Once a year the small staff here at The Sound of Young America compiles the best comedy we've heard from the past year.  Our selections may not be poignant, they may not contribute to a broader understanding of our world, but hey, at least they're funny.  Hear from Patton Oswalt, Tig Notaro, Mike Birbiglia and many many others this week on the Sound of Young America's 2011 comedy special.

Ed Levine is the founder and editor of the blog Serious Eats, a forum for sharing "food enthusiasm." He's written regularly about NY food and the iconic American foods and their place in our society. The blog has spawned a new book, called Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are.

Our contributor Rob Baedeker's new kick is his organic farm, and he shares the letter from his CSA box with us. Rob is a member of the comedy sketch group Kasper Hauser and a freelance writer.

Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold talks to us about how he manages the day to day eating, the best pastrami sandwich, overcoming food fears and more. He writes for the LA Weekly and is the author of the highly regarded food guide to Los Angeles, Counter Intelligence.

Carrie Fisher is perhaps best known as Princess Leia from the seminal Star Wars films, but she began her celebrity life as a baby -- the daughter of America's sweethearts, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher.  Carrie battled addiction, mental illness and the ups and downs of celebrity to reinvent herself as a successful novelist and memoirist.  Her new memoir, Shockaholic, is out now.

AV Club Editor Keith Phipps and Associate Editor Tasha Robinson join us to give their culture picks for December 2011.