Anthony Bourdain on Food Network stars

[MartyFunkhouser]

Don't worry MarkGrace, he isn't too hard on Giada.

http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2...blogging_.html

[Pheidippides]

Don't worry MarkGrace, he isn't too hard on Giada.

http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2...blogging_.html

I have to say he looks pretty spot on. I may take his quote about Rachael Ray and post it on my bedroom wall.

[MarkGrace]

I so love Bourdain. He was speaking/entertaining at the Moore a handful of months ago with Batali and I really wanted to go, but it was pricey.

Pretty entertaining read, though he was much more kind to Giada than he should have been. Of all the self-aggrandizing and vomit inducing personalities on that network, she and her orange-on-a-toothpick head are right at the top. Giada and that grotzky little beatch Rachael Ray are the vilest duo ever to set foot in Kitchen Stadium, which is, by the way, the only show on the FN worth watching and I hate that they defiled it with pathetic attempts at actual cooking.

I also agree that Batali had the best instructional show, though something about his personality just isn't right. Like I get a weird vibe from him. I've been watching that show "Spain...on the road again" and he and Gwyneth have the most uncomfortable and awkward interactions together. But that seems to be how he interacts with just about everybody (his award winning performance on No Reservations notwithstanding). Mark and Claudia have a much more convincing rapport and aren't nearly as grating to watch, and holy smokes is Claudia h-o-t-t! Can we get her on more food shows over here please?

[Gidget]

Don't worry MarkGrace, he isn't too hard on Giada.

http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2...blogging_.html

Hilarious!

[MarkGrace]

I was disappointed that this was pre-Guy Fieri, because he's the biggest douche on the planet and was hoping Bourdain would make serious fun of him. Well, Chang and Bourdain go to work:

At a raucous, funny, and profane New York Wine & Food Festival panel Friday night, David Chang and Anthony Bourdain scorched the earth of the food world. Dubbed "I Call Bullshit!" their wide-ranging discussion singled out several foods and food trends for scorn, targeted several chefs, named very few things they liked (Wylie Dufresne, Jeremy Fox, the ethnic restaurants of Queens, and Grub Street among them), drank a lot of beer onstage, and, overall, called for a more creative spirit in New York cooking. (Europe is years ahead of New York, charged Chang.) We've distilled their rage into ten separate beefs.

Cupcakes. “I hate fuckin' cupcakes,” said Chang.

San Francisco. "Fuckin' every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate. Do something with your food," said Chang.

Overexposed Foods. Pork bellies are the new tuna tartare, Chang asserted. That said, he passed on answering Bourdain's question: "Is bacon less cool because Paula Deen likes it, or is it always cool, like Orson Welles?" As for cheeseburgers on a Krispy Kreme doughnut, Bourdain called it "a war crime."

Guy Fieri. Cooking is not about “fuckin’ sunglasses and that stupid fuckin’ armband.” If he ever does that, “throw [him] down the stairs,” Chang said.

Career-Changers Who Want to Start Cooking Professionally at 30. Cooking is “grueling physical labor,” said Chang, adding that he’d never seen anybody start “that late” in life and succeed.

Hell’s Kitchen. “They’re shooting the wounded on that show,” said Bourdain. But he defended Top Chef (which he's appeared on), praised Tom Colicchio, and explained, “On that show, the worst chef that day goes home and the best chef that day wins. That's not bullshit.”

Alice Waters. While both men applauded “her message” and Chez Panisse’s game-changing cuisine, Bourdain likened her to a hippie who doesn't grasp that the poor can’t afford organic milk.

Type As. Like the people who take pictures and notes on the food at Ko. “The food’s getting cold,” Chang observed.

Critic Alan Richman. His insistence that celebrity chefs actually cook in their own restaurants is ridiculous, the two concluded. Richman just wants chefs to “kiss his ring,” said Bourdain. “I’m going to Emeril’s restaurant — do I suddenly expect him to pop up and say 'Bam!'?”

The Biggest Bullshit of All. Chang: "Gray Kunz and Christian Delouvrier, the two greatest chefs in New York, are still trying to make a living."

http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2009/1....html#comments

[WashingtonCoug]

I've gotta say I agree with everything he said. That was spot on!

[YOhio]

When is Bourdain's show on? Is it before or after the show where the guy tries to beat gluttony records? Or is it on the same night the other guy goes around the world to eat disgusting food?

While I think some of his criticism is valid, much of it's just curmudgeonly and mean-spirited. They mock Alice Waters for not realizing that the poor can't afford organic milk, but they eviscerate Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee for creating shows shows that emphasize accessibility and affordability. Food Network isn't perfect, but I think they do a fine job appealing to a pretty broad demographic.

[MarkGrace]

While I think some of his criticism is valid, much of it's just curmudgeonly and mean-spirited. They mock Alice Waters for not realizing that the poor can't afford organic milk, but they eviscerate Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee for creating shows shows that emphasize accessibility and affordability.

Hey, you're taking the fun out of it!

[YOhio]

Hey, you're taking the fun out of it!

You took the fun out of it when you said Guy was the biggest douche on the planet. I love Guy! He is off the hook! How badass is it that his fridge has racing stripes? And his posse sometimes takes a break from playing pool to help dice some tomatoes or peel some carrots. That's tight!

[MarkGrace]

You took the fun out of it when you said Guy was the biggest douche on the planet.

You're not getting me to take that one back. I stand by it. I need to check the insults thread because even douche doesn't do this guy justice.

(btw, just because you also rock the bleach blond hair and wristbands doesn't mean you need to defend his honor!)

[MarkGrace]

Guy Fieri is a baby turkey!

[YOhio]

You're not getting me to take that one back. I stand by it. I need to check the insults thread because even douche doesn't do this guy justice.

(btw, just because you also rock the bleach blond hair and wristbands doesn't mean you need to defend his honor!)

What has Guy done to deserve such ire? All he does is show us what's off the hook, what places are happening, and what food is money. He stuffs his face with some crazy concoctions, giving some local joints some cheap publicity and we're all the better for it.

Sure he slummed a little with some TGI Fridays commercials, but at least it wasn't Applebees like Tyler Florence. Now there's a total wanker. Tyler Florence.

[Donuthole]

Sure he slummed a little with some TGI Fridays commercials, but at least it wasn't Applebees like Tyler Florence. Now there's a total wanker. Tyler Florence.

Or worse, the Wing King (Drew Cerza) endorsing Pizza Hut's wings.

[WashingtonCoug]

Have you ever tried any of those Tyler Florence creations? Those were awful. Even by Applebees standards.