S19.E12: We're on a Boat

[jabRI]

22 hours ago, vmarsissmart said:

Now that I can cross the border again, I'm planning on going to dinner there soon or pop in and grab the sandwhiches they offer for lunch

You must live in Windsor! I used to live in Detroit, which has the distinction of being the only place you drive south to go to Canada!

[The Solution]

40 minutes ago, bosawks said:

I’m Top Chef’s bitch…

Me too!

[Daisychain]

3 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

It's interesting to see that many posters don't care for LCK.  I personally enjoy it and wish it were on the regular tv feed.  I find it fast paced and fun, and we certainly got to see more of Tom's personality, especially this season (I found him curiously quiet on Top Chef, lately).  But, for me the best part of LCK is that a chef can have another chance at redemption.  This is especially helpful in this competition, which bases the elimination on the last meal cooked and not the whole body of the chef's work thus far.  Any chef can have a bad day, forget a spice or leave an ingredient in the shopping cart, but at least there is still the possibility of reentering the competition, or at least cooking a decent meal for Tom.  I feel badly when one of the top achieving chefs makes an error that sends them "home," but the blow is softened by LCK.  I've even wished other competition shows would use a format like this so the contestants they cut could battle back into the competition.   Just my 2 cents...

I'm not sure I quoted this post correctly (learning), but I agree that Tom seems flat on some episodes of the show and really enjoys himself on LCK.  Maybe Tom and Padma should switch it out for a minute? Tom seems like such a good egg on LCK - would love to see more of that interaction on the main show.  Commenting above with others, I am one of the folks who really, really enjoyed Sarah's grind to the top of LCK!

[Sd601]

More notes on a rewatch. Woah, boobs out for Gail & Padma while eating while discussing their food. Some distracting, close shots of cleavage. Now y’all are probably gonna do a rewatch, huh. They really did love the creativity of Sarah’s dish. I also love the shots of Padma taking big bites of the food. Sometimes we see guest judges (cough, looking at you, Brooke) who just carefully push the food around, lick the knife, take tiny bites. But almost every episode the camera has a shot of Padma taking a rather big bite. I love it. 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Sd601

[SemiCharmedLife]

4 hours ago, Sd601 said:

Same! My 6yr-old sneakily avoids bedtime when he notices Top Chef is on. He knows I get distracted. 

I think LCK is great. Sometimes you go home on a team challenge where your teammate was the worst. Sometimes the power goes out or the oven gets turned up too hot or someone takes your pea purée. The really good ones can pivot and adjust, but sometimes it’s out of your control. The ones who win LCK are usually the best, so I applaud Sarah for making it. 

Ha! I was thinking of the pea puree, too!  I'm glad you brought it up!

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Sd601 said:

Some distracting, close shots of cleavage.

For real distraction, check last week's JT once they went indoors.   Wowsa. 

[HurricaneVal]

That's one of the things I like about this show.  As I understand it, Padma is very much the reason we have this show.  She has always been a bit of a foodie, and her supermodel career and high profile marriage took her all around the world and to the greatest restaurants, honing and developing that interest.

She's not just a pretty figurehead.  She's the reason this show exists.  Her enthusiasm* for good food is why this show made it onto Bravo in the first place.  She likes to eat, she is all in and you see it with her big bites, closed eyes, and indrawn breaths.  As a former supermodel, I'm not sure she eats it all, but she certainly tastes it all.  Which I am jealous of.  I don't have a big appetite, and I get full quickly, but I really enjoy tasting food.  

Tom and Gail are there to add culinary insider legitimacy to the show, so technique and skill can be judged, but Top Chef is Padma's baby.  Tom and Gail are very important, and the show wouldn't be the show without them.  Tom adds a particular balance that I can't define, but is absolutely necessary to the judging.  Gail has a great perspective to offer, and is the one who often offers an interesting take on a dish, but she's not as integral as Padma and Tom.

*Padma's yang of disdain to her yin of enthusiasm gives me life.  She does disdain like nobody else.  Actors would do well to study her facial expressions and body language for that.  She's not acting, that's genuine.

[The Solution]

1 hour ago, Sd601 said:

More notes on a rewatch. Woah, boobs out for Gail & Padma while eating while discussing their food. Some distracting, close shots of cleavage. Now y’all are probably gonna do a rewatch, huh. They really did love the creativity of Sarah’s dish. I also love the shots of Padma taking big bites of the food. Sometimes we see guest judges (cough, looking at you, Brooke) who just carefully push the food around, lick the knife, take tiny bites. But almost every episode the camera has a shot of Padma taking a rather big bite. I love it. 

I saw it the first time, I just refrained from being a sexist pig, but that cleavage is in the same league as the food.

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

That's one of the things I like about this show.  As I understand it, Padma is very much the reason we have this show.  She has always been a bit of a foodie, and her supermodel career and high profile marriage took her all around the world and to the greatest restaurants, honing and developing that interest.

She's not just a pretty figurehead.  She's the reason this show exists.  Her enthusiasm* for good food is why this show made it onto Bravo in the first place.  

Padma has only been a part of Top Chef since the second season, so no, she didn’t have anything to do with creating it or it getting to Bravo in the first place. At some point she and Tom became executive producers (which, as I understand it, is more about financial compensation than anything hands-on), but Padma replaced Katie Lee as host after Season 1. Tom and Gail have been judges since the beginning. 

[WaffleQueen]

Agreed that Sarah seems too self-aware. I like dry and self-deprecating humor, but it's too much with her. Her "low self-esteem" and constant doubting starting to become a real drag during this episode, although I realize a lot of that falls on the editors/producers for focusing on her.

I'm actually on board with LCK as a concept the more I think about it, although I initially had my doubts. If you can get sacked for arbitrary reasons during the competition (ex: S12's very first challenge, the mise en place race) I feel like LCK is somewhat of a nice equalizer.

Edited May 21, 2022 by WaffleQueen

[dleighg]

I wonder if when Padma said that the finale would be in UNESCO food heritage city they were thinking of some exotic location in Europe or Asia etc. Although they probably knew with Covid that they'd be staying here in the US.

I did a little reading and the cities on that list are not what you'd typically think of as "food cities" ) because that's not what this is about. 

Quote

To be designated as the Creative City of Gastronomy, the city needs to participate in an annual selection promoted by UNESCO, submitting a proposal that answers determined criteria (e.g.: relationship of gastronomy with the city, the use of traditional knowledge and local ingredients in typical cuisine, sustainable production practices), as well as an action plan.

Quote

 

With a 300-year tradition of vineyards, orchards, and livestock, the city of Tucson, located in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, has the largest agricultural history in the United States. Tucson has a distinctive cuisine, developed from a very diverse cultural history and with traditional food preparation techniques passed down through generations. Known for its strong culinary sector, the city has innovative food security programs and regulations, with a focus on sustainable production and distribution.

 

https://foodandroad.com/unesco-creative-cities-gastronomy/

[Ellee]

This is going to sound crazy but I’d like to see three different finales with Buddha, Nick and DeMarr preparing the meals with each taking the lead on one of them.  I feel like the three would make sure the food prepared was the best it could be regardless who was the lead.  Can’t always say that. 

[Reciprocity]

20 hours ago, estellasmum said:

Ok, I know this is weird, but I missed it the first time around, but it just totally stood out and squicked me out on the re-watch: Evelyn has a bracelet that is basically a red cord or string that is tied around her wrist that has the two ends below the knot that hang down quite a ways. I noticed those getting dragged through the food during prep at one point, and as much as she is the person whose food I imagine I would enjoy eating the most out of the five (Tacos!! who wouldn't want a taco? Although both of those tacos looked really dry and minimal tonight), it made me really want a wrist net for her bracelet ends.

Add wearing rings (especially when kneading dough) and talking over the food...yuck! Managed to screenshot two images of the bracelet dipping into a bowl and also dragging through raw fish.

     

 

 

[HurricaneVal]

Dang!  I thought Top Chef was Padma's baby from the get-go.  I thought I'd read an article long ago about that, which was focused on the juxtaposition of a supermodel being a foodie and having the vision for this show. 

[Quilt Fairy]

11 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Dang!  I thought Top Chef was Padma's baby from the get-go.  I thought I'd read an article long ago about that, which was focused on the juxtaposition of a supermodel being a foodie and having the vision for this show. 

Oh, I think her opinions have shaped the show as it's grown, without question.  It's just that she was not one of the founders. 

[ilovebeaarthur]

3 hours ago, Reciprocity said:

Add wearing rings (especially when kneading dough) and talking over the food...yuck! Managed to screenshot two images of the bracelet dipping into a bowl and also dragging through raw fish.

     

 

 

I was gagging when I saw that!

[Totale]

22 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I was too, especially with Kristen Kish. It infuriated me when she came back. However, I've come to accept that it's part of the competition, just like poor front-of-the-house can get you booted in RW. This part of the competition is not going to go away. So I watch it and enjoy seeing even more delicious dishes being prepared. 

I was torqued at first when they swiped the idea for LCK from a Food Network show (was it Next Food Network Star?) and didn't watch it for the first couple of years, but do watch it now.  Apparently it's working out for TC as they keep expanding it - this year's was like two separate series, and the double last episode was essentially as long as a Mothership one.

I was wondering if since Nick's fish cake was obviously not a cake if he couldn't have pulled some pivot to make it look more like he knew what he was doing.  "Here's my take on a Fish Crumble over spaghetti!"

[Sd601]

5 minutes ago, Totale said:

was wondering if since Nick's fish cake was obviously not a cake if he couldn't have pulled some pivot to make it look more like he knew what he was doing.  "Here's my take on a Fish Crumble over spaghetti!"

Yeah, especially since the judges didn’t have printed menus to know what to expect. Wonder if he totally could have fudged something else. “Fish crumble” 🤣

[HurricaneVal]

3 minutes ago, Totale said:

Fish Crumble over spaghetti!

Now, that sounds like the results of a nightmare of a dessert basket on Chopped.  😆
 

Ooof.  I had forgotten about Evelyn's gross danglies.  Yuck.  Reminds me of a TV chef with a cooking show on PBS, Nathalie Dupree, who had these really long fingernails and liked to mix and cook with her hands a lot.  She'd slap raw chicken around on the counter, do a token two second rinse in the sink, then go straight to mixing a bowl of taboulah or some such thing with her hands.  I was so grossed out!

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

Dang!  I thought Top Chef was Padma's baby from the get-go.  I thought I'd read an article long ago about that, which was focused on the juxtaposition of a supermodel being a foodie and having the vision for this show. 

I'm discussing this on the Top Chef in the Media thread. 

I really enjoyed this episode, for the fishing, Tom being so much fun on the boat, and everything but Nick leaving. 

 

[Bastet]

9 hours ago, dleighg said:

I wonder if when Padma said that the finale would be in UNESCO food heritage city they were thinking of some exotic location in Europe or Asia etc. Although they probably knew with Covid that they'd be staying here in the US.

She said they were going to one of the only two U.S. cities to be designated that way.  (The other one is San Antonio, so if anyone knew that, they might have thought that's where they were going, since they could stay in their COVID bubble by driving a few hours west.)

[Vermicious Knid]

Taste the Nation is Padma's baby. It's 100% hers.

[bravofan27]

22 hours ago, Sd601 said:

I love reading everyone’s insights. I watched LCK, and I think Sarah’s deadpan humor is a cover for her awkwardness. I personally find it endearing, but I can see how it’s grating for some. I found her dishes on LCK a bit repetitive—she uses relishes/condiments, etc on so many dishes. Tom really seemed to like her cooking, and her outrageous talking heads made me chuckle. 
 

Her deadpan humor is just constant. It's not a quip here and there. It's just all the time. Makes it hard to connect with her as a person or understand who she is (besides clearly awkward and very into herself). 

[Rai]

Nick was one of my early faves, so I'm bummed that he's gone. The way he talked this whole episode about the opportunity and disappointment is one of the reasons why I got attached so early. He just seems like a warm, committed dude, and I dig it. Unfortunately, Quickfires aside, I've been afraid for his chances to hit the finals for a while now, and alas, that's how it panned out. I didn't expect him to go out on such a flaming catastrophe though. Wooooof. This is where I'll apparently read myself, but his fishcake plate looked like I'd plated it. It was the definition of ugly delicious. His taco plate wasn't much better. That tortilla in the beauty shot was ROUGH. I always assume production picks the best plate for the close-ups, so if that one was the best? Yiiiikes. He knew he was gone, and he chose to spend his last minutes on the show pumping up Damarr, and honestly, dude, you were terrific.

Sarah's humor reminds me a lot of Stephanie Cmar's humor, who's basically one of my very favorite personalities to ever have been on this show. She's a lot more of a nervous, rambler talker than Stephanie was, but the deadpan, self-deprecation is similar. As such, I don't have an issue with her personality, and I was super impressed by her plating this episode. I think she 100 percent earned her win. That said, the two I'm rooting for the most remain Evelyn and Damarr. Sorry, Buddha! But it would feel anticlimactic for him to win, which I then have to admit it probably means he is cooking the best food. (Although according to the Top Chef stats site, Evelyn and Buddha are tied for elimination wins.)

Evelyn may have played it safe here, but she has served up some very refined plates, and I don't think people always remember that. She does have the fine dining chops. She just might not take as many risks as Buddha in her flavors. Damarr keeps feeling like the stealth winner though. We'll see. I wouldn't have a problem with Buddha winning, I just am more invested in Evelyn or Damarr winning.

Similarly, I wouldn't have a problem with Sarah winning, since she's proven she can cook through a hell of a gauntlet. I also don't have a problem with LCK when only one person is brought back. But ever since it became two of them, and it's not even a veteran chef from a previous season kinda of gimmick, I've been way less into LCK. Okay, a second chance is cool and all, but just do one. Sarah is possibly the LCK all-star at this point, and if she wins, she'll be the LCK GOAT. However, I admit, I don't see her making it to the final three. Maybe I'm being unfairly biased against an LCK winner. This is something I can live with.

Finally, my apologies to Arizona, but I laughed so hard at Padma trying to get them all excited for Tuscon and them having to go along with it. Top Chef finales have been in Vegas! Puerto Rico! Aspen! Singapore! Italy! And now...Tuscon! Even "the coast" from last season sounded more exciting. I know, it's covid, and honestly, I am intrigued as to what qualifies Tuscon to be a UNESCO heritage site for food, The initial reaction was to giggle though, and again, this is something I can live with.

This has been a surprisingly good season. I'll be sad when it's over!

[Miss chi chi]

1 hour ago, Rai said:

 

Sarah's humor reminds me a lot of Stephanie Cmar's humor, who's basically one of my very favorite personalities to ever have been on this show. She's a lot more of a nervous, rambler talker than Stephanie was, but the deadpan, self-deprecation is similar. As such, I don't have an issue with her personality, and I was super impressed by her plating this episode. 

I have a dry, HILARIOUS, self deprecating sense of humor which is sometimes confused with low self esteem (by my therapist). Steph C. Is the funniest TC ever. Sarah is no Steph C.

[IdEatThat]

What is this season, Top Taco?  😂

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 5/20/2022 at 6:26 PM, Sd601 said:

I love reading everyone’s insights. I watched LCK, and I think Sarah’s deadpan humor is a cover for her awkwardness. I personally find it endearing, but I can see how it’s grating for some. I found her dishes on LCK a bit repetitive—she uses relishes/condiments, etc on so many dishes. Tom really seemed to like her cooking, and her outrageous talking heads made me chuckle. 
 

I think Buddha is running away with it. Tom has said in season 9, they had to dumb down Paul Qi’s Food to make it seem more competitive, and I suspect they’ve done that with Buddha, although he’s had some missteps. Sarah’s food must have been incredible this challenge to beat what Buddha did. I think I’ve said this before, but I don’t really want to eat Buddha’s food, although I’m sure it’s delicious. His techniques are such so much more intricate than the others, and obviously the flavor is there. And since last week, we know he can cook simpler dishes, too. Add in that he’s calm and always prepared makes him either (hopefully) a winner or maybe a shocking boot. Oooh, that would get this forum jumping! 

This episode, Buddha got a little snappish, actually. I forgot what exactly went wrong and obviously it wasn't enough to affect the dish, but he was (for him, anyway) briefly noticeably surly. Hopefully that was a one-of sort of situation, and the presumed break between this episode and Tucson was enough to get him refreshed. 

[South]

17 hours ago, Reciprocity said:

Add wearing rings (especially when kneading dough) and talking over the food...yuck! Managed to screenshot two images of the bracelet dipping into a bowl and also dragging through raw fish.

     

 

 

Oh, no no no no.  I hadn’t noticed that.  Kneading what I reckon was the masa dough and then dragging through the fish are the cleanest and safest substances to drag through.   No hand/ wrist jewelry in the kitchen!  Certainly not dangly sorts.  I saw a server at a restaurant wash her hands in the bathroom while wearing a similar bracelet.  I was surprised she didn’t see my judgmental stink face as she failed to lather up the macrame and beading.  I washed my hands, and fetched Partner South and said “come on”.  We left.  

[South]

I can’t seem to locate the comment right now, but someone mentioned that the judges had to dull-down their opinions of Paul Qui’s food.  I recall a broth, just a danged clear broth, that he served late in the season, and everyone at the table stopped to stare into the distance upon tasting.  In silence.  That’s pretty powerful stuff.  Through the intervening years, I’ve given more time to pondering that broth and the wonders it held than any other creation offered on TC.

[lh25]

15 hours ago, IdEatThat said:

What is this season, Top Taco?  😂

LOL-so for the Trifecta, someone needs to make a scallop taco with risotto on the side.

[rhofmovalley]

1 hour ago, lh25 said:

LOL-so for the Trifecta, someone needs to make a scallop taco with risotto on the side.

I'd add a fancy toast.

[bravofan27]

18 hours ago, Miss chi chi said:

I have a dry, HILARIOUS, self deprecating sense of humor which is sometimes confused with low self esteem (by my therapist). Steph C. Is the funniest TC ever. Sarah is no Steph C.

Yeah, I thought Steph C was super funny but she was also endearing. 

[DEL901]

3 hours ago, lh25 said:

LOL-so for the Trifecta, someone needs to make a scallop taco with risotto on the side.

2 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

I'd add a fancy toast.

And don’t forget a sappy personal story of how they learned this dish on grandma’s knee…

[ProudMary]

 

4 hours ago, lh25 said:

LOL-so for the Trifecta, someone needs to make a scallop taco with risotto on the side.

 

3 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

I'd add a fancy toast.

Carrots.

Edited May 22, 2022 by ProudMary

[Colleenna]

Well, darn. I was sad to see Nick go, but I'd have been sadder had it been  Damarr. 

But... TUCSON!!! The in-laws  live there (ALL of them,  and that's a butt-load of people). I've actually eaten at El Charro, many years ago when my MIL and FIL were  still alive.  Please, please,  no nopalitos. The thought makes me gag.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Colleenna
Typo

[VintageJ]

16 hours ago, DEL901 said:

And don’t forget a sappy personal story of how they learned this dish on grandma’s knee…

Right before she passed. It was the last thing she did  

Make it a risotto that looks like a scallop in a fancy toast taco.

 

[Rammchick]

On 5/21/2022 at 1:17 PM, Bastet said:

She said they were going to one of the only two U.S. cities to be designated that way.  (The other one is San Antonio, so if anyone knew that, they might have thought that's where they were going, since they could stay in their COVID bubble by driving a few hours west.)

San Antonio, eh?  I thought for sure it was New Orleans -- thanks!

[mlp]

5 hours ago, Rammchick said:

She said they were going to one of the only two U.S. cities to be designated that way.  (The other one is San Antonio, so if anyone knew that, they might have thought that's where they were going, since they could stay in their COVID bubble by driving a few hours west.)

This is a Texas season.  I'm really curious why they aren't going to San Antonio which is, ya know, in Texas.

[dleighg]

Given that the finale is usually someplace *completely* different (Vancouver, Singapore, Italy, Macau, etc.) they had to *at least* move two states over LOL.

[ML89]

On 5/21/2022 at 5:04 AM, caitmcg said:

Padma has only been a part of Top Chef since the second season, so no, she didn’t have anything to do with creating it or it getting to Bravo in the first place. At some point she and Tom became executive producers (which, as I understand it, is more about financial compensation than anything hands-on), but Padma replaced Katie Lee as host after Season 1. Tom and Gail have been judges since the beginning. 

I started in season 2 and a few years ago, watched season 1. The music cues were all wrong - same music, in different places. Very disconcerting!

[bravofan27]

Season 1 of Top Chef was like Season 1 of the Real World. It was this totally crazy new thing. I remember Season 1 had an episode of "weird foods" that the chefs had to use-- like octopus and squid. And the chefs were freaking out. We have come a long way.

"Lakshmi took on hosting duties in Season 2, replacing food critic and cookbook author Katie Lee. But that was far from the only tweak implemented. In the beginning, fans might remember amateur chefs or students going head-to-head with the professionals, a practice quickly abandoned according to Colicchio."

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/10/top-chef-oral-history-1234590245/

[ilovebeaarthur]

23 hours ago, Colleenna said:

Well, darn. I was sad to see Nick go, but I'd have been sadder had it been  Damarr. 

But... TUCSON!!! The in-laws  live there (ALL of them,  and that's a butt-load of people). I've actually eaten at El Charro, many years ago when my MIL and FIL were  still alive.  Please, please,  no nopalitos. The thought makes me gag.

I love nopalitos! Is it the texture that makes you gag?

[Heathrowe]

Aw. I love Nick, am sad to see him go but...wow, he fell apart in the kitchen on this one. And so did his fish cake...in a way, I'm glad he made such egregious errors - it was just a bad, bad day for him and his elimination made sense. But man, he seems like such a warm and wonderful person - I would love to eat at his restaurant and I think that is one of the best outcomes of TC. 

I felt like Evelyn didn't get the Daniel Boulud part of the challenge. That his being a judge added a certain expectation of showiness. She seemed really happy with her dishes, so I kind of hated seeing her face when she was on the bottom. This is an extraordinarily sweet cast of final chefts.

I love Damarr. I could ship Damarr and Dawn, to be honest? Do they have spouses? I love Damarr's shy vibe. His food is a little up and down for me, some of it has looked delicious and some of it has looked sludge-y. I understood the judges objections to his main course fish.

I have watched Sara in LCK and I became a fan. She is funny - and CLEVER in her cooking - I appreciate that humor. I don't think they should let chefs back into the competition this late. I think when they let Ashleigh back in, that should have been it. But I am not in charge. I was glad that she won, because if she nudged Nick out by a hair I think it would have made for unpleasant watching.

The fishing trip did have a big element of fishing with your dad. That was cute. 

In closing, I love tacos but...it's Top Chef, not Top Taco. The same way scallops get overused during a season, I feel like we have seen enough tacos here. I am sure some helpful soul will pipe up with the taco count and lmk that there haven't been that many tacos? I think also - I'm not impressed with tacos because they are always the go to on Chopped! When in doubt, make a taco.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Heathrowe

[Colleenna]

14 hours ago, ilovebeaarthur said:

I love nopalitos! Is it the texture that makes you gag?

Yup. Slimy af.

[ilovebeaarthur]

On 5/24/2022 at 12:48 PM, Colleenna said:

Yup. Slimy af.

I get that!

[Daisychain]

Oof.  I just googled Nopalitos and Wikipedia explains that it is a dish made with diced nopales, which "have a light, slightly tart flavor, and a crisp, mucilaginous texture."  If you're old like me you might remember that old brown "mucilage" glue that had the rubber top and you had to press the goo out through the opening in the rubber?  This may be one of the few foods I don't want to try.  Will make efforts to broaden my mind.

[dleighg]

5 hours ago, Daisychain said:

Oof.  I just googled Nopalitos and Wikipedia explains that it is a dish made with diced nopales, which "have a light, slightly tart flavor, and a crisp, mucilaginous texture." 

brings me memories of the Nigerian swallows with the "draw" a few episodes ago!

[AriAu]

Quote

Dang!  I thought Top Chef was Padma's baby from the get-go.  I thought I'd read an article long ago about that, which was focused on the juxtaposition of a supermodel being a foodie and having the vision for this show. 

and then it took her awhile to get comfortable in her role. I think she really became the strong, confident  Padma character we see today around Vegas (Season 6).

Quote

Woah, boobs out for Gail & Padma while eating while discussing their food. Some distracting, close shots of cleavage.

I only think its distracting when the Elves do a lot of weird cuts to downplay them. 

Edited May 26, 2022 by AriAu

[h2ogirl]

On 5/21/2022 at 2:04 PM, Vermicious Knid said:

Taste the Nation is Padma's baby. It's 100% hers.

And it's fabulous. Everyone should watch this show if you have Hulu. 

[candall]

On 5/23/2022 at 3:54 PM, dleighg said:

Given that the finale is usually someplace *completely* different (Vancouver, Singapore, Italy, Macau, etc.) they had to *at least* move two states over LOL.

Remembering that iconic image of Padma in her white bathing suit, emerging from the waves like some nereid sea goddess in that season's final destination, I have to give the cheftestants credit for acting all excited about transferring from Houston to Tucson. 

Houston to Tucson?  Thanks, TC.

.