S11.E06: Japanese Week

[Ms Lark]

Here's what made me craziest about this episode: every single Japanese word used was mispronounced. Every one of them. So, if you're thinking, "Oh, that's how that's pronounced!" it isn't. Aargh. Makes you want to tear your hair out. I love Japanese culture and have visited there several times. This episode left me cold.

Why was Paul expounding on having to judge things properly in spite of the fact you don't like it (e.g., matcha), but was insisting on not having gherkins in his tastings because he doesn't like them. How many good bakers were kicked off in previous seasons because you don't like matcha? One or the other, Paul.

 

[iMonrey]

We're gotten to the point in the contest where I don't want to lose anybody. There's really no one I dislike. I guess Dave, Hermine and other Marc  have more subdued personalities, but I still like all of them. Really sad to see Mark go, he's such a fun presence in the tent. I loved the playful teasing between him and Lottie.

I used to make crepes all the time when I was little (although not with matcha). They are wonderful with powdered sugar. Poor Mark, he said those strawberries were sliced as thin as his sausage fingers could make them!

[MartyQui]

On 10/29/2020 at 1:56 AM, Lois Sandborne said:

The Victorian challenges they did a while ago were pretty good, and they could probably get a lot of mileage out of a 40s style austerity theme. 

If they did WWII, they could make a tomato soup cake!  Or war cake from WWI, or depression chocolate cake.  There are a lot of no egg/no fat/no white sugar cakes out there.  My grandmother made them all, and they were a lot better than they sound.

[AZChristian]

43 minutes ago, Ms Lark said:

Why was Paul expounding on having to judge things properly in spite of the fact you don't like it (e.g., matcha), but was insisting on not having gherkins in his tastings because he doesn't like them. How many good bakers were kicked off in previous seasons because you don't like matcha? One or the other, Paul.

Whenever we watch "Chopped," if Scott Conant is a judge, contestants should KNOW not to put red onions in anything.  He HATES them.  Even if the dish is good, he will comment on how much better it would be without the red onions.

People on GBBO should know that Paul hates peanut butter, too.

[blueray]

58 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

 

People on GBBO should know that Paul hates peanut butter, too.

This one I knew. You'd think the constants would too but every season someone uses peanut butter.

Honestly it took me way to long to realize what a "gerkin" was lol. Until Lottie said that she was using relish I remembered that was the British name for "pickle". 

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

People on GBBO should know that Paul hates peanut butter, too.

I honestly never once thought that gherkin would be an ingredient on a baking show let alone one with a "Japanese" theme.  Peanut butter is one thing since that is not rare in American baking.  But pickles?  Sheesh.

A good judge should put aside personal likes and dislikes.  To have to tailor a recipe for one of the testers is just silly.  What if you had two ingredients and each judge disliked one of them?

[sharifa70]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

Whenever we watch "Chopped," if Scott Conant is a judge, contestants should KNOW not to put red onions in anything.  He HATES them.

It’s not that he hates red onions, it’s that he hates *raw* red onions. Do a quick pickle or a sauté and he’s fine. 

I’ve never noticed that Paul hates peanut butter! What have I been watching???!!!!

I wonder what kind of pickles they were using. I love dill pickles, loathe sweet ones. Now I want to know what it is he doesn’t like, because he seems fine with similar flavors in their savory bakes. The brine, maybe?

Edited October 31, 2020 by sharifa70

[Gwendolyn]

13 minutes ago, blueray said:

Honestly it took me way to long to realize what a "gerkin" was lol. Until Lottie said that she was using relish I remembered that was the British name for "pickle".

When I went to uni in England, mid 90s, for my year abroad, I introduced my flatmates to 2 meals a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and Tex-Mex. While prepping nachos I had sliced jalapenos on the counter and one of the guys grabbed a handful going "I love gherkins!", popped them in his mouth, and then his face turned as red as his hair when he realized they were most definitely not sliced pickles. I always think of that when I hear gherkins.

As for the challenges, I don't associate Japan with baking and I think they went with it, because Paul had just visited the country and enjoyed himself. The steamed buns looked interesting, but the crepe cakes actually looked unappetizing, not so much because of the green color, but how the crepe was layered under the folded over crepe, I can't explain, it just didn't look good.

I really thought Laura was going when Matt described his relationship with the baker being sent home, but knew it was Mark as soon as Paul described the cake as unedible. That is the word of doom and even Mark knew it.

[AZChristian]

11 minutes ago, Gwendolyn said:

When I went to uni in England, mid 90s, for my year abroad, I introduced my flatmates to 2 meals a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and Tex-Mex. 

Were you in the London area?  Ever eat at the Texas Embassy near Trafalgar Square?

[khyber]

On 10/28/2020 at 2:49 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

. Some of them did really well (Peter's little sheep looked straight out of Wallace & Grommit).

I said the same thing to Mr. Khyber

[sharifa70]

33 minutes ago, Gwendolyn said:

I had sliced jalapenos on the counter and one of the guys grabbed a handful going "I love gherkins!"

The real burning question is whether that incident destroyed his love for gherkins...

[MisterGlass]

Some Japanese baked good examples:

Dorayaki - filled pancakes
Daifuku - sweet bean filled mochi
Anpan - stuffed roll
Melon pan - roll with a sweet top crust
Japanese cheesecake
Milk bread

7 hours ago, BradyB66 said:

I read on Wikipedia that it’s 80’s week.  Break out the neon fondant.

I just had a jello salad flashback.

Edited October 31, 2020 by MisterGlass

[dleighg]

I think jello salad is pre-80s. The first thing that comes to mind (along with the aforementioned quiche) is pesto. So I predict some sort of pesto rolls-- though they'd need to make it more difficult than that. In my recollection, vegetarianism was becoming a big thing then (though maybe it's just because I lived in the California Bay Area in that decade, LOL.) It's hard to think of baked things that are typical to that time. Famous restaurants were a "thing" (like Spago, Chez Panisse....). But again, I keep thinking of savory stuff rather than baking.

Edited October 31, 2020 by dleighg

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

It's hard to think of baked things that are typical to that time. Famous restaurants were a "thing" (like Spago, Chez Panisse....). But again, I keep thinking of savory stuff rather than baking.

Here ya go.  They even mention truffles!

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, MisterGlass said:

Some Japanese baked good examples:

Dorayaki - filled pancakes
Daifuku - sweet bean filled mochi
Anpan - stuffed roll
Melon pan - roll with a sweet top crust
Japanese cheesecake
Milk bread

I just had a jello salad flashback.

One thing that was in the back of my mind while watching is that even Steamed Buns don't really fit the theme.  They're traditionally CHINESE not Japanese.  They do indeed exist in Japan, under the name Nikuman, but they're acknowledged as a Chinese item, Bao, that's been adopted. 

[festivus]

That crepe thing was the worst I've ever seen on this show and that includes the fruitcake challenge. Matcha crepes and white chocolate buttercream? Hell to the no. Somebody free those poor strawberries.

I think the avocado cakes were the cutest idea, too bad they didn't work out.

[akr]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

Here ya go.  They even mention truffles!

I was in my 20s in the 80s (well, teens and 20s). Never heard or seen of any of those things! I suppose it's not a serious article, though😉. Just stuff that terrible marketers tried to foist on people.

Tiramisu, maybe?  Quiche, as someone suggested earlier, would be 70s, I think, but maybe it depends on where you lived. I would guess it'll just be an invitation for a very loud showstopper theme. 

Edited October 31, 2020 by akr
too many exclamation points

[meep.meep]

You can never have too many exclamation points !!!!!

Didn't they do an 80s week before?  I remember it was canapes and Black Forest Gateau.  !!!

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

Here ya go.  They even mention truffles!

The comments are hilarious!  I vividly remember that pokey cake thing. People used all different jello mixes for different colors to match the occasion.

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

A good judge should put aside personal likes and dislikes.  To have to tailor a recipe for one of the testers is just silly.  What if you had two ingredients and each judge disliked one of them?

I think many do except they always have to mention it.  I do think Paul has had one or two peanut butter desserts that have started to win him over just a little bit.

There's a show on Netflix called Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman about a guy who escapes his work and goes to eat desserts at famous dessert places.  It's a fascinating and weird little fictional show but the desserts looked amazing. It would have been nice to have them do something more specific. 

[Rammchick]

39 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

 

There's a show on Netflix called Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman about a guy who escapes his work and goes to eat desserts at famous dessert places.  It's a fascinating and weird little fictional show but the desserts looked amazing. It would have been nice to have them do something more specific. 

There's also Japanese Style Originator, every episode of which begins with a sweet Shiba Inu who runs a bakery stall.  There were plenty of interesting desserts they could have mined from it.  Very cool show in general, btw, if you're looking to see Japanese culture.

[awaken]

Hermine is my favorite, personality wise. I think peter will win, and lottie will be in the finals as well. 

[sharifa70]

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Here ya go.  They even mention truffles!

Ok, 80’s teen here and the only one of these I recognized was the Pudding Pops (which were delicious).

A lot of those recipes looked like something out of my mom’s Army wife magazine clipping recipe book, though. 

I’m still tempted to buy a bamboo steamer and experiment with those buns. 

[leighdear]

If Hermine had just put some little fondant faces on her tree, it would have been sweet, and fit the challenge.  Everybody that put smiley faces on their cakes did well.   It was just a weird-ass theme from start to finish.  And so true that Kim Joy would have made every round her cute, cheeky and adorable bitch.  

And I still say that Matt looks like Wallace from Wallace & Gromit.  That face.  I just can't. 

After over 7 seasons, I had NO clue Paul didn't like Peanut Butter.  For me, that's it's own food group.  He may be dead to me now. 

80's teen here too.  We baked a lot of stuff.  Bundt cakes were BIG, and you can't find a mix today to save your life, but most of of our moms still have their Bundt pans. Actually, I have my mom's Bundt pan.  Monkey bread, REAL brownies (ahem!), Blondies, Poke cakes, and lemon bars.  They could use Rice Crispie Treats to "build" the show stopper.  Our High school bake sales had all of these, before everything had to be gluten, sugar, nut and taste-free!

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by leighdear

[Kromm]

35 minutes ago, leighdear said:

After over 7 seasons, I had NO clue Paul didn't like Peanut Butter.  For me, that's it's own food group.  He may be dead to me now. 

I recall him making faces and acting disgusted about Peanut Butter many times in the early series.  I think it's only in the later ones that they've not mentioned it as much.

[Kohola3]

1 minute ago, Kromm said:

I recall him making faces and acting disgusted about Peanut Butter many times in the early series. 

He once said that he doubted a combination of peanut butter and jam would "work".*

[Gwendolyn]

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Were you in the London area?  Ever eat at the Texas Embassy near Trafalgar Square?

No, Norwich (which had 2 Tex-mex restaurants at the time ChiChis and Pedros...I think Pedros is still there because they got in trouble for cultural appropriation by handing out sombreros at fresher's week at UEA. a year or so ago), but I know the place you're talking about in London.

8 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

The real burning question is whether that incident destroyed his love for gherkins...

I don't know, but I think he started looking at food more closely before popping it in his mouth. I mean if you look at a slice jalapeno it doesn't look like a gherkin.

Back on topic, After this week, I'm leaning towards the final 3 being Dave, Lottie, and Peter...with Hermine or Mark being bringing up the rear. While Laura's managed to win Paul over with her citrus flavors, I'm worried nerves and a lack of polish will be her downfall in the next 2 episodes.

Oh there was a small article in the Times were Prue says she skips breakfast and lunch to maintain her figure on days she's judging food (versus Paul who just eats 3 meals and judges).

[chaifan]

I really liked this week.  I think anyone who considered the theme "racist" really needs to re-examine exactly what racism is.  This is not it.  I know they've done country-based themes in the past, but it's not done each season, right?  I'd like that, to be honest - one episode per season, choosing a different country each time.  I've had steamed buns in Japanese restaurants, so it didn't phase me at all that that was one of challenges.  (Though it's really not a "bake", but since it's dough I give them a break.)  I loved Peter's lamb buns, both from an ingredient standpoint and the fact that they were so darn cute!  I really want to make those. 

I've never had strong feelings either way for Paul, but now I like him all the more because he is anti-pickle and not afraid to say so!  Yeah!  Sometimes I feel I'm the only one.  It's not just that the pickles (or gherkins) taste awful, but they infect everything they touch.   Or, when a pickle is put on a plate, the pickle juice soaks into the hamburger bun or fries or whatever else is on the plate.  ew.  I give him mass props for speaking out, and I think both Mark and Lottie did well to accommodate him.  But I think Mark's comment about "it wouldn't have been dry if it had a gherkin in it" was hilarious!  I hope Paul saw that clip at some point.

I really really really want to make a crepe cake.  Not matcha - I agree with Laura, tastes like grass clippings.   (I love matcha for the color, but that's about it.)  If anyone has a tried and true crepe cake recipe, please post!

I loved the showstoppers.  I need to learn more about the jiggle cake Lottie made. 

Oh, and since everyone else is talking about 80's desserts...  For me, the stand out dessert from the 80's is cheesecake.  That's when I remember every restaurant started carrying massive multi-flavored cheesecakes.  Oreo, Reese's cups, white chocolate raspberry, etc.  I don't know when the trend actually started, but for me it's firmly in the early to mid 80's.  I remember one of my friends raving about one, and I replied "it's a great dessert, but not a great cheesecake".  I'm a cheesecake purist - give me a slice of traditional NY style cheesecake, and that's all I need.  No chocolate, no fruit puree, please no candy in it.  Just pure cheesecake. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

I've never had strong feelings either way for Paul, but now I like him all the more because he is anti-pickle and not afraid to say so!  Yeah!  Sometimes I feel I'm the only one.  It's not just that the pickles (or gherkins) taste awful, but they infect everything they touch.   Or, when a pickle is put on a plate, the pickle juice soaks into the hamburger bun or fries or whatever else is on the plate.  ew. 

There are certain foods I really don't like but some are easier to pick off or ignore than others. I loathe bell peppers and my mom forgot this constantly when I was in college. I would come home for vacation and she would have some kind of pizza with bell peppers. When I reminded her that I hate bell peppers and asked if there was anything else I could make to eat, she would tell me to just pick the bell peppers off. Technically, sure, you can do that, but I can taste the bell pepper on everything it's touched from the cheese to the crust to the meat that it was on top of.

Pickles are in the same class. You can take them off, but that pickle flavor taints everything it has touched. I once ordered a burger with no pickles, got a burger with pickles and asked for a replacement, and got a new plate with the exact same burger with the pickles removed. How do I know? I could taste exactly where the pickles had touched the bread and the meat. Weirdly, I like vinegar and pickled red onions but I just loathe pickles.

Quote

I need to learn more about the jiggle cake Lottie made.

If you want to find recipes or pictures, they're usually called Japanese souffle cheesecakes.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Here's what made me craziest about this episode: every single Japanese word used was mispronounced. Every one of them. So, if you're thinking, "Oh, that's how that's pronounced!" it isn't. Aargh. Makes you want to tear your hair out.

Honestly, this is pretty par for the course in my experience with watching British cooking shows. No matter how simple a word is in another language, the British pronunciation is usually as far from the original as possible. I mean, even simple words like taco and pasta. It's like they go out of their way to make sure it's not pronounced the same as in the native language.

[Danny Franks]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

I've never had strong feelings either way for Paul, but now I like him all the more because he is anti-pickle and not afraid to say so!  Yeah!  Sometimes I feel I'm the only one.  It's not just that the pickles (or gherkins) taste awful, but they infect everything they touch.   Or, when a pickle is put on a plate, the pickle juice soaks into the hamburger bun or fries or whatever else is on the plate.  ew.  I give him mass props for speaking out, and I think both Mark and Lottie did well to accommodate him.  But I think Mark's comment about "it wouldn't have been dry if it had a gherkin in it" was hilarious!  I hope Paul saw that clip at some point.

I always appreciate when food connoisseurs admit to disliking something. It's humanising and understandable. For someone like me, who is a picky eater (though nowhere near as bad as I used to be) it's a little baffling to see the likes of Gregg Wallace on MasterChef just declaring he loves every kind of food and delightedly scoffing whatever is put before him.

Paul not liking gherkins or pomegranate seeds (from a few seasons ago), or Guy Fieri hating fried eggs, just makes them relatable to me.

[dleighg]

8 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

I’m still tempted to buy a bamboo steamer and experiment with those buns. 

I make the Chinese-style steamed buns in a regular (stainless) steamer-- the kind with rather large holes in the steamer portion. My steamer has two "levels" so I can do 8 or so at a time. Each bun is put on a little square of parchment (as I think some of the bakers here were doing as well). Works fine!

[Kromm]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

even simple words like taco and pasta.

And often leading to somewhat ludicrous shock when it's dared suggested they pronounce anything wrong. 

5 hours ago, chaifan said:

really liked this week.  I think anyone who considered the theme "racist" really needs to re-examine exactly what racism is. 

Not racist as much as somewhat insultingly oversimplified, I guess. Not the end of the world, but let's not gloss it over either. Recognize it and move on, IMO. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

I’m still tempted to buy a bamboo steamer and experiment with those buns. 

They're pretty inexpensive so I highly encourage you to get one and try making some buns. You can also use it to steam eggs (instead of hard boiling them) and veggies.

If you are too impatient to wait to buy a steamer, you can also steam without one. I remember my mom steaming stuff by putting water in a large pot and then setting a very shallow bowl inside (she put it on top of a metal steam rack but you can also use an upside down bowl). Just put the pot lid on and steam away!

18 minutes ago, Kromm said:

And often leading to somewhat ludicrous shock when it's dared suggested they pronounce anything wrong. 

Ha, yes!

[Kohola3]

5 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I always appreciate when food connoisseurs admit to disliking something. It's humanising and understandable.

I think the contestants would like it a whole lot more if those dislikes were widely advertized BEFORE the contestant joins the competition.  A lot of thought and practice go into the recipes they are planning to use.  If an item is a key taste ingredient and has to be left out at the last second that's quite unfair.  Picky Paul needs to supply a list so as not to offend his delicate tastebuds.  Snowflake.

[Danny Franks]

14 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I think the contestants would like it a whole lot more if those dislikes were widely advertized BEFORE the contestant joins the competition.  A lot of thought and practice go into the recipes they are planning to use.  If an item is a key taste ingredient and has to be left out at the last second that's quite unfair.  Picky Paul needs to supply a list so as not to offend his delicate tastebuds.  Snowflake.

I disagree. It's on the contestants to craft the recipe they want to make and run the risk of the judges not liking it. We've seen frequently on the show that the judges will say they didn't like the taste of something, but can appreciate the baking talent. Flavour is always going to be subjective, that's just part of the competition. He could have said nothing about the gherkins then complained afterwards but apparently dislikes them strongly enough to ask they not be included, which is the first time I can recall him ever doing that.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Danny Franks

[Ms Lark]

7 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Honestly, this is pretty par for the course in my experience with watching British cooking shows. No matter how simple a word is in another language, the British pronunciation is usually as far from the original as possible. I mean, even simple words like taco and pasta. It's like they go out of their way to make sure it's not pronounced the same as in the native language.

and

3 hours ago, Kromm said:

And often leading to somewhat ludicrous shock when it's dared suggested they pronounce anything wrong. 

Oh, gods, I know! I looked up the phenomenon once since I was curious. A large majority seems to think it's because the British believe their pronunciations are correct and only proper English pronunciations are acceptable. I think it's sort of a carryover from Colonialism. I don't know, makes me want to slap them. Sorta, I'm not really violent.

About those gherkins. In America they are little bitty sweet pickles. My New England grandmother loved them and always put out a relish tray with those and olives and tiny onions for Sunday dinners. That was in the 50s. Can you still buy those here? We had to track them down if she were coming over for dinner. I like them, but don't buy a lot of pickles these days.

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, Ms Lark said:

About those gherkins. In America they are little bitty sweet pickles. My New England grandmother loved them and always put out a relish tray with those and olives and tiny onions for Sunday dinners.

Are they similar to cornichons (which I love)? I think gherkins might be sweeter though.

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, Ms Lark said:

Can you still buy those here?

Sure, they are in the dill pickle section.

37 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

I disagree. It's on the contestants to craft the recipe they want to make and run the risk of the judges not liking it.

So it's OK to be booted out of the competition because of a personal dislike by a judge?  Sorry, I don't think that's fair at all.

[Eliza422]

I hate pickles of any type or persuasion - I have since I was a child. The people who said above they faint everything is absolutely right.
 

but I’m not a food  judge! Suck it up Paul!!

[Ms Lark]

50 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Are they similar to cornichons (which I love)? I think gherkins might be sweeter though.

Yes, but gherkins are probably sweeter. IIRC about the level of pickle relish.

47 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Sure, they are in the dill pickle section.

Thanks, maybe I'll pick up a jar for old times' sake.

[cynicat]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I think the contestants would like it a whole lot more if those dislikes were widely advertized BEFORE the contestant joins the competition.  A lot of thought and practice go into the recipes they are planning to use.  If an item is a key taste ingredient and has to be left out at the last second that's quite unfair.  Picky Paul needs to supply a list so as not to offend his delicate tastebuds.  Snowflake.

I appreciate that sometimes people have a true aversion to certain foods, which is humanizing (as has been stated)  What bothered me most about her giving him a bun without the relish is that he  later declared it was 'dry', and I thought the same exact thing she did:  It wouldn't have been dry if you had the relish on it.  

[Pepper Mostly]

21 hours ago, AZChristian said:

 

People on GBBO should know that Paul hates peanut butter, too.

Hates peanut butter, hates matcha, loves banana. 

11 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

He once said that he doubted a combination of peanut butter and jam would "work".*

LOL, it wasn't even peanut butter and jam--it was peanut butter and GRAPE JELLY. I almost fell off the couch when Paul hemmed and hawed. Dude. Come on. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

2 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

He could have said nothing about the gherkins then complained afterwards but apparently dislikes them strongly enough to ask they not be included, which is the first time I can recall him ever doing that.

In 100 episodes! He did Mark and Lottie a favor by giving them a head's up. Paul can't really help it if there's a food he hates. I mean, he's a judge in a baking competition that has just a couple of savory elements per season. It took 100 episodes for gherkins to come up, Paul probably thought he was safe.

31 minutes ago, cynicat said:

What bothered me most about her giving him a bun without the relish is that he  later declared it was 'dry', and I thought the same exact thing she did:  It wouldn't have been dry if you had the relish on it.  

The meat was dry. Paul noted that she needed a meat with more fat (he also said Mark's and Laura's meats were dry). Even with relish I'm sure Paul would have noticed the meat was dry. As it was he was fine with Lottie's bun, and Mark's too. He had nice things to say about both - "spot on" "excellent" "very, very nice" were used - so no one was harmed by leaving the gherkins off.

Having said all that, I did enjoy Noel saying "What is he, five?"

[chaifan]

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Honestly, this is pretty par for the course in my experience with watching British cooking shows. No matter how simple a word is in another language, the British pronunciation is usually as far from the original as possible. I mean, even simple words like taco and pasta. It's like they go out of their way to make sure it's not pronounced the same as in the native language.

A few seasons ago the bakers made pita bread.  In America, pita is pronounced Pee-tah, hard e, like Peter.  But the Brits say Pit-ah.  Soft i, as in "mosh pit" or "pit helmet".  So they kept saying pitah, and I had no idea what the challenge was until I saw the end result.  And then I was all oooohh, Pita bread!  I'm pretty sure the American pronunciation is closer to correct than the British one.

6 hours ago, Kromm said:

Not racist as much as somewhat insultingly oversimplified, I guess. Not the end of the world, but let's not gloss it over either. Recognize it and move on, IMO. 

Sorry, I still disagree.  If you have to choose 3 food items or flavor profiles to represent an entire country of course it's going to be oversimplified.  I just can't see how that's an insult (let alone racism).  is it something people can disagree with - they should have chosen X over Y?  Sure, but that's going to happen with every category. 

[Brookside]

On 10/30/2020 at 12:28 PM, dleighg said:

did anyone else think it odd that so many bakers didn't know what a "crescent" is? I mean, they've heard of a crescent moon, right? Or a crescent (croissant) roll, since we're talking baking!

Perhaps they think of crescent primarily as a type of street, as in Mornington Crescent?  (Points for those who get the reference.)  And I'd been eating croissants and studying French for years before the names clicked.

 

There is no single "authentic" pronunciation for the word pasta.  Neither is there for taco.  (Or neither/either, for that matter.)

13 hours ago, leighdear said:

 

[Brookside]

13 minutes ago, chaifan said:

A few seasons ago the bakers made pita bread.  In America, pita is pronounced Pee-tah, hard e, like Peter.  But the Brits say Pit-ah.  Soft i, as in "mosh pit" or "pit helmet".  So they kept saying pitah, and I had no idea what the challenge was until I saw the end result.  And then I was all oooohh, Pita bread!  I'm pretty sure the American pronunciation is closer to correct than the British one.

 

Well, most Americans pronounce pita as peeda, so there you go.  The whole conversation about pronunciation is lose/lose.  (Mary/marry/merry anyone?)

Back to the show, when Laura was crying, it struck me that we don't see tears much on GBBO.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Brookside
Make relevant to show

[Danny Franks]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

So it's OK to be booted out of the competition because of a personal dislike by a judge?  Sorry, I don't think that's fair at all.

I can't think of an example - ever - where someone was booted just because a judge didn't like an ingredient they used. I can think of plenty of examples of one or the other judge saying they didn't like the flavour of a certain ingredient, but still offering valid criticism.

But when you ask two people to judge your food, you're asking for a subjective assessment. If they really hate what it tastes like, it doesn't matter if you or your friends love it, it doesn't matter if 90% of the world would love it, the people who are judging it didn't.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Danny Franks

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

But when you ask two people to judge your food, you're asking for a subjective assessment. If they really hate what it tastes like, it doesn't matter if you or your friends love it, it doesn't matter if 90% of the world would love it, the people who are judging it didn't.

Exactly my point. If a judge is predetermined to hate what you make based on an ingredient, you should at least have fair warning so as not to include it.

[Suzn]

3 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

About those gherkins. In America they are little bitty sweet pickles. My New England grandmother loved them and always put out a relish tray with those and olives and tiny onions for Sunday dinners. That was in the 50s. Can you still buy those here? We had to track them down if she were coming over for dinner. I like them, but don't buy a lot of pickles these days.

The gherkins I buy are small dill pickles.  I don't remember seeing any sweet pickles called gherkins. For me they are preferable to large dill pickles because they are crisp.