S19.E06: Texas Trailblaze-hers

[marybennet]

12 hours ago, NaughtyKitty said:

And so nice to see Christine Ha doing well in the culinary world -- she was wonderful to watch on MasterChef.

I was happy to see her, too.  I've eaten in her places in Houston--The Blind Goat, which is a kind of food bar in a food hall and had lovely quick stuff (rice bowls, bao, eggrolls), and Xin Chao, where we had a great congee with lots of different mushrooms; Xin Chao was the first place I ate at after the Covid lockdown, so in my mind, it feels like a party, albeit a party where I was a little nervous. 

I enjoyed the celebration of Texas women and teared up a little at Evelyn Garcia's memories of what Selena meant to her.  I'd love to have a Molly Ivins challenge! 

And, don't know if this is right, but when I was little and watched Pat and Mike on tv with my mother (1950s Hepburn and Tracy movie), she told me that the Katherine Hepburn character was kinda/sorta/probably-pretty-loosely based on Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who I believe had a cameo in the film.  (Going to go find somewhere to watch Pat and Mike now and miss my mother.)

 

[Bastet]

31 minutes ago, marybennet said:

Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who I believe had a cameo in the film.

Yes, in the golf tournament.  She's one of several cameos by celebrated female athletes of the day.  Great film!

Edited April 9, 2022 by Bastet

[Leeds]

13 hours ago, Lassus said:

Well, maybe, but not Ben & Jerry's, that picture is a well-known photoshop joke.  🙂

Similarly, though, I did one time purposefully buy chocolate infused with bacon at a pretty high-end chocolatier on upper 5th avenue.  It was a really awful flavor combination, and I would not recommend it even - or especially - if you LIKE bacon.  Or chocolate.  Or food in general.

Sorry, I didn't realize the Ben and Jerry's photo was a joke.  I live in Hipsterville, and this kind of thing is widely available.  That was the first image that came up when I googled (yeah, yeah, I know).

[Corgi-ears]

Trail blaze-her?! I hardly know her! (Ba-dum-tss!)

Edited April 9, 2022 by Corgi-ears

[Rai]

First of all, I really liked Ashleigh's pep rap in the mirror. That was super cute and leagues better than Marcel's awkward diss track poem that he did back in season 2. Let it flow, Ashleigh! Maybe onto the plate better though!

I remember when this season's location was announced, there was a lot of grumbling about giving Texas tourism money given the horrible anti-choice legislation that had just gotten signed into law. Top Chef didn't really address that in their publicity (and probably can't), but this episode definitely felt like a message regarding women's rights and in response to said awful legislation. I appreciated that. I also appreciated learning about some of the figures represented. I definitely know who Ann Richards was, but I didn't know who Bessie Coleman was. She sounds fascinating.

Buddha's dish just sounded delicious and I wanted it all in my face. For the first time, I really got into Jackson's thinking with his "heart and guts" hook. That was fun and creative. But I was super happy Evelyn won. She most clearly represented her inspiration, and it was a pretty dish too. I'm rooting for her and Jae the most, I think.

I recall one time on Top Chef Masters, Tom took a moment to say that the masters had figured out something regular cheftestants never do which is to cook a really strong dish and worry about how it fits into the challenge later. We've seen some cheftestants attempt to do that, I feel, but never with dishes strong enough that they could bend the interpretations of the challenges to fit in with what they cooked. So I guess that's how I feel about this challenge. For those who didn't know who their inspirations were, necessarily, they also didn't go for the strongest possible hook. Why didn't Ashleigh do some kind of stew or cured meat dish when she learned her figure came from a Norwegian background? It doesn't have to be Norwegian specifically, but she could've better adapted their broad culinary traditions into her own style more strongly, I think.

I keep thinking Damarr is the one to beat, but Jackson is nailing his placement every episode. I hope Evelyn continues to thrive though.

Last note: Luke, I know you worked in the best restaurant in the world, but "chicken fudge" is really reaching. Let's not.

[bravofan27]

Luke isn't very good with verbal communication - and they did that thing about his learning disorder. I think he meant the both went to Europe at the same age. Then again, he’s dyslexic so maybe he did reverse the year/ age of her. Lol.

when he was defending his dish to the judges, i noticed his grammar was incorrect and didnt make much sense what he was saying.

When they asked Luke to  explain, he said, "I did try to pull things that I wanted to try to relate to me."

When asked about the oyster emulsion he said, "it should have been a little bit more bold, with adding the fudge that I made, I thought it would be a little bit enough with the salt." 

HUH?

Edited April 9, 2022 by bravofan27

[7-Zark-7]

When Padma referred to the miso honey, I laughed. I think I’d call it honey miso to avoid the Full Metal Jacket/ 2 Live Crew flashbacks.

[carrps]

7 hours ago, Rai said:

but I didn't know who Bessie Coleman was.

I did. But it's only because I'm in a neighborhood near LAX, and on a stretch of Sepulveda Blvd. there are plaques in the sidewalk (think The Hollywood Walk of Fame) with famous aviators on them. Outside the UPS store there are the aviatrixes (yeah, I prefer the gender neutral term myself, but aviatrix is such a cool word), and one of them is Bessie Coleman. On a shallow note, she was really cute.

 

[candall]

I watched the whole thing with one eyebrow up because they really had to torture that "person=food" concept for the challenge.  (I'd like to know more about TC tangling with Texas.)  I appreciate recognition for women who didn't always get their due, but this was a little embarrassing.  I made beef jerky because it's tough.  Like her!

 

I must be the only person left in the world who fondly recalls the Babe Didrikson Zaharias bio-pic with pretty ghosty-eyed Susan Clark and her husband Alex Karras.

[Leeds]

3 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

Luke isn't very good with verbal communication - and they did that thing about his learning disorder. I think he meant the both went to Europe at the same age. Then again, he’s dyslexic so maybe he did reverse the year/ age of her. Lol.

when he was defending his dish to the judges, i noticed his grammar was incorrect and didnt make much sense what he was saying.

When they asked Luke to  explain, he said, "I did try to pull things that I wanted to try to relate to me."

When asked about the oyster emulsion he said, "it should have been a little bit more bold, with adding the fudge that I made, I thought it would be a little bit enough with the salt." 

HUH?

?

[bravofan27]

19 minutes ago, Leeds said:

?

And what he was saying didn't make much sense. :)

[LBS]

I wish Damarr would of gotten Bessie Coleman because I think he would of nailed the narrative of his dish with her.  He said his dish was about family and Bessie Coleman moved to the south side of Chicago when she was 23  to live with her brothers. Also there is a park and library named after within walking distance from his restaurant (which is now opened again for indoor dining! Huzzah!) so he knows about her in connection to the neighborhood. 
Loving this season and I think the eliminations are on track with the talent left. I also loved this women forward episode and I’m glad they at least obliquely addressed the issues. 
 

Edited April 9, 2022 by LBS
Spelling and got her age wrong. She moved in 1915 not at 15

[Domenicholas]

As others have said, I appreciate that Top Chef put the spotlight on several influential women from the state, but I hate when they do challenges like this. I believe that the parameters are too open-ended when you're dealing with a person who is not in the culinary/food/hospitality business. It always devolves into a "cook whatever you want but make an interesting story around it" challenges, which looks a lot like "cook whatever you want," which is not a challenge. I laughed hard when Jackson was like, "Barbara Jordan had heart and guts and so does my dish," because that's how I would have played it as well, e.g. "Bessie Coleman was a trailblazing aviator, and in her honor I cooked a bird that could fly." 

I believe it was Jo, who lives in Texas, that commented on women's rights being legislated against, not Padma. Since I'm not a Texan, I'll defer to Jo since she would know more about Texas' politics than I would.

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, Domenicholas said:

As others have said, I appreciate that Top Chef put the spotlight on several influential women from the state, but I hate when they do challenges like this. I believe that the parameters are too open-ended when you're dealing with a person who is not in the culinary/food/hospitality business. It always devolves into a "cook whatever you want but make an interesting story around it" challenges, which looks a lot like "cook whatever you want," which is not a challenge. I laughed hard when Jackson was like, "Barbara Jordan had heart and guts and so does my dish," because that's how I would have played it as well, e.g. "Bessie Coleman was a trailblazing aviator, and in her honor I cooked a bird that could fly." 

I hate challenges like this too especially this one because it was so contrived to the point of forcing them into ridiculous stretches of the imagination, but to their credit they forgave Jackson for his rather loose interpretation.  I don't know if I liked the way he was excused, though, although I won't get into that.  I think the judges had to know this challenge was going to involve a stretch for anyone not intimately acquainted with these women or lucky enough to stumble on something online about their food preferences.  I was reassured to know that it wasn't really held against them if their food was very good.

[Yeah No]

On 4/8/2022 at 3:11 AM, caitmcg said:

On 4/8/2022 at 2:24 AM, Fukui San said:

Oh and Evelyn's gizmo for making the fried item in the Quickfire was awesome. Never seen it before.

It’s a rosette iron.

Wasn't that the same (or similar) shape Jackson and Buddha used for their "everything" tuile on the "Doppelgangers" episode?  We were wondering how they got it to look that precise!  Now I think it's because they used that iron.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Yeah No

[Yeah No]

On 4/8/2022 at 3:55 PM, AriAu said:

Is it just me/have I watched too many seasons of Top Chef or is this season boring? It feels like most people are very nice and pleasant and have nice and pleasant personalities, but there is no one to really root for.....or against.  Just pretty blah all the way around.

Perhaps the show is going overboard to find chefs that they think won't get themselves into trouble for some kind of misconduct as supposedly such a high proportion of TC  alums have.  I saw that theory on one food blog.  Personally, though, I'm not finding it boring at all.  I like a few people this season, like Buddha, Jackson and Nick.   Of course with my "kiss of death" luck none of them will go home with the win!  😉

[dleighg]

27 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Wasn't that the same (or similar) shape Jackson and Buddha used for their "everything" tuile on the "Doppelgangers" episode?  We were wondering how they got it to look that precise!

I don't think so. I think they used a squeeze bottle on a template and baked them.

[carrps]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Wasn't that the same (or similar) shape Jackson and Buddha used for their "everything" tuile on the "Doppelgangers" episode?  We were wondering how they got it to look that precise!  Now I think it's because they used that iron.

 

5 hours ago, dleighg said:

I don't think so. I think they used a squeeze bottle on a template and baked them.

Yeah, at first, at a distance, I thought it looked like the same design. But when I saw a close-up, it was definitely different.

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, carrps said:

 

Yeah, at first, at a distance, I thought it looked like the same design. But when I saw a close-up, it was definitely different.

I actually went back to "On Demand" and verified that they were different.  Jackson and Buddha's were finer and and had a circle in the center while the other one was fluffier looking and had a spoke design coming out from the center.

[bravofan27]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I actually went back to "On Demand" and verified that they were different.  Jackson and Buddha's were finer and and had a circle in the center while the other one was fluffier looking and had a spoke design coming out from the center.

They were different designs but IMO completely inspired/copied  from the doppleganger challenge. 

[sharifa70]

On 4/8/2022 at 12:55 PM, AriAu said:

Is it just me/have I watched too many seasons of Top Chef or is this season boring? It feels like most people are very nice and pleasant and have nice and pleasant personalities, but there is no one to really root for.....or against.  Just pretty blah all the way around.

I’m actually glad that I’m not rooting against anyone. Drama and fighting are why I quit Masterchef. I am 100% behind watching a show where contestants treat each other with respect, acknowledge their colleagues’ talent, offer support and suggestions while making great food, and still manage to be competitive. 

[bravofan27]

30 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

I’m actually glad that I’m not rooting against anyone. Drama and fighting are why I quit Masterchef. I am 100% behind watching a show where contestants treat each other with respect, acknowledge their colleagues’ talent, offer support and suggestions while making great food, and still manage to be competitive. 

Ashleigh seems a little immature and bratty. She won't win because she is too immature and can't manage her emotions. Jae comes off really fake too, though I do think she is really sweet in real life. Jae's fakeness stems from insecurity IMO, and her bringing up some other woman in the last challenge shows that she really was trying to connect with a woman and didn't know how to connect with a woman she didn't know. She won't win because she has no PR potential. 

 

I didn't like Luke at all at first, but I get the feeling his apphrehension is not arrogance, but he needs extra processing time and he is trying very hard. He won't win because he doesn't have the communciation skills you need for the PR curciit. Jackson is talented, but he doesn't have a great personality and he's not attractive so I think people aren't connecting with him. He may win because he has a good presenece and can do the PR circuit. 

I like Nick a lot, because he seems most well rounded. That said, he is very quiet. Damarr always looks like he is getting disciplined. He seem very insecure and his head and face have this "I'm getting in trouble" look. He needs to put his head up and not hold his body like he's a 12 year old being scoulded.

 

 

[sharifa70]

3 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

Jackson is talented, but he doesn't have a great personality and he's not attractive so I think people aren't connecting with him.

I like his personality (he’s been very supportive of his teammates) and actually think he’s quite attractive. 

[Yeah No]

44 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

I like his personality (he’s been very supportive of his teammates) and actually think he’s quite attractive. 

I also like his personality and think he's very attractive.  

[ProudMary]

16 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Perhaps the show is going overboard to find chefs that they think won't get themselves into trouble for some kind of misconduct as supposedly such a high proportion of TC  alums have.  I saw that theory on one food blog.  Personally, though, I'm not finding it boring at all.  I like a few people this season, like Buddha, Jackson and Nick.   Of course with my "kiss of death" luck none of them will go home with the win!  😉

High proportion? I've watched every single season since the show's inception and the only chef alums I can come up with who've had misconduct issues are Paul Qui and Gabe Erales. (Obviously, we're aware of Cliff Crooks' misconduct as it happened during the season.) Are there a lot of chefs I'm missing? Over 19 seasons, we must be in the vicinity of 300 cheftestants by now. There have been a few with very unpleasant personalities with whom I'd never want to work, but that doesn't qualify as misconduct.  (I'm editing this to ask: Were Paul's issues related to addiction? Was there an issue that was related to misconduct in the kitchen?)

 

There was the John Besh issue, but he was scheduled to appear that season as a judge.

I'm enjoying all of this season's cheftestants and overall they're a very talented bunch.

Edited April 11, 2022 by ProudMary
See above.

[Yeah No]

5 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

High proportion? I've watched every single season since the show's inception and the only chef alums I can come up with who've had misconduct issues are Paul Qui and Gabe Erales. (Obviously, we're aware of Cliff Crooks' misconduct as it happened during the season.) Are there a lot of chefs I'm missing? Over 19 seasons, we must be in the vicinity of 300 cheftestants by now. There have been a few with very unpleasant personalities with whom I'd never want to work, but that doesn't qualify as misconduct.

There was the John Besh issue, but he was scheduled to appear that season as a judge.

It wasn't my assertion, I read it in a cooking blog online and used the word "supposedly".  But you forgot Mike Isabella.  😉

[ProudMary]

49 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It wasn't my assertion, I read it in a cooking blog online and used the word "supposedly".  But you forgot Mike Isabella.  😉

You're right about that. I always try to forget Mike Isabella!

[Cotypubby]

On 4/8/2022 at 6:02 PM, Chicago Redshirt said:

I would be surprised if people who are non-Texans, non-Black and/or less than 40 would know Barbara Jordan much or at all.

Until they showed her photo I thought they meant the woman from Shark Tank and I thought “Well that’s a random choice but I guess she’s a successful businesswoman. Didn’t know she was Texan…” (Nope, that’s Barbara Corcoran. Who is not Texan. And a very different person than Barbara Jordan!) 😅

[Bastet]

25 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

I always try to forget Mike Isabella!

Words to live by.

[Heathrowe]

Well, I will add a note of support for Luke. He spent 6 years working in Denmark. Then he came back to the US at the beginning of the pandemic and it's not clear to me that he's been working somewhere since returning home. Having worked for a European company for the last fourteen years, I can tell you, talking to Europeans (even when they have excellent English) will really mess with your syntax and delivery. My colleagues have incredible English (especially in comparison to my non-existent German) but it's still a struggle to be understood. So I am chalking some of his inarticulate-ness to that. I will also say-I'm surprised that he's not doing better, I wonder if the judges feel compelled to knock him down a peg since NOMA is considered one of the best restaurants in the world? I think his food has looked pretty good so far, but the judges do not seem to be buying what he is selling. 

[seacliffsal]

Regarding Luke's experience-just what makes a restaurant the "best" in the world?  Is it Michelin Stars or some other standard(s) (and yes, this is a sincere question as I really have no idea how one restaurant that be called the best in the world).

[sugarbaker design]

On 4/9/2022 at 3:33 PM, candall said:

I must be the only person left in the world who fondly recalls the Babe Didrikson Zaharias bio-pic with pretty ghosty-eyed Susan Clark and her husband Alex Karras.

You are not alone.  I am old enough to remember when Susan Clark was the queen of TV-movies, and Babe was awesome.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

Regarding Luke's experience-just what makes a restaurant the "best" in the world?  Is it Michelin Stars or some other standard(s) (and yes, this is a sincere question as I really have no idea how one restaurant that be called the best in the world).

From on-line:

The World's Best 50 Restaurants is a list produced by UK media company William Reed Business Media, which originally appeared in the British magazine Restaurant, based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. 

 

Noma was the #1 for several years.  It has 3 Michelin stars

[caitmcg]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

The World's Best 50 Restaurants is a list produced by UK media company William Reed Business Media, which originally appeared in the British magazine Restaurant, based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. 

Ironically, a gourmand is someone who eats prodigiously, rather than someone with a refined palate.

[snarktini]

10 hours ago, Heathrowe said:

Well, I will add a note of support for Luke. He spent 6 years working in Denmark. Then he came back to the US at the beginning of the pandemic and it's not clear to me that he's been working somewhere since returning home. Having worked for a European company for the last fourteen years, I can tell you, talking to Europeans (even when they have excellent English) will really mess with your syntax and delivery.

Yes, I think it's just a syntax flip. Can't speak for Danish, but in languages like French you usually say years not age -- "I have 25 years" not "I am 25" or "at 25 years" not "at age 25".  With that in mind, we went to Europe the same year makes total sense.

[bravofan27]

6 hours ago, snarktini said:

Yes, I think it's just a syntax flip. Can't speak for Danish, but in languages like French you usually say years not age -- "I have 25 years" not "I am 25" or "at 25 years" not "at age 25".  With that in mind, we went to Europe the same year makes total sense.

People are thinking HARD about this! Love it!

[Leeds]

  

On 4/10/2022 at 2:19 PM, sharifa70 said:

I’m actually glad that I’m not rooting against anyone. Drama and fighting are why I quit Masterchef. I am 100% behind watching a show where contestants treat each other with respect, acknowledge their colleagues’ talent, offer support and suggestions while making great food, and still manage to be competitive. 

And I'm sure this plays a big part in why Great British Bake Off is so popular.

18 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Ironically, a gourmand is someone who eats prodigiously, rather than someone with a refined palate.

I think at this point gourmand has been misused like this so often that it has become acceptable.  It continues to irritate the hell out of me, though.

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by Leeds
My post repeated itself (twice!) for some reason.

[Yeah No]

18 minutes ago, Leeds said:

On 4/10/2022 at 5:19 PM, sharifa70 said:

I’m actually glad that I’m not rooting against anyone. Drama and fighting are why I quit Masterchef. I am 100% behind watching a show where contestants treat each other with respect, acknowledge their colleagues’ talent, offer support and suggestions while making great food, and still manage to be competitive. 

And I'm sure this plays a big part in why Great British Bake Off is so popular.

This is reminding me of "The Julia Child Challenge" airing currently on FN, which has been compared to the bakeoff show because of that.  It's definitely worth watching.  I think audience tastes have changed in the umpteen years since Top Chef started.  Let's not forget the nasty Top Chef seasons like the one with caustic Howie Kleinberg and "I'm not your bitch, bitch" Tiffani Faison.  It's one reason the show has changed so much since then, and for the better!

23 minutes ago, Leeds said:

16 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Ironically, a gourmand is someone who eats prodigiously, rather than someone with a refined palate.

I think at this point gourmand has been misused like this so often that it has become acceptable.  It continues to irritate the hell out of me, though.

Yes, like the use of "unctuous", which is now being used in a positive sense on cooking shows when dictionaries define it as a person that's overly flattering or falsely ingratiating or something greasy or oily (and not in a good way).

[sharifa70]

2 hours ago, Leeds said:

And I'm sure this plays a big part in why The Great British Bake Off is so popular.

I have no doubt about that. GBBO is one of my absolute favorite shows. I’m just glad to see TC steering away from the more caustic personalities (fingers crossed). 

[grandmabegum]

Yeah for reality talent based competition shows I definitely prefer watching ones where I'm rooting for someone and not against others.

I mean, I guess with non talent based reality competition shows I still tend to root for people I like, but since those are more social games as opposed to who has talent games all you really have to base your opinion on is personality.

[glitterpussy]

On 4/8/2022 at 3:49 PM, carrps said:

You know you people who hate Brooke Williamson? That's how I feel about Kelsey. Times 10. Ugh. For me, the Kentucky season was the absolute rockbottom season of Top Chef. A steaming pile of garbage.

OMG same! Get off my TV Kelsey!

People hate Brooke?

[carrps]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

This is reminding me of "The Julia Child Challenge" airing currently on FN, which has been compared to the bakeoff show because of that.  It's definitely worth watching. 

I was afraid it was going to be really gimmicky, but it's not really. It helps that Julia Child is just such a fascinating person, but the contestants are all pretty chill. And it's fun to watch.

 

26 minutes ago, glitterpussy said:

OMG same! Get off my TV Kelsey!

People hate Brooke?

I've seen a bunch of comments sprinkled around about her looks, the way she dresses, and her personality. Very catty.

[Mellowyellow]

I like Kelsey! And Brooke! I think they're super talented (Brooke in particular is very gifted at cooking I think).

But I am watching another show where I think a certain person is completely and utterly unbearable so we all have people who bug us I guess😅

[Heathrowe]

I also like Brooke and Kelsey. Especially Kelsey. She has a really nice instagram. She seems like a person who tries really hard to do her best all the time, like Anne Hathaway. Sometimes people don't like that vibe, but I have to say, I appreciate it. She's devoted her life to fried chicken, bless her.  And Brooke - I think her feedback is good and I like her delivery. I don't really remember her food/don't follow her on social media.  But I like her well enough. After the pandemic and the last election I truly do not need any drama and I think that might a demographic thing for Top Chef (and Great British Bake Off) - I don't need a villain. I need to believe people are good again and that we can all get along. Blaise is about the biggest villain I can stomach and I think he is more puckish in his sense of humor than mean or a troublemaker.

[Rai]

Yeah, I don't think of Blaise as a villain. Just completely awkward and unbearable. I legit don't know what changed for him because I thought he was great on his original season and all-stars (until his narrative about him "choking" took over and crowded out Stephanie's achievement), but the instant he was on the judges side of the table, he became cringe city. Sir, I too am an awkward dork, so I feel for you. But wow.

Also, I have no problems with Brooke or Kelsey just being who they are and living their lives. Plastic surgery is not my thing, but it doesn't indicate anything about content of character or cooking talent. I remember not loving Brooke's attitude toward Shirley by the end of season 14 but otherwise, I think she's mad talented and unobjectionable. Same with Kelsey.

[bravofan27]

I think Buddha is going to win this thing. 

[Leeds]

On 4/7/2022 at 8:02 PM, rustyspigot said:

It was a little harsh to have Ashley, who has immunity still be in the bottom. Padma: We just wanted to let you know we hated it.

 

Why wouldn't you be in the bottom if you have one of the three worst dishes?  Apart from anything else, it's unfair to whoever would be there instead.  And even if you can't be sent home, you should still get the feedback.

 

 

Edited April 29, 2022 by Leeds
Clarity