It’s one thing to take this food loving country by storm, but when you’re kicked to the curb by the same cable network that helped you jump start your career, I’m pretty sure it’s time to sit down with a “Dirty N’Awlins Martini”, and just say “Enough is enough.”
I can’t remember the last time I actually sat down and watched the “Food Network”, since it’s changed so much since its inception in ’93.
In the early days there were shows called “Dining Around” with Nina Griscom, Bill Boggs and Alan Richman, “In Food Today” with Donna Hanover (yes, the ex-wife of that guy running for President) with Bill Boggs and David Rosengarten, ”Tamales’ World Tour” hosted by the legendary team of Susan Feninger and Mary Sue Milliken, and of course, who can’t forget the those “Two Fat Ladies” tooling around the UK in a motorbike with a sidecar?
And what about Sarah Moulton, Jacques Torres and all of those great classic reruns of “The French Chef” by the one and only Julia?
I know I can’t.
I know what I can live without, though, and their new crop of “presenters” is what fits the bill; Robin Miller, Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee and Paula Deen. The current shows (and I say this very loosely), all seem to be based upon getting in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible, instead of focusing on the basics of, well, cooking.
This is not cooking. Buying packaged goods and passing it off as “freshly made” is not cooking.
Hawking knives that can’t be sharpened aren’t good knives.
Making pre-made desserts with instant pudding isn’t cooking, either.
Bottled lemon juice is not, not, the same as fresh, for heaven’s sake…
Oh, and for goddesses’ sake…dried herbs are not the same as fresh!
As a cook, I’m really going to miss Emeril.
You want to know how to make a roux? He’s your guy. Care to know how to fry oysters for a po boy? Check him out. Authentic shrimp etoufee? He’ll show you how.
I never really liked his “shtick”, but I’ve got to add this one last comment.
Right after Katrina, he was on “Good Morning America”, and he was in tears, trying to locate his staff from his New Orleans restaurants. “I don’t know where anyone is, but all you need to do is call me. I’ll help you relocate and find you another job.”
I hope he did.
I can’t remember the last time I actually sat down and watched the “Food Network”, since it’s changed so much since its inception in ’93.
In the early days there were shows called “Dining Around” with Nina Griscom, Bill Boggs and Alan Richman, “In Food Today” with Donna Hanover (yes, the ex-wife of that guy running for President) with Bill Boggs and David Rosengarten, ”Tamales’ World Tour” hosted by the legendary team of Susan Feninger and Mary Sue Milliken, and of course, who can’t forget the those “Two Fat Ladies” tooling around the UK in a motorbike with a sidecar?
And what about Sarah Moulton, Jacques Torres and all of those great classic reruns of “The French Chef” by the one and only Julia?
I know I can’t.
I know what I can live without, though, and their new crop of “presenters” is what fits the bill; Robin Miller, Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee and Paula Deen. The current shows (and I say this very loosely), all seem to be based upon getting in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible, instead of focusing on the basics of, well, cooking.
This is not cooking. Buying packaged goods and passing it off as “freshly made” is not cooking.
Hawking knives that can’t be sharpened aren’t good knives.
Making pre-made desserts with instant pudding isn’t cooking, either.
Bottled lemon juice is not, not, the same as fresh, for heaven’s sake…
Oh, and for goddesses’ sake…dried herbs are not the same as fresh!
As a cook, I’m really going to miss Emeril.
You want to know how to make a roux? He’s your guy. Care to know how to fry oysters for a po boy? Check him out. Authentic shrimp etoufee? He’ll show you how.
I never really liked his “shtick”, but I’ve got to add this one last comment.
Right after Katrina, he was on “Good Morning America”, and he was in tears, trying to locate his staff from his New Orleans restaurants. “I don’t know where anyone is, but all you need to do is call me. I’ll help you relocate and find you another job.”
I hope he did.
2 comments:
I'm impressed! You got through the whole post without mentioning the insipid "she who must not be named" so-called personality. You all know who I'm talking about!
Well, at least Giada and Alton Brown are still there ... for now!
Actually, I did...I didn't want to do that, but she's in that list of "presenters" rather than cooks.
Giada and Alton both cook, but they appeal to different audiences.
Ina Garten, however, deserves her own blog entry!
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