Small Talk: Lettuce Turnip On Thyme For Chat

[David T. Cole]

The Small Talk topic is for:

 

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Happy trails beyond Small Talk!

[ramble]

I still haven't had a chance to watch the first episode but every time I see the tag line for this topic I giggle like I'm 12. I'm so easy. Hi, I'm ramble & I tend to be Food Network's bitch far too easily. (I told y'all I'm easy.) I gripe about how dumb TNFNS is but continue to watch. I am a barely capable cook & far prefer to have someone else prepare my food, but I have an eternally hopeful part of me that thinks I could be a good cook if I just had the right motivation. Or equipment. Or time. Or desire. Or person to inspire me. Since I seem to be growing older every day (drat!) I suppose it'll make a food miracle for that to happen. Until then I will continue with the handful of things I can make successfully & dream of better, foodier things. 

[LazyToaster]

I'm a sucker for most of the cooking shows and I like the competitions, lame though they are! I do get inspired by watching cooking on TV, but it doesn't often translate into more cooking. Maybe if I had a better kitchen, probably not...

[RedheadZombie]

I'm not much of a cook, I have no idea why I watch this show.  I don't even watch anything else on the network, so I don't know why I get invested in the winner.  I'm actually a vegetarian, so even if I was inclined to use their recipe, I wouldn't be able to eat it.

[JTMacc99]

Has anybody here ever picked up a copy of the Food Network Magazine?

 

Scripps has been sending them to us here at work, and I have to say, the magazine is really nice. Classic food porn, with tons of pictures and recipes.  The last couple of months have a little pull-out booklet with 50 recipes on some sort of theme. Last time I grabbed the 50 salads and have made three of them already.

 

Not that it would be hard for me to find a recipe for black bean and corn salad, but just seeing it in the booklet made me try it with great success. I also made the Mediterranean chick pea salad (with feta and kalamata olives) and now am on the third version of it. The original was great, but I've taken to adding in some of the fresh stuff from my garden. And to be fair, that's what I do with most recipes for things like salads. I like the ideas I got from the magazine and for sure the dressing ratios, but after that I'm on my own.

 

This month showed up yesterday and I grabbed two inserts out of it: 50 Pasta Dinners (gonna try the artichoke-zucchini), and the special Food Network Magazine Kids. I think I can get on board with Meatball Monday. I know that I have two little people in my house who might be willing to participate to make that happen.

[Galloway Cave]

@JTMacc99, it's one of the few magazine subscribe to. I'll write down the list of recipes I like, then go to the Foodnetwork.com website and save the recipes to my computer. The mag also has a ton of great cooking tips and the best part is I don't have to listen to the insipid hosts on the shows to get those tips! I've also visited a couple of the restaurants they have featured. Since I pass it on to my mom and sister after I read it, it is worth the $14 a year rate.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Galloway Cave

[JTMacc99]

That's all it costs? I would definitely pony up that money if I didn't have access to the complimentary issues.

 

It's interesting how I've changed my methods for accumulating cooking knowledge. First it was books and magazines. Then it was TV. Now it's back to magazines and internet. 

 

I think the TV was an important part, as I got to actually see a bunch of people do things in front of me. For example, I saw ten different ways to cut up a bell pepper and eventually found one guy who showed a way I like. And for sure, TV tips can stick with me more than written tips, because I can see them working, like hot pan, cold oil and not cold pan, cold oil. 

 

But now that I've got the gist of it, I tend to watch food TV to be entertained and not to learn a whole heck of a lot these days. And I think that is why I was surprised by how much I liked the Food Network Magazine. I associate Food Network with being entertained, and then I flipped through the magazine and learned some stuff and got inspired to cook stuff.

[mlp]

I've subscribed to FN magazine since the first issue and love it.  I like everything mentioned above plus the feature articles about celebrity chefs with photo tours of their home kitchens.  I also get HGTV magazine which is just the same but with a HGTV theme.

[Galloway Cave]

It's true about actually seeing some of the food prep techniques in action, rather than just seeing a picture of it. But I'd rather watch a REAL chef cut food instead of some of these Talking Heads with Grandma Stories who barely know how to hold a knife. It's hard to find them on a show now. I tend to haunt the Cooking Channel a bit more for real information and watch the Food Network for the trainwrecks (see: Lenny).

 

Take a look online at the website and you may be able to get a screaming deal on a two-year subscription. I think that is how I got started with the magazine.

[Rick Kitchen]

I'm always printing off recipes from some of the shows that I watch.  Trisha Yearwood's key lime cake sounded great, so I printed that off but haven't made it yet (too hot to use the oven).

[cooksdelight]

This was Bill Rancic's awful debut as a FN show host.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kitchen-casino.html

[GaT]

This was Bill Rancic's awful debut as a FN show host.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kitchen-casino.html

Thanks, I guess :-) i remember seeing promos for the show, but I never watched it & didn't realize that was him hosting. I still want to know how he went from working for Donald Trump to the FN.

[cooksdelight]

His wife Guiliana probably told he had to or else.

[Bella]

Kitchen Casino was the worst - the worst! Rancic was awful, the set-up was awful, and the way they swapped stations was physically impossible. On top of that, it was boring.

[Clanstarling]

I think about this too. I mean really, how often do you actually make anything that the TV cooks make? 

All the time. Food Network is my go-to for recipes. Why buy a cookbook when you can Google a recipe (and Food Network tends to get more consistent results for me) Though, like you, I do tend to alter to suit my tastes.

 

Much of the time I'm looking for technique rather than exact flavors and measurements. My "signature" roast chicken came directly from Food Network Star. It is the best, most succulent, roast chicken. I forget the contestant's name - I want to say Reggie - he was in the final two or three and lost out to Guy Fieri (much to my dismay)

 

Most of the recipes turn out fairly well, though Rachel Ray's not so much. And I stay away from Sandra Lee (I can McGyver a meal just fine, thanks) and Paula Deen (too much butter). One of the salad dressings I make frequently came from Trisha Yearwood's show.

Edited June 17, 2015 by clanstarling

[JTMacc99]

Most of the recipes turn out fairly well, though Rachel Ray's not so much. And I stay away from Sandra Lee (I can McGyver a meal just fine, thanks) and Paula Deen (too much butter). One of the salad dressings I make frequently came from Trisha Yearwood's show.

I agree with the Paula Deen thing. Most of her stuff is very rich, although I think they're okay for potluck type things. They taste great, and I don't care if my coworkers get fat. I only care if they like what I brought.

 

The Rachael Ray thing is a product of her success.  The first couple mac and cheese things she did were simple and tasty. By the time Food Network wrung the 932nd episode out of her, the 38th variation on mac and cheese was a little iffy. Best bet with her is to get one of her first couple cookbooks and modify the concepts to your liking.

[leighdear]

Ina Garten tends to be my go-to girl for just about anything when I need some culinary guidance or inspiration.  Plus, I adore her voice.  It's so calm & soothing to me.  

 

I absolutely prefer personality over cooking chops in my hosts.  My perception is that the actual cooking skills needed to put something together on camera are easily mastered by a novice.  They only have about 20 minutes, so I think their ability to perform complicated stuff is kind of irrelevant.  For me, you can't really teach "presence".  They need to draw me in, not just robo-cook. 

 

Often I will "watch" cooking shows while I'm doing other things, so I'm actually listening more than I view.  If the host is engaging, explains things well and I can visualize what I'm hearing, then I'm their audience.  I think Ree Drummond excels at this, so she is my go-to after Ina.  

Edited June 17, 2015 by leighdear

[OtterMommy]

Ina Garten tends to be my go-to girl for just about anything when I need some culinary guidance or inspiration.  Plus, I adore her voice.  It's so calm & soothing to me.   

 

I have had great success with Ina Garten's recipes, but I simply can't watch her show after my mother told me that my father lusts after her.  That is something that just won't get out of my mind.  (I guess it is a small comfort that Ina Garten does look remarkably like my mother did 20 years ago....)

[leighdear]

Too funny!  My dad lusts after Giada, so I can't un-know that every time I see her.  *LOL*

[mlp]

 

If the host is engaging, explains things well and I can visualize what I'm hearing, then I'm their audience.  I think Ree Drummond excels at this, so she is my go-to after Ina.

 

This is a good example of how different personalities appeal to different people so variety is a good thing.  I cannot stand Ree Drummond for even 5 seconds.  I mute her commercials because her voice is even worse to me than her make up.  

[cooksdelight]

My Dad watches Rae's show every day. He's called me to find some of her recipes online and print them out for him. I don't care for her personality, but some of her recipes are really good.

[Totale]

I like Mexican and Indian flavors so the two FN shows I've made most recipes from were "Spice Goddess" and "Mexican Made Easy", neither of which I believe is in current production.  There's something applicable to FNS in each.  I've made and enjoyed several of Marcela's recipes, her Shrimp Gobernator Taco is the bomb.  She had been to culinary school, had Spanish-language TV experience and had published a cookbook before her show started.  I saw one a couple of days ago from very early on (before they changed the opening and took away the picture of her walking away from the market looking like she just smelled poo).  I'll tell you, at the beginning she was pretty rough, easily as nervous as any of the rookies on FNS - and her show was on the air.  I think she said "and the kitchen smells amazing" about 15 times in the 20 minutes of show, and she introduced one ingredient (beer) as it was added that she never mentioned prior and never explained - it was like "and this is when you add that beer".  She's not too good on stating measurements so it's good the recipes are online - frankly when I watch the show I'm more focused on "do I keep these ingredients around and am I ever gonna actually make this?"  Bal, on the other hand, was always slicker than prunes through a duck and was pretty meticulous about giving measurements and explaining recipes.  Her Spice Goddess show was as technically good as any instructional show I've seen on FN.  So of course they decided to screw that right up, and for her second series they got in lots of family time Ree-style and sent them on field trips and introduced phony drama, cut back on that boring cooking and made her show unwatchable just like it seems they want to do for the "winner" this time because somehow they got themselves convinced that's what the public wants.  (And the fact that either of those women provokes a similar reaction in me to the vapors epidemic currently going on over a certain ex-football player doesn't have anything to do with it.  Trust me ...)

[leighdear]

I really can do without all of the addition of children, pets, other family members (Except Garth on Tricia's show - He's ALWAYS welcome!). 

 

I bring my lunch to work every day, so I do a lot of bulk cooking & freezing on the weekends.  Ree does a lot of soups, stews and casseroles that are perfect for making in large quantities, portioning out, freezing and just grabbing in the morning on my way out the door.  Lots of crock pot stuff too, so I tend to gravitate towards those items.  

 

Ina's stuff is what I cook for myself for dinner during the week when I have more time and flexibility.  Her stuff tends to be fairly simple to put together, but fresh & flavorful.  I'm on the Florida Gulf Coast, so it's seafood at least 3 nights a week for me.  She has a roasted shrimp salad that I eat every week, no exaggeration. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-shrimp-salad-recipe.html

[NikSac]

All the time. Food Network is my go-to for recipes. Why buy a cookbook when you can Google a recipe (and Food Network tends to get more consistent results for me) Though, like you, I do tend to alter to suit my tastes.

 

Much of the time I'm looking for technique rather than exact flavors and measurements. My "signature" roast chicken came directly from Food Network Star. It is the best, most succulent, roast chicken. I forget the contestant's name - I want to say Reggie - he was in the final two or three and lost out to Guy Fieri (much to my dismay)

 

Well of course now I have to look up that roast chicken recipe!  Mine always seem to turn out kinda bland, even compared to the grocery rotisserie versions.

 

I am probably a little overly nuts when I look up recipes.  I do often look them up on Food Network, then AllRecipes, then read all the reviews/suggestions, and mix/match into something I end up liking. It's why I do pretty well with savory dishes (other than that elusive roast chicken!), but not so good with baking. 

 

Going back to the personality/food chops thing I guess there really is a balance. If they can't cook, especially if their technique is bad, I wouldn't want to watch them.  I'd rather watch a boring but good cook. If someone's extremely obnoxious, I don't care how good their food looks. Might look up the recipes, but I wouldn't want to watch their show.

[cooksdelight]

Do any of you remember a show on PBS called Caprial's Cafe? I loved that woman!! Every single thing she cooked was delicious, she was like a teacher when she showed you how to make something. And she'd have a wine pairing suggestion at the end of the show. I bought her cookbook just so I wouldn't lose the recipes when she went off the air. I found her on Facebook and she has some YouTube videos but nothing as good as that show. I learned more about how to properly sear a piece of meat than I did from anyone else. "Don't touch it!" she'd say with emphasis, and I know far too many people who eagerly flip their steaks more times than they need to.

[chessiegal]

I do remember Caprial, and very recently! She went on to do another PBS show with her husband John. I was visiting St. Petersburg, FL in April, and their cable market includes "Create" channel. I saw her many times over the week we were there.

[OtterMommy]

I do remember Caprial, and very recently! She went on to do another PBS show with her husband John. I was visiting St. Petersburg, FL in April, and their cable market includes "Create" channel. I saw her many times over the week we were there.

 

Caprial is in my area and they run a restaurant (although, going to it would mean actually driving into Portland, which my husband hates to do, so I've never been).  For a while, she also sponsored Pacific Foods (perhaps only their broths, stocks, and soups).  She does turn up on local TV here now and then....

[biakbiak]

The cooking chops versus personality is interesting because a lot of the latter can be taught. Not that you can teach a personality but you can teach how it comes across on tv. Take Mario Batali and Emeril both have cooking chops but as someone who watched the first episode of Molto Mario and watches The Chew, Mario was natural as a personality from episode one and hasn't changed all these years later, Emeril' s first season of Essence of Emeril is amazing to watch to the point that I wonder if anyone got fired for putting it on the air, he mumbles and can barely look into the camera, cut to a few years later and he is constantly shouting BAM and comes across more as a Vegas entertainer or more realistically a Catskills performer hired to be a cooking show host than a chef. I prefer original recipe Emeril and in his post FN hosting has struck a good balance between the two but the contrast is startling. Same with Paula Deen she was much chiller on her first few seasons, not the ridiculous over the top caricature she is now; unlike Emeril she hasn't found a middle place.

[JTMacc99]

I like that you note that Emeril found a middle place. He's been here and there over the last couple of years, and everywhere I see him, I like him a lot. He did a show called Emeril's Florida that was interesting. He serves as a judge on Top Chef and is good at it.

 

The fact is, there are very few people in the world who have world class knowledge of a subject AND have TV level Charisma.

 

Food Network has developed a few good ones, but they never really got a Julia Child type who nailed both requirements so beautifully.  Emeril is maybe the best one, as he gets a very high score for knowledge and a pretty good score for charisma. He spent some time in dull and some time in BAM! that cost him some points.  Rachael Ray is another good one for them. She doesn't have the kitchen credibility of Emeril, but she appeals to a large number of people.

 

It's funny but when I watch Food Network Star, I tend to root for the Charisma over Cooking, provided that the cooking isn't embarrassingly bad. I know what Food Network is going to do with these people if they keep them around, and I'd rather they be interesting to watch on TV than knowledgeable if I am going to see them pop up frequently. FN can find me some top notch chefs through other channels.

Edited June 23, 2015 by JTMacc99

[cooksdelight]

I read an article this morning from the Washington Post about Martha Stewart selling her brand for a mere $353 million. Way down from the billions it used to be worth. The article said it was because she refused to keep up with the changing landscape of how people access food, recipes, lifestyle information. No one was watching her show or reading her magazines. They were busy on Etsy or Pinterest. That the # generation was in full force now and that's why so many are flocking to the Internet and away from conventional television shows or printed publications.

 

 

I immediately thought of Matthew. He may be onto something, but he's going about getting his message across in the wrong way. And I don't think our judges, hosts or the powers that be at Food Network have caught on just yet. Yes, they have this online competition, but do they have any short cooking bursts on Twitter or YouTube, showing various methods or recipes from their stars? Matthew may be the key to the next generation of cooking "shows" because he is that age where the FN wants viewers.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2015/06/29/how-martha-stewart-lost-her-2-billion-empire/

[akr]

I like sriracha, especially on eggs or sausage. It's garlicky and sweet as well as hot, and has some other stuff in it too. I only buy the rooster brand; maybe quality varies. But boy is it overused on the Food Network and elsewhere. It's like when a little kid discovers ketchup and decides it needs to go on everything. Whoever it was - I think on this show - who thought it was enough to put sriracha and cream together to make a sauce - that is lazy fratboy cooking, and worse yet probably unsuccessful lazy frat boy cooking (add some to your ramen noodles, sure, why not, but sriracha and cream is a sauce? Yeah, right up there with Honey Boo Boo's mom's ketchup and spaghetti recipe) lost all credibility with me straight away.  I don't need "food authorities" telling me nonsense like that, that obviously isn't going to cut it. 

Edited July 29, 2015 by akr

[Jesse]

I like sriracha, especially on eggs or sausage. It's garlicky and sweet as well as hot, and has some other stuff in it too. I only buy the rooster brand; maybe quality varies. But boy is it overused on the Food Network and elsewhere. It's like when a little kid discovers ketchup and decides it needs to go on everything. Whoever it was - I think on this show - who thought it was enough to put sriracha and cream together to make a sauce - that is lazy fratboy cooking, and worse yet probably unsuccessful lazy frat boy cooking (add some to your ramen noodles, sure, why not, but sriracha and cream is a sauce? Yeah, right up there with Honey Boo Boo's mom's ketchup and spaghetti recipe) lost all credibility with me straight away.  I don't need "food authorities" telling me nonsense like that, that obviously isn't going to cut it. 

Depends on what the sauce is for, I think -- would you agree that Frank's Red Hot and butter don't make a sauce? I'm not saying buffalo wings aren't frat boy cooking, but they are delicious! 

[needschocolate]

Sriracha - the new truffle oil.

 

Regarding the spit bucket, I have heard that a lot of scripted shows have them when the the story requires eating on screen.  They do some many takes and they don't want to eat that much food. Plus, by the time they are done filming the scene, the food is probably cold and not so delicious.   Or, instead of the spit buckets, they just play with the food, acting like they are eating it (pay attention to Big Bang Theory - many scenes involve eating, but you rarely see a character actually eat).  I can see why the chefs on cooking shows might not want to swallow what they are sampling, but I find it really disctracting when they take bites the size of raisins, like Giada does. There is no way she gets a real taste with nibble that small, especially after having sampled other food beforehand.    

[akr]

Depends on what the sauce is for, I think -- would you agree that Frank's Red Hot and butter don't make a sauce? I'm not saying buffalo wings aren't frat boy cooking, but they are delicious!

 

This risks getting into how-do-you-like-your-steak thread derailer status, but fair point. Red Hot & butter is a sauce. Garlic and butter is a sauce. A sauce doesn't have to be complicated, but it ought to make the dish better, not worse. Cream and sriracha, both of which I like, sounds like it would probably be unpleasant, or at best about in the ballpark of using ketchup as spaghetti sauce. Whoever it was who tried to play that up to the camera as "all you need" to make a good sauce just came off to me as dishonestly pitching something awful to the camera for game show purposes, rather than telling me about something that actually might work. I'm sure you can make a "sauce" of ketchup and cream, too, or mayonnaise and chocolate, but it's going to take some doing to get me to taste it. 

 

These people need to retain at least a little credibility as cooks, or at the very least as reliable food critics, in order for me to consider listening to them about food. 

 

I am, however, apparently willing to watch them make buffoons of themselves.

Edited July 29, 2015 by akr

[cooksdelight]

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

 

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use White Lily)
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold, cut into chunks (I freeze mine then chop it up)
1 cup buttermilk (more or less as you start mixing things together)

 

Preheat your oven to 450°F.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, incorporate your butter until it resembles a coarse grain.

Build a well in the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and mix JUST until it forms a dough. Do not overwork.

My Granny always pinched off the dough and formed it into a patty in her hand, then put it in the pan. She never rolled hers out with a rolling pin. Once she had all the biscuits laid out in the pan, she'd stick her thumb into the center of each one. Somehow.... that's the magic. :)

Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

 

The less you handle the dough, the better. Granny didn't have a food processor back then, her hands were all she had to work with. But a processor will help keep the dough cool and it will work better.

[Lura]

I would just like to say a word about all of the contestants.  I've been so impressed by their class when they've been eliminated.  In other years, we have watched the tears and the heartbreak of those going home -- and even some of their friends.  This group has almost treated each other like brothers and sisters might, with claps on the back and encouraging words.  The losers themselves have tried hard to keep things upbeat, talking about the future, etc.  It's hard to play this game, and it's even harder to lose it, especially when it's been a long time dream.  My proverbial hat goes off to these really good sports.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Lura

[Snarklepuss]

Lura, a hear you, I have noticed the same thing about this group - And I have to wonder if this good sportsmanship might have something to do with the fact that all the contestants left are men.  I've noticed this phenomenon on "Chopped" too - When there are all men left they tend to act like good sports and even buddies with each other, and have a "May the best man win" attitude.  When there's a woman around everyone stiffens up and gets focused on winning.  I think that's one reason Michelle felt too much pressure and backed out.  She even made mention of being the only woman left, like that was throwing her for some reason.  There have been exceptions esp. on this show, as with Justin and Martie, though.  Mr. Snarklepuss says he thinks it has something to do with the way men are socialized to be good sportsmen with each other in team sports, etc.  and it can be intimidating to women who might feel the odd one out when they are not included in that "boy's club".  I find it refreshing when I see a camaraderie happening between the genders, like I have at times on this show.  I even noticed it between Rue and Dom on Star Salvation.  I haven't found it to be so common on some other TV competitions, though.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[JTMacc99]

I have to wonder if this good sportsmanship might have something to do with the fact that all the contestants left are men.  I've noticed this phenomenon on "Chopped" too - When there are all men left they tend to act like good sports and even buddies with each other, and have a "May the best man win" attitude.  When there's a woman around everyone stiffens up and gets focused on winning. ... Mr. Snarklepuss says he thinks it has something to do with the way men are socialized to be good sportsmen with each other in team sports, etc.  and it can be intimidating to women who might feel the odd one out when they are not included in that "boy's club". 

The fact that there are only men left crossed my mind immediately.  I think it might have something to do with it, but I do remember that Amelia and Rosa also went out with their heads held high and with good sportsmanship.  I just think this was a particularly good group of people.

 

And Mr. Snarklepuss is definitely on to something with how we have been socialized in team sports.  We play a lot of games growing up, and we get used to defining clear cut winners and losers regularly.

 

And I think you can see how that plays out on game shows and competitive reality shows.  I'll give two examples of where I think I see men behaving differently. Because we are talking about human beings here, these are generalizations. Some people will very much be the opposite of what I'm about to say. But I'm pretty comfortable with these general observations.

 

First, men tend to be better at wagering on Jeopardy.  Men tend to make larger (or smaller) bets when they hit the double jeopardy depending on what the overall dollar amounts are for each contestant and their comfort with the category. They tend to not just say "I'll wager 2,000" but rather they look at how the game is going and take a chance. In my opinion, this is related to how boys play games with winners and losers practically every day.  It's just a game, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. 

 

Second, the male contestants on Top Chef are better at playing the game part of that cooking competition. A distinctly higher percentage of the men do things like cook whatever the hell they want and back-fill the story into how it is appropriate for the challenge than do the women. I see it over and over again where men make choices that are influenced by who will be judging them and what will be the criteria. They still want to just cook something good, but they are influenced by how it fits into the game. 

 

We are just conditioned to see things as games or competitions, and we're conditioned to having clear cut winners and losers.  When Alex got cut, his attitude was pretty much "I wasn't good enough" and somewhere in there was a "but if I can get better, I could be really good at this."  Dom said something very similar. 

[chessiegal]

I have an acquaintance who is in the food business (has her own recipe development business among other related work) and she tells me the key to biscuits is the White Lily flour.

[Snarklepuss]

I love your insights, JTMac99, and I've noticed some of them myself.  I think men can be better at strategy because they tend to be socialized to be comfortable with competition from an early age.  Women generally aren't.  I have also noticed that men tend to have less trouble selling something convincingly when it's not really what was asked for.  Also, it really hasn't been that long that men and women have competed with each other for the same prize.  This is a very recent phenomenon in our culture and I don't doubt that thousands of years of social evolution has conditioned men and women to treat each other differently when in competition with each other.  I have seen some men get strange about having a woman best them at something as if their egos can't stand it.  I remember in Season 5 when Melissa D'Arabian was on there were two guys who were acting like total douches, putting her down in their talking heads and assuming that she was not going to be much of a threat because she was a SAHM.  Well they ate those words as both of them were sent home very early in the competition and she won!  I have experienced this reaction a few times in my own life as men have underestimated me in competitive situations.  I have also seen some women get strange about being up against men, usually letting it lead to self defeating behavior.  From a woman's POV I can sympathize with Michelle for letting it get to her because men can intimidate some women with their unwavering displays of confidence especially as the competition gets fierce.   I think Michelle just let it get to her and gave up rather than fight it.  But by quitting I think she just confirmed all sorts of chauvanist stuff that has been believed about women for eons.

[cooksdelight]

White Lily is made with a softer winter wheat. It works up beautifully.

[NikSac]

Thank you Cooksdelight! I'm going to have to try that, and soon. I'll have to see if my grocery store carries that particular flour.

[JTMacc99]

Also, it really hasn't been that long that men and women have competed with each other for the same prize.  This is a very recent phenomenon in our culture and I don't doubt that thousands of years of social evolution has conditioned men and women to treat each other differently when in competition with each other.  I have seen some men get strange about having a woman best them at something as if their egos can't stand it.

I think you hit on a lot of really interesting things. It's a rich topic that I like to talk about, but I have to be careful when I want to start sentences with "Men are ..."

 

That won't stop me now, however!  I didn't think about the part how only recently men and women (in our culture at least) are just starting to compete for the same thing on a level playing ground. And I really should have thought about that. I have more than once given a friend a hard time about going on and on about how poorly women are treated in [insert foreign country here]. It's not hard to do. I just point out that it has been less than 100 years since the men in the United States decided to let women VOTE.

 

I think it will even out over time, but it will take a long time. I watch my son and daughter now, and they play the same games and do the same things. But as they get older, my son will continue playing games and sports that are timed or have distinct endings where there is a winner or loser. And that's how he will day in and day out compete with the other boys.  My daughter will probably still play games and sports. sometimes with the boys, and hopefully that will give her the skill set we are talking about here. But I know she'll also have an entirely different way of competing with the other girls day in and day out.  That will also be a very important skill for her to develop in our culture, or any culture probably, but getting good at that kind of competing won't help her win Jeopardy some day.

Edited August 4, 2015 by JTMacc99

[smiley13]

So carrying this over from the episode thread.  What food items are you sick and tired of having pushed on you?  Things that every cooking show and/or magazine seem to think is the current "it" ingredient?

 

Of the things already mentioned, I am tired of hummus and I agreed with another poster who said kale, Greek yogurt and cauliflower too.

Edited August 4, 2015 by smiley13

[NikSac]

Thanks for bringing this over.

 

I'm way sick of sriracha and kale.  I've even had the fancy Kale (two different varieties in fact) from the farm delivery box. I still didn't like it. Apparently other people do because I know they planted a bunch of it according to their newsletter. I couldn't even get our neighborhood critters to eat it.

 

ETA: oh also wanted to comment on Greek yogurt. I don't actually dislike it by itself but why is it double the price, doesn't taste as good, and harder to find than regular yogurt?  (in my local preferred store anyway)

Edited August 5, 2015 by NikSac

[cooksdelight]

Ramps are something I don't care for, but FN keeps using them to death in competitions. I can vividly remember kids coming to school after the annual ramp festival here, and you could smell them a mile away.

[NikSac]

Ramps are something I don't care for, but FN keeps using them to death in competitions. I can vividly remember kids coming to school after the annual ramp festival here, and you could smell them a mile away.

 

I've never even tried ramps, but I bet that would be annoying.

 

There's a whole festival for them?  When I hear "ramp festival" all I can picture is a bunch of teens skateboarding.

[smiley13]

Okay, I will ask, what are ramps in terms of food?  Never heard of that.

[cooksdelight]

Ramps are a wild onion, they will grow anywhere and they have always been popular in the south. I've never attended the ramp festival since I don't eat the things.

http://www.kingofstink.com/NC.html

[Pallida]

Ready the pitchforks. I think bacon is extremely overrated.