just caught this show tonight.
Jesus, what the hell is up with network TV? seriously?
So the whole premise of this show is going to places in the world with deep seeded conflict and trying to create dialogue towards reconciliation. Which sounds fine, but when you're dealing with subjects like israel and palestine or divisions in ireland (next weeks show) they are basically just tearing open old wounds in the people that agree to have a dinner with each other prepared by michael voltaggio. The show turned out being more of showcase of michael discovering the cuisine of a country and then highlighting his cooking skills, with the dialogue part reserved for the last 5 minutes of the show. Why didn't they just make this a show about him traveling and cooking? I find the idea of trying to "educate" people about sensitive subjects by centering it around a cooking show laughable at best. If the hosts of the show (michael included) wanted to genuinely know more about certain subjects, I would like to think they would rather take it upon themselves to at least do some background research into these subjects before interjecting themselves into the conversation. Both were intellectually deep as a wash basin. In the end they both basically rattled off the same boring conversation points of visiting a new country that every 23 year old exchange student has.
Keep politics out of cooking shows, it's a stupid idea that does nothing for both politics or cooking. It's like bill maher having a cooking segment on his show, or Bourdain suddenly becoming a war correspondent for CNN after visiting Libya one time a few years ago. Ridiculous.
-------------------- Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie, O, what panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi' bickering brattle!
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Agreed! Cooking on TV has been absolute shit since Iron Chef went American. Japanese Iron Chef was great. Gotta pay homage to Julia Childs and Jacques Pepin for their shows, but everyone is going for this over the top bullshit TV. Give me a show that teaches good technique and maybe I'll watch, but its all gimmick now.
-------------------- Here's what we can do to change the world right now, to a better ride. Take all the money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead, spend it feeding, clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over , not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace. ~Bill Hicks~ Looking to build up a print library
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