S18.E12: The Cheesier the Better

[Leeds]

21 hours ago, jackjill89 said:

I'd love it if Shota was getting the Paul Qui edit! He's my favorite this season, hands down. He is an excellent chef and seems like a really good guy. 

As long as that's where the similarity ends . . . .

[JBurg58]

On 6/18/2021 at 9:14 PM, Rambler said:

I also loved the Filet o Fish when I was a kid with the one caveat being that they put waay too much tartar sauce on the thing. Had to use the wrapper to try and scrape off some of the sauce. I haven't eaten one in years, do they still put that giant glob of tartar sauce on it?

Jaime was too nice for her own good. If she was behind on her own preparations, she should have just told Dawn that she was in the weeds and couldn't help her. Dawn probably would have crashed and burned and Jaime might still be in the competition. There is $250,000 dollars at stake and you are in the final four, just go ahead and stick the knife in and you wouldn't even be seen as the bad guy unless you twirled your mustache in a talking head later (which I would absolutely love). I don't know if it's the editing, but the lack of competitiveness between the chefs is making this season boring to me. I miss the days of Spike and his Machiavellian scheming.

Yeah, Rambler, they still overdo the tartar sauce. Like you, I have to wipe off a lot of that gross white stuff. Give me just the squishy bun, Alaskan Pollock, and yes, that square of American cheese, and I'm a happy girl. 

[novhappy]

10 hours ago, JBurg58 said:

Yeah, Rambler, they still overdo the tartar sauce. Like you, I have to wipe off a lot of that gross white stuff. Give me just the squishy bun, Alaskan Pollock, and yes, that square of American cheese, and I'm a happy girl. 

I order it “ light tartar sauce”. Comes w just a dollop that is perfect. Only problem is this special order is usually cooked fresh so it’s super hot and I have to wait to eat it!

[PackYourKnives]

The main quote on a rewatch that stands out to me is from Nina. The newest judge and the one coming in fresh to taste food. 

 

After Dawn's awful dish, Nina commented on the vast difference in technique between her and the first dish (Shota). This is a fantastic sign for Shota's chances. 

 

[bravofan27]

I like Shota a lot, and I think he may be the best technical and creative chef, but he has said some really immature things that have turned me off to him.  I think Gabe is the most well-rounded guy and should win. Not that they are judged on personality  outright, but maybe they are unconsciously   looking for spokespeople.

Guest judges:  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Melissa. She is so poised, sweet, and reflective. She is so kind and honest. She always looks very calm and  in the moment, and she's so eloquent when she speaks. I adore her. I love how she always looks happy and has a smile when she talks. She is so proper and polite as well. Love her. 

What was up with Dale? That outrage was a little over the top. He must have been told to do that, or he's trying to get Ramsey's attention for the next show since the restaurant biz is going down the toilet. It was just a little too fake and he seemed to be trying a bit too hard for camera time. It worked, because he got it.

Given 20% or more of Asians are lactose intolerant, and more than 60% of Asians have problems digesting it, I thought this was a really tone deaf challenge and just served to promote a white-owned business. Jamie was probably thrilled to lose so she could go to the bathroom.

 

 

[watchingtvaddict]

1 hour ago, bravofan27 said:

Given 20% or more of Asians are lactose intolerant, and more than 60% of Asians have problems digesting it, I thought this was a really tone deaf challenge and just served to promote a white-owned business. Jamie was probably thrilled to lose so she could go to the bathroom.

This show is mostly about sponsorship and they like to create challenges based on certain products. 
They’ve also had challenges in the past where chefs were allergic to seafood and had to work with gloves/ have fellow chefs taste the food for them. How is this different?

Shota also won the challenge and seemed to have a good idea on how to incorporate cheese into Japanese cuisine. 
 

I feel like it would be more offensive to scrap a challenge just in case one of the two remaining Asian chefs was lactose intolerant. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by watchingtvaddict

[gorgy]

1 hour ago, bravofan27 said:

Given 20% or more of Asians are lactose intolerant, and more than 60% of Asians have problems digesting it, I thought this was a really tone deaf challenge and just served to promote a white-owned business. Jamie was probably thrilled to lose so she could go to the bathroom.

 

 

Speaking as a lactose intolerant vegetarian with a nut allergy, if we're going to throw out challenges based entirely on dietary restrictions because it's "tone deaf" we wouldn't have any challenges at all.

[bravofan27]

19 minutes ago, gorgy said:

Speaking as a lactose intolerant vegetarian with a nut allergy, if we're going to throw out challenges based entirely on dietary restrictions because it's "tone deaf" we wouldn't have any challenges at all.

I get that, but given two of the contestants are Asian... and neither have worked with cheese (for cultural reasons) it seemed inappropriate to me, or not very sensitive. Just my opinion. Cheese is a real thing and a real ingredient, for sure. All chefs, lactose intolerant or not, especially "top chefs" should be familiar. This episode seemed very sponsor-forward and not tailored toward the actual people making and eating the food. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by bravofan27

[bravofan27]

58 minutes ago, watchingtvaddict said:

I feel like it would be more offensive to scrap a challenge just in case one of the two remaining Asian chefs was lactose intolerant. 

I think, given that over 20% of Asian descents are lactose intolerant, and 66% are senstive, scraping the cheese focused-centric makes a lot of sense, given 50% of the contestants are Asian. Using probability-- aka- science, it isn't that hard to figure out the right thing to do. IMO. Hint: multiple .66 by .50.

[Leeds]

10 minutes ago, bravofan27 said:

I get that, but given two of the contestants are Asian... and neither have worked with cheese (for cultural reasons) it seemed inappropriate to me, or not very sensitive. Just my opinion. Cheese is a real thing and a real ingredient, for sure. All chefs, lactose intolerant or not, especially "top chefs" should be familiar. This episode seemed very sponsor-forward and not tailored toward the actual people making and eating the food. 

So it's inappropriate even though as chefs they should be familiar?

(Not to mention that they have willingly agreed to appear on a North American show where they are going to be given food challenges.  One of which might quite well feature dairy of some sort.)

[Quilt Fairy]

12 hours ago, novhappy said:

Only problem is this special order is usually cooked fresh so it’s super hot and I have to wait to eat it!

Being "cooked fresh" is hardly ever considered a problem! 🙂

However, I have the same problem with Culver's walleye sandwich.  (And yes, it's served with a slice of American cheese.)

[watchingtvaddict]

34 minutes ago, bravofan27 said:

I think, given that over 20% of Asian descents are lactose intolerant, and 66% are senstive, scraping the cheese focused-centric makes a lot of sense, given 50% of the contestants are Asian. Using probability-- aka- science, it isn't that hard to figure out the right thing to do. IMO. Hint: multiple .66 by .50.

Melissa King, Ed Lee, and Dale Talde were all on the judging panel. Ed Lee and Dale Talde were also the two judges who introduced the cheddar challenge. I just don't know if your argument holds weight.

Chefs (especially in Top Chef) should be able to work with a multitude of foods and food styles. If this challenge was seriously problematic- one of these 5 individuals would have mentioned it. 

Instead we have Shota mentioning cheese isn't really used in Japanese cuisine and then crushing the competition.  

[PackYourKnives]

3 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

I like Shota a lot, and I think he may be the best technical and creative chef, but he has said some really immature things that have turned me off to him.  I think Gabe is the most well-rounded guy and should win. Not that they are judged on personality  outright, but maybe they are unconsciously   looking for spokespeople.

Guest judges:  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Melissa. She is so poised, sweet, and reflective. She is so kind and honest. She always looks very calm and  in the moment, and she's so eloquent when she speaks. I adore her. I love how she always looks happy and has a smile when she talks. She is so proper and polite as well. Love her. 

What was up with Dale? That outrage was a little over the top. He must have been told to do that, or he's trying to get Ramsey's attention for the next show since the restaurant biz is going down the toilet. It was just a little too fake and he seemed to be trying a bit too hard for camera time. It worked, because he got it.

Given 20% or more of Asians are lactose intolerant, and more than 60% of Asians have problems digesting it, I thought this was a really tone deaf challenge and just served to promote a white-owned business. Jamie was probably thrilled to lose so she could go to the bathroom.

 

 

Such as what that Shota has said? And I wouldn't make Gabe the model of representation for Top Chef based on your assessment.  

---

There have been challenges where people have been allergic to dishes before, you can't help it. I don't have an issue with this challenge at all, never heard of that % thing 

[roctavia]

A good portion of adults in general have some degree of lactose intolerance.... different lactose containing foods can be more or less problematic for different people as well. Someone bothered by milk may not have a problem with cheese, some lactose intolerant people can handle yogurt, some can't handle the smallest amounts of dairy.  

The challenges were probably also lined up long before the season started, so they had no way of knowing which chefs would still be left during the cheese challenge. It's also not like this is the first time they've had a challenge based around cheese or other dairy. 

This seems like something to complain about just to find something to complain about. 

Top Chef just can't win, they are throwing it in our faces by showing BLM for half a second, but are also be racially insensitive having a cheese based challenge....  

[PackYourKnives]

5 minutes ago, roctavia said:

A good portion of adults in general have some degree of lactose intolerance.... different lactose containing foods can be more or less problematic for different people as well. Someone bothered by milk may not have a problem with cheese, some lactose intolerant people can handle yogurt, some can't handle the smallest amounts of dairy.  

The challenges were probably also lined up long before the season started, so they had no way of knowing which chefs would still be left during the cheese challenge. It's also not like this is the first time they've had a challenge based around cheese or other dairy. 

This seems like something to complain about just to find something to complain about. 

Top Chef just can't win, they are throwing it in our faces by showing BLM for half a second, but are also be racially insensitive having a cheese based challenge....  

No this is a false equivalency. No one other than that poster is mentioning this lactose intolerant asian thing. Plenty of people here and elsewhere have issues with other things mentioned.. 

[JBurg58]

13 hours ago, novhappy said:

I order it “ light tartar sauce”. Comes w just a dollop that is perfect. Only problem is this special order is usually cooked fresh so it’s super hot and I have to wait to eat it!

Yeah, it can take forever when you "have it your way." Wrong slogan for Mickey D's, I know, but you get the idea :)

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

Given 20% or more of Asians are lactose intolerant, and more than 60% of Asians have problems digesting it, I thought this was a really tone deaf challenge and just served to promote a white-owned business. Jamie was probably thrilled to lose so she could go to the bathroom.

72% of Italians, 55% of Greeks and 43% of French people are lactose intolerant as are 75% of Ashkenazi Jews, a lot of Hispanics and even higher percentages of Middle Easterners.  So I really don't see any racial insensitivity or any kind of racial dimension to this.  I didn't see any when all the non-Asian chefs were asked to cook tofu either.  It's a cooking competition and they are all asked to cook things out of their comfort zones.  I just don't see how race has anything to do with it.

[roctavia]

18 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

72% of Italians, 55% of Greeks and 43% of French people are lactose intolerant as are 75% of Ashkenazi Jews, a lot of Hispanics and even higher percentages of Middle Easterners.  So I really don't see any racial insensitivity or any kind of racial dimension to this.  I didn't see any when all the non-Asian chefs were asked to cook tofu either.  It's a cooking competition and they are all asked to cook things out of their comfort zones.  I just don't see how race has anything to do with it.

Something like 75% of all people in the world are lactose intolerant.... We just like our cheese and other dairy despite the consequences... :P

[Vermicious Knid]

I would still really like to see a kosher challenge one season. No pork or bacon (the horror!), no meat with dairy so no milk or cream or cheese in a sauce with an animal protein, no shellfish.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

Instead we have Shota mentioning cheese isn't really used in Japanese cuisine and then crushing the competition.

That was a very impressive victory; even though he presented first (or close to it; I can't recall now), once the judges were not only besotted with the flavor but so thoroughly wowed by the originality (including Tom saying if you gave 100 chefs this challenge, not one of them would come up with what Shota did), I knew the win was his no matter what the others put out.  To be such a decisive winner is always impressive, but especially here when he found a difficult challenge particularly daunting given how little experience he had with the ingredient he had to not just showcase, but use five ways.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, roctavia said:

Something like 75% of all people in the world are lactose intolerant.... We just like our cheese and other dairy despite the consequences... :P

LOL!  I find it amazing that I'm not lactose intolerant since I'm 75% something that should be and my mother was lactose intolerant.  How I escaped that I'll never know.

[dleighg]

6 hours ago, roctavia said:

The challenges were probably also lined up long before the season started, so they had no way of knowing which chefs would still be left during the cheese challenge. It's also not like this is the first time they've had a challenge based around cheese or other dairy. 

Absolutely. This challenge was "bought and paid for" (by Tillimook) so to speak months before they likely even knew who was going to appear on the show. These product placements are always a big part of top chef. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by dleighg

[laprin]

8 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

I think, given that over 20% of Asian descents are lactose intolerant, and 66% are senstive, scraping the cheese focused-centric makes a lot of sense, given 50% of the contestants are Asian. Using probability-- aka- science, it isn't that hard to figure out the right thing to do. IMO. Hint: multiple .66 by .50.

Curious if you feel the same way when they require chefs that are vegan or vegetarian to prepare meat dishes. 

[Mellowyellow]

10 hours ago, roctavia said:

Something like 75% of all people in the world are lactose intolerant.... We just like our cheese and other dairy despite the consequences... :P

Wow!!!! That's fascinating!!!

I'm lucky! Dairy settles the belly. Oddly enough apples give me a tummy ache.

[MerBearHou]

I heard an interview on Sirius XM this morning with Gail Simmons.  She talked about how much she, Padma and Tom loved having the expanded group of Top Chef alumni come back as judges.  She said it was great to see how much they'd all grown in the years since they were on the "game" of Top Chef.  She called it a game several times which surprised me like it surprised me when Padma said it was a game.  I don't think these chefs ever see it as a game -- it's a high-stakes competition for them, I'm guessing. 

Then Gail singled out Dale Talde -- she said, of all the alumni who returned, she most enjoyed having Dale on set this season.  She said he was so smart, warm (like a daily hug, in her words), insightful, brought great energy, has been through ups and downs since his season when he was a "brash punky guy" and has not let the downs defeat him at all.  I found it so interesting and frankly, made me happy because Gail reiterated how I feel about Dale -- I really like him and his presence at Judges Table.  

 

[ZeeEnnui]

13 hours ago, roctavia said:

A good portion of adults in general have some degree of lactose intolerance.... different lactose containing foods can be more or less problematic for different people as well. Someone bothered by milk may not have a problem with cheese, some lactose intolerant people can handle yogurt, some can't handle the smallest amounts of dairy.  

The challenges were probably also lined up long before the season started, so they had no way of knowing which chefs would still be left during the cheese challenge. It's also not like this is the first time they've had a challenge based around cheese or other dairy. 

This seems like something to complain about just to find something to complain about. 

Top Chef just can't win, they are throwing it in our faces by showing BLM for half a second, but are also be racially insensitive having a cheese based challenge....  

I have a dairy allergy (not lactose intolerant) that causes chest congestion. I avoid dairy for the most part (because I don't want to spend a whole day clearing my throat and sounding like I ate all of the frogs) but if there is something I really want to try with cheese, I just pop 2 Mucinex and I'm good to go. But that's me. I didn't watch this challenge and then write a strongly worded letter to the producers because I felt marginalized by Big Tillamook. 

[carrps]

15 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

They’ve also had challenges in the past where chefs were allergic to seafood and had to work with gloves/ have fellow chefs taste the food for them. How is this different?

 

Yeah, Maria had to cook with shrimp, and she was allergic to it. She even chose to work with it once.

 

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Wow!!!! That's fascinating!!!

I'm lucky! Dairy settles the belly. Oddly enough apples give me a tummy ache.

Me, too. Well, the apples. I think it's the peels. I always get indigestion if I eat raw whole apples. Cooked apples cause me no problems at all.

 

11 minutes ago, ZeeEnnui said:

I didn't watch this challenge and then write a strongly worded letter to the producers because I felt marginalized by Big Tillamook. 

Big Tillamook. Yah don't wanna mess with Big Tillamook. 

[Josiemae]

On 6/19/2021 at 1:49 PM, laprin said:

Why don’t you maybe wait until the finale before declaring a fix? 

Because then I'll have to say "the fix was in" to be grammatically correct.

[bravofan27]

23 hours ago, Leeds said:

So it's inappropriate even though as chefs they should be familiar?

(Not to mention that they have willingly agreed to appear on a North American show where they are going to be given food challenges.  One of which might quite well feature dairy of some sort.)

It's their fault. Yep.

These are just my thoughts. Yes, chefs should know how to use ingredients. This is true. Making dairy the star of one of the last competitions? Rude (putting it nicely). 

That's all! Enjoy your dairy, y'all!

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/08/tillamook-ice-cream-cheese-come-mostly-from-cows-kept-in-concrete-and-dirt-feedlots-not-green-pastures-lawsuit-says.html

Edited June 24, 2021 by bravofan27

[Leeds]

16 hours ago, Yeah No said:

LOL!  I find it amazing that I'm not lactose intolerant since I'm 75% something that should be and my mother was lactose intolerant.  How I escaped that I'll never know.

It must be due to the same rule that ensures that two ugly parents produce a beautiful baby!

[Leeds]

37 minutes ago, bravofan27 said:

It's their fault. Yep.

These are just my thoughts. Yes, chefs should know how to use ingredients. This is true. Making dairy the star of one of the last competitions? Rude (putting it nicely). 

That's all! Enjoy your dairy, y'all!

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/08/tillamook-ice-cream-cheese-come-mostly-from-cows-kept-in-concrete-and-dirt-feedlots-not-green-pastures-lawsuit-says.html

Why rude?  It's a common ingredient; they're professional chefs.  Rude, disrespectful, and potentially dangerous would be flying the chefs to Saudi Arabia and having them cook a state banquet featuring pork.

In regards to the Oregonian article, the accusations that Tillamook is lying about the sources of its dairy are just that, accusations and allegations with no proof.

[SailorGirl]

As I sit here post-tequila, I would like to comment that despite the divisiveness that has permeated this specific episodic thread, I commend us all on our ability to rise above petty squabbles and come together in the universal recognition and acceptance that the McDonald's fish sandwich is the one true epicurian delight that unites us all.

But, as I sit here enjoying my hot plain fish sandwich (the custom order is always hot because it is prepared to order) and salty fries, I can only reflect that even in global unity there is disharmony, because the pinnacle of the McDonald's fish sandwich is PLAIN. No tartar, no cheese -- just the squishy bun and the deep fried combination of cod, haddock, and whatever else is in the leftover pile -- with one full-packaged ejection (on top ONLY of the square utopia) of faux ketchup that is 99% high fructose corn syrup -- smashed together to splay the ketchup across the entire square of golden goodness, with a side of hot salty fries to dip into the separate pool of sugary paste disguised as ketchup ejaculated into the top compartment of the cardboard box in which the squishy fishy goodness is delivered.

Thus endeth my tequila-fueled soliloquy to the McDonald's fish sandwich. 

(I've been trying to keto for far too long. This shit is GOOD.) 

Edited June 24, 2021 by SailorGirl
tequila??? Again . . . tequila.

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

when Padma said it was a game.  I don't think these chefs ever see it as a game -- it's a high-stakes competition for them, I'm guessing.

A competition is a game, high-stakes or not. Even the Olympics is also called the Olympic Games.

[Leeds]

23 hours ago, FinnishViewer said:

A competition is a game, high-stakes or not. Even the Olympics is also called the Olympic Games.

And in the same vein, we all know someone for whom Monopoly, the quintessential "board game", is a competition to the death!  

Edited June 25, 2021 by Leeds
"Vein", not "breath", which I knew was wrong but couldn't dredge up vein, which is why I will never appear on Jeopardy!

[MartyQui]

22 hours ago, SailorGirl said:

with one full-packaged ejection (on top ONLY of the square utopia) of faux ketchup that is 99% high fructose corn syrup -- smashed together to splay the ketchup across the entire square of golden goodness, with a side of hot salty fries to dip into the separate pool of sugary paste disguised as ketchup ejaculated into the top compartment of the cardboard box in which the squishy fishy goodness is delivered.

Ketchup?  On fish?  With all the conversation this week I went and got a filet o fish for lunch today…imagine my disappointment when there was only *half a slice* of cheese!  The horror!

[ProudMary]

On 6/24/2021 at 8:35 PM, MartyQui said:

Ketchup?  On fish?  With all the conversation this week I went and got a filet o fish for lunch today…imagine my disappointment when there was only *half a slice* of cheese!  The horror!

Not really a stretch. Fried fish is often served with cocktail sauce, which is ketchup with a kick of horseradish added to it.

[watchingtvaddict]

On 6/25/2021 at 9:35 AM, MartyQui said:

Ketchup?  On fish?  With all the conversation this week I went and got a filet o fish for lunch today…imagine my disappointment when there was only *half a slice* of cheese!  The horror!

I love fish sticks and ketchup! My fave. 

[marybennet]

2 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

I love fish sticks and ketchup! My fave. 

That’s the combo that taught me to like fish when I was a child. 

[Cotypubby]

On 6/22/2021 at 9:39 PM, bravofan27 said:

I think, given that over 20% of Asian descents are lactose intolerant, and 66% are senstive, scraping the cheese focused-centric makes a lot of sense, given 50% of the contestants are Asian. Using probability-- aka- science, it isn't that hard to figure out the right thing to do. IMO. Hint: multiple .66 by .50.

And yet, all of the Asian chefs and judges on the show had no problem eating cheese, so the percentage of Asians on Top Chef who are lactose intolerant is zero. Hint: multiple whatever figure you like by 0.
 

And I thought people were trying to be offended with the African food episode but JFC this takes the cake.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Cotypubby

[emmawoodhouse]

Who knows? The Asians on the panel might have taken Lactaid or whatever the lactose intolerant take in order to partake. 

[MarylandGirl]

On 6/18/2021 at 12:18 AM, Leeds said:

Hey Padma, the emphasis on Tillamook is on the first syllable, not the last.

And while we're about it, the word is gougère, not grougère or gruyère, despite what several people on tonight's show seem to think.

I hope you do - just be sure to buy great quality cheese and fruit!  No American cheese or mushy red delicious apples.

I was confused, because it sounded like "gruyère," as in the cheese, and I was like, "But I thought they could only use cheddar?"

[dleighg]

9 minutes ago, MarylandGirl said:

I was confused, because it sounded like "gruyère," as in the cheese, and I was like, "But I thought they could only use cheddar?"

The closed captioning even said gruyère. Of course I have noticed that whatever intern they hire to do the CC isn't necessarily a food expert. Some of the captioning is highly amusing.

[Talented Tenth]

I don't understand the recurring sentiment seen on Top Chef or anywhere else about cheese not going with seafood.  Lots of people eat shrimp and cheddar cheese grits.  People also eat cheddar grits and fish.  A friend and I recently cooked blackened fish, cheddar grits and shrimp, sauteed spinach, and cornbread which was absolutely delicious and the best meal we ever cooked together.

[LBS]

13 minutes ago, Talented Tenth said:

friend and I recently cooked blackened fish, cheddar grits and shrimp, sauteed spinach, and cornbread which was absolutely delicious and the best meal we ever cooked together

I will DM you my address for the upcoming holiday weekend so that you can cook that for me.  That sounds SO delicious!!

Edited June 29, 2021 by LBS

[Lamb18]

On 6/22/2021 at 8:32 PM, bravofan27 said:

I get that, but given two of the contestants are Asian... and neither have worked with cheese (for cultural reasons) it seemed inappropriate to me, or not very sensitive. Just my opinion. Cheese is a real thing and a real ingredient, for sure. All chefs, lactose intolerant or not, especially "top chefs" should be familiar. This episode seemed very sponsor-forward and not tailored toward the actual people making and eating the food. 

But how would they know who would be the final 4 at the time they designed the challenge? And once they were down to 4 after the previous week's challenge, it would be very difficult to design and implement a totally different challenge within a day or two.

[BlackberryJam]

10 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

But how would they know who would be the final 4 at the time they designed the challenge? And once they were down to 4 after the previous week's challenge, it would be very difficult to design and implement a totally different challenge within a day or two.

Many of the chefs mentioned some problem with alcohol during the pandemic, but there wasn't any outrage about the beer challenge. On my "insensitive" scale, that one was pinging my radar a lot harder than a lactose issue. 

[caitmcg]

3 hours ago, Talented Tenth said:

I don't understand the recurring sentiment seen on Top Chef or anywhere else about cheese not going with seafood.  Lots of people eat shrimp and cheddar cheese grits.  People also eat cheddar grits and fish.  A friend and I recently cooked blackened fish, cheddar grits and shrimp, sauteed spinach, and cornbread which was absolutely delicious and the best meal we ever cooked together.

It’s just an Italian thing, so only makes sense/holds in that context. Even Marcella Hazan, who was quite traditional in her approach to Italian cooking, has a recipe that combines shrimp and mozzarella in one of her later books, though.

Well-made shrimp and grits is fantastic eating!

[HawaiiTVGuy]

A very late comment because I keep forgetting things that I mean to say while I scroll through everyone's comments, but there was some discussion about how Jamie was the only one that ended up helping Dawn at the end with plating.  From what it looked like, as soon as the chefs were done with their service, they left.  I think it showed Shota packing his stuff up first and just putting his head down and heading out, and then Gabe.  And by the time Jamie was helping Dawn, it looked like the kitchen was just the two of them.  I have no idea if that was the rules, that the chefs who were done couldn't hang out, but considering the closeness and camaraderie this season, if Shota and Gabe were allowed to help, it is surprising they didn't offer.  

[margol29]

On 6/29/2021 at 9:54 AM, BlackberryJam said:

Many of the chefs mentioned some problem with alcohol during the pandemic, but there wasn't any outrage about the beer challenge. On my "insensitive" scale, that one was pinging my radar a lot harder than a lactose issue. 

As having a family member with alcohol issues, I agree with the "pinging my radar" sentiment. What if several of the judges were alcoholics and they could not sample the food because of the alcohol content? There will always people with different food allergies or other food issues. A show like Top Chef can't cater to all of them.

 

[BlackberryJam]

Just now, margol29 said:

As having a family member with alcohol issues, I agree with the "pinging my radar" sentiment. What if several of the judges were alcoholics and they could not sample the food because of the alcohol content? There will always people with different food allergies or other food issues. A show like Top Chef can't cater to all of them.

 

Alcohol generally cooks up in food, so you can't get drunk off of it, but the flavor is there and that can be a trigger for a lot of alcoholics.

Alcohol consumption went up during the pandemic, and that's not to say everyone became an alcoholic, but I know I drank too often, and a little too much. I'm backing that down, but damn, wine tastes good.