Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

TomCorps

Member
  • Posts

    43
  • Joined

Everything posted by TomCorps

  1. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! ..... Just had to get that out. I absolutely enjoyed Manny's pilot most of the three. He genuinely interacted with the chef throughout, adding in "food authority" comments when appropriate and demonstrating humor and personality as well. Christian the Slob did all of the talking, and none of it was informative, interesting or remotely charming. Jess the Phony did the same shit she's been doing since Week 1, highlighting herself via scripted bites ("Well, my mother is from Madagascar and my father is from China.".....REALLY? HAD NO IDEA!). Giada's....er, observation...that Jess had "grown so much" over the course of the season was probably my most hate-worthy moment of an altogether loathsome night.
  2. Who knew ambivalence could be so aggressive, but that's precisely what I feel for these three. Who gets a pilot? Who cares?? Okay, I really dislike Jess the Poseur (her lips always look like they're going to slide right off her face during her talking heads), so I guess that's antipathy which is more than ambivalence, but just the same. I never thought I'd wish for the days of Penny Dreadful and Danushka the Douche-ka.
  3. I can't seem to muster enthusiasm for any of the "top three" here... Manny seems like someone I would like IRL, and I do think both he and Christian can cook, but if this season isn't the death knell for this series, I can't imagine what would be.
  4. I was wondering about this myself. He won last week making a pasta dish, but we didn't see him actually making the pasta. May have been edited out, but if so, why? That seems like the essential step in getting the job done.
  5. Me too! And I remember it like you do. For me, the 70's Italian-American-Pride thing actually began a year earlier, with Rocky. Just a "regular guy from the neighborhood" with a dream and a heart as big as all outdoors. Who couldn't love a guy like that, and what kid wouldn't feel proud to share an ethnic and spiritual heritage with him? And then younger, cooler Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. Oh, the time I spent and the damage I did trying to blow-dry my hair exactly like he did... I think, however, we're talking about two different stereotypes. Neither Rocky Balboa nor Tony Manero was loud or crass, and I didn't think Dom was either. Yes, I too could have picked Dom out of a line-up as sharing the same demographic as we do, but it's not the demographic, per se, to which I object regarding Christian. It's the wiseguy / junior thug persona that makes him unwatchable to me. His affect on camera is closer in spirit to Jersey Shore than to Saturday Night Fever. They're not the same thing. This may seem like to-may-to, to-mah-to, but I know I liked Dom (although clearly not as much as Giada did) and I don't like Christian. I felt like I shared something with Dom, and wouldn't have minded watching him on a FN show. Christian makes me want to roll my eyeballs and walk in whatever direction is furthest from him.
  6. Same here. I didn't include the second half of your sentence (..."but she's just not cut out for this kind of thing") because I don't think any of these people are ready-made to be the host of a food/cooking show at this point. I think Palek has genuine talent with food, and is eminently watchable. Give her a show with an experienced director, a fleet of support staff and a reasonable amount of time to shoot, and I think she'd be terrific. She's certainly the only one of this crew I would watch. Having said this, I don't think there's a chance she's going to win this utterly stupid competition. I fear that "win" is going to go to Christian. Sorry, but I just can't stand this guy. Not a single second. Cringe-fest 2018. Maybe I'm more sensitive to this because I happen to share the same ethnicity and am also NYC, but Christian represents the worst of the Italian-American stereotype. Come to think of it, didn't Bobby shoot down the young Latino fellow in one of the first episodes of this season for being a "cartoon" version of the Latino male? And what part of Christian's bada-bing shtick isn't an awful stereotype? Mind you, I'm not saying I think Christian is a phony. I absolutely know Italian guys--plenty of them--who revel in this affect. I generally avoid such guys (and their guidette counterparts) like the plague; they're selfish, unimaginative oafs. Not at all what I want to see, or if I do, I'll watch reruns of The Sopranos, because at least the writing was elevated so it was either genuinely funny or incisive. And shame on shark-teeth Giada, being of Italian descent as well, for not being woke enough to call out the stereotype for what it is. Amy is a really remarkable kook--er, I mean cook...I think. How she got here, two seasons in a row, is endlessly fascinating and amusing to me. She's become the poster child for everything that's wrong with this show at this point.
  7. So happy for Palek, and so not sorry to see Jess the Poseur go. While Palek has had a tendency to be a bit subdued in her presentations, she's always struck me as completely genuine, exactly the opposite of what I felt watching Jess all season long. I never thought Jess was going to be the big winner here; every time she was on camera, I found myself thinking in the voice of Holden Caulfield: what a phony! To begin with: a food novelist? Really?? I mean, we can all think of literary plots that grew out of interaction with food, such as Like Water for Chocolate, or Proust and that madeleine, or (heaven help us) Minny in The Help and that "terrible awful" pie. But these are one-offs for writers. I'm sure that neither Laura Esquivel, Marcel Proust nor Kathryn Stockett would have labeled themselves "food novelists," at least in part because the label is absurdly limiting. And pretentious? Gawd, yes! I love samosas, and Palek's left me craving them like mad, from the first description to that epic crunch. Hearing the crunch gave me the closest experience I've ever had watching FNS to actually being there tasting them. I knew just what the sensory experience would be like, what they would smell like, taste like... Mouth watering food porn. I thought Fran Drescher was graceful and lovely. Shame on me for always expecting her to be a ditz, and then always being surprised at what a thoughtful, smart lady she is. I know, it's because of the "voice" and the characters she's best known for playing, but just the same... She should be sitting in the judge's seat instead of LBH.
  8. You do know that "jade," when referring to a woman, suggests one who is meretricious: flashy but lacking substance (implicitly, moral substance). All of which is code for "prostitute." Give a listen to the song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita entitled, "Peron's Latest Flame." Listen closely for the ensemble shouting, "Slut! Dangerous jade!" You'll see what I mean. It's apt.
  9. Man Alive! Who pissed in Giada's corn flakes?! I think what disturbed me most about Giada's aggressive response to Harrison is that she was in fact responding to his rhetoric, not his judgment about food. Granted, he didn't parse his thoughts well. When he was asking, "Could you add ricotta (mascarpone, etc.)?" he wasn't actually asking, "Could one do this?" I think he was trying to suggest that if she had added any of these things, it would have improved the dish for him. In other words, he was attempting to give a kind of "judgment," but was so intimidated by the bitch that he delivered it in a way that was misleading. Anyway, Giada's epically bitchy, "Yes, Harrison, you can make anything you want!" betrays her inability to understand even the first thing about this dynamic, let alone her inability to accept anyone else's thoughts on how to prepare pasta. It's as if she would have us all go about endlessly repeating the mantra, "WWGD?" If you consider that both Harrison and Adam got an ass-whooping for failing to do just that, it's hard to excuse.
  10. Not sure if you were responding to my previous comment, and I certainly see your point, but I would make a fine distinction. Kentucky is southern like Louisiana in the same way that Maine is northern like Connecticut. With its mountainous regions and proximity to the Midwest, I sense that Kentucky is closer in spirit to West Virginia than to Alabama or Mississippi. Of course, I'm not only no authority on all this, I'm a freakin' New Yorker, so what do I know? I guess what I was trying to say is that Jason could shed light on the food and culture of those border states that, while justifiably "southern" to most people, have a unique identity that isn't Paula Deen's South. Would most people see the difference? Probably not, but that's what I was thinking, anyway.
  11. Whether, as has been suggested, the entire Matthew trajectory was a set-up from day one to play on the audience's emotions, or it was all for real, and they actually cut the kid at the penultimate moment knowing he'd burst into tears, this was some mean shit. Matthew may be cocky and overeager, but neither of these is the cardinal sin in food entertainment. That would be boring, and few contestants I've ever seen on FNS rival Rusty for that. Suzanne and Nancy are the the poster-children for this season: inept and annoying. Suzanne especially makes me long for the days of Danushka. Cory was only marginally more interesting on camera. I'd love to eat at his restaurant, I bet I'd even like him as a person, but he's strictly Ken Dolls Recite Recipes in front of a camera. All of which leaves only Jason--who I like very much, and enjoy watching in spite of his being "Honey One Note." I think, out of the realm of this increasingly dumb show, he'd bring greater diversity to his on-air persona, and could teach us about a wide variety of ingredients and techniques. There's an ugly stereotype about the region he hails from: Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia... Think Deliverance. Jason has the ability to bring much-needed respect and appreciation for the wonderful people and culinary gems of this region. My favorite moment in this episode was when they showed us a photograph of his lush, green farm. In that one moment, I felt like I got a window into a whole world that Jason inhabits about which we know only the surface.
  12. You: brilliant. Me: in need of an ambulance. There are millennials who don't feel this way?
  13. Hey Blue, I was thinking specifically of the Ben's in East Hills (near Roslyn/Glen Cove, if you're not familiar) but there's also a franchise of the same Ben's in Carle Place on Old Country Road, and there are probably others too on Long Island. There used to be one in Bayside--may still be there, but I suspect like everything else that's good in NYC, it's been replaced by a Sephora or a CVS. FYI, I remember Ben's Best on Queens Boulevard! I was a Rego Park/Forest Hills brat, and I went there often. There used to be so many great deli-restaurants in Queens and Brooklyn (my favorite was Grabstein's on Rockaway Parkway in Canarsie) and for the most part, they're all gone now. It's a shame, there's a whole generation of kids growing up in this city now who think a deli is just a place to buy cold cuts. They wouldn't know a kugel or a plate of kasha varnishkes if it hit them over the head. My apologies for the off-topic chatter and all the loco moco local references to boot.
  14. So Amy gets sent home for blubbering in front of the camera exactly like she did five weeks ago....and four weeks ago, and three weeks ago, and... What did they expect? She has a couple of halfway decent camera presentations and she's going to turn into Ina Garten? She was way past her shelf life. I'm sorry they led her on for so long. I absolutely disagree with the notion that potatoes and hot dogs was "the most difficult paring." Yes, cooking the potatoes in limited time is a challenge, but as for the pairing: every Jewish deli-restaurant from Ben's to Katz on 2nd Avenue makes a mashed potato-stuffed roll (like a knish) with a hot dog. While I'm sure there are no gourmet Jewish delis in the far reaches of Louisiana, Bobby certainly should have known better. Any five-year-old will tell you that hot dogs and potatoes (french fries, tater tots, etc.) are a natural taste combination. Sorry to go after Flay again, but I'm also going to nab him for the assertion that Matthew should have used blue cheese instead of mozzarella in his buffalo pizza pocket. Had he done that, what exactly would have made it pizza at all? I can hear Bobby: "I like this, but it's just dough stuffed with buffalo chicken. Nothing about it reminds me of pizza." Crumbling some blue cheese in addition to the mozzarella, maybe; instead of...no. Let's don't get into Giada's obnoxious pronunciation of "mozzarella" (that "fragile" cheese). If Matthew hadn't used buffalo sauce, had used tomato sauce instead...here we go again: "This is just a chicken parmesan pocket, it has nothing to do with buffalo wings." They made up the stupid challenge, and then critiqued the cook for fulfilling it. I dunno, maybe he used too much buffalo sauce. Anyway, I do thank Giada for once again for bringing the girls to the show. Always a pleasure to see them. And we're seeing more of them this season than if this were Cinemax After Dark. Jason's chili/deviled eggs looked good to me! I'm impressed that he got the flavor of full-on chili into the beans without meat. Rusty's corn-dog was worth it just for the look of obvious repulsion on Giada's face at having to bite into it. Someone needs to loop that expression and her failed attempt to bite into it as an animated gif. Dank meme waiting to happen. Yes, we all hate to say it, but Matthew was excellent this week. He didn't try to usurp the group presentation (I was sure he would) and in fact, he came off as a team player--which, as we all know, he's not. In fairness, if I'd never seen Matthew before and had tuned into FNS for the first time tonight, I'd have said he was a charming, personable young chef and would win this competition by a mile. He absolutely did. Re-watch the episode (if you dare...it was pretty lousy overall): he called at least one of the guys "honey" (I think it was Matthew) at least once. I distinctly remember, because I thought it was kind of odd.
  15. Christina, I appreciate this smart, incisive commentary. You're right on!
  16. You made my day with this reference! Spot-on! Hilarious!!
  17. This week's travesty episode made me really, really sad. Not that Cory isn't The Ego That Ate Louisiana, but he seemed so defeated throughout the entire affair. When I think of how buoyant he was at the start of the season (and yes, I do mean when presenting to camera) I can't help but wonder**.....isn't there something fundamentally wrong with a competition that's supposed to inspire talent, but that breaks the spirit of someone so obviously talented? Loved the look on Kid Hashtag's face when he walked into the kitchen to see Alex Guarnaschelli. He didn't recognize her, huh? Did he magically forget having called her a "beast" in front of a million viewers two seasons ago? It's Jason's to win now, unless they bring Cory dashing back on his (somehow appropriate) white steed. Can't stand listening to Rusty holler at the camera for one more week (let alone that they keep praising him for it). I know they're in search of a new Guy Fieri, but this guy ain't it. ("Stop trying to make Rusty happen! He's not going to happen!") And this, from a viewer who can't even stand Guy Fieri. Pancakes with magenta frosting and sprinkles? Amy needs to be removed, if only for giving a bad name to blondes everywhere by aggressively reinforcing the stereotype. And finally: boobs. **pardon the Carrie Bradshaw
  18. I wondered about this myself, but I guess since it didn't count towards elimination (I.e., it only could have benefited him to compete) they let him take a health break.
  19. Instead of "Beat Bobby Flay," this episode should have been called "Beat Giada"....like, with a stick. I wonder if she actually annoyed Bobby as much as she annoyed me annoying Bobby. I think he showed remarkable cool and good humor. Is Anne Burrell turning into a cockatoo right before our very eyes? Also, while I know it's more popular to pick on Giada's outfits around here, Anne's mylar tank-top didn't do a thing for me or for her boobs. In what kind of bizarro world is Amy still in the competition? She can't string together two sentences without babbling like an idiot. Enough, already! Matthew seems more than ever like a calculated FN stunt to me. His arrogance has become so cartoonish, I just can't invest anymore. And could he really not know what coq au vin is?? Just not making sense anymore... In spite of the fact that I've come to believe Matthew is nothing more than a shill, I thought the moment of Jason sandbagging him by taking on the presentation in the pre-heat was beautifully staged.
  20. Thanks for this! I couldn't imagine actually putting potato salad in gumbo, but if I had the opportunity, I think I'd give it a try.
  21. I'm surprised they let Adderall Addie go before Amy. Addie may have been more low-boil than low-country boil, but at least she had something to say. What drives me nuts about Amy is that when she's out of ideas, rather than simply smiling or just being still for God's sake, she stares at the judges and does this strange sort of undulation in their general direction, as if she were trying to secretly signal them that she has to pee. I find this infinitely more cringeworthy than anything Addie did. How bad is it that I find myself waiting each week for Matthew the Doucheberry to step up to the plate? If he's there for entertainment's sake only, maybe that's a good thing, because everyone else this season is so dreadfully dull. Even Cory, who seemed to me a shoe-in from the start, has become more boring than anything else. And really, potato salad mixed into a gumbo? How would you even know it's there, as potato salad, per se? Or is potato salad just cubed, boiled potatoes now? Because I always thought "potato salad" would be either mayo- or vinegar-based, and would have things like bits of bacon or tomato or celery or whatever. In any event, it's not Cory's food that makes him unlikable to me so much as his supreme vanity. Then there's Rusty: "BAM!"....get him off my TV screen. He's multiple cliches wrapped up into one, an even-less-likable Guy Fieri. David seems like a decent enough guy, but I keep forgetting he's even there. Like, he steps up to present, and I say, "Oh yeah....him." I guess that's not a good thing. At this point, though his cutesy/folksy thing has become a bit tiresome, Jason is the only one here I could honestly see being both knowledgable about food and comfortable before the camera. Some things I'm wondering. Why are the contestants universally comfortable and even engaging in those "private cut" moments with the camera, when so many of them suck so fantastically in the camera challenges? Do they rehearse and re-take those shots until they're professional quality? I mean, even Addie was animated to a fair degree when she spoke to us alone in front of the camera. The other thing I'd like to know at this point is, exactly how old was Matthew when he started "working in restaurants from the time he was 'this' big"? Six? Seven? Aren't there child labor laws in Arizona? Could this explain why he's so maladjusted? I'm probably just being an idiot here, but I keep feeling like there's this really smart, good kid underneath all the smarm, but he just can't get out of his own way.
  22. Matthew is a terror. He puts everyone who works with him on the defensive--in the case of tonight, Addie. What's interesting is that it worked to her advantage in the mini-challenge, forcing her to bring more energy to her presentation, and even to muster the "no" that Matthew needed to hear when he wanted to film himself lying in a shelf of bacon (WTF???). Addie's "Hammies" looked good to me, one of the few items I've ever seen on FNS that I'd actually make, let alone eat. What was up with Cory tonight? That business with him interrupting Rusty to talk about JazzFest....so awkward. And really, you have that little knowledge of refrigerated crescent dough? Really? I understand he's a Chef with a capital "C" but tonight he read to me more like a snob. "My Louisiana cuisine is lighter, using more fresh ingredients," i.e., "Not greasy and heavy like Rusty--er, I mean, Rusty's food." Anyway, farewell, Cao-pectate...
  23. Matthew's a putz, but I'm pretty sure it's more than just his parents who are responsible for his "superior attitude." Think about schools that reward every student effort as though it were worthy of a Pulitzer. Or social media (Sir Hashtag's specialty) that rewards young people with "likes" for simply having a thought (no matter how rude, commonplace or poorly expressed) and "friends" by the millions whom they don't even know. Or, for that matter, "reality" shows like Food Network Star that package personality in such a slick way, it's hard to find any reality in them at all. Millennial Matthew might just be the perfect product of the medium he inhabits.
  24. Am I the only one who saw the entire beef jerky conversation between D'Arabian and Cory as a double entendre? Maybe it was her eyelash-batting, overly toothsome manner to him, so different from her manner towards the other contestants, that immediately got me thinking this way, but once we got to Cory's, "You want beef jerky, I'll give you beef jerky," I was definitely in the smut-house. I'm a sick, sick man.
×
×
  • Create New...