Panera Bread with Bill Oakley

"Panera Bread with Bill Oakley" is Episode 164 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Panera Bread with Bill Oakley" was released on July 26, 2018.

## Synopsis

Writer and producer Bill Oakley (*The Simpsons*, *Portlandia*, *Disenchantment*) joins the 'boys to talk about lunch habits in *The Simpsons*' writers room, and to review the casual bakery-cafe chain Panera Bread. Plus, a McCafe edition of Drank or Stank.

## Nick's intro

Amidst a global geopolitical crisis, with the US fiercely divided among ideological lines, a celebrity who'd never previously held office emerged as a potent force in the national discourse, absorbing the media spotlight and speaking to rapturous crowds who felt validated by his isolationist, neo-fascist, America-first rhetoric.

His name was Charles Lindbergh.

A famed aviator who'd become a sympathetic figure after his twenty-month-old son was kidnapped and murdered, in the mid-1930s, Lindbergh began using his platform to espouse his deeply-held conservative political beliefs. From 1936 to 1939, Lindbergh leveraged his reputation as a heroic pilot to gain entry to overseas meetings with senior officials in the German air command, where he controversially accepted a swastika-adorned metal from the Luftwaffe.

These winks at antisemitism would become air-raid sirens in 1940 and 1941, as in fiery speeches across the U.S., he delivered quotes like "Leaders of the Jewish race are not American in interests and viewpoints" and "their greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government."

Lindbergh would become the most visible member of the influential America First Committee, whose signature issue was agitating *against* U.S. entry into World War II and maintaining a policy of neutrality towards Adolf Hitler. While Lindbergh and his America First associates attracted a legion of rage-fueled acolytes early on, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor reset the playing field, bringing Americans together as the nation joined the Allied war effort. From then on, Lindbergh's relevance rapidly faded as his isolationist absolutism receded to a crank fringe and his social conservatism was exposed as hypocritical by the revelation of his three secret families with different mistresses across Europe.

But despite his time as a divisive mouthpiece for racism cloaked as nationalism, his pioneering aviation exploits had united a nation back in 1927 when he piloted the first solo flight across the Atlantic in a single-engine monoplane named The Spirit Of St. Louis. St. Louis, Missouri was Lindbergh's adopted home, and in 1987, it's where Ken Rosenthal opened a bakery and restaurant called St. Louis Bread.

Serving fresh baked pastries, as well as soups, salads, and sandwiches, the chain, where patrons were practically encouraged to loiter, quickly expanded beyond the Show Me State. In 1997, St. Louis Bread Company was purchased by rival chain Au Bon Pain and subsequently renamed outside of its hometown to be more geographically neutral.

Today, a half-century after the death of Charles Lindbergh, a different celebrity has seized power under the cryptofascist banner of "America First" while the Spirit Of St. Louis Bread lives on in over 2100 rechristened locations.

This week on *Doughboys*: Panera Bread.

## Fork rating

* You Pick Two:
	+ Black Bean Soup
	+ Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich
	+ Apple Slices
* BBQ Chicken Mac & Cheese
 Mike Mitchell
* Mac & Cheese
* Broccoli Cheddar Soup
* Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken
* Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt
 Bill Oakley
* French Onion Soup
* Modern Greek Salad with Quinoa

## Drank or Stank

    In Drank or Stank, The Doughboys have a drink and rate it either 'Drank' or 'Stank.'

For this episode, they drink the three flavors of McCafe Frappes, which aren't available at McDonald's, but sold in stores.

Nobody liked the Caramel or Vanilla, but thought Mocha was fine.

 Mike Mitchell
 Bill Oakley

## Quotes

**Nick**: If you want to die on the air...

**Mitch:** We are Creamsmen. We like heavy, thick, creamy, cheesy things.

**Bill:** Yes, that's the perfect Panera outing.

## #hashtags

* #LocalStLouisGuy or #LocalStLouisGirl or #LocalStLouisPerson
* #SpiritOfStLouis
* #DineSolo or #NeverDineAlone

## The Feedbag

Is this fear normal? Or am I overreacting? What do you guys do when you eat alone - eat at the bar, stomach the difficulty of saying 'table for one', stick to fast food?

## Related Episodes

* 282. Panera Bread 2
* DD. Hero's Journey: Sub-Optimal: Non-Standard Region
* DD. Hero's Journey: Sub-Optimal: Fat Chance Kitchen
* 197. Sizzle Pie
* 349. Burgerville
* SP1. Favorite SnackPack Flavors!

## Photos (via @doughboyspod)

BBQ Chicken Mac & CheeseYou Pick Two: Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich and Black Bean SoupFrescas and TeasPanera Wi-Fi Log InSouthwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad and Chipotle Chicken Avocado MeltPeach and Blueberry SmoothieLemonadesCookie