As commenter

• In Media Res
  Re: A Chopped State of Mind

  Chopped, c'est moi!

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Thursday, June 27, 2013 — 12:39 pm

  Thank you, Megan, for bringing a relevance to this (type of) show which had been lacking for me before. I always thought, "This is so unrealistic! When do professional chefs ever have to be forced to combine odd ingredients on the job?!" How did ...
• In Media Res
  Re: A Chopped State of Mind

  Food critics

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Thursday, June 27, 2013 — 8:48 pm

  Andrew, I think you're completely in sync, and it's me now who may be veering off the topic at hand.I'd like to ask you, and others, a question that's plagued me for some time. I'm not asking in a devil's advocate way at all, ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Chef Mystique (or, Why Do I Wonder What Gordon Is Thinking Even When He's Happy to Tell Me?)

  Ramsay for governor!

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Friday, June 28, 2013 — 6:25 pm

  It was certainly incongruous to see Ramsay in the context of beloved small children, hearing him say, 'Ooh, be careful!' and 'Sugar!' instead of his usual utterances. Are they even his real children? I would guess that the rope swing b ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Nigella Lawson: Food/Lifestyle Porn

  Permission denied?

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Tuesday, June 25, 2013 — 12:19 pm

  The timing of this post is a bit eerie, isn't it? And it does accentuate the fact that all that delicious perfection is likely a sham, covering up a far from perfect reality. I think one of the great lures of food television and its sparkly hosts is ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Celebrity chefs: Do we need them?

  Public moralists

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Wednesday, June 26, 2013 — 2:34 pm

  Great choice, Signe (fortunately, I was able to see it!), because it raises a host of issues. Reading all your comments thus far, I come away with the feeling that this is largely about morality. Those in the Jamie Oliver and Michael Pollan camp are shout ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Celebrity chefs: Do we need them?

  I am on camera, ergo I exist

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Wednesday, June 26, 2013 — 6:37 pm

  It's now an existential argument, too! As America’s Test Kitchen patriarch Chris Kimball has said, he is not on television because he loves to be on camera: “These days, if you’re not on television in the food world you just don’t exist." ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Celebrity chefs: Do we need them?

  Follow through

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Wednesday, June 26, 2013 — 9:00 pm

  No question that Jamie has done some social good. When I was watching his "Food Revolution" about Huntington, I was shouting at the TV every week- "you CAN afford to do this! It's common sense!" etc. I agree with his philosophy co ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Cröonchy Stars: The "Swedish Chef" as Role Model

  More is not better

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Tuesday, June 25, 2013 — 12:33 pm

  What a great choice of a clip! I can't believe I haven't thought about the Swedish Chef in years nor considered him in the historical lineup. His significance (and wasted potential) is so clear now! I couldn't agree more about the lack of u ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Cröonchy Stars: The "Swedish Chef" as Role Model

  Lovely Venus v. Crazy Mars?

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Tuesday, June 25, 2013 — 3:30 pm

  Maybe we do have to wait for the crazy chefs to age out and take us with them, hobbling down the herb garden path. The quiet hosts are still in the kitchen, behind the counter, during the daytime TV schedule. Oh, and they're women. I have some half-b ...
• In Media Res
  Re: Nigella Lawson: Food/Lifestyle Porn

  Indulge, indeed

  By

  Kathleen Collins John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York)

  Monday, June 24, 2013 — 4:46 pm

  So true! In almost all of her episodes she's encouraging indulgence, giving us permission, for instance, to sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night to eat leftovers standing in front of the fridge. This is one of the ways she becomes intima ...

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