Interview with Food Network Star, Justin Warner

that they do it, and they're very happy about it.

Anyway, let's talk about something else, because when I had a chat with you over chili at this diner, I still remember this, you said, "I've got something." And you said, "I w- this might fit into your food history podcast." [laughs] So you came up with this chap, and I'd never heard of him, so that's what we're gonna talk about now, which is really great.

So you tell us who he is and what he is.

Yeah.

So this is crazy, and of course, this is the way I do a Simon Majumdar Food History podcast, is by bringing up-

[laughs]

... yuckiness.

Yuck.

And just as a brief history before we dive into Mr. Yuk-

Yeah

...

I believe the first written record of the word yuck was in the late 1800s, and yuck has no specific origin in terms of etymology or the provenance of the word.

It comes from no language.

[laughs]

It is simply an onomatopoeia of the opposite of eating, which I believe is retching.

[laughs]

[laughs] And s- yuck became very popular, but partially as a descriptive food word-

Yep.

I, yeah

... partially in part of a character named Mr. Yuk, which is spelled Y-U-K.

They dropped the C from it.

And so Mr. Yuk is often featured as a sticker that you put on things that are poisonous or inedible.

And I grew up with Mr. Yuk in the '80s.

I was born in '84.

I grew up with Mr. Yuk as being an absolute fundamental character in my household.