Cass McCombs, indie tunesmith behind "Catacombs," one of 2009's finest albums, tells us a cloudy joke.

The staff from public radio's Marketplace share their favorite offbeat news stories from the week

On October 9th, South Koreans celebrate "Hangul Day," honoring the publication, in 1446, of the Korean alphabet "Hangul" -- a triumph of elegant, thoughtful simplicity over illiteracy. Hear the story of hangul, then toast the King who invented it with a potent glassful of Korean flavors; click the link above for the recipe.

Yo La Tengo are indie rock royalty. Pop enthusiasts with a penchant for expanded noise, they're a Hoboken, NJ-based trio consisting of husband and wife Ira & Georgia Kaplan and James McNew. Over 12 albums the band has delivered everything from bluesy love duets to instrumental guitar-drone sprawlers; their albums sound like eclectic, beautifully-crafted mixtapes. Brendan speaks with Ira about longevity, green M&Ms and tweetal.

Food safety was the hot topic this week -- The New York Times ran a front page story about meat contamination, and the Center For Science in the Public Interest published its list of the top 10 most-contaminated foods. Rico speaks with Robert Kenner, director of the food-industry documentary "Food, Inc.," about how the industrial food system stifles reforms. TIP: This is dinner-party conversation you might not want to share during actual dinner.

Brendan Francis Newnam as once the frontman for a short-lived, uncoordinated twee band called The Ladies. This is one of their only known recordings.