S20.E04: Spurred Lines

[Ms.Lulu]

9 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

Which chef said "they're probably going to be stopped up"? I found that hilarious. After eating all that cheese I would agree they're probably going to be all bound up. Maybe the fiber from the peas helped 😆

 

Kentucky Sarah really cracks me up. She is a lot like my SIL--unfiltered, down-home and ultimately kind.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Ms.Lulu

[ilovebeaarthur]

13 hours ago, dleighg said:

I absolutely hate peas. I would hate to have to do that final. 

Could Victoire really learn to speak English that well in four months, grammar and all? As a language-challenged person (even after years of study, I never was able to think in a second language) I find that remarkable.

If she already speaks quite a few other languages, she might be able to pick up a new one more quickly. 
 

Completely anecdata, but I started learning French in August, and I can speak in very basic terms, enough to get by if necessary. 

13 hours ago, dleighg said:I absolutely hate peas. I would hate to have 

Edited April 1, 2023 by ilovebeaarthur

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, ilovebeaarthur said:

If she already speaks quite a few other languages, she might be able to pick up a new one more quickly. 

Some people have tremendous aptitude for language, and given how very many Victoire speaks - while Americans are conditioned to being monolingual as typical, the average resident of many other countries knows more than one language, but her SEVEN is quite an impressive number; polyglots are rare, globally - she must be one of them.  Still, her command of English after only four months of dedicated study is impressive, and it was nice to hear the other chefs commend her for that.

I appreciate the show talking in most episodes so far about 1) language barriers and 2) aspects of the flagship TC being part of this international challenge but not part of the country-specific version some competed in (like something as huge as not having had to shop), acknowledging how some of the non-American cheftestants have additional challenges on top of those universal to all.  Gail also talked about that in an interview.

[Leeds]

9 hours ago, carrps said:

 I didn't appreciate Buddha saying American biscuits were scones. No, they're very much not. Sara needs to make him a real biscuit.

 

Can you explain the difference other than generally being served as a sweet course versus savoury?

4 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

 

I'm more familiar with French biscuits as opposed to English. Like Petit Ecolier (yum).

 

Petit Ecolier - yum indeed!  Do you deconstruct them (like some people do with Oreos) or eat the chocolate and biscuit together?  If you have access to World Market, Hobnobs are a great biscuit to try.  Talking of biscuits, McVities Digestives, plain or chocolate.  Custard Creams, yeah baby.  M&S Almond biscuits (do they still exist?  If so, someone please send me a case.  I'll send my firstborn in return.).  Rich Tea, Jammy Dodgers.  OMG someone stop me, please, I'm about to book a ridiculously expensive plane ticket.

4 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

The elimination challenge reminds me of a season Jamie was on a long time ago. Not her first season (5), but a later one--the first All Stars?? Anyhow they had a challenge in a stadium and were in teams, and somehow Jamie maneuvered herself so she ended up not cooking anything and was still safe. All I can remember is that someone was shooting something out of something like the things that shoot out socks at a sports game.

Okay, you need to explain this please.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Leeds

[BradandJanet]

While I felt bad for Victoire and her allergy attack, I wish she had left the food prep area immediately after she started sneezing. I wonder how the judges felt about someone sneezing repeatedly on and around the food they were going to eat. 

Anyway, I'm glad there was a medical person there to help. 

[rhofmovalley]

11 hours ago, Leeds said:

Okay, you need to explain this please.

In the US there are these cannon-like contraptions that shoot t-shirts into the crowd at sports events.

It's the way Ned Flanders' wife was killed on the Simpsons, BTW.

[carrps]

11 hours ago, Leeds said:

Can you explain the difference other than generally being served as a sweet course versus savoury?

It's mainly a texture thing. A good American biscuit is pillowy and soft and doesn't have much of a crust. All the scones I've had (including in England) are drier and chewier nd flatter. Not that they're all that chewy and dry or flat, just that in comparison to an American biscuit they are. A coffee shop near me serves homemade biscuits as one of their bread sides, and they're always my choice -- with butter and jam or honey. But others get them with gravy. So, American biscuits go both ways.

[Fostersmom]

On 3/31/2023 at 1:46 AM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Ugh, peas.  I hate peas. I used to pick them out of the vegetable beef soup before I heated it up (canned soup, don't hurt me!) and didn't realize that my dog was watching me do this. His wet dog food had peas in it too and every time I fed him he vacuumed the food down fast and left a little mound of peas on the side. Every. Time. I never understood how he could eat that fast and still spit out a little mound of peas neatly on the side.  lol 

LOL! My sister used to have a cat who wouldn't eat the x shaped food in her kibble. The other cats didn't care and we really wondered how different the x could taste to the cat from the other shapes. The dog was more than happy to eat the cat's left overs though! 

[sharifa70]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:36 AM, seacliffsal said:

And it brought such joy to my heart that Buddha used part of his winnings to get surgery for his dog who was losing his sight.

As someone who has had to scrape together enough money for a dog’s surgery, I teared up over this - it made me love Buddha even more.

I wasn’t sure about Victoire in the first episode, but I’m liking her more and more. “We don’t bake” made me laugh. 

It was nice to see them get a proper night off where they really did get to just relax and share their stories. This season is unusual for me in that there isn’t anyone I’m actively ready to see leave. Well done on the casting!

 

[IdEatThat]

I’ve always appreciated Buddha’s talent as a chef but was ambivalent towards his personality.   However, I am a pug person, and after seeing that he used his winnings for eye surgery for his pug, I am on the Buddha love train. 

[Leeds]

2 hours ago, carrps said:

It's mainly a texture thing. A good American biscuit is pillowy and soft and doesn't have much of a crust. All the scones I've had (including in England) are drier and chewier nd flatter. Not that they're all that chewy and dry or flat, just that in comparison to an American biscuit they are. A coffee shop near me serves homemade biscuits as one of their bread sides, and they're always my choice -- with butter and jam or honey. But others get them with gravy. So, American biscuits go both ways.

 

Here's one exploration about the difference between biscuits.

 https://www.google.com/search?q=scones+versus+biscuits&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS895US895&oq=scones+versus+biscuits&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i10i512l2j0i22i30l5j0i390i650.7536j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:9cd98c8a,vid:qIvQs1F3i2U,st:6

[meep.meep]

17 hours ago, Leeds said:

 

Petit Ecolier - yum indeed!  Do you deconstruct them (like some people do with Oreos) or eat the chocolate and biscuit together?  If you have access to World Market, Hobnobs are a great biscuit to try.  Talking of biscuits, McVities Digestives, plain or chocolate.  Custard Creams, yeah baby.  M&S Almond biscuits (do they still exist?  If so, someone please send me a case.  I'll send my firstborn in return.).  Rich Tea, Jammy Dodgers.  OMG someone stop me, please, I'm about to book a ridiculously expensive plane ticket.

 

Save your money.  You can get all of this at my Safeway.

I am interested to see how this episode is dealt with in those end of season charts that show who won and who lost each episode.

[OlderThanDirt]

What did Buddha say in describing his dog? "He has more folds than...."?  I've already deleted my dvr but it was kind of clever in my memory. 

[bravofan27]

I love how everyone is getting a kick of how funny the non-USA based chefs are. I also LOVED how Amar's comment when the biscuit guy hit his biscuit against the plate and said, "Wow, I'm so British now." LOL. Everyone hated that British biscuit guy. And the one chef that just refused to make a biscuit. LOL.

 

 

 

[jcbrown]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:36 AM, seacliffsal said:

I really enjoyed this episode.  Padma's red outfit at the quickfire is one of my most favorite ever of her outfits.  Just stunning.  And it brought such joy to my heart that Buddha used part of his winnings to get surgery for his dog who was losing his sight. 

Padma's boots, OMG. I don't want to wear a heel like that but if I did... <drool>

I thought it was terrific that Buddha used some of his winnings to save his dog's vision. A great chef AND a good human.

On 3/31/2023 at 5:29 PM, Lamb18 said:

Do epipens really have to be pounded into someone? (I think that's what was happening.)

They do. They are designed to work through clothing, for one thing. When I was prescribed mine, I had to demonstrate how to use it in the office before they would let me leave. Each refill comes with a "trainer" that you are recommended to have someone living with you try to see how much force it takes so you're not the only one who knows how to use it.

[jpgr]

3 hours ago, OlderThanDirt said:

What did Buddha say in describing his dog? "He has more folds than...."?  I've already deleted my dvr but it was kind of clever in my memory. 

"More rolls than a bakery"

[Mellowyellow]

Tom Contestant is hilarious

Loved how he was all: Sure I was in the bottom of a dessert challenge but let's do a dessert. 

And then he devoted his time to making the garnishes 🤣

Kudos to Charbel for telling his team not to add spice. 

I wonder what else went on with the biscuit guy since they all seemed to dislike him.

I'm with Buddha. A biscuit is like a scone. The recipe I use doesn't have eggs so it's just butter, milk and a tiny bit of sugar. They come out looking like the Biscuits I've seen on cooking shows which looks like a scone to me!

[Vermicious Knid]

When the EMT stabbed the epi-pen into Victoire's leg I had a flashback to the adrenaline shot scene in Pulp Fiction. 

[saracen7]

On 3/31/2023 at 7:08 PM, Fukui San said:

From what I know: Tottenham are like the 4th to 6th best team in the 20 team Premier League. They haven’t been able to win either a season, a Champions League (international) tournament, or one of the many other tournaments that exist only to confuse me in a long time. Thus the disdain. It’s like the Atlanta Braves of a while back if they had never won their one World Series.

England’s best player Harry Kane plays there, but he’s never won a trophy.

But they do have a nice shiny stadium, so it makes sense that they filmed there. Manchester United is a bigger name as a franchise, but their place is a dump that is falling apart, apparently. Don’t know about Man City or Liverpool, the two recently dominant teams of the Premier League. 

I’m an Arsenal fan so I can’t speak objectively on Tottenham (they’re massive North London rivals), but this is all accurate. Just want to add that Man City/Man U/Liverpool are also outside of London so it makes sense that the football challenge would be a London team, especially one with a shiny new stadium. 
 

Echoing everyone, I’m really loving all of the cheftestants and sad to see anyone leave. I’m actually watching last chance kitchen for the first time in years as a result too. 
 

Tom seemed quite annoyed at the end, I hope he’s relaxed again in the next few episodes, his attitude put me off watching the show for a long time.

Edited April 2, 2023 by saracen7

[catrice2]

On 3/31/2023 at 9:06 PM, mlp said:

I don't think they said this episode but I saw her briefly in the previews for next week so 

I have a super fan friend who said it that 1 of the chefs did a live and said that it was a bigger deal than how it was edited. She said that people were calling for a medic and that it was obvious she was in a lot of distress. She also said however, that whomever it was who did the live seemed to be a little bit annoyed because they said they could no longer  use nuts for the rest of the show because her allergy was airborne.  It also seems as if she did not say it was airborne

It makes me wonder if this is something that they ask them about on any paperwork that they fill out and if there could have possibly been a language issue where she didn't understand what was asked? I got a little confused about what was said because I think she had only stated she had an allergy to almonds from what my friend saw on the live stream.

I really feel for her because I understand what it's like to be the different one in a group and that  hesitation to open up. She is also probably not feeling very confident with her language skills and ability to communicate. Unfortunately many times that is misunderstood and you are labeled. I just feel like editing is playing into that the same way they are making the one chef look very bossy and curt and others overconfident. I know it's a show and they do it to make things interesting but it's an issue for me.

I hope she at least gets one win before she goes Or at least a memorable dish.

I feel that way about all of them. It is crazy to have this much talent in one season and not be able to see the best of all of them.

 

[catrice2]

On 3/31/2023 at 8:25 PM, Norma Desmond said:

I am so happy Luciana is gone. She was totally out of her league. Haven't liked her from her Top Chef Brasil season and haven't liked her here. Good riddance.

I wanted to eat Amar, Victoire and Nicole's dish, and also Buddha's apple pie. I love him, hope he goes far.

Wow I wish I could watch other seasons from different countries. I actually thought she was one of the most well rounded so this is interesting. I think she has a shot of making it back from last chance kitchen but I don't watch that.

[catrice2]

7 hours ago, saracen7 said:

I’m an Arsenal fan so I can’t speak objectively on Tottenham (they’re massive North London rivals), but this is all accurate. Just want to add that Man City/Man U/Liverpool are also outside of London so it makes sense that the football challenge would be a London team, especially one with a shiny new stadium. 
 

Echoing everyone, I’m really loving all of the cheftestants and sad to see anyone leave. I’m actually watching last chance kitchen for the first time in years as a result too. 
 

Tom seemed quite annoyed at the end, I hope he’s relaxed again in the next few episodes, his attitude put me off watching the show for a long time.

I know. Top Chef went from being must see tv to me the 1st year to off and on over the years especially during the period where it tried to be more drama driven like other reality shows.

I feel like now the chefs support each other more and try to bond.

Usually I don't care when someone leaves but this season I like pretty much everybody and I want to see them all shine and learn more about their food and style of cooking.

I just feel like the challenges should have been different and not so much on location cuisine since they had people from so many different countries.

It would have been fun say to see them having to choose to make a dish that  one of their competitors had made on one of their top chef episodes or something. I could care less about seeing them make pub food and it was no surprise that the people who won were people who lived in London and worked there for some years.🙄

It's hard to choose a favorite. Right now I am leaning towards Gabri, his teammate from Spain who lives with the ex boyfriend and possibly Ali? Budda is a given as he is clearly most competition ready. He may be the only one that has competed recently. The rest of them for the most part are competition rusty and he is also more familiar with the format (and judges) they are using because the format of other countries is not the same. I am not discounting his talent.

I would love to see Sylvie Nicole or Victoire surprise me. 

 

[bravofan27]

8 hours ago, saracen7 said:

I’m an Arsenal fan so I can’t speak objectively on Tottenham (they’re massive North London rivals), but this is all accurate. Just want to add that Man City/Man U/Liverpool are also outside of London so it makes sense that the football challenge would be a London team, especially one with a shiny new stadium. 
 

Echoing everyone, I’m really loving all of the cheftestants and sad to see anyone leave. I’m actually watching last chance kitchen for the first time in years as a result too. 
 

Tom seemed quite annoyed at the end, I hope he’s relaxed again in the next few episodes, his attitude put me off watching the show for a long time.

I'm guessing he doesn't want to be there. And then next he has to go to the last chance kitchen.

[Leeds]

18 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Save your money.  You can get all of this at my Safeway.

 

Are you inviting me to visit?  My (North American) Safeway does not stock British biscuits.

[realiteani]

14 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Padma's boots, OMG. I don't want to wear a heel like that but if I did... <drool>

I thought it was terrific that Buddha used some of his winnings to save his dog's vision. A great chef AND a good human.

They do. They are designed to work through clothing, for one thing. When I was prescribed mine, I had to demonstrate how to use it in the office before they would let me leave. Each refill comes with a "trainer" that you are recommended to have someone living with you try to see how much force it takes so you're not the only one who knows how to use it.

Yes, they're designed to work through clothing. Also it's an intramuscular injection so it needs to be pretty deep into the muscle. With a normal IM injection if someone isn't quite in there and the medicine is in the surrounding tissue there may be some mild localized reaction (like irritation/discomfort) but it does eventually get absorbed into the tissue. With epi, you need that medicine taking effect 5 minutes ago, basically, so you're making sure it goes exactly where it needs to and all of it is in the muscle so it can quickly take effect and keep the person alive. Plus, as the above poster mentioned, it is made to be used even through clothes in an emergency.

 

On 4/1/2023 at 12:27 AM, Bastet said:

Some people have tremendous aptitude for language, and given how very many Victoire speaks - while Americans are conditioned to being monolingual as typical, the average resident of many other countries knows more than one language, but her SEVEN is quite an impressive number; polyglots are rare, globally - she must be one of them.  Still, her command of English after only four months of dedicated study is impressive, and it was nice to hear the other chefs commend her for that.

I appreciate the show talking in most episodes so far about 1) language barriers and 2) aspects of the flagship TC being part of this international challenge but not part of the country-specific version some competed in (like something as huge as not having had to shop), acknowledging how some of the non-American cheftestants have additional challenges on top of those universal to all.  Gail also talked about that in an interview.

My father is African as well and he speaks Arabic (multiple dialects), Berber, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and some Japanese. Several of those languages he sounds like a native speaker in. He's definitely a person who easily learns languages and accents and has a natural skill for it, it seems like Victoire does too. 

 

I think especially with certain countries where people grow up speaking 2-3 languages because there are multiple national languages and school instruction and government records may be in one while everyone speaks another, it is probably more common for the average person to speak a few languages and thus easier if necessary to learn more, especially if they're related (like going from French to Spanish or Italian).

Edited April 2, 2023 by realiteani

[realiteani]

On 3/31/2023 at 2:47 PM, catrice2 said:

Although I believe she only touched them while she was helping chop up something I was wondering why she couldn't have at least worn gloves?  I admit I am a horrible cook so would that have changed the way sheat could prep the food wearing gloves? Or would gloves even be enough of a barrier to protect her?

I like her but based on the edit that they are giving her I don't think she's long for this competition which makes me sad

From what I saw, she wasn't chopping them, she just inhaled the dust and was in close proximity to the chef who was working on them. Victoire was working on the onion component of the dish. The Canadian chef whose name I cannot remember who kept coming over and instructing her was chopping the walnuts at the station right next to her. She tried to tell her "no good" and the chef kind of patted her and then said "oh OK I won't touch you then" and then we saw her reaction progressing to anaphylaxis. She probably should have mentioned it but the language barrier may have complicated that and she may have known she was allergic to nuts (or some nuts) after a reaction to almonds for example but never experienced a serious reaction to just being in the vicinity of walnuts. Allergic reactions can be unpredictable in that way too and some people aren't aware of which things in a category they're allergic to or how they'll react ( I say this as a person allergic to shellfish like clams and oysters and never venturing to try mussels-- but not allergic to shrimp or lobster or crab and as a person who just had some hives when given the allergen until the time my tongue/face started swelling instead lol)

Edited April 2, 2023 by realiteani
Grammar/clarity

[Ms.Lulu]

1 hour ago, realiteani said:

My father is African as well and he speaks Arabic (multiple dialects), Berber, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and some Japanese. Several of those languages he sounds like a native speaker in. He's definitely a person who easily learns languages and accents and has a natural skill for it, it seems like Victoire does too. 

 

I think especially with certain countries where people grow up speaking 2-3 languages because there are multiple national languages and school instruction and government records may be in one while everyone speaks another, it is probably more common for the average person to speak a few languages and thus easier if necessary to learn more, especially if they're related (like going from French to Spanish or Italian).

These folks live in the US too. Beyond his native English my ex-husband speaks French, Spanish, German, Russian and Japanese. Like math, art and music, you can be a prodigy in languages.

I did not win the language lottery. Seven years of French and I am only good to read simple novels/plays, navigate a grocery store/public transportation and have conversations. 

[meep.meep]

6 hours ago, Leeds said:

Are you inviting me to visit?  My (North American) Safeway does not stock British biscuits.

My Safeways in northern California do stock them.  Ask your store manager to look into it.  If they do, you'll have to buy lots.

For the record, I do not buy them but I see them in the stores.  More than one store.

[carrps]

Most chain supermarkets in SoCal stock them, too, and have done for decades. It's not a rare brand here.

[catrice2]

5 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

These folks live in the US too. Beyond his native English my ex-husband speaks French, Spanish, German, Russian and Japanese. Like math, art and music, you can be a prodigy in languages.

I did not win the language lottery. Seven years of French and I am only good to read simple novels/plays, navigate a grocery store/public transportation and have conversations. 

Well my husband did 5 of French  between HS and college and can say 2 words. I am convinced they passed him because he was an athlete 😃 I know more with my one year.

[pasdetrois]

On 3/31/2023 at 2:46 PM, carrps said:

And I didn't appreciate Buddha saying American biscuits were scones.

Sacrilege. Even fast food biscuits are nothing like scones.

[sharifa70]

True story: I was 18 and living in Boise, Idaho when I had my first scones. They were a local staple, you could find them all over town, and the best way to eat them was smothered in honey butter. I loved scones. Fast-forward a few years, I’ve moved back home to Washington state, I walk into a coffee shop, and they have scones! I’m delighted: I order one….and they bring me this biscuit thing with jam. Happened again every time I went anywhere. Like, what the actual hell were all these cafes serving? I ask for scones, they give me biscuity things? Finally, I gave up on trying to find proper scones because clearly everyone in Washington had gone mad.

One year, while attending the blues festival in Portland, Oregon, I stopped at one of the many food stalls for some lemonade, and lo! There did I see my beloved, real scones! My first true non-Boise scone sighting in ten years! I ordered one and sat down to eat with joy in my heart, happy at last. And what, pray tell, was this delightful confection?

Y’all, it turns out that in Boise a scone (found in restaurants) was what fair-goers know as an elephant ear. Yep, a ball of dough that you stretch and then deep-fry. 

I’ll happily accept Buddha’s comparison of scones to American biscuits. At least they’re in the same ballpark.

Edited April 4, 2023 by sharifa70

[bravofan27]

13 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

True story: I was 18 and living in Boise, Idaho when I had my first scones. They were a local staple, you could find them all over town, and the best way to eat them was smothered in honey butter. I loved scones. Fast-forward a few years, I’ve moved back home to Washington state, I walk into a coffee shop, and they have scones! I’m delighted: I order one….and they bring me this biscuit thing with jam. Happened again every time I went anywhere. Like, what the actual hell were all these cafes serving? I ask for scones, they give me biscuity things? Finally, I gave up on trying to find proper scones because clearly everyone in Washington had gone mad.

One year, while attending the blues festival in Portland, Oregon, I stopped at one of the many food stalls for some lemonade, and lo! There did I see my beloved, real scones! My first true non-Boise scone sighting in ten years! I ordered one and sat down to eat with joy in my heart, happy at last. And what, pray tell, was this delightful confection?

Y’all, it turns out that in Boise a scone (found in restaurants) was what fair-goers know as an elephant ear. Yep, a ball of dough that you stretch and then deep-fry. 

I’ll happily accept Buddha’s comparison of scones to American biscuits. At least they’re in the same ballpark.

Nice story!

[anniebird]

On 4/1/2023 at 10:16 PM, bravofan27 said:

Everyone hated that British biscuit guy. And the one chef that just refused to make a biscuit. LOL.

 

 

 

That judge really took his biscuits seriously but Tom (the chef who refused to make a biscuit) annoyed me. If everyone just decided they didn't like the challenge and made whatever they wanted, it would be a crappy competition.

[The Solution]

17 hours ago, anniebird said:

If everyone just decided they didn't like the challenge and made whatever they wanted, it would be a crappy competition.

I respectfully disagree. Sometimes that's what the judges deserve.

[anniebird]

48 minutes ago, The Solution said:

I respectfully disagree. Sometimes that's what the judges deserve.

Really? The judges don't determine the challenge, they're just there to judge the result and this judge critiqued Tom's "effort" fairly.

[Colorado David]

ok fair enuff, if you want to flaunt the guidelines of the task. BUT you better damn well make something killer to warrant that flaunt, other wise yeah you are getting scolded for  being uppity. how can you have your pudding if you've not had your meat????

[CrazyInAlabama]

I was watching the rerun, and I felt so scared for Victoire, since I knew what was coming.    I wonder why she didn't tell the other chefs about her allergy?    Thanks to those who corrected my wrong statement about her touching the Walnuts, I missed that on the first showing.      I really don't understand why she didn't make it known that she had a serious allergy like that, but then who would think her assigned cheese would be one that paired with a huge quantity of Walnuts?  

Edited April 7, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[meep.meep]

On 4/5/2023 at 5:12 PM, anniebird said:

That judge really took his biscuits seriously but Tom (the chef who refused to make a biscuit) annoyed me. If everyone just decided they didn't like the challenge and made whatever they wanted, it would be a crappy competition.

No - it's a QuickFire.  If Tom decided he didn't want to compete for immunity, he didn't have to.  Just as Hyung did with the Smurf Village and Mike Midgely with mashing together a Snickers bar and a Cheeto.

In Germany, like in the US, cookies/biscuits frequently are not hard.  The Brits can be weird.   

[anniebird]

6 hours ago, meep.meep said:

No - it's a QuickFire.  If Tom decided he didn't want to compete for immunity, he didn't have to.  Just as Hyung did with the Smurf Village and Mike Midgely with mashing together a Snickers bar and a Cheeto.

In Germany, like in the US, cookies/biscuits frequently are not hard.  The Brits can be weird.   

I meant "challenge" as in brief, not Challenge as in the 2nd part of the competition. Tom knew he wasn't making a cookie or a biscuit, he specifically called it a "cloud cake" and he can certainly decide he doesn't want to compete but Top Chef is about the best cooking competition show in the US and if people stop competing, it's not going to be much fun to watch. 

[Meredith Quill]

On 4/7/2023 at 5:35 PM, meep.meep said:

In Germany, like in the US, cookies/biscuits frequently are not hard.  The Brits can be weird.   

Ahem, as a British person I'm honour bound to step in to defend the nomenclature of the humble UK biscuit. Incoming bore-fest. The origin of the word biscuit is from French usage (as are many English words):

Quote

Long ago it was often a problem to keep food from spoiling, especially on long journeys. One way to preserve flat loaves of bread was to bake them a second time in order to dry them out. In early French, this bread was called pain bescuit or “bread twice-cooked.” Later the term was shortened to bescuit. The idea of being “twice–cooked” was lost as the term was used for any crisp flat bread or for bread made with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. The word was borrowed into Middle English as bisquite, but was later spelled biscuit on the model of the French spelling.

As stated above, 'biscuit' traditionally means twice-cooked, hence the required 'snap' to qualify as a biscuit (there was even a *legal case here some years ago to determine whether 'Jaffa Cakes', which are sold in the biscuit aisle, are actually biscuits or cakes). A cookie is softer and chewier. We have both biscuits and cookies here. Ergo, don't blame us for using the correct terminology; blame the French, heh.

However, here's the 'weird/confusing' part: over time, 'biscuit' has become an umbrella term in the UK to include all kinds of biscuits from cookies (hard or soft) to wafers to traditional 'biscuits', despite us knowing there's a difference in definition, if necessary. Therefore, in the UK all cookies are biscuits, but not all biscuits are cookies. 

I'm not going to get into the US biscuit v scone debate other than to say, while quite similar, they are most definitely not the same.

*The rule of thumb to determine biscuit from cake was deemed: if it goes hard when stale it's cake, if it goes soft when stale, it's a biscuit. I leave everyone else to figure out where that leaves soft, chewy cookies, lol.

Source: Merriam-Webster

P.S. Garden peas remain my fav vegetable and the only one I'd eat as a child.

 

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. 

[Leeds]

On 4/7/2023 at 4:03 PM, anniebird said:

I meant "challenge" as in brief, not Challenge as in the 2nd part of the competition. Tom knew he wasn't making a cookie or a biscuit, he specifically called it a "cloud cake" and he can certainly decide he doesn't want to compete but Top Chef is about the best cooking competition show in the US and if people stop competing, it's not going to be much fun to watch. 

I thought this season, set in London, was supposed to be the best in the world, despite the fact that the producers have heavily stacked the odds in favor of an American winning.