Everyone watches Top Chef, right? Well, if you don't, you should. Tonight, though, is probably a bad time to start since it's the finale of the season. But let's consider this an open thread for those who do watch the show. I'm rooting for Hung who, admittedly, is kind of jerk but in an awesome way.
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Top Chef Thread
03 Oct 2007 07:23 pm
Comments (31)
I think Hung is technically the best chef, but I never get the feeling he has much soul in his cooking. Whereas Casey and Dale seem to love cooking more, Hung seems to love winning.
I think Casey might win because she seems to finish all her dishes well. Hung will win if technical proficiency is required for the final challenges. Dale will win if the final challenge happens to be right up his cooking alley, so to speak.
Well last week the judges came right out and said what everyone already knew: Hung is the best chef technically. But Casey has been on a roll the second half of the season and clearly keeps creating dishes that really delight the judges, so I expect it will be a tight race between those two. Dale has little chance, I'm afraid. But you never know, maybe he'll surprise us. I have to say I didn't expect Dale to make it to the finale. Too bad Tre isn't still around.
matthew, the baseball playoffs are on. what the hell are you thinking?
Is it possible for none of them to win? 'Cause I'd go for that. Seems to me none of 'em have been all that impressive on a week-to-week basis and they're all kind of annoying personally, in one way or another. At least nobody tried to shave anyone's head against their will this season. So that's good.
Go Hung! I don't understand the antipathy towards him at all. It's a bit sad how gullible so many fans of show (as reflected in their comments on the judges' blogs) are to the producers' creation of a reliable "bad guy" through editing. All Hung has done this season is look out for himself when it was perfectly right to do so. He wasn't abusive or manipulative like Howie.
It was the same with Marcel last season. Sure, I could see how he might be annoying, but to me the spite directed against him by the other contestants was far more ugly than anything Marcel ever did.
Hung annoys me, but his stuff looks awesome. That said, I'm rooting for Casey on soul-factor. And while I'm sure he won't win, I'm really glad Dale is still in it, 'cause he gives the best dish in the interviews.
Marcel, even though he's not even on this season, can go fuck himself, however. Same for Ilan, if for no other reason than he made me feel bad for Marcel.
Go Dale! Time to bring one home for the Chi. Yeah, I said it.
Ah, yes. The Asian-American competitor is "technically proficient" but "has no soul".
I'll bet he's inscrutable, too.
Seeing this racist stereotype so enthusiastically deployed has been one of the most depressing things about watching the show.
Hung does it to himself. Howie and Joey were also assholes. Were the producers playing on the all Jews and Italians are assholes too? He wouldn't look like an asshole if he didn't give them material.
It's strange. In this particular case, Hung really does cook good, but not interesting food. Colicchio covers what he means by that in his blog. Basically, what they are talking about is that he always has some standard fare, but very rarely takes risks. At the same time, whenever he encounters a task that he thinks is beneath him, he phones it in (ie, the arroz con pollo). I would generally blame the asian stereotype, but in this case the dig is the same dig they had with Marcel last year, largely (which is interesting because they are friends).
I think it's more of the case that Hung can pull a lot more classic french cats out of his hat than others, which means he doesn't have to improvise.
I truly hate Top Chef. It's like watching a spelling bee where the contestants are neurotic and highly annoying grownups, instead of sympathetic children, and the judges are the Gang of Four.
It was the same with Marcel last season. Sure, I could see how he might be annoying, but to me the spite directed against him by the other contestants was far more ugly than anything Marcel ever did.
I agree. I don't think Marcel was a better chef than either Sam or Elia, but he was clearly better than Ilan.
I liked that art crimes show on Bravo. (That was on Bravo right?)
I've never seen Top Chef. I have a feeling this diminishes my cultural literacy in the eyes of others.
I've seen that Oliver fellow. They say nasty things about him in the British press. He makes a delicious curry. It has a nice, fresh taste.
I think they used Sabbath as bumper music for Democracy Now today. I'll send them money when they use "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath".
Criticism of Hung is based on racism? Get a grip. I suppose the criticism of Marcel was because he has a French name. Also, editing may help create his image, but he looks right into the camera and says completely a**hole-ish things week after week.
R-Man, Jason, read what I wrote a little bit more carefully.
Asians and Asian-Americans working in the arts are frequently criticized for being technically superlative while lacking "emotion", "depth", "soul". For just one example, google "Joyce Hatto" "Minoru Nojima" "Liszt" "clinical". This sort of thing used to be applied to Jews in the 19th century by anti-Semites (see Magee, Bryan. Aspects of Wagner).
If Hung were French, I'm relatively certain his story-line would revolve around how fiercely he upholds his native traditions.
Radar's interpretation of Colicchio's remarks is generous, but I tend to think the chef may be guided some unconscious prejudices. Hung was unimaginative when he tried to lighten the flavor and texture of elk, producing a dish contrary to what conventional expectations of the ingredient would be?
Wow, after years of seeing myself listed as "Asian American" and speaking an East Asian language it feels kind of weird to be lectured on what are the stereotypes of Asians that various Asian-American communities have had to combat. Sara didn't get the same criticism of her food and she seemed to be genuinely liked by the other chefs. African-Americans have had to deal with the stereotype of being overly aggressive, but that doesn't mean that Cliff didn't hold Marcel down on the floor last year.
m.croche illustrates the folly of applying identity politics to individual contestents on a friggin' "reality show."
Nor are the producers "guilty" of subliminal racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia or other sins against PC if they properly show the bimbo model can't cook, the Jew is evil (Ilan), the gay is a flaming asshole (Steven), or the black individual does get too physical...Because they are dealing with Individuals not Groups - and it is a little difficult to anticipate Marcel muggings, Howie turning odious under pressure, the model whose food sucks, the unlikability of some gay contestents vs. the likability of others with an eye on advancing the proper multiculti metanarrative.
It's a friggin' cooking contest!
As for season 3, light years above the Season 2 "It's All About The Drama!!" basketcase cast mediocre cooks, Losers.
The 3 finalists can all be called successes. Huge help to their careers, especially Dale and Casey. Dale for learning he can cook at the highest level and just needs consistency. Casey for exceeding all expectations predicated on her lack of formal training with a series of big wins before the final. Hung deserved the win, despite being a cocky, utterly self-centered asshole.
The show is also a lot of fun for it's website, where you can go and get more tips on cooking, why dishes work or don't, get and try and duplicate "big hit" recipes of the show. My wife loves the recipes of Leanne Wong, and Tiffany the Bitch - especially her vegetarian dish served in a small pumpkin. I just did the potato-wrapped fish on a bed of leaks and - as Big Gay Guy Dale might have said - it was fabulous.
Jason and Reality Man are being utterly dense. People aren't saying that it's racist for Hung to be portrayed as a jerk. They're saying that the reading of what Hung is--technically proficient, but ultimately formulaic--is a common label attached to Asians. If anything, it's nice to see Hung's passion and anger.
It only disappoints me that he does, in fact, seem to conform to a stereotype. I don't blame racism; I blame the dumb luck of having a stereotype accord with reality. The problem is that dumb luck and selection bias are all it takes to perpetuate racism.
The reason Hung is so annoying is because he's so goddamned arrogant. In the Le Cirque challenge, he finished cooking his dish and came back to the table with all the other cheftestants, spouting off -- and I'm paraphrasing -- remarks like "I did awesome!" and "That was so easy any good chef should be able to do it." I don't think he does this knowingly; I think it's just his (weak) character. He says these things without realizing how awful he sounds.
That said, he's talented, so I expect him to win unless he just really screws things up. I also think it's unfair for Tom Collichio and the other judges to say things like "We don't see you in your food" or "Your food lacks soul." To me, that reeks of prejudice. What they're really saying is, "Where's the lemongrass and ginger?" None of the other whitebread contestants ever get this kind of treatment from the judges.
Cooking shows are depressing for us vegetarians to watch - just about everything is meaty.
It only disappoints me that he does, in fact, seem to conform to a stereotype. I don't blame racism; I blame the dumb luck of having a stereotype accord with reality. The problem is that dumb luck and selection bias are all it takes to perpetuate racism.
I always wonder if the casting directors, consciously or unconsciously, cast according to the stereotypes. Do they cast only fiery Latinas? Do they cast primarily angry black men or stereotypically gay males or butch lesbians? If so, then the audience noting the fact that, say, an Asian model is too cold (ANTM's April) is both a reasonable response to the individual as well as a stereotype, but with the stereotyping taking place in the casting and possibly editing suites.
Hung is a soulless automaton whose food always has that over-groomed look of (yawn!) nouvelle cuisine.
Or as one friend, a food writer for THE prestigious foodie mag, once commented regarding The French Laundry,"I don't like my food handled that much."
Tom Collichio is a massive a-hole. I forget, what are his qualifications to be so (often obliviously) imperious? Gordon Ramsey is an infinitely more fascinating personality, but it is doubtful the producers could afford him. That guy makes network TV money, not piddling reality TV paychecks.
Of the cooks still standing (for another ten minutes, as of this scribbling) Dale is the only one I would ever invite into my kitchen. One actual imagines a pleasant experience above and beyond frenzied fretting about how high food can be stacked into silly towers and pretentiously spotted with a reduction-of-something-or-other.
My other guilty pleasure was Design Star on HGTV where I am willing to wager the producers ignored their reported 900,000 webbed and texted votes to pick Kim, the pudgy beauty operator from Bakersfield by way of NYC, over god-like Todd, the only one of the lot that ever demonstrated anything like a passion for design or an imaginative approach to a challenge.
But so it goes in the über-faux world of extra-ironically identified "reality" television.
And Simon what's-his-face, the arch-a-holes of all arch-a-holes reportedly made $45 million last year belittling the no-talent fools lured into his icky web of star-struckiness.
Don't know about you, but all of that formulaic competition histrionics tends to make me feel a little ill. Nevertheless, guess I'll go tune in now and see who Bravo has annointed.
I'm stunned the guy who learned at the C.I.A. could get anything right.
Okay then. I am dense but I understand that this is a common stereotype of Asians. But, I can't remember it ever being deployed in the culinary world. Can you provide me with evidence of the culinary world deploying this stereotype against Asian chefs?
My (admittedly amateur) experience is the exact opposite. Dim sum, dumplings, buns, noodles, and sushi all seem to be frequently described as full of love, passion, tradition, and SOUL.
I suppose one could argue that they're deploying this stereotype because Hung does not cook Vietnamese food. If that's the case, you're accusing the judges of being pretty crude. It could be true. One would hope that some of the judges who are members of minority groups would be more culturally aware. (Padma is of Asian descent, after all.)
I didn't know what it means to have soul in your food, but apparently if Bourdain's explanation is correct, soulful food means that "the combination seems to work while evoking childhood memories". Judging from what I ve seen from Hung, it does seem like a problem his food might have.
Other than that, congratulations. Some of you must have been stars in your Women Studies/PoMo Program.
I've always had a troubling suspicion about that show. On "Idol", or that dancing show, you can see or hear how well the contestants perform. You can evaluate the judges eventually. On this show, you have no idea how well the contestants did. For all we know, theses judges have no business judging the contestants. I assume they all have credentials, or reputations, but those things can be undeserved.
How would these obviously arrogant and prideful people react if one of the contestants were a clearly superior chef?
I think Hung is technically the best chef
Here's what I don't get about the cooking reality shows. How would you know who is the best chef without tasting the food???
Singing shows make sense to me - I can hear the contestants sing. But watching a cooking reality series seems to me like watching American Idol on mute.
What a steaming pile of manure! Served with a jus de piss au vache , naturellement!
To any quasi-mindful observer, it has been apparent for many episodes that Hung was rigged to win the phony baloney competition -- otherwise he would have been robot-couped right out of there for his treacherous, egomaniacally offensive behavior in the kitchen, sneakily contriving to trip up the competition at every opportunity. He's a jerk-off.
If you watched the credit roll @ the end, you probably noticed the massive disclaimer about the winner being decided by the show's producers as well as the judges, who, btw, stretched the concept of vapid and irrelevant further than one might have ever imagined possible. Can you imagine the months of rehearsal that went into Padma's pregnant pauses before announcing an episode's loser? I mean, almost as much time as devoted to her hair and makeup.
Interestingly, though, and in contrast with Design Star on HGTV, the producers made the odd decision to run a graphic with the popular vote, wherein, if one recalls correctly, Dale had 53% and Hung came in dead last @ around 17%. But then again, what sort of person spends 99¢ to text-in a vote on such a blatantly bogus contest?
This has been the worst season of Top Chef by far. Most of the chefs this season wouldn't have even made it onto the show in season 1. The talent pool is drying up. Don't believe Bravo's hype of "the best chefs ever". The southern chef that got kicked off in episode 1 should not have been anywhere near the show. How does he make it through the screening process?
Face it, Top Chef WAS a cooking competition in season 1. The chefs were proficient, consistent and creative. Season 2, less so, but there was still some ability. Hung probably IS the best chef this season because he does have technical proficiency and can produce existing dishes well, but he would be middle of the pack in season 1. This season it's not a cooking competition it's just a reality show which are little more than glorified soap operas.
Tom C is like Bobby Flay. He used to be good, but he's sold out for fame.
If things keep going the way they've been going, you are going to see chefs from Applebee's in season 4.
If things keep going the way they've been going, you are going to see chefs from Applebee's in season 4.
I am very skeptical of claims that Top Chef is not pretentious enough
Comments closed October 17, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
Fuck Hung with a saucepan.
Posted by Reality Man | October 3, 2007 7:41 PM