Death of the Cooking Show
I was recently in Washington, DC and visited the re-opened American History Museum. I took the opportunity to visit Julia Child’s kitchen, which is on exhibit there. Watching clips and interviews with Julia got me to thinking about the current state of the cooking show.
I tried watching the Food Network recently and found I just couldn’t watch for very long. Years ago, I could sit and watch the Food Network shows for hours. As time has passed, television has changed and the Food Network changed with it. The Food Network has followed the current trend of broadcasting contrived, pseudo-reality shows. They have gone from solid, informative cooking shows to glitz and glam. It no longer holds any appeal for me. Oh, there is Alton Brown who still teaches us in his wacky way and sometimes the Food history programs have appeal, but by and large there isn’t any value there. The Food Network has canceled or “dumbed-down” most of the original programs. According to the Food Network, as a guy, I am supposed to like Giada De Laurentiis because she is pretty. I am supposed to be thrilled by Iron Chef America. Iron Chef never told us how to cook or better our culinary skills and it certainly didn’t settle any arguments about who was the better chef. No, the only place I can find solace for my cooking show cravings are on Public Broadcasting. The PBS network is now producing the best pure cooking shows out there (and maybe it always has).
Don’t get me wrong, I like watching Andrew Zimmern eat crazy food or Anthony Bourdain eat and drink to excess while traveling around the world, but that isn’t why I watch food shows. And yes, I realize neither of those men are on the Food Network, but their shows could be there now. Call me a stodgy old fart who can’t keep up with the times if you want, but I like to feel like I learned something after I watch an old style cooking show.
When you watch the cooking shows on PBS, Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, America’s Test Kitchen, and yes, old Julia Child reruns, you remember why you watched cooking shows. These shows present true top chefs teaching us how to cook. And isn’t that the main purpose of a cooking show – to teach?
A good culinary teacher is able to instruct and be entertaining. Julia was so open and honest with her audience, never hiding a mistake, laughing with us. Jacques is like a charming, fatherly culinary master who is puts his arm around us as he shows us the way. It seems that this sort of substance and value are boring to the modern TV programmers.
This post is a lament of sorts and maybe I am being overly sentimental. What do you think? Give me your thoughts on the subject.
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We are big Alton Brown fans at our house. My six kids watch him faithfully. Indeed, my teen-age boys record his show and have tried to make some of his dishes. “Iron Chef” has introduced them to a world of dishes that we could never afford to expose them to and they never knew existed. They see the importance of the kitchen “team” and when they do get out to a restaurant are more apt to try new dishes because they recognize them from the show. “Ace of Cakes” is nothing about baking and all very sensational with their over-the-top decorating but I don’t think I would ever want to eat one of their cakes… It is a fun show and that is all. Gone are the days of the “Galloping Gourmet” and the legendary Julia Child but I must say as a family we do enjoy a show or two.
After thought: I’ll be sure to visit the American History Museum within the month.
Competitive cooking shows like Top Chef and Iron Chef were definitely used to catch my attention. As a non-foodie, I had little appreciation for some of the foods and dishes prepared on the show or an appreciation for the skill and knowledge involved. But the entertainment has drawn me in and made me more interested in cooking for myself and friends. So those shows have their place, to entertain. If I really wanted to learn the finer points, I’d go to culinary school!
Tom Piggott Says: Being a good cook with experience or ” street smarts ” vs. a culinary School graduate is an interesting topic to explore when you consider how many restaurants fail. Being one or the other does not matter if you do not know how to run a business, or have someone along side you that does.
Of course good food is a draw, but all the elements of running a restaurant, which have only been skirted by all the food networks, is a more practical and real life issue than baking a cake or frying a fish. A great show would be a show that combined the real world of cooking with the real world of survival in business.
Death of the Cooking Show:
You echo my sentiments so well — The true cooking shows are now on PBS — I love watching Lidia and the reruns of Julia Child, Julia’s Kitchen. The Food Network used to be good, but now it’s all about cleavage and being a so-called comedian. And don’t get me started about Rachael Ray – Yuck-o.
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