I Talk About Food and TV a Lot, Don't I

It's no secret that I watch the Food Network. A lot. I've talked about it plenty on here already. However, there are some things that I don't really like (which, I'll try to point out without being too Anthony Bourdain about the whole thing¹).

When I watch shows on Food Network, I want to be entertained, but at the same time, I also want to learn something. That's why I love Good Eats. Alton Brown is entertaining, but at the core of it all he's a teacher. A recent episode of Good Eats was dedicated strictly to knives. He talked about choosing knives, maintaining knives, storing knives, and various ways in which the knife is to be used. Food was only used as a means to demonstrate the technique until the very end of the show where he took all those items he had been demonstrating on and turned it into a wonderful looking dish. Compare this style with things like Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee. You can watch any episode of the shows (the ones where they are cooking, not the other thousand RR shows) and you really aren't learning anything. Sure you can get a recipe, but you could have gotten that by going online. Maybe if you watch Sandra Lee enough you can learn to perfect your "tablescapes" by buying out an entire Hobby Lobby or how to decorate your Christmas tree with nothing but glasses for your favorite cocktails, but that's not what I want to see. Even look at Iron Chef America, which I have come to accept despite the fact that it isn't the original. Watch an episode of ICA and see if you don't learn something: a technique, how to chose the best ingredient, or even more about where your food comes from.

Recently, both Molto Mario and Emeril Live were cancelled. I was amazed by this for a couple of reasons. First, Emeril Live always seemed to be the flagship of the station, and I couldn't imagine the network without it. Sure, I had problems with the catchphrases and the audience's obsessive cheering for garlic and alcohol, but those are relatively minor. The other reason I was surprised that they would cancel either of these is that they worked. These were two talented guys with larger than life personalities³ talking to an audience (a few for Mario a lot for Emeril) who sat right there and watched them cook. They entertained and they taught. Molto Mario may have been more of a classic-style cooking show, but it was incredibly informative. Just a few minutes of that show provided tons of information about food and culture. It disappoints me to see that good shows are gone while we get Sandra Lee or one of the many reality shows they now have⁴.

This isn't going to stop me from continuing to watch the Food Network shows I like, but it does make feel that if things continue going this direction, there will be fewer and fewer of those shows.

¹ Not that I could be if I tried. In addition to not being talented, I don't have anywhere near enough vitriol.<sup>2

2</sup> Nor have I done nearly enough heroin.

³ see: Heat by Bill Buford.

⁴ The one reality show that gets a pass here is Dinner: Impossible, because the things Robert Irvine does under such time constraints is really remarkable. It's amazing to see the ideas come into his head on the fly.