TV cooking contest shows

[Blarg]

The final for The Next Food Network Star is tonight. They've been spending the day running most of the season up to the present.

[katyseagull]

So who is your prediction Blarg? Do you have a favorite?

(and what's up with Paul and Jag? They sure are chummy.)

[Blarg]

Well, SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO MISSED IT:

The person who I thought would win didn't.

I though Rory would win because she's more conventionally "pretty" on the one hand, as unusual looking as it is, because she comes off as more down to earth than Amy, who is a little ethereal, and because despite some flustered stammering toward the end in one show, she has maintained a more consistent idea of what she wants to get across.

Amy was who I was rooting for, because I thought she had the greater food knowledge. But seeing the episodes again today, it seemed clear that her original idea, which kept coming up, about wanting to cook "new food for new people" was really about introducing exotic flavors to people. What she later claimed as her vision, the "gourmet next door," wasn't as true to what she was really all about, and seemed scrambled together out of desperation in response to prodding from the judges.

That made me wonder who I should root for. I wondered, and wonder still, if Amy will really be fully capable of getting across the "gourmet next door" idea when it isn't really what she's interested in. However, I guess she'll be thoroughly coached and guided by the network to stay in line with the concept of the show. In a way, it will probably be the show that guides her, rather than the other way around. And that will be more like punching a clock, something she can handle. It's just too bad it's not really her vision. Or, that it's only her vision in the sense that making a good career for herself would be anyone's vision.

[katyseagull]

When I was watching the segment on Rory, and they went back to her home town in Texas, I was certain they were going to choose her. She has very big stage energy and a dynamic personality. Also, Texan cooking is really popular (barbeques and stuff) so I thought this would make for a fun cooking show. I was surprised that they chose Amy.



[ QUOTE ]
Amy was who I was rooting for, because I thought she had the greater food knowledge. But seeing the episodes again today, it seemed clear that her original idea, which kept coming up, about wanting to cook "new food for new people" was really about introducing exotic flavors to people. What she later claimed as her vision, the "gourmet next door," wasn't as true to what she was really all about, and seemed scrambled together out of desperation in response to prodding from the judges.

That made me wonder who I should root for. I wondered, and wonder still, if Amy will really be fully capable of getting across the "gourmet next door" idea when it isn't really what she's interested in.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know that my mom will enjoy watching Amy on TV. She has always been into cooking shows for as long as I can remember. She really gets into shows where they introduce exotic flavors and new cuisines.

Why do you think Amy will have trouble getting her gourmet ideas across?

[Blarg]

Well, the producers kept telling her to not get fancy, and she tended to do so anyway. Remember when she had to serve meatloaf, and made sneering remarks about how inedible the very concept was? Then charged with just dealing with it, she made a lousy meatloaf, and delivered it with a sneer at what "you Americans" eat? (I guess she was in France long enough to forget that she was an American too.)

She seems very wed to doing things her way, which is not really simple at all. She has great difficulty with and even resentment toward the task of doing what the show wants or what people want rather than what SHE wants. Her essential concept is to broaden people's food horizons in the directions SHE is most interested in. As far as eating, not preparing. Few people are going to want to go to cooking school to learn complex techniques so they can duplicate her flavors. And she doesn't seem to respect that. She's a good ways off on a cloud.

I don't think that makes her a bad cook, maybe quite the contrary. But it's at odds with teaching people on t.v. how to do simple recipes, which the Food Network guys repeatedly told her was her emphasis and which she only later in the game adopted as her new emphasis. She's going to have to change her basic outlook on what she wants to do with food to something that's not really in her.

You know that 50-ish southern lady who has a show where she does southern homey cooking? She can't stop herself from sticking EVERYTHING in her constantly going deepfryer after battering it up in her ever-ready bowl of all-purpose glop. As much as her food often looks like it completely stinks, she LOVES easy, crappy, trashy food. She doesn't have to pretend or lower her sights and talk down to her audience. She's easy-to-make-garbage incarnate.

Amy doesn't incarnate the "gourmet next door" that anyone could be. She's more like the person who would want to make an "easy" recipe the way JAG did -- with 25 ingredients just on the first page, and a five-minute dish that takes plenty of expertise and 3 hours and unusual ingredients to make.

P.S.: Yeah, Rory's video was so good I thought it would be impossible for Amy to win after that.

[Blarg]

Here's Bourdain's latest blog entry on Ruhlman's site. It was good to see he was as cynical as I was about the tetchy, very set up way that JAG had to "apologize".

TOP SECRET!

After the confusing, frighteningly eerie, Soviet style public "confession on NFNS last week, I put out feelers to sympathizers within The Organization. The following completely unverifiable document, alleged to be an internal memorandum from the Ministry of Information to the Central Committee, arrived anonymously immediately following last night's final episode:

"CLASSIFIED: NOT FOR DISSEMINATION! EYES ONLY!

"Citizen JAG did his duty, and 'repented' to Comrades Tuschman and Fogelson as arranged. His words, as written by this officer Ministry of Information, expressed appropriate regret--and most importantly, released the Central Committe from blame or liability for his Crimes. Comrade Tuschman's remarks concerning: "rumors swirling around" are to be commended for their deflection of further questions from the organs of the press. Citizen JAG's 'resignation' was accepted by the Comrades as agreed and he was--on recommendation from the Directorate of Propaganda--invited to join the Victorious Mayday Celebration at which time the "winner" was to be announced. Citizen Amy was returned from Re-Education Camp where she had been undergoing treatment for Anti-Party Utterances like "cocotte" and for suspicion of Foreign Influences.

During a film presentation to the audience, the lingering question of Citizen Rory's state of origin was neatly deflected--before it could become a problem. Agent Mark Somers, (Code Name: Unctuous Haircut) did a masterful job of keeping the Glorious Ceremonies moving. The former contestants were invited to return and to meet with the Old Comrades and to exchange expressions of Solidarity and Party Spirit before a compliant audience bussed in by our comrades at the Ministry of Transportation. (May I commend them on their work. They would laugh and cheer for a colostomy of requested to do so).

Old Comrade Flay made a serious slip at this time, making reference to the Group of Three who, he claimed, "started" the Network. To compound his Error, he made specific reference to Former Old Comrade Mario--whose photograph we had just succeeded in deleting from our literature and lobby mural. This smacks of Calumny Against The Brand, and the Glorification of the Individual vs. the State. Comrade Flay will be advised of his transgression in private session with the Security Directorate.

Old Comrade Lagasse did his Duty, making a personal appearance. His demeanor, while subdued, did not( as yet) reflect his disappointment with his change of time slot. Suggest an Award of some kind-perhaps at South Beach this year, commending him for his years of service--before retiring him.. This is a problem we have disussed at length with the Committee. Security Directorate, as you know, suggests a more..final approach. This Dept. would have to agree. The Old Comrade does not, as you know, fit in with our plans for the New Vanguard.

Nor does Citizen Amy.

Reeducation has its limits. And her French ways and lack of blondeness pose a serious problem in future. That the viewing audience was allowed to publicly rebuke the Committee by voting her the winner could have been embarrassing to the Maximum Leader--who Herself graciously consented to congratulate the victor. Fortunately, we followed the dictum that "When Confronted with a Steaming, Embarrassing Turd on the Floor, Cover It With Baloons." and it--once again, proved a successful strategy.

Sincerely,

Name Blacked Out Here

Deputy Director, Ministry of Information and Special Services

Food Network"
Ruhlman's blog where Bourdain often guest blogs

[ElSapo]

I think the Food Network has done themselves a real diservice here. Which, ok, maybe isn't the end of the world or anything. After all, it's a cable network about food and they're probably doing just fine.

But what happened last night and last week, I think, represents a gap between where FN is now and where they're going.

The new shows seem to target some apparent need to produce decent food in little to no time. There's an obvious push away from anything more complicated, as if the network fears its viewers have a complete hatred of anything complex.

Assuming this was true, it just seems like FN is educating its viewers on the basics but then not graduating them. There's only so many times you can watch very simple food prepared very quickly — at some point your viewers will either stop gaining and so stop watching, or stop gaining and want something more, something FN doesn't do.

So the folks at Food Network voted off Amy - not approachable, too snooty, or whatever. And then, when the whole Jag thing hit the fan, they bring Amy back and the country votes for her.

That seems to me like they're a little out of touch with their audience.

And what a disaster - Rory having to lose to someone she previously beat, and with no additional challenge? Ugh. I really disliked Rory and I really liked Amy, but still, that's a lousy, lousy way for it to go down.

I think I would definitely watch Amy's show. I don't find her cooking all that complicated (jesus, she baked some eggs and the judges said she was unapproachable. She baked eggs.) ... But while her food isn't too much more complicated it maybe is a step or so above some of the other stuff.

It amazes me they let Good Eats survive. I love that show, but I wonder how it stacks up against others.

Granted, I'm coming at this from a different point of view than most people watching the network (culinary school). But I get the sense FN is really missing something, and last night's train wreck of an episode was a good sign of that.

[Blarg]

Good Eats is the Alton Brown one right? I'm sometimes interested in what he's cooking, and like that he gives lots of tips. But the style of the show is unbearable. Non-stop mugging into the camera, excessive super close-ups, idiotic skits pandering to an audience probably too infantile to actually exist. He's painfully awkward, frenetic, and over the top. His show should have an undertitle of "Save Me Before I Host Again" or something.

He's fine doing commentary on Iron Chef or NFNS, but given free reign, as knowledgeable about cooking as he may be, his own presentation is so awful that he comes off as a misguided weirdo.

[ElSapo]

[ QUOTE ]
Good Eats is the Alton Brown one right? I'm sometimes interested in what he's cooking, and like that he gives lots of tips. But the style of the show is unbearable. Non-stop mugging into the camera, excessive super close-ups, idiotic skits pandering to an audience probably too infantile to actually exist. He's painfully awkward, frenetic, and over the top. His show should have an undertitle of "Save Me Before I Host Again" or something.

He's fine doing commentary on Iron Chef or NFNS, but given free reign, as knowledgeable about cooking as he may be, his own presentation is so awful that he comes off as a misguided weirdo.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everything you hate about the show is what I love about it.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Good Eats is the Alton Brown one right? I'm sometimes interested in what he's cooking, and like that he gives lots of tips. But the style of the show is unbearable. Non-stop mugging into the camera, excessive super close-ups, idiotic skits pandering to an audience probably too infantile to actually exist. He's painfully awkward, frenetic, and over the top. His show should have an undertitle of "Save Me Before I Host Again" or something.

He's fine doing commentary on Iron Chef or NFNS, but given free reign, as knowledgeable about cooking as he may be, his own presentation is so awful that he comes off as a misguided weirdo.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everything you hate about the show is what I love about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

It amazes me that anyone could love that. It makes me want to stab myself with shards of my own skull after I've bashed my brains in diving off a balcony.