There are millions of podcasts out there.
They range in topics from from fictional and fantastical places to a series to a look at .
And B.C. podcaster Julie Gauthier, aka Julie G, reads menus to help people fall asleep on her show .
In her most recent episode, she : Their There, Hunnybee Bruncheonette, Caffè La Tana, and Bao Bei.
"It's silly—and it works! The menu readings are diverting, but low stakes and just mundane enough that listeners don't get too invested and can still fall asleep," she says in an email to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».
The 26-minute episode imagines a day in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»as a visitor to the city, exploring , , , and dinner at Bao Bei.
At each place she reads the menu word-for-word (though she skips prices), including descriptions of dishes and restaurant rules, like gratuities at Bao Bei.
"Flat white, cappuccino, latte, add oat milk," she reads from the Their There menu.
"Pasta del giorno. Please ask your server for today’s selection," she reads at another point from the .
The menus are knit together with a short description of activities that might happen in between stopping at each restaurant.
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So far Gauthier is only 23 episodes in, but she's already gotten significant attention, including from England's The Guardian, which for the week of Feb. 10, 2025.
She created the podcast to help people fall asleep; there's a whole genre of podcasts dedicated to falling asleep, but many focus on reading old books or meditating.
Sleep podcasts are a new growth area in the wellness market. It's an industry that McKinsey & Company, a consultancy firm, estimates is worth about $1.8 trillion globally.
Gautheir is also a foodie. Based in Victoria, she collected menus from local places before launching the podcast.
“It was important to me that the idea be original,” she recently told the .
She's from restaurants and cafés in Ottawa, Edmonton, Portland, and Victoria.
With files from Michael John Lo/Times Colonist