy to lie to me outright rather than just be honest. Part of me feels a bit selfish wanting to know everything when it really is none of my business who he sees. but I think what's upsetting me isn't the secret itself is that my best friend doesn't feel like he confided in me. Do I say something or leave him to it? Part of me wants to ask him straight why he feels like he has to lie to me. Another part thinks if I push he'll just dig in further. Everything in me is shouting to confront him but then again what's it to do with me?

2:34Romesh Ranganathan:Please help. Lots of love from the Greedy Beagle. Thank you for your email Greedy Beagle. Great name Greedy Beagle. Yeah. Yeah. I think Beagles naturally are quite greedy aren't they Beagles? Don't know. And neither do you. No, no, no, no. I'd be interested to know if they're naturally greedy or is this just a little greedy beagle. I think it might be a rhyming thing. Really? Of course, yeah. Or like, you know, it sounds good, doesn't it? Yes, here we go. Beagles have an intense future, but that's true of all... Oh, they're the greediest dog breed. Yeah. Oh, there we go. Well, in that case, I would say that means that the name makes less sense.

3:09No, but... You'd just say you'd just go the beagle, wouldn't you? But he's greedy for information from his friends.

3:15Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, it's like going the long-nosed elephant.

3:20the furry bear

3:25the sad hippo yeah hippos are always sad man

3:28Romesh Ranganathan:I don't think they are they're quite dangerous though aren't they one of my favourite videos to watch is them being fed an entire watermelon really and then they just crunch it down it's really satisfying to watch yeah it's how I'd imagine you would eat like I don't know what sort of thing do I think you could smash down like a watermelon you could do a watermelon an egg yeah I'd love to see you and eat an egg without the shell obviously yeah but i can eat an egg in one bite that's not the flex you think it is

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4:36Taxes and fees extra. Initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. I'm trying to think the biggest thing I could get in my mouth in one bite. That could be it. That could be a nice little paycheck.

4:46Romesh Ranganathan:I just imagine the greedy beagle is desperate for some help with his friendship. Suddenly the conversation veers onto, what's the biggest thing that Tom could eat? Excited to hear his email read out. Okay, let's get to the serious business of the greedy beagles problem here. Personally, it's... The McDonald's drive-thru things, that's like, it feels like, coincidentally, or is he now following his friend? I think let's assume it's coincidence okay I think that's the time where you probably should have said I saw you and let's just call his ex Sarah do you think yeah I don't think in this discussion okay I saw you and Sarah the other day I saw you and Sarah at the McDonald's drive-thru the other day it's weird you know but I think if your friend's keeping this to himself there's a good chance that there's some air of like he's uncertain about it I don't know how their relationship ended he's probably trying to sort of see if it's working out, whether there's some sort of embarrassment or shame that he's seeing his ex again, and he doesn't quite feel confident enough about bringing it up.

5:51I think when you feel you're being lied to by someone, I think you can quite easily make it feel it's about you. And actually, you can almost interpret the whole situation as being like, why are they not telling me? Why don't I? And usually it will come more down to the actual person themselves or people themselves and and they won't really be thinking of you know positive or negative or anything about any single person outside this relationship and they're just probably trying to sort of trying to work through it I guess and see if if it's going to go anywhere and if it's something even worth telling other people um but but I get the onus then can you you can start feeling why are people not talking to me about this and you can feel quite upset so what I'd say is um i don't think you can catastrophize that uh quite a lot so i i'd say that confronting someone is although it would maybe give you some answers i think also it would i don't necessarily think i don't think it's always a positive thing to do i think sometimes it's actually better just stepping away letting them just work this out and uh and and and just not i suppose making not making it feel like that this is about them not him not telling you and not talking to you about it he probably will when he's comfortable and i think that's i just give him that space and that time um i i'm trying to figure out like you don't say greedy beagle in your email

7:24Romesh Ranganathan:why is he might be worried about telling you that he's got back together with his ex and like the most obvious one is that it was a bad breakup and that you said you got to get away from so you've got to get away from Sarah and now he's got back together with Sarah he's feeling worried about breaking that to you so that is that's the most likely reason why it's being kept a secret from you I think that it I don't mean this in a way it's sort of not your business in a way I think actually the really good friend thing to do would be to pretend that you're not noticing any of these signs at all to make it easy for him because there is a real reason he feels uncomfortable about getting back in this relationship and for whatever reason you are close friends and you've got to trust that there is a decent reason for that being kept from you I would try and allude to in as subtler way as you can the fact that you would never judge him for whatever he does if you want him to I think that the best way to find out about this is that he feels comfortable enough to share it with you of his own accord i personally don't think there should ever be a point in which you confront him about it i i think you've got to trust if tom was keeping something from me and i found out that tom was keeping something from me i trust you so completely that my natural assumption would be there's a good reason you're keeping it from me and so i would never be angered by that i'd be like maybe thinks i'm going to be hurt or maybe feels awkward about telling me i know because you and I are such good mates, it would never be malicious.

9:00Romesh Ranganathan:It would never come from a bad place. Do you know what I mean? And so I think if it's a really good friend, there is a good reason why they're keeping it from you and you've got to trust them in that regard and just let them know that you are a safe space and so that if they decide to tell you one day, they do. Do you know what I mean? But I think the reason you're annoyed about it is it's an ego thing. And I don't mean that in a slagging you off kind of way, but I just think it's like, it's a bit of like my pride's been hurt that somebody that I consider to be a really good friend is not sharing this thing with me that that is a bit of a like oh that's a bit that hurts a bit you really it's in it's in your friendships interest to put that to one side I would say if you wanted to be subtle about it and go back in a subtle way you know what you could do you sort of go out for a couple of beers or whatever have McDonald's and say yeah I know I keep thinking about his old Sarah I'm like yeah I'm thinking you know I Ask her out, see if she wants to go out for a drink.

9:53Romesh Ranganathan:I think that's an insane thing to advise. Really? So it's like a subtle way. If we're assuming that the logical thing is that they had a horrible breakup, it feels really weird to go, you know that person that you had a horrendous breakup with? I'd quite like to take her out. Oh, yeah, no, you say it like that. I would say that makes you look like more of a dangerous space. I was just thinking that... No, I get it. I understand why... Then Alan would turn around and go, oh oh no if the truth is that no I'm actually seeing Sarah again oh bloody hell I didn't know oh no no no yeah fair enough but well yeah but I'm certainly not going to reintroduce you two because it sounds like you want to go out with her so I mean what I would say is almost a guaranteed way to exclude yourself from that relationship completely forever don't do that greedy beagle don't do that greedy beagle and by the way I would just as a little final thing I would just go by beagle yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah thank you so much for email let us know what goes on send pictures of yourself with your friend yeah John loves those dear wolf owl cat and swan long time listener first time emailer I've recently gone back to your older episodes and found myself becoming heavily invested in episode 49 back in 2021 when you were ranking the humble potato in order of preference this got me wondering what your thoughts on uh were on condiments with so many available now what would be your top source for choice and your your least favorite i'm guessing it is does it depend on your mood at a time or is there something that will make any slop taste amazing in your opinion would love to hear your valued insights the guffing guinea pig so do we know guinea pigs the most yeah yeah in animal kingdom we don't know that feels i mean that i that feels like a necessary adjective i think this person as obviously listen to the podcast but I think I've gone all in with my favorite condiment and I'll never back down from that I would die on that hill mango chutney yeah yeah still stand by it still adore it that would be yeah that would be my death row meal mango chutney with everything I'd have different stuff just with man okay well I think if you go yeah you'd I think the way you phrase it as I'd have that with my day oh yeah I'll be devastated if my death row they just a big jug of mango chutney with a spum in it have you have you eaten it with a spoon on its own no it's delicious oh my but I probably have had a spoon for yeah anyhow so I'd feel I'd feel terrible if I if I there's nothing else for me that comes close I saw a video on tick-tock recently back on tick-tock yeah back on it big time I'm back on tick-tock just a bit you love tick tock tick tock is your that's your space isn't it no it's not my space no no but to sit and watch what's your algorithm now what's it like what's popping up big stacks bevo no big stacks but the bevo appears yeah what else a lot of Arsenal stuff yeah of course a lot of hip-hop stuff yeah it's bevo an Arsenal fan yeah he's a tragic little orc isn't he he said he's really he is the new kick thing by the way where they're just people are just filming themselves 24 7 yeah same yeah because they're just trying to find things to do and and talk about it makes a lot of money though i think yeah yeah but yeah who's but i think you'd be good on kick maybe i'll do kick for a week yeah i have to get probably john or little will to follow me out yeah i think it followed me for everything i did you'd have to probably be in it quite a lot as well they always have like a friend that they knock about but I'm not turning up to Jimskin's brother you can't book me for your kick I'm just saying I'll do it when you've not got much else on no I'll turn up at work when you're doing other stuff you've got to get a little dance and stuff and then they always just start on someone who's horrible to them that's what Bevo does all the time yeah I saw Bevo the other day sort of having to get a 14 year old kid and then his cousin turned up Oh, Bevo.

14:08Anyway. So, sorry, yeah, condiment-wise. Yeah, mango chutney would be my one that I... Okay, what's your worst one? My worst thing? I try to think of a condiment that I'm not really...

14:21Romesh Ranganathan:Mayonnaise? I like a garlic mayo. Aleoli. Is it aleoli? Aoli. Aoli, yeah. I love a condiment. Wasabi can go fuck itself. What can? Wasabi. Why? I don't have wasabi. Too pasty. And ginger, actually. You don't like ginger? No. You sort of seem to be centering around one particular cuisine here. No, I love teriyaki sauce. Tell you what I said, though, like fucking rice wrapped up in a seaweed roll. No, I love that. Right. I love teriyaki and soy sauce all day. Soy sauce, by the way, mango, chocolate and soy sauce together, that's a fucking brethren that I can get involved with. For sure. You know, salty and sweet, right?

15:00Yeah. Wasabi, I'm there. I'm like, what's the big deal? It's so dry and pasty. I like a chilli sauce. It's punchy above its weight, mate. That's what it's doing. I like wasabi. Yeah, I thought you might. What does that mean? No, it's the sort of thing that you culture vultures like.

15:16Romesh Ranganathan:No, I don't think it's culture to like wasabi. That's the sort of thing. The idea that if you fucking like wasabi... You can get it in fucking boots with the sushi you buy there. It's the sort of thing that when you're at a sushi... make sure you load it out with wasabi please it's like yeah I get it mate it's not the connoisseur nobody goes I'll have a bit of wasabi fucking hell somebody knows their sushi yeah what a nice yeah give me that much worth of wasabi please I don't mind it but it's often it's not wasabi what do you mean they've just coloured some horseradish really yeah horseradish actually as well I'm not really having cranberries also no surprise there I've just told you it's the same thing.

16:08Romesh Ranganathan:I don't think anybody's fallen off their chair at that fucking revelation.

16:21Crabberry sauce. Oh, yeah. But mango chutney, I think, just does everything you need. It's got enough little bit of spice in it. You know, it's got the sweetness. Mango chutney. I'd love to just meet the person who came up with mango chutney I think that's a human being that I can get on board with sure

16:36Romesh Ranganathan:for me again I've been very vocal about this probably my two front runners are Lao Gan Ma Crunchy Chili Oil nice and Rib Man's Chili Sauces Rib Man's very good like Holy Fuck Christ on a Bike Holy Fuck that's what they're called you were like Kim Kardashian when you said it Holy Fuck Bullshit you got it's not how I did it holy fuck Christ on a bike they are Judas it's scary hot I like sesame that there's a caffin but I guess yeah like a sort of sauce rather than I don't I don't think there's any that I particularly dislike I'll say that Lisa the Swan yeah has got a problem with mint sauce what loves it fucking loves it like what puts loads of it on loads of stuff that you don't think really yeah she's a big huge fan I get mint sauce on lamb yeah probably chicken she put me she'd put she put mint sauce on any roast and I think if it's socially acceptable she'd put it on pasta what yeah that's insane she loves it it's nice with a little bit cauliflower cheese mmm takes the sulfur away kind of for ketchup but I went for a stage around ketchup just on everything we've got a problem at home with the boys smashing through too much ketchup really yeah they love it have you any of them having the rib man stuff no none of them are moved on to none of them actually in fact I'm the only one in my house that has hot sauces and we've got loads of them yeah you're known as a hot sauce guy I'm a hot sauce Don yeah I don't have you done the hot challenge that that when they do with the different sauces no I'd love to do that with you I did a chili in competition though yeah we I did one I was in um we did legal around hmm oh my no but Jim when you did the um we did the hot wings fucking insane with Paddy and yeah and you you're fucking it went in my eye a little bit when in your eye and you're basically that to call like two what three medics on yeah it was fucking intense by the way so fucking demeaning in front of Paddy the baddie is one of the hardest guys yeah I mean he I would say look Paddy the baddie was great on that show I adored him but what he wasn't was empathetic no he's got no way to your situation he he never would have empathy no he was yeah he that's not in his locker no I take someone down on that so he's the opposite of empathy I think if you'd have been really in try to say he's got very sweet side yeah he's really nice girl yeah yeah I enjoyed him long time listener first time caller I'll keep the email tame and simple love you guys really I could have either of those would you mean on my grace though Tom Davis lies here tagging the symbol I love you guys keep it up always make me look like a madman laughing to myself and i'm listening with my headphones in work you asked us to send pictures of what we think john looks like i think he looks like this that's from phil the lion doesn't rhyme i just like what i was i just like lions and what else i was going to say phil the krill okay fair enough oh wow oh so it's a picture of well we can see the john sent this in himself this is so weird the idea that anybody gives a fuck what john looks like i love this idea he's clearly you could knock this up yourself tom asked people to send yeah i did yeah did you oh i forgot is that the guy is this the guy from national treasure with nicholas cage or is that an ai picture i think it might be an ai picture but in mind there's a wolf and an owl looking over either shoulder you mad bastard oh i just noticed that he looks a bit like uh what's his face from the office the guy's tim uh tim yeah no no no no Oh, Gareth.

20:14No, no, the version of Tim in the American one.

20:17Romesh Ranganathan:Oh, Jim. Yeah, Jim. Yeah. Does look a bit like Jim, yeah. Yeah, it's quite a white... What I would say is, I don't know what the prompts have been for this picture, but I would say it shows a slight lack of understanding of how podcasts are put together. I love all the paperwork. I don't know what paperwork you think there is on this unplanned podcast. No excuses. Get it done. Wow. it's a great picture to be fair I actually I think we've got a runner here with these I don't think we should encourage people to knock up AI pictures what no I was expecting like that they draw them themselves yeah funny you say that that's actually more like John in a way like clothes wise yeah and he often has that expression on his face don't say it he's got a button up today yeah yeah that's actually not for clothes wise yeah it's not bad yeah so what happened is that from Phil the Krill as well no that's from Dom that's from Dom that's from Dom that's a nice picture are you sure you're quite good at drawing aren't you not particularly but I am what I would say Dom thank you for your picture I I am surprised that he's chosen to take a photo of that and send it in yeah I think as well it looks like John's a real golfer.

21:41Romesh Ranganathan:You look like a golfer there. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Sorry, I'm not trying to be horrible, but this picture's shit. Are you sure? I actually weirdly... He's spent 30 seconds doing a doodle on some lined paper. Shall I say that? He's closer than the AI picture, clothing-wise. True. He's tucked in, the belt. Yeah, he's often got his arms up. Oh, that can't go in the edit, guys. I've never actually seen him with his arms up. No. Ever. quite a sort of no not with a light shirt like that no he's quite a casual yeah okay and he doesn't wear a cap anymore he never wears a cap so keep those coming in as you can see we really enjoy them dear wolf owl cat and swan I was wondering can you read slowly because I've got I'm going to eat this Percy pig in quite a sexy way come on I was wondering whether either of you has ever had a genuinely paranormal or unexplained experience i mean we've talked about this quite extensively whether it's seeing a ghost experiencing something spooky or just something you still can't explain to this day if not are you believers in the paranormal or do you think there's always a logical explanation would love to hear your stories or skepticism from the ghostly goose um i mean we had we there was a number of years back the ghost incident in the hotel yeah which was definitely there's two actually incidents we've had on this podcast there was the incident in essex when we're filming king gary we had adjoining rooms um which you were very very skeptical about well there was no ghost there was a fucking ghost i've never ever been as convinced in my life that there was a ghost right and then when we i think we were playing at i I can't remember, we were doing the Wolf and Ale Live, maybe Hammersmith, and then it was like that was a suspicious thing with the shower.

23:34Romesh Ranganathan:What's a suspicious thing with the shower? Well, someone had used the shower, but no one... I don't think... I think if you're in a dressing room and a shower looks like it's been used... Yeah, but Gratz said he didn't use it. You said you hadn't used it. Dennis hadn't used it, or Flo hadn't used it. So who would it have been? Well, because those are the only people who entered the Hammersmith Apollo. No, no one else is allowed to go in the dressing room and have a shower. You can't just... it'll be a sort of fucking do you think it's possible that somebody working at the by the way can i say the shower was still warm and steamy when i and i like this isn't this is this is added detail now and this is exactly the reason why paranormal stories occur because that isn't true what you've just said you've added that in your little memory's eye right when i went in there i was like hold up and i remember just touching the water like the the steamy sort of like glass I know there was a towel sort of like wet and what I'm just saying I mean the ghost wouldn't dry itself that's the only thing I guess yeah I guess because you could see it taking a shower but drawing itself that's when I start to wonder whether it was a ghost you're right

24:51You don't believe, do you? You're not a believer.

24:53Romesh Ranganathan:Not particularly. I'm a mess believer. I'm trying to be open-minded about it. I can't really go into details, but Rob and I have done an episode of Rob and Romesh Versus where we looked into the supernatural. And without giving anything away, it has left me more open-minded to do it. I'm so... I'm a mess believer. I think they're out there. Ghosts and aliens. Yeah, aliens, I think, are out there. Yeah. but ghosts I don't know I'm cynical a long time ago we said to send us in haunted places yeah and when I read the stories I decided because we were going to stay in one yeah and then we decided I decided against it and then because it sounded too fucked up yeah there's a lot of scary places out there yeah but no but I think most of the time haunting stuff is probably there's an explanation I'm a believer in it and I also think it comes to people who believe more because i think ghosts have got like you know there's some level of them that like you know there's a lot of hard work to be done with a non-believer yeah so i just think but why do ghosts want you to believe why do they want to be known so you get some appreciation for their work what work well if they're around ghosting and haunting places it's nothing more soul destroying it's like you doing a gig and someone going no i don't really like comedy i don't really believe in it it's like is that what you believe ghosts are yeah of course they've got a job to haunt and like scare yeah because they're stuck on planet earth having to haunt they'd much rather be putting their feet up right in the so why do they want their work to be known about so they're probably once they get enough in a certain level of haunting but like monsters inc and they get fucking to go into the afterlife that's what you believe well i'm only saying it now and that's yeah but i think there's good reasons for what i'm saying right so yeah what my point is is like if I'm a ghost right yeah and you walked in and someone went oh Terry probably give him a scare I'll go don't worry about him I can you know to knock your pipe out scaring him he's yeah gotta get him to believe first then he got to scare him whereas this saw me come and go wait tell scare him I go oh yes this will be fun watch this yeah yeah okay well I mean I think we've got a difference of opinion I also think we've got a difference of being in what how ghosts would conduct themselves if they existed really well i mean what what i read about and what i've read about and what i saw in the show is just like they're it's like um the ghost doesn't notice a ghost well ghosts don't see each other well they're not going and hanging i don't think they do socials but like you go to a place especially if you're in the same house as another ghost and didn't even know they were there you're just walking around lonely and then just i think that's what it is you're just trapped in this yeah you're trapped in like this certain fragment of your life is what i think and just replaying it over and over yeah that's why they say like you know like if you stay here for long enough there's a little girl that walks down the corridor that one scares me yeah but that's what i'm saying when we were filming reluctant vampire that place was haunted to by just it would go cold did everyone else think that yeah yeah everyone in the car everyone felt it everyone pretty much everyone there's some non-believers but I'd say that most people yeah there was a fear you know a fear that runs I do I do think look I do think we have to we have to stay somewhere yeah I'm up for it I think we we take a camera yeah let's go stay somewhere John's in Johnny ghosts which we all wear Ghostbusters outfits yeah I don't mind doing that yeah um could if anybody's got a good place that we could go to wolf alpod at gym by the way i think we are actually by the way now that we've gone up to this level of things so people are used to us yeah like saying that we're going to do stuff and we're not doing it the club night is happening yeah this will happen gonna just say a lot of this was down and we make light of it john is very much pushing us to do this stuff john has come in as a new manager who's brilliant and that's one of the things you should all give john a lot of yeah the thing i would close most closely describe uh sort of compare him to is um southgate no jojo siwa's mum in dance moms

29:02that's brilliant so but i think to make it really interesting john picks the place we go to okay so we don't know anything about so when we turn up yeah john's done a little document that

29:15Romesh Ranganathan:we read yeah yeah and then we find out yeah i think i i would actually say like he's not saying anything that would be lovely for you to discuss that off podcast that you're giving him some work to do like that he's now got to create a fucking document the whole time you were speculating on him doing that you didn't even make eye contact with him you just said it to me like he's a fucking genie i'll text him off yeah okay cool um yeah so that's there you go so thank you so much for your email. Thank you so much. Thank you for sending those in. If you want to get in touch, you can email wolfowlpod at gmail.com and we would love to hear from you.

29:56Romesh Ranganathan:See you next time, friends. See you next time. Maybe in a haunted mansion. Can you add an effect? Or don't? That's so muggy.