S13.E02: Beauty and the Beast

[Surrealist]

4 hours ago, wings707 said:

And by jewel I mean a good judge for GGG.  Lol

I was going to say. They usually end up as GGG judges. Lol.

Although I wish Husband Eddie's show was doing better.

[akr]

1 hour ago, Surrealist said:

Although I wish Husband Eddie's show was doing better.

It would probably be doing much worse without him! 

I just went on the FN website and he had some good videos there.  I don't know that his Cuban sandwich would be my exact recipe, but the tips were good and it's a good starting point - I'd probably triangulate between his version and some others.  (I'm dubious about the honey mustard/mayo combo, which he doesn't pretend is traditional anyway, just a variation that he likes).  It does the job of making you want to make a Cuban sandwich, reminded me how easy it is to roast a pork shoulder like that (I usually do it with kosher salt and chipotle powder, but his seasonings sounded quite good, too), and would prompt me to look for recipes and make something of my own inspired by it.  And, remind me that I enjoy watching Eddie Jackson.  All in 3 minutes.  They've even let him do some stuff related to his original "Fit Chef" persona.

I suppose Matthew could do web videos like that just fine.  He's usable.  Of this year's crowd, I like Cory (still not sure if he's comfortable enough on camera, though) & Amy the best; Addie comes off a little prissy to me, although that's more my issue than hers, but I suppose she's got some strengths that play well on the FN.  She needs a more distinct identity than "I worked for Martha Stewart," though, pronto.  Everybody else is/was either forgettable or annoying (Jason, Nancy, Suzanne).  

Edited June 14, 2017 by akr
missing word

[Skyfall]

2 minutes ago, akr said:

It would probably be doing much worse without him! 

I just went on the FN website and he had some good videos there.  I don't know that his Cuban sandwich would be my exact recipe, but the tips were good and it's a good starting point - I'd probably triangulate between his version and some others.  (I'm dubious about the honey mustard/mayo combo, which he doesn't pretend is traditional anyway, just a variation that he likes).  It does the job of making you want to make a Cuban sandwich, reminded me how easy it is to roast a pork shoulder like that (I usually do it with kosher salt and chipotle powder, but his seasonings sounded quite good, too), and would prompt me to look for recipes and make something of my own inspired by it.  And, remind me that I enjoy watching Eddie Jackson.  All in 3 minutes.  They've even let him do some stuff related to his original "Fit Chef" persona.

I suppose Matthew could do web videos like that just fine.  He's usable.  Of this year's crowd, I like Cory (still not sure if he's comfortable enough on camera, though) & Amy the best; Addie comes off a little prissy to me, although that's more my issue than hers, but I suppose she's got some strengths that play well on the FN.  She needs a more distinct identity than "I worked for Martha Stewart," though, pronto.  Everybody else is/was either forgettable or annoying (Jason, Nancy, Suzanne).  

I dunno "I worked for Martha" for a network that kinda needs a Martha type show is all the pitch you need. Add on that the chance they may still be on good terms and can get Martha to guest star...

...then again Eddie was Probably supposed to bring NFL players in as guest stars...

...at least they have Steph Curry making appearances in his wife's show.

[Blonde Gator]

Damn, it's hard not to notice that the Aunt Sandy jokes just write themselves.

I've forgotten how (unintentionally) funny she was.  Particularly after she'd imbibed some of her cocktails.  I think there was once a website called "Drunken Sandra Lee".

Don't get me wrong, while I wouldn't cook a thing she made....I admire her very much.  She was orphaned in her teens and raised her siblings on her own.  She also invented those silly hoop things that were so popular in the late 80's for making "window treatments", and made her fortune that way.  And then turned her own unique schtick into cookbooks and a television show.   And I'm really glad she overcame her bout with cancer.  But she is still a hoot....if you don't take her seriously.   I've certainly enjoyed the snarky comments here, by my fellow posters!

[jcbrown]

1 hour ago, Blonde Gator said:

Don't get me wrong, while I wouldn't cook a thing she made....I admire her very much.  She was orphaned in her teens and raised her siblings on her own.  She also invented those silly hoop things that were so popular in the late 80's for making "window treatments", and made her fortune that way.  And then turned her own unique schtick into cookbooks and a television show.   And I'm really glad she overcame her bout with cancer.  But she is still a hoot....if you don't take her seriously.   I've certainly enjoyed the snarky comments here, by my fellow posters!

I agree wholeheartedly with this: the admiration of her tenacity, the horror of her food, and the love of my fellow shrikes.

[parrotfeathers]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

 

I knew someone who did media relations for Martha. She lasted almost two years. Her last job before she quit was accompanying Martha on a book tour. As she got off the plane after the last stop, she was so grateful that her ordeal was over that she literally kissed the ground.

Hmmmm the devil wears Prada?

[Blonde Gator]

30 minutes ago, parrotfeathers said:

Hmmmm the devil wears Prada?

You plucked that thought right out of my brain. 

Although I can't see Martha winging her oversized bag at her assistant, and plopping a fur coat on top of it...."that's all!".

[shksabelle]

I didn't realize the Sideshow Bob look was a thing

[shksabelle]

Don't serve vichyssoise if you can't pronounce it. And "candelabra" is already plural. There is no such word as "candelabras".  

[J-Man]

I posted this in the Aunt Sandy forum a while back, but for those of you who may have missed it, she's going to be on "Celebrity Family Feud" this summer, and her family members are going to include Kimber, Brycer, and Danielle!

[smiley13]

7 hours ago, J-Man said:

I posted this in the Aunt Sandy forum a while back, but for those of you who may have missed it, she's going to be on "Celebrity Family Feud" this summer, and her family members are going to include Kimber, Brycer, and Danielle!

Are those her children?

I hope they are not trying to drag her back up on FN and attempt to make her relevant.  I cringed when she appeared this week.  

[Chyromaniac]

On 6/13/2017 at 1:15 AM, backformore said:

Rusty started his presentation with Bonjourno instead of Bonjour.  a mistake, or an attempt to be cute, I don't know.  But it was stupid.

Bonjour is French.  Buon giorno is Italian.  Rusty is a moron.

[backformore]

3 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

Bonjour is French.  Buon giorno is Italian.  Rusty is a moron.

thanks.  I had no idea that was how it is spelled.  But I knew Rusty was being a moron.  I just didn't know if he was doing it on purpose to try to be funny, or if he really thought the Italian greeting and French greeting were the same.

[xaxat]

18 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

Hmmmm the devil wears Prada?

Is that a reference to a scene in the movie?

[Wings]

On 6/12/2017 at 9:48 PM, Snarklepuss said:

 

I didn't love this episode.  I thought Rusty and David were horrible to Suzanne.  I don't love her either but she didn't deserve to be bulldozed and disrespected so badly.  I hated that she just let them get away with it and her dish suffered.  I would have been madder if she went home because of it..  Both Rusty and David are now on my loathe list.  And I actually liked David in the first episode!

 

If you cannot make yourself heard you are not the right person for the job.  The process of choosing dishes is frantic and the time allotted goes quickly.  You have to speak up.  I don't fault them for rolling over her.  She has not shown herself to be a strong cook.  This group dynamic comes up on Top Chef from time to time.  

 

On 6/12/2017 at 9:48 PM, Snarklepuss said:

I was actually surprised that Toya went home over Caodan.  I felt like they were being a little picky about her not following the challenge since others made Southern dishes with only the faintest association with French cuisine.  At least her dish looked professional and delicious. 

Cao did well in front of the camera and that tipped the scale.  I also think they wanted to see what she would do with Vietnamese food.  She will probably do her pancakes again to redeem herself.   I have to believe she is mistaken about the corn starch and her second attempt will fail.  I made them a lot when I first found the recipe years ago.  I got it out of a vegetarian cookbook (Asian pancakes was the billing).  They are easy and crispy, very good.  I had forgotten about them until this episode;  I just bought some rice flour to have another go at them.   

-----------------------

I don't think that Martha will be happy if Addie wins and brings her name into it at all  Quite the opposite!  Martha is fierce.  

Edited June 15, 2017 by wings707

[bluepiano]

On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 8:29 AM, wings707 said:

Addie would be a good choice for a show about entertaining Martha style.  Not a stand and stir or even making entrees.  Focus on hors d' oeuvres, small plates and specialty dishes for holidays and events.  I can see that work.  Toss in table decor and she fills a space.  

She could take over for Sandra Lee as the Table Scape Queen. I don't question Addie's knowledge or ability, but there's something very calculating about her that puts me off. She's a little too perfect, and given that FN goes for "down home" personalities, I don't see her as a good fit.

 

On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 9:45 AM, Gbb said:

Sure, Shrimp & Grits isn't particularly French, but then neither were a LOT of the dishes that made it through, even on the winning team. (And as a Creole dish, I can make a much better  argument for it being French than a lot of other dishes.) As for it not fitting the brunch theme, I live in the South and if you go to a nice restaurant that serves brunch, you can bet Shrimp & Grits will be on the menu somewhere.

I agree, But what it comes down to is that the judges keep who they want and then come up with a rationalization for it. Based on what they said, Toya's shrimp and grits was a much more successful dish than Caodan's crepes, which looked really pathetic. But this show is big on "warmth" and "personality," and Toya seemed like a very reserved individual. Reserved people never go far. And the judges think Caodan is adorable, so that's really what it came down to.

 

On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 8:15 AM, cooksdelight said:

Nancy is posting on FB this morning about the editing, and how she wasn't properly shown, she's won hundreds of cooking competitions. She won't say much more, but like everyone else who gets booted early, they whine about the editing.

It wasn't the editing that made her vichyssoise taste like cold, lumpy mashed potatoes. I mean, when you get to choose the dish you want to make, presumably one of your specialties, and then screw up, there should be no excuses. And she was so obnoxious in the grocery store she actually succeeded in making Matthew sympathetic. I really think that she expected special treatment because of her age, from her fellow contestants as well as the judges. Her air of entitlement was annoying.

[Chyromaniac]

6 hours ago, backformore said:

thanks.  I had no idea that was how it is spelled.  But I knew Rusty was being a moron.  I just didn't know if he was doing it on purpose to try to be funny, or if he really thought the Italian greeting and French greeting were the same.

I suspect that Rusty is that particular type of idiot who revels in his own ignorance - whether it's real or a put-on seems beside the point.  Oh - and he got to mock a couple of foreign cultures too, so bonus.  

[Wings]

37 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

She could take over for Sandra Lee as the Table Scape Queen. I don't question Addie's knowledge or ability, but there's something very calculating about her that puts me off. She's a little too perfect, and given that FN goes for "down home" personalities, I don't see her as a good fit.

 

I agree, But what it comes down to is that the judges keep who they want and then come up with a rationalization for it. Based on what they said, Toya's shrimp and grits was a much more successful dish than Caodan's crepes, which looked really pathetic. But this show is big on "warmth" and "personality," and Toya seemed like a very reserved individual. Reserved people never go far. And the judges think Caodan is adorable, so that's really what it came down to.

 

I like Addie and think she would do well.  She is a little rehearsed as some are.  As she becomes more comfortable I think she will loosen and lose the 'prim' or 'snob' trait that many are seeing.  

I remember Bob Tuschman saying, we can teach them how to cook but we cannot teach personality.  Though he is no longer there I do see the focus is on camera ease and personal style.  They can ignore a cooking mistake or poor choice because they are looking for the "it" factor.   

[Hotel Diva]

I wish I would have gone and took a tour of the hotel in Baltimore, because, despite the name, I love hotels.

And I call Rusty the big fat comedy guy.

[Lukeysboat]

On 6/14/2017 at 4:36 PM, Blonde Gator said:

while I wouldn't cook a thing she made....I admire her very much.  She was orphaned in her teens and raised her siblings on her own

While I agree thst SL had a difficult upbringing, she wasn't orphaned and for much of her teens she lived with her dad. (We went to the same high school.) 

[smiley13]

13 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

I suspect that Rusty is that particular type of idiot who revels in his own ignorance - whether it's real or a put-on seems beside the point.  Oh - and he got to mock a couple of foreign cultures too, so bonus.  

I saw nothing but him being funny and the judges all laughed.  How was he mocking any foreign culture?  He works for an internationally famous band, so I doubt he would do anything to alienate any part of that fan base.

[cooksdelight]

7 minutes ago, smiley13 said:

I saw nothing but him being funny and the judges all laughed.  How was he mocking any foreign culture?  He works for an internationally famous band, so I doubt he would do anything to alienate any part of that fan base.

He was trying to say bonjour, but didn't know how, and use the Italian phrase instead. It makes him look foolish, and somewhat stupid.

[smiley13]

2 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

He was trying to say bonjour, but didn't know how, and use the Italian phrase instead. It makes him look foolish, and somewhat stupid.

Guess YMMV because you don't care for him.   That is not how I saw it at all.

[cooksdelight]

I don't mind the guy, honestly. But he comes across as a buffoon at times.

[Chyromaniac]

I found the way he said it to be dismissive and insulting - of course, ymmv.

[pinguina]

I did not see the episode until today.  One of the problems the two teams that loss had was that they did not tie their dish to Beauty and the Beast.  They were busy trying to get their "viewpoint" across when the focus should have been on the dish that they made and connect it to the movie.  They also did not lay a nice table.  (When did the table have to tell a story?)

I still can't stand Matthew but he was right when he said that they should practice. I give presentations in front of my peers and I always practice even if it's something I have done before.  It doesn't make me sound "rehearsed", it makes me sound professional and knowledgeable.  In fact for me it keeps focused on what I want to say and how.   That whole team might have done better just by their presentations - that's what saved Cao (sp?).   And no adult should be saying "ooey gooey".

Rusty was a jerk to Suzanne (I don't care for her either but...).  He really made a point about her going over her time "all the time".  When did he see this happen??  Then he took her time, which kind of screwed her up. Why wasn't he dinged for that?  At least the judges seemed to take that into account with her.  AND ,David - Gaston was not a nice person in the movie!!!    

[backformore]

1 hour ago, pinguina said:

I still can't stand Matthew but he was right when he said that they should practice. I give presentations in front of my peers and I always practice even if it's something I have done before.  It doesn't make me sound "rehearsed", it makes me sound professional and knowledgeable.  In fact for me it keeps focused on what I want to say and how.

Right - rehearse even if it's just to get the timing right! 

[LennieBriscoe]

Thank the Food gods that Ninny is gone. She exuded stupid, like maybe she inhaled too much rocket fuel fumes. 

Add me to the "Rusty the Loud Buffoon thought he'd be cute with any old attempt at 'Good Day'" column.

And I'll raise you a "But he's shrewd" in that I think he knew full well what he was doing to his "teammates" with his filibustering the remaining time.   

Edited June 19, 2017 by LennieBriscoe

[Lura]

There's a great television piece on Cory Bahr by a station in Louisiana.  Sorry I didn't think to get a link, but if you google Cory Bahr, you're sure to find it.  This guy is remarkable, and his attitude about life in general is amazing.  He hasn't had it easy, being raised by his grandparents (in their 90s), but you don't hear him complaining.  Also, he is so modest!    I think Cory knows all about every important chef on the international scene, and he is so well versed in culinary knowledge that you'd think he'd been head of the class at the CIA.  He's completely self-taught, but ask him what he wants in the future, and he says he wants to learn more!  I swear he's never even heard of an ego.  Really a genuine guy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             uu

[Christina]

Before the season aired, I watched a few of the FN pieces about the contestants, and decided that they wanted me to hate everyone, so I quit. One was Cory's and I found him anything but humble and modest, although I realize the point was to toot his own horn a bit.

I did search for the piece, didn't find it, but found his Twitter where it looked like he was retweeting negative posts about other contestants, but he didn't link the above-mentioned interview. He did retweet this, though, which makes me think he has a sense of humor:

[Blonde Gator]

14 hours ago, Christina said:

Before the season aired, I watched a few of the FN pieces about the contestants, and decided that they wanted me to hate everyone, so I quit. One was Cory's and I found him anything but humble and modest, although I realize the point was to toot his own horn a bit.

I did search for the piece, didn't find it, but found his Twitter where it looked like he was retweeting negative posts about other contestants, but he didn't link the above-mentioned interview. He did retweet this, though, which makes me think he has a sense of humor:

That is hilarious, and shows he not only has a great sense of humor, he's got sarcasm down pretty pat as well.  Nice find, thanks!

[Irlandesa]

17 hours ago, Christina said:

I did search for the piece, didn't find it, but found his Twitter where it looked like he was retweeting negative posts about other contestants, but he didn't link the above-mentioned interview. He did retweet this, though, which makes me think he has a sense of humor:

 

2 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

That is hilarious, and shows he not only has a great sense of humor, he's got sarcasm down pretty pat as well.  Nice find, thanks!

It's great that he retweeted that but why is he getting so much credit when it appears that Cao is the one who actually crafted the tweet?  (Unless that's not her Twitter account in which case...never mind.)

Edited June 22, 2017 by Irlandesa

[Christina]

Cao tweeted it originally, Cory retweeted it, and I was commenting that since he retweeted it, he may have a sense of humor, which I hadn't seen otherwise. FN wanted me to hate all the contestants, I think, because the interviews and video pieces they created for them made them seem like crappy people. I didn't watch all of them, but did see Cory's and NASA Nana Nancy's, and found both of them hmmmm, can't think of a term the I want. That retweet made me think Cory may not be as uptight(?) (still struggling for a word) as I originally thought. 

[cooksdelight]

Cory is hilarious sometimes, we've been FB friends for a long while. He's very generous with advice when asked.