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RSS FeedIt’s been a week since Tony opened the floodgates with a post so funny and so withering (I told you getting back on the meds would work, Bourdain) that blogs across the country have been linking to it, commenting themselves, and sparking further discussion. Of all the results from his rant—and yes, while it pains me to say anything kind about this miscreant freak of nature, it was brilliant as so many said (though enough with this god business; the guy’s got a fat enough head already; you guys keep this up and soon he’ll be off adopting kids in Africa)–what astonished me in all this business, for all the railing scorn heaped on the food network in response, was not the scorn itself but the quantity of passionate voices. Tony’s analysis of top chef inspired lively debate but not hundreds of comments! And the passion itself—over shows you don’t even have to watch. You’ve got to listen to George Bush; you don’t have to listen to Rachael. My god people care about this stuff. But will the food network listen? Not likely. They work according to their own methods, whatever those are. They’ve made their decisions based on something, and that something has resulted in the peculiar offerings addressed in Tony’s post. Clearly they know that the way to America’s vast girth is through mediocrity. Mediocrity is America’s main commodity—America is a mediocrity factory, and the food network is no different than any other business trafficking in cheap goods. Why, railing against the Food Network is almost unAmerican, thumbing our noses at the red states, and all those who elected the current administration, twice. Clearly The People know what they want—twice! I’m shocked by you Food Network naysayers. Shocked.
Tony has a facial this afternoon, during which he promised to think about more topics for discussion. Feel free to leave suggestions here.
“Mediocrity is America’s main commodity—America is a mediocrity factory”…. Oh, come on. Having just come back from China, I am ever more impressed by the culture of America. The Food Network may breed mediocrity, but it is not the epitome of American culture in anyone’s eyes.
bless you for your optimism.
Suggest a topic? You may have given Tony the gun, but I’m not so sure I want to give him the bullets.
Think of the children, man.
America is not merely a mediocrity factory, but more and more a society built on doing (or not doing) things based mostly on fear. I blame a blind following of Christianity in many American’s decisions to just do what ever the Joneses are doing (which is probably only eating the white meat, watching Rachael or god forbid, the View, and thinking the jokes printed on popsicle sticks are funny) — i.e. the “safe” choices because anything else is not what Jesus would want. Or at least that’s what their ministers are telling them.
Or, um, Tony could discuss yaks some more. Or his latest facial. You know, whatever.
I blame the bickertocracy the US has become. Both sides are more interested in making the other side look bad than accomplishing anything.
I also blame Walmart for driving all American businesses to let price drive everything at the expense of quality. If the Food Network is cancer, Walmart is the carcinogen.
Oh, no, Michael, dear blogmeister, you’re wrong – I DON’T have to listen to Pres. Bush. I don’t even have to hear him. I just have to watch his poll numbers continue to tank and harangue my Congressman and Senator to block him at every turn. I CHOOSE to listen to Tony, however. On his meds, or off (!)
I still have a bone to pick over some of the misinformation in Msr’s B’s Nasty Bits…only in the chapter about the food from my motherland Singapore…BUT! I would like to hear what both of you have to say on the following topics:
1) The concept of Satiety (and its linkage to mediocrity – do you think ‘Mericans keep stuffing their faces cos they are never truly sated?)
2) Man-Made-Meat: Today’s Soylent erm…Red? Could it ever be accepted by the food world or will just one approving blog change everyone’s outlook, one genetically modified step at a time?
3) Food in Performance/Food as Narrative. (ok so I personally have a thing about this last topic because I’m in theatre)
I wonder
(a) what food meditations chefs have,
(b) if they see food as the ever-evolving narrative of humankind,
(c) what kinds of stories they are telling with their food, and
(d) with more “performative” kitchen practices (the counter/kitchen as stage) what are their thoughts of the theatricality and rituals of food?
(I accept that this is completely geekish, so one could well be honest and just tell me that most chefs/people aren’t concerned about this sort of frivolous po-mo crap but I’m ABSOLUTELY curious)
Am glad I’ve stumbled into your blog Msr. Ruhlman. It is most fine! cheers, ccw
why is it difficult to understand FN is just there to make advertising revenue that’ll outpace their expenses, thus delivering scrips network a profit?
there’s a disconnect between what foodies believe FN should be, what FN says they are, and what FN actually is.
it has nothing to do with mediocrity, and everything to do with how much Bob Tushman can take home after taxes.
I’d like to know his thoughts about “molecular gastronomy.” This “food-becoming-art” thing is just something I’m having a really hard time getting into. I don’t want to eat foam and bob for a bite of moussy meat off the end of a tuning fork, I just want to eat real food and good food. Why have we gotten so far away from that and how does this benefit the food world? It seems more and more when I go out to eat the server has to explain things; what it is that I’m being served, how Chef suggests we eat it, etc. The novelty of this has worn off for me. I’d much rather they were explaining WHERE the ingredients came from or how the chef selected them from a local place or why he decided to truck them in the state next door because she was trying to achieve X or Y. Where are the “regionally focused” restaurants? I’d rather see that springing up than more places to eat gel-infused beet juice wrapped around fish foam.
Did Tony spark off such debate because America is so obsessed with celebrity? Tony acting as an anti-celebretist is in fact a celebrity himself, and an unusual one in that he makes himself ‘available’ to the public at large via your blog whereas most celebrities distance themselves and do not engage directly with the public so readily.
And because he takes the intellectual public’s side on the issue of the Food Network, that same public naturally side with him and relate to him and want to fawn over his sweet celebrity arse. (Not that I blame them for wanting to do that)
I am kind of interested to see what he thinks of the British Masterchef if he’s ever seen it, but I am sure that is a post that wouldn’t pull the readers in with quite the level to which you have become accustomed.
Tony hit the bullseye. As if he needed another medium through which to let loose, I still feel the need to thank you for providing this forum. He’s honest and values authenticity, which I think we can all appreciate. I’d love to get his current take on:
- Chefs. Artists, craftsmen, or both? You’ve covered this a bit yourself.
- Gourmet, Food & Wine, and other big-media outlets’ ceaseless parade of top-10 restaurant lists. Should we take them seriously, or do they represent the fine PR work of the industry’s deepest pockets?
- Is fast food ever good, and why?
Thanks.
Topic: Kitchen Confidential, the Fox television sitcom.
Let him choose. I reckon he’s capable.
I do wish, however, that he would be sure a sexier photo was to be found online than currently exists. I wanted to include him, even before his latest rage, on my hobby blog called “Men” but none of the pix would stand up against even the one other chef included amongst the athletes, actors and dancers. Boh!
I’m interested to hear his thoughts on the state of American cooking. A year or more ago, Daniel Patterson wrote an essay in the NYT accusing chefs, in Northern California at least, of following too blindly in the footsteps of Alice Waters. What does Mr. Bourdain think of American cooking overall, from coast to coast and including the heartland? How’s it doing, what’s most exciting about it, where’s it going, how’s it standing up to cooking around the world? (Restaurant cooking, I’m talking about.)
Thoughts on all these food bloggers competing with each other to “review” restaurants as soon as they open their doors? Does TB think we should leave the criticism to the professionals? Can Bourdain put on his chef/restaurateur hat and answer that one?
Your blog may never be your own again, you realize. As for topics for Tony to write about – Good Lord, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Just cut him loose and let him blog. Worst that can happen is he’ll get arrested for breaking obscenity laws.
Speaking of medocrity in American food, what about all the chain restaurants and their attempt at being “healthy?” You know, banning transfat or the idea that chain restaurants are some people’s idea of good food?
No suggestions that would be more interesting than what Tony could dream up on his own, but I thought I’d pass along a nice interview with our favorite miscreant from yesterday’s Fresno Bee (see ya next week, Tony!).
Oh, and he teases to an upcoming No Reservations episode filmed in a particular Midwestern berg….
http://www.fresnobee.com/226/story/29770.html
let him choose his topics, I think he has enough ammo to last him through the end of the year at least. You two are hilarious…he is like your other wife
…what with knowing his facial schedules and all that.
Here’s a topic- Is mediocrity, in this case, a bad thing?
I agree that Rachael Ray can be grating and annoying, and she does inspire a certain level of mediocrity/laziness in her cooking. But if the result is that men and women watching her shows try out her recipes and make fresh, home cooked food instead of always ordering pizza, is that a bad thing?
I was fortunate enough to be raised in an environment where my mother was able to stay at home and always make dinner for us. I hated it at the time, and wished I could be like my friends whose parents would just bring home a bucket of KFC six nights a week. I didn’t realize until after I graduated college was a blessing those home cooked meals were.
Ideally, I’d like to see us headed in the direction of Gordon Ramsay’s “Get women back into the kitchen” campaign on The F Word. (Though it would sound better if it were to get males and females back into the kitchen.) Ramsay shows that it is not too difficult or time consuming to make a solid meal at home, using good and fresh ingredients.
Are Rachael Ray’s dishes the epitome of what levels we should embrace and aspire to ascend in the kitchen? No. But I’d argue that they are at least a step in the right direction. “Retro-Metro Fancy Tuna Casserole” and “Chipotle Cashew Chicken with Brown Rice” might not be the height of culinary transcendence, but I’ll take it over Kraft Mac & Cheese or McDonalds most days.
I am always amazed by people who look at me in awe when I explain that we cook all of our meals at home.
I am even more amazed by people who think we are trained chefs when we present a plate that the food looks as good as it tastes. I always get the question: “Do you guys eat like this every day?”
yes. We do.
RR may not be my most fav gal, but if she could inspire my lazy instant potatos sister to cook more for herself and her husband–then I guess I can tolerate her. Sarah Lee can bite me, though.
I would like Tony to give his reviews on the following taste treats:
http://www.bumwine.com/
By the way, Michael, we still need to set up the “Make Bail For Tony” tip jar on the site. I’m thinking you should accept both paypal and credit card – there are a number of decent merchant systems out there you can use.
We could also set up one for “Keep Tony Medicated” and arrange for an IV drip to be continually refilled.
Judith in Umbria:
I don’t know if this meets your “sexier” criteria, but, as far as “Tony porn ” goes, you might like this for your collection:
http://www.gehtwaehlen.de/upload/0701/218/FHM0701_Reporter_Bourdain_218.jpg
(No, no calls from your lawyers over the weekend, Tony – it’s on the Web).
And, just as an aside, I did mention the Bourdain bambina ages ago, not the Freno Bee (http://www.fresnobee.com/226/story/29770.html), right here on the Ruhlman blog of 10/24:
http://blog.ruhlman.com/2006/10/ok_bourdain_sli.html
Although, of course, I’m very happy for him and Ottavia – and la bambina bellisima will be 1/2 Italian. Congratulations, Tony!
Mediocrity is a good word, but then again, much in America is aimed at the lowest common denominator … to try to bring in the biggest audience and the biggest buck. This is why talented entrepreneurs often lose out when a new chain restaurant opens up nearby … people are afraid to take a risk at the unknown, and would rather pick a nice, safe, bland chain, and have safe food that doesn’t take any risks, and also is an enormous portion … so they feel they’re getting more bang for the buck …
Though that’s an easy target, I suppose. And I think the readers of this blog have demonstrated that they’re not all going to run out en masse to Applebee’s (even if Tyler Florence or whomever has consulted on the menu), but would rather go to a great little bistro.
So I don’t know if that’s a dead (organically-raised) horse we need to keep flogging.
Actually, I’d like Tony to comment on the rise and popularity of foodie blogs … and indeed, the whole “foodie” movement. This is a fairly recent thing, I think; before, there was always a small core of die-hard gourmands who were interested in food and all the variations possible with food … but in the past decade, partially driven by the Evil Empire that is Empress Yum-O’s employer, there really is a large amount of people interested in all things food … ingredients, recipes, cuisines, and chefs. And with the internet, there’s now a gazillion blogs about food, with everyone becoming food critics or trying to share their latest discoveries.
In a way, it’s exciting, because I think having a lot of people becoming food-conscious is good for the food industry overall, though it’s also annoying, because everyone has got an opinion, and now a way to voice that opinion … even if it’s uniformed or misguided (and I make that caveat to include me as well).
So with all these voices in the wilderness, is it really a good thing? Will it really benefit restaurants and markets and expand peoples’ horizons? Or is this just a flash in the pan, until the next sexy topic comes along??
Great photo, Claudia! Wish I had a glossy.
America is a big place folks. There’s room for everyone. Our culinary heritage is considerably more complex than many other nations because of the sheer diversity of our population. Let’s not worry about those who embrace mediocrity. I want to hear about the people who are doing it right by foraging, cooking, and eating real food from real farms. Not the celebrities but the real people.
Beyond that I would love to read about Tony and Ruhlman cooking side-by-side with Fergus Henderson.
Mr. Ruhlman,
Is mediocrity the word? Hmmmm… Mediocrity is the result.
Trying to put a finger on what defines America’s taste is difficult.
We’re in a society where everyone has to be in a rush… striving for the goal.
Kids need to be trained well with soccer, dance and martial arts after school plus homework. Both parents working. No grandparents living under the same roof passing on the family recipes. Families sacrificing the only time they have together for a meal and chatting. The end result of this rushing around is fast foods, places that taste the same because the kids will eat it… 30 minute meals.
For your Charcuterie press junket, you did a spot in Seattle on Tom Douglas’ radio show where you (or Mr. Polcyn) emphasized that people aren’t taking the time to cook. I wholeheartedly agreed.
The upside of the Food Network is that it is motivating more people to cook. The downside is the emphasis on quick and simple “water downed” recipes.
1. Before I suggest an article, I was wondering if Finland has been featured on the travel show; I would love to hear about the old bear feasts; Finland is a still-Pagan society, and to hear some Karelian / Ingrian music pre-1750 – it would be a great show. great ancient traditions there.
http://www.kotikone.fi/matti.sarmela/indexEngl.html
(Under “Bear” and “Bear Feast”)
2. Would love an article on the magical formula for the travel show; someday I hope to do a nature / culture show, Lonely Planet should be so lucky if they ever pull off a show as great as No Reservations.
3. I know Tony loves irony, so maybe an article on the best eco-friendly restaurants, “Entanglements” issues, economics, from a chef’s perspective? (I know, not likely. Cheers anyway.)
I agree with Neel’s comment. Rachel Ray serves a purpose. She’s the culinary equivalent of Richard Simmons — she makes it look so damn easy that everyone decides to get their fat arses off the couch and do something. And then, after sweatin’ to the oldies a few times, these folks may actually start reading the NYT and giving the recipes a try.(Loved your blog on the General Tso recipe, by the way.) Yes, cooking in America is in a sorry state. RR is one way for people to baby-step their way out of the pizza pan funk and start cooking! Yum-O!
I’d like to see him blog about food bloggers
I wouldn’t be so certain that grandparents would even help in passing down family recipes. They certainly do help, but I remember reading through my boyfriend’s family cookbook — Snickers bar sandwiches, and deserts made with Cool Whip. I’m not passing that shit down to my kids if I can help it.
Topics. Enough about food for now. Which of today’s musicians would get you fired from Tony’s mythical kitchen?
Would anybody playing any music from American Idol “artists” be allowed to stay long enough to clean the toilets?
You can’t live in the past forever, Tony Ramone.
I am much more concerned about the mediocrity in our food production than on Food TV. We can always change the channel (or turn the TV off) but we have to eat and most of the food out there is just crap. It’s loaded with chemicals, antibiotics, additives and fertilizers. And then there’s the processed food. Everybody reading this blog probably knows that but I bet most Americans have no idea. Small farmers are being regulated out of business by USDA or sued by big agribusiness. We need someone like Tony to take a stand on behalf of small family farms. We need real food back into our food supply.
That’s what I’d love to have Tony discuss.
Chris, I gotta admit, me and my family like the Applebees (though we never tried the Tyler Florence stuff.) Of course, I’ve never claimed to be a foodie.
I think you all should go grow a tomato plant and hail peace signs.
You want real food? Grow it.
You want real food? Kill it.
Then you might even dream of canned convenience.
It seems to me some wallets make big unneccesary noices.
FN is in America! They can air what
they please.
Having recently made the decision to enter the lion’s den that is the culinary business,(and ditching my current profession in the process) Anthony and Michael have become two of my favorite’s… not only for the wealth of real-life information that they provide to newbie schmucks like myself, but for the shear joy of reading their prose. Imagine my delight when I first arrived at this sight only a few days ago and found that I had a double helping of the two in a blog form!!
Mr. Ruhlman, you have certainly opened a can of worms (and delicious ones at that) with Mr. Bourain. Obviously, there are countless others like me who have developed an insatiable appetite for his writings and commentary and will search far and wide to find more. So, kudos! And, keep up the good work.
I truly enjoyed the comments about the food networks slow turn into a travel channel that favors boobs over food. I also think it would be interesting to hear something about The Take Home Chef phenomenon where “hot” chef goes home with married women, they turn into whores and then cook with him to surprise their husbands.
As a food blogger, I’m much more interested in the idea of Tony writing to his own blog than I would be in any of his possible commentary about food blogs. (Unless you’ve walked a mile in a man’s shoes…)
Tony, I love the way you write, and your take-no-prisoners approach to everything you do. I’m sure that anything you write about that is something about which you find interesting, or care deeply, will be a great read.
My pet peeve is picky eaters, of all ages, and the odd trend of feeding kids “kid food” (mac cheese, fish sticks, hot dogs) while the adults eat adult food. If this bugs you as much as it bugs me, I would love to see what you have to say about it.
Michael, while I don’t disagree with you or Tony’s conclusions about the food network, I am having a bit of trouble understanding how you are some how linking the FN programing to the election of GWB. I watch FN for entertainment only not to be educated. Much of it is laughable no doubt but noone is forcing me to watch it. The FN fills their own niche catering to the average home cook. Not everyone is fortunate enough to make food the central focus of their lives such as you or Tony or myself.
Hrm, so Tony’s girlfriend is going to burst forth with the fruit of his loins. The question I have is whether he’ll quit the smoking either around his newborn, or will he quit so that he can last long enough to sit on a porch with a shotgun when she’s old enough to start turning heads? Or will he commit suicide if she gets hooked on Rachael Ray (I mean, if the bright colors and insipid smile appeals to small children . . .)
“Or will he commit suicide if she gets hooked on Rachael Ray (I mean, if the bright colors and insipid smile appeals to small children . .”
I wonder if he has even thought that far in advance…..
Claudia:
I’m afraid I must request that you desist in the use of the phrase “Tony porn”. It instantly conjures up images like this:
http://image.com.com/tv/images/story/bourdainmud.jpg
and this:
http://www.nyrestaurantinsider.com/articleimages/march/DSC_7421.jpg
and others too horrible to even put down in print, suffice to say that they involve waxing of the buttcrack. Is it any wonder he drinks on the job?
http://www.bok.bonnier.se/foton/abfoton/jpgpres/anthony_bourdain3.jpg
Travel Channel has infinitely more interesting food programmes than Food Network. Discuss.
If my cooking classes are always sold out events why, oh why, can’t Food Network figure out that people are actually starving (sorry had to) to learn how to actual cook…not learn how candy is made or where to eat on $40.00 a day?
Why can’t we all just write a massive potest petition and ask Anthony to drop it off to the Food Network execs with a little Wart hog’s sphincter appetizer as incentive?
Ask Tony to take on the science of nutrition and how it has ruined the middle-American diet.
Michael Pollan did this in an article the NYT magazine last week and while thoughtful,well-reasoned and even inspiring, failed big-time in the humor department.
Since nothing is going to put nutritionism back into its rightful place in nursing homes and hospitals a little of TB’s humor might help to relieve the feeling of hopelessness that pervades the subject.
And Michael, I’m not too sure about the “mediocrity is America’s main commodity” thing too. But I suppose that if you are referring to Hollywood blockbuster stuff and fast food you’d be correct. MI3 and a Whopper anyone?
As far as FN is concerned… I think that Tony (may I be so frank) has hit the nail on the head. I have to remind my husband (a professional) that the shows are made for idiots, and even now, find myself screaming at the television.
As for suggesting topics for Mr. Bourdain… I agree with some of the previous posters, I am sure he has enough in that brain of his as warped and damaged as it is.
Chef Michael,
I thank-you for your blog, since the French Laundry episode on A Cook’s Tour, I’ve been following the media collaboration from you and Anthony. I am second generation (Schwarzwald) German and raised and live in Chicago. Sausages and organ meats always on the table. Blut und leber wurst, mett and sulz. Oma in Germany even made me smuggle a slab of speck back to my parents when I was young.
Regarding mediocrity, recently I am commuting to the burbs working in an office with 80 middle age woman, many moms. Witnessing the lunch choices is appalling. So many frozen meals, microwave popcorn with diet Pepsi and horrible local fast food. This is being consumed while the lunch room TV is on the Food Network. Either Paula or Rachel is on.
I’ve travelled all over the world and am saddened how we don’t always have the choice to take a pleasurable lunch with good fresh local food. I miss working in the city.
Michael, I look forward to your engagement here in Chicago early March at the Steppenwolf Theater.
Oh, Skawtie, my friend, I was wondering when you’d pop up again! OK, how ’bout some classic NY street Tony:
http://www.ralphhodgson.co.uk/images/people/5.jpg
And . . . yes . . . Tony on the Edge of Greatness . . . probably some time after KC hit, while Cook’s Tour was tsking off:
http://www.evankafka.com/Media/busi_pix/bourdain.jpg
I’m surprised you passed up on the picture from NZ with Tony in the leather knife-slinging chaps. But maybe it was too obvious for a merry prankster like you (!)
When he’s done ruminating about his ICA smackdown ideas, I want Mr. Bourdain to create some challenges for Top Chef.
Also, when’s he going to write another novel?
Topic:
No Reservations type commentary on obscure but must-try New York City eateries for a broke little Texas girl to try on her first trip to New York.
This is what needs to happen:
Bourdain should go get his own blog.
You should both put out some more books.
We should all go eat some bacon. Mmmmm, bacon…
Claudia:
Knife-slinging chaps are much less disturbing than him snapping on a rubber glove with that look of anticipation on his face.
Unless they’re assless chaps, in which case I must now go and seek the mind bleach.
I would be curious as to Tony’s thoughts on “eating like a locavore.” This was a topic in an issue of Food and Wine recently. There are chef’s out there who use ingredients found only within a 100 mile radius of where they are.One chef was from California and there was another guy who is chef de cuisine at a restaurant in Vermont. In the article they discuss eating locally year round.
I know that Tony, just like my boyfriend, Fred, is on the “Keith Richard’s Diet”. Has Tony ever met Keith Richards in person – and if so, how was it? Why is it some people can live that way and not seem to suffer from the effects?
Hve you ever fallen off a Fijian cocont tree?
How’s this for a topic?
Fun. Where’d it go?
To wit;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgytUxbjqyo
Or, Tony could comment on what a bad idea it is to film yourself doing a cartwheel and then use it in your show open, SANDY:
http://media.putfile.com/Sandra-Lee-Semihomemade-cartwheel
Michael, Let’s not forget a mediocre person is always at their best.
you chew it up, it makes you full, you crap it out. all this hoola over food, get lives people.
Aaron, what are you doing here? go and eat some ‘crap’ mate. & don’t come back.
A couple of randome things to rant about:
We recently received a memo at work notifying us that our cafeteria would no longer be serving items cooked with transfats. We had to initial it, probably so our family members wouldn’t sue if someone fell over dead into their fried chicken or hot wings.
We are in the South, and we LUUV our trans fat!!
As an aside: A lot of health food anxiety is a very middle-class, white phenomenon. My black and Latino friends and neighbors couldn’t care less. Of course, some of these friends also suffer the consequences of eating fast food all the time. Don’t forget that some people eat a lot of fast food because it’s CHEAP and very filling at the same time–it’s a completely different problem from the white middle-class mini-vanners on the run.
Any thought on how to make decent food actually AFFORDABLE?
“Any thought on how to make decent food actually AFFORDABLE?”
One way is to develop a taste for the “nasty bits.” For some reason Americans now think all of your meat and poultry should come in cute little shrink wrapped packages.
If you are willing to pursue the “nose to tail” philosophy and stop eating boneless skinless chicken breasts you can save quite a lot of money. Chicken livers are cheap. So is tripe. And they taste good too.
Shitake mushrooms? Hey cut up your sofa cushions and cook those in butter and they would probably taste better.
Any time I come across something like lamb hearts or pigs feet I buy them automatically, knowing that once I get home I can figure out how to use them.
I laugh at the jokes on Popsicle sticks, but only because I think a Popsicle stick is such a funny place for a joke.
Gong shee fah chai
Gong hay fah choi
Cung hỉ phát tài
Happy year of the pig!
Here’s a question for both Michael & Tony:
Would you rather go hungry for one day than dine at a chain restaurant (a la Applebees, Red Lobster, etc)?
My answer is the former, not that I am a complete food snob, but that I see it akin to giving my money to organizations that I hate. It would be the same if I were to donate to the Bush campaign.
How about this?http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070216/hl_afp/lunarhongkonghealth_070216171054
Chinese being warned to stay away from their own party food. I’d think the poon choi would be hot enough to kill anything.
Your food network comment is right on the money. Food has been “cheapened” by the food network. All you have to do is go in a bookstore and look. 75% of the books are freakin Rachel Ray. I went in a store today to find OLIVE, DELICIOUS or some interesting food mag and it was either Rachel Ray or Paula Dean. AHHHHH! Why don’t you and Tony start a REAL Food Mag!
No offense to the person who wrote it up there in a comment, but if I hear one more time that fast food is eaten because it’s cheap and that buying decent food (assumably from the supermarket) is too expensive, I will scream.
I call BULLSHIT on that idea that I’ve heard from far too many people (so don’t think I’m singling out the person who made the comment…it just triggered this rant on a pet peeve I have that already existed).
You can make an exact replica of a Big Mac from scratch for less than the $5 it costs from McD’s. And it’ll be MUCH healthier too.
If you bought takeout and fast food every day for a month, and then the next month made those same meals at home from scratch based on supermarket ingredients, your food bill would have a HUGE difference in cost with the supermarket bill being FAAAR less than the takeout/fast food bill.
The reason why people rely on fast food/takeout is because
people don’t budget their time properly to make a meal at home (this is to say I call BULLSHIT on people who say they’re schedules are too full and hectic to cook a thoughtful, decent, nutritious meal).
People are just too lazy to make a decent meal (this is to say that I call BULLSHIT on the excuse that fast food or take out is quicker and more convenient than cooking. It takes just as much time to make a thoughtful, decent meal with a few choice ingredients as it does to call up and wait for delivery, or run out and pick up the take out/fast food).
People in America have a long history of creating quick, convenient, easy ways to create meals whether it’s Chef Boy-Ar-Dee from a can, or Applebee’s 1 hour heat and eat meal-a-thon.
It’s about time people think about what we put into our bodies and to stop using the excuse that we’re too poor to make a decent meal.
We just don’t make REAL food a priority and raise it to the level that it deserves. We’re willing to spend money on anything but nice meal ingredients.
So it’s not a matter of not having enough money, it’s a matter of delocating the money and making food a priority.
Sorry for the rant……
I’m just a humble commenter, but to answer Chris’s question above — I actually did eat at an Applebee’s about 6 weeks ago. The Spouse had had surgery that day (nothing too serious, and he’s fine now), I was both physically and emotionally exhausted, and the Applebee’s was literally right across the street from the hospital.
I decided to indulge a little, so I ordered a steak & fixings. The veggies were steam-table bland and the mashed potatoes were mediocre, but the steak was exactly the done-ness I’d ordered and surprisingly decent. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back, but I’ve also had many worse meals.
Shannon, you might try Googling the phrase “fresh food poor neighborhoods.”
Here’s the first article I got when I did: http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=aa75b587a95eb1cfda95eb2afd602d3e
when tony rants, an angel gets her wings.
i’d really like to know how long playing the ramones in a kitchen makes non-ramones fan appreciate the finer qualities of the band. (trying to convert the husband)
when tony rants, an angel gets her wings.
i’d really like to know how long playing the ramones in a kitchen makes non-ramones fan appreciate the finer qualities of the band. (trying to convert the husband)
Thanks Sorcha….
Granted, I could only make the comment I did based on people who have access to decent food. How could I fault those who don’t have access to fresh, simple food? They couldn’t possibly be included in what I wrote.
It’s a shame that they can’t get access to fresh, simple foods…that it isn’t made available. Indeed there are people who don’t have the access they deserve….a crime IMO.
But those who have access and make no use of it….that’s a bigger crime IMO.
I don’t get all the bile and rage gourmet foodies feel towards Rachel Ray.
She doesn’t pretend to be someone she’s not. She’s teaching people to cook simple meals.
Not everyone has the financial resources to eat at the French Laundry and WD-50. Not everyone can afford to be a snob (and indeed if they could then the snobs themselves wouldn’t be special anymore).
So what’s the big freakin deal? Sure she’s incessantly bubbly and cheerful but it’s not like she’s shoving her own personal political or social views down anyone’s throat. She is at this point definitely over exposed, which will probably bring about her downfall through natural, organic means.
When I catch her during channel surfing she’s saying something like “okay we’re going to place our chopped mushrooms into the saute pan….mmmm don’t they smell good…” So much anger over this?
Rachael Ray appeals to the new Food Network demographic; “people who can’t cook, don’t want to cook but who buy things.”
I happened to turn on 30MM the other day and I have to say that fame is making her as wierd as Michael Jackson. She looked like Bela Lugosi in a fright wig, without the Transylvanian accent. And lately she yells at you in a voice that is becoming kind of scary. It’s a voice you want to instantly mute. And of course she still does the hand jive and contorts her face into strange expressions.
And while Michael Jackson keeps getting paler she keeps getting “oranger.” Face it she’s a freak.
Shannon, I made the original “why can’t we make decent food affordable” comment, and I agree with you when you say: “But those who have access and make no use of it….that’s a bigger crime IMO.”
I should clarify that my original comment was indeed focused on the folks who live in poor neighborhoods and have little access to fresh food, not on the middle class. I live in a so-called transitional neighborhood–poor people are being pushed out to make way for relatively well-off white folks like me. Ironically, now that we are getting better access to fresh food, the poor just can’t afford to live here. (Property taxes in my neighborhood are now over 10 times–10 times!–the rates of poorer surrounding areas where the primary food choices are Mrs. Winners, Popeye’s, and McDonald’s.)
A couple of other issues affecting the poor:
1) They have to use public transportation because they can’t afford a car. Going to the store takes about 2-3 hours, there and back.
2) On top of that, many work 60 hours or more a week at minimum wage just to make ends meet. (That doesn’t include luxuries like health insurance.) Taking time to prepare good meals under those circumstances is pretty tough–you’re exhausted and most restaurants that feature fresh, organic ingredients are not in your neighborhood and probably out of your price range, so it’s a heck of a lot easier just to run into the Popeye’s next to the bus stop rather than go to the store.
3) Fresh produce, especially organic, IS more expensive. I buy it, but if you can barely pay your rent, are you going to spend twice as much for the organic lettuce as for the commercial variety?
4) Apparently WIC and other government assistance programs don’t help the situation at all. You’re limited in the amount of fresh produce you can buy. (I heard this from a friend and so am not 100% certain on this point.)
There are some good solutions–community gardens, food co-ops, and so on. That’s what I was talking about when I asked about making decent food more affordable.
Sorry for any confusion and for the long post.
I echo Shannon’s original post about all the bullshit completely. The poor people who don’t have access to decent food are not who Rachael Ray is cooking for and not who the shills at FN are pandering to. They are the people I WORK with and socialize with who are middle or upper middle class and claim they have “no time” to cook and think it’s funny that they don’t know how to. It’s a running joke in my department that the girl who is a mother of 2 drives her kids through McDonald’s “at least” twice a week and when she does “cook,” is nothing but a pour in the pot and heat up or microwave cook. People think it’s FUNNY. I’m not saying I’ve never relied on convenience foods or that occasionally, I still don’t, but EVERY MEAL? Some of my best memories growing up were of standing on a small stool as my mom made her homemade spaghetti sauce or scrambled eggs or anything, and her saying, “You watch this time, and next time you’ll know how to do it.” It wasn’t always the next time, but after 2 or 3 tries, I got it. After one semester in college I called my mom CRYING because the food in the cafeteria was so bad and asked her for my grandmother’s macaroni and feta casserole recipe. I went to the goodwill and got a casserole dish and sold my food coupons for money to buy real groceries and in my tiny dorm’s kitchen on my floor, made my first casserole. With the ingredients on hand, it didn’t take me any more time to make that than it would have to get in the car (if I had one) and drive somewhere, drive through and order a bunch of crap and then stuff it down my piehole. Except afterwards, instead of feeling like I’d eaten a very salty badger and feeling guilty for eating what I knew I shouldn’t, I felt proud of myself, happy and satisfied. It doesn’t have to be hard and complicated with 50 ingredients requiring cheesecloth and heavy cream and saffron, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. I’m eating a half hour to an hour max after I get home most weeknights, it’s just not that hard.
Back to the question of Topics to write about:
cookbooks.
Mark Bittman claims to be able to cook anything, is that true?
What about Fanny Farmer? A household cookbook staple since fire was invented.
Or The Joy of Cooking, another “go-to” book.
Sure I have Les Halles in my cupboard & we won’t leave out The French Laundry, but what about non-restaurant, non-celebrity chef good cookbooks?
Which ones are worth the investment?
I dunno. I feel like I’m seeing a lot of judgmental commentary on people who, for whatever reason, just don’t wanna cook – as in, it somehow makes them bad people. I don’t agree with that attitude. Granted, I don’t think kids should be fed McDonald’s twice a week; I’m not defending that at all. But if someone prefers not to cook, doesn’t enjoy it, or would rather spend their time on other things, that’s their prerogative, and they don’t have to justify it to anybody. It’s one thing to hope that other people can find the same enjoyment in cooking and good food that you do; it’s another thing entirely to look down on them as if they’re some kind of criminal because they don’t.
Cathelou, community gardens and food co-ops rock. My son’s school now has a full-time garden guy and one of his ideas is to turn part of our greenspaces into community garden space. Of course, since most of the families at the school are well-off anyway, it’s kind of like carrying coals to Newcastle. *G* Still, it’ll be terrific for the kids to grow food they’re going to eat.
You got me pegged wrong Sorcha.
I won’t keep explaining myself.
Cathelou,
Rockandroller got what I was saying. I really didn’t have low income people in mind at all…
I’m sorry for any confusion I may have imparted….
I don’t mean you specifically, Shannon. It’s more of a general thing I’ve been noticing lately, in comments here and other places. Sorry if I wasn’t clear on that.
gotcha Sorcha
I’ve noticed it too. FYI my comment wasn’t meant to be judgemental rather it was more trying to get people to think….
I do agree that people should think about what they’re putting into their bodies, and especially into their kids’ bodies. We’ve changed how we eat out in our house; we’re a lot choosier about where we eat. (My nine-year-old has his own Netflix queue and he ordered, of his own initiative, “Supersize Me.” If I hadn’t already gone off McDonald’s, the “fry experiment” in the extra features would’ve convinced me.) We end up eating out less since we’re choosing places that tend to cost more, but the tradeoff is worth it.
No worries, Shannon—I really didn’t do a good job of making the point I intended (even on two tries)! And I do understand what you were saying. What I was clumsily trying to get at: I’d love to see Tony, or anyone, discuss some of the systemic issues that make fresh, organic, local food more expensive-—generally-—than commercially grown food. Maybe that’s just the way it is, but it seems wrong.
That, and the fact that I live in Atlanta, Georgia—-the PEACH State-—and come July, I have to drive 40 miles to a roadside stand outside the city to get a peach that’s locally grown.
Shannon, I know what you meant. I agree…I chose vegetarian at the age of 14 and after many years sticking to it I was diagnosed with a raging allergy to wheat.
It was at that point I realized that you can be all artsy craftsy about cooking, but IT’S also A SURVIVAL SKILL!
Bless my family, but they never taught me to make so much as a sandwich. I agree with Tony, FN should stop treating their viewing audience like lobotomized drones, and show us how to make good food part of our culture.
The only caveat is that yes, organic and even local food is freakin’ expensive and if you have food restricitons you’re often left out in the cold. (Ever try rice bread or corn pasta? Yuck!)
Wheat free stuff at local health food places is great, but SEVEN DOLLARS for butter? Are you joking?
ICA Alert:
Symon vs. Morimoto tonight on FN
Julia stepped in, in the early 60’s, to show America that we did not have to succumb to the horror of Swanson TV Dinners. What a valiant effort and how successful she was for so many decades! How we loved her! Sadly, she left us, and an erosion of her spirit is in our midst, and it is embodied in the souls of the Food Network’s shameful “pop-chefs” Sandra Lee, Robin Miller, and Rachel Ray, et al.
Those of us who remember the disastrous 50’s packaged, processed food catastrophe, and Julia’s valiant effort to deliver us from that evil, are saddened to see the proliferation of FN’s repulsive muck slingers!
Kiki:
If you’re looking for non-celebrity (or pre-celebrity) chef cookbooks, why not go to the American master, James Beard? I would recommend the two following books as essential for anyone that wants to start with the basics and later move on to more complex tasks:
http://www.amazon.com/James-Beard-Cookbook-Ed/dp/1569245347/sr=8-9/qid=1171856148/ref=sr_1_9/105-1344387-2657251?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/James-Beards-American-Cookery-Beard/dp/0316085669/ref=ed_oe_p/105-1344387-2657251
There’s a reason why the highest American award for a chef is the James Beard award. These are the books I would go to the most before I went to culinary school.
I miss Julia, though I was a little disturbed by her later series because she seemed a little disoriented to me.
I’m more than a little miffed by an incident my bro once recounted to me about a post-doc he once worked with when the talk around the lab surrounded the patron saint of cooking shows: “You mean that old woman who cooked on PBS? She was boring.”
My bro wanted to slug the little prick.
Quoting an earlier post:
As an aside: A lot of health food anxiety is a very middle-class, white phenomenon. My black and Latino friends and neighbors couldn’t care less. Of course, some of these friends also suffer the consequences of eating fast food all the time. Don’t forget that some people eat a lot of fast food because it’s CHEAP and very filling at the same time–it’s a completely different problem from the white middle-class mini-vanners on the run.
Any thought on how to make decent food actually AFFORDABLE?
Are you kidding?????
Fresh ingredients and regular grocery shopping are way more affordable, more satiating, better tasting, and less time consuming than loading the family in the car, driving to a crap food vendor, and eating empty calories.
Quality of life should be considered a factor in our food choices.
The earth, our health, and our children will benefit.
When you know better, you do better.
Thanks Skawt. I still think reviews & commentary from Tony would be enlightening. (If he even looks at other peoples cookbooks)
Proeats:
It might be a good idea to read through all the posts on a subject before you comment. I think your point was made and discussed pretty thoroughly earlier. Thanks.
Getting back to the issue of what the Food Network has become, I think we all need to keep in mind that in this age of 175 – 300 cable channels (ok, I know there are more, but that’s the effective capacity of cable and satellite systems these days) there’s one food network. Once upon a time, there was no food network. Now we have one. They believe – no doubt based on lots of surveys and focus groups – that it’s more renumerative for them to run the kind of programming they do. Over time, the industry will fragment more, and we will have the Tony Bourdain Eating Weird Stuff Channel, the Cooking as Sport Channel, the Harold McGee Channel, the “Everything But The Oink”/Offal Channel, and the How To Make Triscuit “Canapes” In 10 Seconds Or Less Channel.
Until then… the FN’s programming will suit some and not suit others. As much as it pains me to believe it, there appear to be a lot of people who watch the dreck that the FN is putting out there. If one day they went back to programming that pleased me more, well, then the Rachael Ray fans would presumably be as disappointed as I am now. The real answer is continued industry fragmentation, which will come.
Hey Michael,
Your buddy Michael Symon put up a hell of a battle on ICA last night.
Gee, I was dying to have Food Network on my Dish and once I got it, I was immediately tired of the folks that were overexposed or middling at best. And it’s only gotten worse.
Meanwhile, am enjoying Chef Bourdain on The Travel Channel; the Las Vegas episode as we speak.
Oh, and am enjoying his travel guide of course!
these have been great comments. I’m especially interested in the what food is available to whom debate. worthy of it’s own post. very important. and the industry fragmentation, yes it’s happening.
I too remember watching the only food programming out there when it was on the Discovery Channel. Anyone remember Graham Kerr? Ming Tsai? Wolfgang Puck’s show the first time around? Great Chefs? I watched Kerr when I was maybe 13 or so…that’s 15 years ago! It got me interested intitially, then fueled further by Emeril, and now I cook pretty darn well if I may say so myself. If it inspires people, then good. Granted Rachael only inspires me to throw a brick at the TV, but there’s probably a handful of kids out there that might grow up to be something in the kitchen, though I like just about everyone here would prefer they got their advice from Emeril or maybe Bobby Flay. I think the only real crime is equating her with them which isn’t done directly but by proportion of airtime is implied.
Billy C:
Graham Kerr? Of course I remember him. The Galloping Gourmet was the other staple cooking show aside from Julia’s that I grew up on. However, seeing some of the old episodes now, I find those old recipes of his fairly horrifying. Like the way he fried beef tenderloins and served them with ketchup.
Still, it’s a bit of old nostalgia, and it’s nice to know he’s still around. I just hope his tastes have improved since the 70s.
Michael,
If the aroma issues haven’t been resolved yet, try this amazing product.
http://www.whink.com/one_drop.htm
You might need more than one drop, though, what with the freak of nature thing and all.