The other day, my sister sends me an article reporting that not only has Molto Mario been canned but that Mario Batali is leaving the Food Network. What?! So let me get this straight, a channel devoted to good food and bringing good food to the people is firing its ONLY Michelin star-rated chef? Uhh.. ok. That makes perfect sense. The Food Network is now a cheap, low-end, pastel colored, shell of its former self. I've been watching the channel less and less because frankly, I can't stomach the gruel that's being slopped onto my TV watching plate.
:( 
Here's why the Food Network sucks:
They All Suck - Sandra Lee and Rachel Ray. What do they have in common? They suck and they are 2 of the cornerstone franchises of the disgustingly bad Food Network. What the hell has happened to the Food Network? This once ground breaking and completely innovative channel has sank so low that it now features shows with a large-breasted, blond no-talent and a large assed, incredibly annoying no-talent! Now, I have nothing against these ladies personally and I'm sure they're all very nice and sweet people. However, opening a bag of salad greens, tossing on some "EVOO" and balsamic vinegar with dried seasonings doesn't count as cooking. Opening a can of beans and pouring Velveeta and chili powder on it and calling it dip is not cooking. For pete's sake, it makes me sick watching Robin Miller make crappy vegetarian food and that hispanic lady making watered down versions of some great Latin food. How many times do I have to watch that hog Barefoot Fatty totally screw up a basic dish and pronounce paella, "pie-ella"??? The basic point is, it's all crap. Unimaginative, uninspired, crap. Too much worrying about which pastel plate to use and not enough worrying about if people actually want to learn something. Sorry Sandra, I know how to use a can opener... what I don't know is how to breakdown a chicken properly and prepare all 5 of the mother sauces. Why don't you try and teach me that? Oh wait, you don't know either.
I'm wishy-washy on Giada. On the one hand, I know she can actually cook and she's not a total fraud but on the other hand something about her show is just so cheesy and fake. Maybe it's the one-too-many close-ups of her chopping garlic or maybe it's the immaculate cleanliness of her many borrowed kitchens. Actually, it could be the annoying sound her olive oil makes while being poured from a corked bottle that one can purchase from Williams-Sonoma. Either way, they should let her cook naked. It's obviously the next step since she is in love with her own cleavage.
Seriously, could she have a bigger forehead? Like I was actually looking at her forehead.
There's no cooking - What's with all the damn challenges on the Food Network now? How many times do we have to watch that stupid ass Disney-themed cake making challenge? Does that guy Keegan Gehard host everything? What the hell is this show with a guy eating hot peppers and running a waiter competition? What is the entertainment value of watching a spikey haired freak go to a shitty diner and down a cheeseburger? What the hell is that all about? And if I have to watch Giada get whisked away to some 5-star resort on a remote island off of Italy where her famous-ass grandfather used to make out with Natalie Woods, I'll slap her silly.
This dude hosts every shitty cake baking show ever
What happened to everyone? - The Food Network used to actually feature some good shows. A lot of these shows are still around in one form or another but, all the serious cooking shows are dead! They've been replaced with these just awful, cookie cutter, soft lense using, no talent crap-holes. The chefs that built this station are dying. Instead of grilling, Bobby Flay is chasing around ugly slobs making hamburgers and donuts. Are you serious? The dude owns 5 very sucessful and highly acclaimed restaurants. I'm sure he can make a damn burger. Instead of being in a kitchen putting twists on classic American cuisine, newly-overweight Tyler Florence is on a stage in Miami sweating like a whore in church in front of a gaggle of flabby armed soccer moms. Even poor Emeril got moved from 8:00 to 7:00. Now, Alton is on at 8 and that's OK because the man knows more about food than anyone else on the channel but, poor Emeril. So what if Emeril's food is less than spectacular? He actually cooks food.
Saving Grace - Here's the deal, if Food Network wants to survive, they need to do one simple thing... COOK REAL FOOD. Dude, 30-minute meals? Come on!! How many different ways can a person eat a freaking portabello mushroom and chicken out of a bag? I don't care how to cut corners and prepare mediocre food at tepid temperatures. Show me what real cooking is. Show me what it's like in a professional kitchen making real food without canned products and bagged vegetables. I love it when Bobby's on the grill cooking lamb with a cilantro-garlic paste (actually, everything he cooks has a cilantro-garlic patste), or when Morimoto gets challenged and the theme is toro (the challenger ain't got no shot son), when Robert Irvine (James Park) gets pissed off and decides he's going to crank out 150 beef wellingtons instead of 250, when Alton is showing me how to brine a turkey and riding up the Mississippi eating anything and everything... and when Mario was cooking real food, the way it's supposed to be cooked without any editing or help.
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Twins. Like Arnold and Danny
Alternatives - there are some shows out there for those who actually want to see cooking. Check out PBS first, Jaques Pepin and Ming Tsai are clearly on top of their game. The Travel Channel on Mondays features Bourdain and this new guy Andrew Zimmern. He goes around eating "bizarre" foods but both of those shows are good. If you have HD, check out the Mojo channel and After Hours with Daniel Boulud... you'll get a kind of behind-the-scenes look at cooking and the culinary world.
Maybe I need to make my own channel... one with real chefs cooking real food. Oh, yeah, there was a channel like that once called the Food Network. It's dead though...
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