Where Are the Foodies? (1 Viewer)

Clearly they don’t drop by the TV area, as only Parker and I have anything to say about Top Chef. Episode #3 is on tonight.

I'm more of a 'No Reservations' fan.
As a New Yawk'er I enjoy Bourdain's cynical outlook, and find his narration almost poetic.
How do I get a gig where someone else pays me to travel the world just to eat and enjoy far away lands ?

Other faves are 'Ace of Cakes' just because Duff seems like such a mench and
'Diners Drive-ins and Dives'.

I prefer to eat food rather than talk about it. But seriously, I do watch Top Chef but I haven't seen anything on it so far that makes me want to write something up in the Top Chef thread plus I missed last week's show and have avoided the thread until I catch up.

I'm a "No Reservations" fan too. I've been lucky to meet Tony Bourdain at two book signings he held here in the DC area over the last two years. Great speaker.

As for the Food Network, the only show I now find worthwhile is "Good Eats". "Iron Chef" is sometimes fun to watch but the rest of the stuff with Rachel, Sandra, et al is just too painful to watch.

Aside from sports, Food Network is probably my most watched channel. My current fav is Tyler Florence. Very down to earth and cooks tasty stuff. I also like Alton Brown and Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). Giada isn't bad to look at either, especially in HD.

Bourdain is kind of funny, but the show where he ate the beating snake heart and the nearly full-term duck egg was way too gross for me.

Another thing I like about FoodTV is that it is 100% safe for kids, even the commercials. I never worry about what commercials my toddlers are watching on Food Network, as opposed to watching most sporting events, where the commercials are primarily sex and beer. Luckily I can skip by most of those with Tivo.

Forgot to mention my other favorite cooking show is America's Test Kitchen on PBS with Christopher Kimball and gang.

Work your ass off as a line cook and executive chef for years, take several kinds of drugs and massive quantities of alcohol and nicotine.

Oh yes—and the charisma to do all this and still be likable.

FWIW, Bourdain was a guest judge on this year’s first Top Chef. Always funny when he acts in this capacity, as he is not ‘No Reservations”, but (in judging) “no mercy”.

In his last 'new show' he was back on the line at his old place 'Les Halles' (sp?).
He was one hurting unit when it was all over. He said that being a line cook was a young person's job, and he'll never do that again.

I remember hearing him recount being at a roast for Molto Mario and that his big punch line was 'Hey Mario, please try to remember that crank is not a seasoning'


I'll have to pick up one of his books.

Pick up Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (I think his first book) a bio of how he became a chef and his early and mid-career. Many professionals consider this to be a very accurate account of restuarant life. Towards the end (and with a nod to another thread) he advises anyone who wants to become a chef to learn Spanish.

Right now I'm reading another of his books: The Nasty Bits.

A funny, uncompromising man.

Pretty much anything Food Network is great. AB is the king and Giada is the queen.

I'm not sure if the thread title is Food Network specific, but there are two shows on Mojo that are great. After Hours and, not so much food as alcohol, but Three Sheets. Zane Lamprey makes me feel warm and fuzzy due to the fact it's not me who has to deal with the hangover.

Edit because one link didn't take.

Actually I was thinking about Top Chef on Bravo (see the thread started by Parker Clack in the TV area)--not the food network. But I'm happy to discuss any of the shows.