Don’t Listen to SEINFELD, Says Mary Berg of MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH; The ‘Pop-In’ is a Good Thing!

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Mary Berg calls it the “drop-in.” Jerry Seinfeld called it the “pop-in.” They mean the same thing, but no matter how you say it, is it something to be feared? A new episode of MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH, titled “Delicious Drop-In,” airs Sunday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. ET on CTV. Berg’s warm personality embraces the unexpected “drop-in” as a welcome challenge, even though the “pop-in” was an unwelcome occurrence – and a running gag – on SEINFELD, all nine seasons of which are available on Crave. “I love a good pop-in,” confirmed Berg, whose friend Sarah makes a surprise visit in this episode. “With a lot of people, it’s almost like the pop-in can be seen as rude, as an imposition or something. But I’m like, no, I love it when you get to that point in a friendship where a pop-in is welcome and exciting, and you’re not worried if the kitchen is a little messy.” Unscheduled visits have been put on hold during the pandemic, but Berg said that even within her own little social bubble, she has found herself preparing food for more people than merely herself and her husband far more often than she ever would have thought. Why not pop in on Mary Berg? She probably always has something good cooking, right? And whenever the pandemic lifts, it’s probably going to be pop-in mania everywhere, because everyone is going to feel as if it’s overdue. So how can viewers be prepared? “One of my basic rules is, always have at least three different types of cheese in the fridge,” Berg said. “Because with three types of cheese, you can make a cheese board, and it doesn’t matter what type of cheese it is, either. Even if you have more of a kid-like palette, and you’ve got just cheddar, marble, and havarti or something, you can still make a version of it, pull it off in a great way, and make people feel welcome.” Berg said her biggest nightmare is to have guests feel as if they’re imposing when they visit her home. “Everything I do in my house and in the kitchen is to make people feel comfortable, and with this episode in particular, I’m also looking for ways to use stuff up, without having to run to the grocery store,” she explained. “So the idea of a pop-in meal is similar to a use-up COVID-friendly meal.” To sum it all up, Mary Berg is declaring that the pop-in can be a good thing. “The moral of the story is, it’s not about looking like you’re in a magazine and everything’s perfect, because perfect is boring,” she said. “You want it to be more like, ‘I just threw this together, but it was with stuff I already had in the fridge.’ Those are the kinds of meals that are trendy, good-to-know meals right now. Whenever pop-ins happen, I’m like, ‘This is my time to shine.’ ” Is Jerry listening? Subsequent new episodes of MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH are titled “Dinner For One” (Aug. 30), in which Berg insists that eating alone is a chance to prepare something simple that still focuses specifically on your favourite tastes, because you’re worth it!;  and “Pressure Cooking” (Sept. 6), in which Mary feels the judgmental heat while preparing food for her pal Veronica from Season 3 of MASTERCHEF CANADA. billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv