Food Network = travel show with food 2nd

[BreezyCooking]

Hey, I do have one or two of Rachel's cookbooks & do enjoy her recipes - it's her on-screen personality I can't stand. (Although I don't think I'd enjoy her off-screen personality either after reading several interviews with her. Big-time "me me me" persona.)

And I did love Emeril's original "Essence of Emeril" show. Once he went to the bigtime with audience, band, etc., etc., etc. I dropped him like a hot potato. Once in awhile Food Network still airs his old shows, & I catch those when I can, but I avoid the new ones like the plague. There's only so many "BAMS", old jokes, & frou-frou one can take.

[-Cp]

Originally Posted by BreezyCooking

That may very well be GB, but for those of us who remember Food Network when it first started & actually had a lot of quality cooking programming to offer, the switch to Rachel/Paula/Giada/Emeril tv is quite a difference.

I don't mind restaurant visits/reviews, etc., but nearly 24/7 of toothy grins & I-look-like-I'm-on-crack personalities in the kitchen & touring the country is hard to take, & I know quite a large number of people who have stopped watching the network because of it. Although I guess if they've gained folks who like that sort of thing, they probably don't care much.

Anyone willing to spend the bucks on a "Rachel Ray Knife Set" probably deserves the current Food Network lineup.

AMEN!!

If I wanted to watch freakin' travel shows - yeah... there's a network for that and it's called "THE TRAVEL CHANNEL" - comon FoodTV - for the LOVE OF GOD - make Giada's cleavage and huge bobble-head, Rachel's stupid "I need to be punched in the face now" snicker-laugh, Emerils "BAM! I don't know where you get your water, but where I get mine it don't come seasoned" stale jokes, Paula's annoying laugh and ungodly love of butter come to a STOP!!

Best shows on that channel are:

Good Eats
Iron Chef America
Tyler's Ultimate
Malto Mario
Boy Meets Grill

I miss Naked Chef and East Meets West tho...

[GB]

-Cp, you have not been here long enough to know that bashing FoodTV personalities will NOT be tolerated. If you want to state your opinions that you do not like them then that is fine, but making fun of their bodies or otherwise being disrespectful is against our community policies. Please read those so you know what is and isn't acceptable because the very first thing in there is be respectful.

This is a reminder for everyone. No FoodTV bashing will be allowed. Thank you.

[-Cp]

Originally Posted by GB

-Cp, you have not been here long enough to know that bashing FoodTV personalities will NOT be tolerated. If you want to state your opinions that you do not like them then that is fine, but making fun of their bodies or otherwise being disrespectful is against our community policies. Please read those so you know what is and isn't acceptable because the very first thing in there is be respectful.

This is a reminder for everyone. No FoodTV bashing will be allowed. Thank you.

Hmm.. didn't notice any rules against stating opinions on FoodTV or its "celebs" in any policies.....

[Gossie]

Originally Posted by -Cp

I miss Naked Chef and East Meets West tho...

I miss them as well. East meets West, I believe, is on the CPTV channel now.

[Gossie]

Originally Posted by GB

And just for the record, I do not watch any of those travel shows. The only FoodTV show I still watch is Good Eats. My food TV viewing all comes from public television now, but even they do travel shows now.

LoL I like the bizarre foods probably cuz it freaks my husband out. LoL

As far as Good Eats, for the most part, I like it. But it is getting TOO MUCH Alton Brown. I like him, but it's just too much of him: Good Eats, Feasting on Asphalt, Iron Chef. Also when they do FoodNetwork Star and BonAppetit stuff. Just too much of a good thing, and then you get bored with it.

I watch as many of the programs as I can. I don't make what they make, but I pick up a lot of good ideas. It was a big DUH on me when I saw Rachael using a garbage bowl to throw things away when I'm preparing dinner. Man, did that ever save me a lot of steps to the garbage can to throw something out. And it was so simple, I should have thought of it myself. And she turned me on to Penzey's Spice, I love that place.

[Gossie]

I need to look for PBS and see what cooking shows are on and when. :-)

[GB]

Originally Posted by -Cp

Hmm.. didn't notice any rules against stating opinions on FoodTV or its "celebs" in any policies.....

As I said before, opinions are fine, but being disrespectful is not. It is clearly stated in the Community Policies and is the very first thing listed.

[mitmondol]

What I don't understand is, why all these travel programs, or Dinner impossible and such, when in the meantime there is all that talk about Emeril and how he at least is getting avarage ppl into the kitchen?
That makes it sound like this IS the real goal of the network.
Get people cook!
Now how, pray tell, will anyone will learn anything by watching all those ppl eating in restaurants?
There was Food finds that served a purpose. Get to know local, outstanding food, places, etc. There was follow that food, which was a travel program really, but at least tried to educate about a particular ingredient/dish in the meantime. It had some food related purpose besides showing someone eat.
And while they are eating, you don't really get a review. All you hear is mmmmm fabulous or something. That is not a review, so what's the point?

Restaurant reviews have their place on a food channel.
But these programs are not even that.

There should be a ballance. There should be a variety of people presenting things.
If you look at the programs how many real chefs you see?

If the goal is education there could be a program to teach basics.I mean basics, really, like how to buy meat or cut vegetables, what spices are matched best with what, how to use a knife, explain ingredients etc etc .
(Yes , you could say there is Good eats to do that, but not really. That program is probably too "scientific" for those who's only knowledge of cooking so far is how to mix a can or two.)
They could present farmers markets and teach about seasonal stuff while doing it.
I'm sure something like that would have audience.

And some new faces please! No matter how much you like someone, seeing the same face 4-6 times a day is a bit much!
I understand many folks want to be entertained only and that's fine.
On the other hand if it's called food network it should concentrate on food.
There are many other channels for entertainment only.

[GB]

Originally Posted by mitmondol

On the other hand if it's called food network it should concentrate on food.

It does just that though. Every show they have is about food in some form or another. Some deal with cooking and some deal with eating out, but they are still about food.