Mark Ladner, chef at Del Posto, joins Dave, Nastassia, and Piper for this week's Cooking Issues! Dave talks about his upcoming trip to Senegal, and the importance of learning about authentic cuisine from different regions around the world. Dave revisits a question about rice noodles, and then delves into different types of miso. How can one substitute duck fat into baking recipes? Later, Mark weighs in on the bacon vs. pancetta debate. What does he prefer when making a carbonara? The cast tastes different olive oils to decide what temperatures and cooking times cause flavor to degrade. Want to try Mark's Italian-style barbecue? Buy your tickets here! This program has been sponsored by Underground Meats.

"Poorly-made industrial pancetta is absolute garbage. It's too salty; just stick with the bacon for carbonara." [22:00] -- Mark Ladner on Cooking Issues

This week on The Main Course, host Katy Keiffer checks in with Jeanne Hodesh, Director of Publicity of Greenmarket and GrowNYC. Jeanne explains how farmers have been affected by Hurricane Irene and what steps are being taken to assist them in this time of need. Later, Katy hosts a discussion on Hydraulic fracturing in New York State with both sides of the debate. She is joined by Ramsay Adams, Executive Director of Catskill Mountain Keeper & Dennis Holbrook, Executive Vice President Regulatory and Public Relations for Norse Energy Company. This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

This week on Cooking Issues, Dave tries out a raw vegan diet and discusses the hardships and limitations involved. He then answers questions about meat, popcorn, and salumi followed by a passionate take on how pretzels should always be. This week's episode is sponsored by Fairway Market, like no other market.