Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours To Hell And Back - General Discussion

[Court]

I'm 20 minutes in and want to punch Sandra Dee and Tateyanna in the face. I hate these types of people. Always excuses and take zero responsibility for anything. The other daughter seems invested,  though. 

Someone tell me she left the restaurant. 

[LaChavalina]

Wow. According to this review on Yelp they were back to their old menu the day after they filmed the show. There are two or three others who posted around the same time saying they were excited to try the new menu (I guess they must have promoted this locally when the makeover happened last December?) and were surprised to show up and find the same menu as before. Like they didn't even try to make it work.

I'll probably watch again if this goes for another season, but they do need to rethink something about this show. Screen the owners better to make sure they are committed or find people with less personal drama... who knows. 

[Court]

Spoiler

 

I don't know why the spoiler tag is there nor can I figure out how to remove it.

It was clear to me Sandra Dee had no intention of ever making it work. Her attitude was awful. She was so ungrateful and negative. I mean at least the other failed restaurant,  they were grateful for the renovation.

Lena and the Matthew chef guy should leave and start their own restaurant. 

[Colorado David]

I couldn't even finish watching, the attitude was overwhelming. Sandra wanted help but wanted things her way, which was obviously wrong. I have no patience for people like that. As for the daughters, the apples do not fall far from the tree - they got their tood from their mama.

[backformore]

I think Gordon's ego makes it difficult for me to like this show.   He enjoys disguising himself as a "regular guy", usually a blue collar worker, with facial hair, a wig, and a baseball cap, hardhat, or some other headgear to hid his true identity.  He finds a group of guys to "fit in" with, and pretends they are his friends, who are having lunch with him.   Then he has to pronounce ALL the food as disgusting, greasy, over or under-cooked, etc.  

But his moment in the sun is always when he goes into the men's room (where he is always alone!)  removes his disguise, and  GASP!  everyone is surprised!  That's the one and only Gordon Ramsey! Right here in our restaurant!   descended from heaven to our little town!   And when he says "Stop eating!"  everyone obeys. (I guess they weren't really all that hungry)   then he says "follow me outside", and they obey.   HE orders staff to STAY working for the next 24 hours (aren't there labor laws prohibiting this?)  and they stay.  and the customers are ordered to come back tomorrow, and they do.  (cancel your plans, Gordon says you must be there!)  

It's a big ego trip for him, and for me, it makes me dislike him intensely.  

[galaxychaser]

I foresee Tatiana and Sandra Dee being homeless sleeping in a car soon. Those 2 are super mean and unappreciative of their fortune. Being nice to your customers is a must in your business ladies. 

2 of the rudest and nasty attitude women.

[aliya]

On 8/18/2018 at 4:23 PM, galaxychaser said:

I foresee Tatiana and Sandra Dee being homeless sleeping in a car soon. Those 2 are super mean and unappreciative of their fortune. Being nice to your customers is a must in your business ladies. 

2 of the rudest and nasty attitude women.

When I see people as rude as this, I wonder why customers don't just get up and leave? Do the producers make them  sit there? What about the hidden camera footage before Gordon or who ever else's show it is gets there? Why don't they leave?  I'm not giving my money, for a meal or for a tip, to rude, sullen, people who wouldn't know customer service if it bit them on the rear. I can't imagine what these people are like at home. It must be a terrible home life.

[NJRadioGuy]

What gets me is just how insanely faked everything is. What most viewers don't realize is that the participants have to be mic'd up. There are makeup artists in the bathrooms where Gordon goes from Shlub to Chef, a camera operator (and probably a sound man), and TV-quality lighting. There is nothing spontaneous. Even if the customers/staff don't know this is a Ramsay setup, they know when the cameras are rolling and when to turn in to trained seals on cue.

And of course everybody knows who Gordon Ramsay is. Really? What about someone who doesn't own a TV? I've never heard one person say "what do you mean, stop eating. Who the f@#$ are you?" And of course, none of the diners' or other secondary/tertiary staff members' faces are blurred, meaning every single person in there signed away their soul for 15 minutes of fame a release form.

It was obvious Sandra didn't want any part of this from the beginning, so it begs the question, who contacted Production and signed the contracts to appear? Someone must have known it was Gordon Effin' Ramsay and not just a makeover show.

As for the food...holy crap. A giant pit like that and no ribs on the menu? No pulled pork? That's a crime against barbecue right there. And from startup to service, it still takes a few hours to get barbecued chicken prepped, and there was no evidence of that happening. And a propane smoker? Really?? Protip, Gordo...the best barbecue restaurants in the world never clean out their pits, or at least not all that extensively because they're in use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Grease just burns off, or goes into seasoning the pit and turning it in to something magical.

[backformore]

On ‎8‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 8:22 PM, NJRadioGuy said:

And of course everybody knows who Gordon Ramsay is. Really? What about someone who doesn't own a TV? I've never heard one person say "what do you mean, stop eating. Who the f@#$ are you?"

I would love that.  

[Mr. Sparkle]

It's back tonight! Is everybody ready? 

[tabloidlover]

YES!!!!   So excited

[Whimsy]

7 hours ago, Superclam said:

It's back tonight! Is everybody ready? 

Ready to go!  Especially excited as I have run out of things to watch on Netflix. 

[Mystery]

I felt kind of sorry for Ragnar. It wasn't his dream to run a restaurant. I think he got guilted into buying his grandfather's way to retirement. A restaurant that was founded in 1995 is not the kind of family business that the rest of the family is obliged to support. It was hard for me to tell if he had kept his other job, but I think not; if he was living at home, he was probably just working the 5 hours a week from home that the others thought he was. Even so, I know that I wouldn't be comfortable talking to all of the diners and schmoozing. 

That cook and the other people were just as responsible for how filthy that kitchen was, though. Darren was the one serving nacho cheese with MOLD on it, yikes.  His title was kitchen manager, so I assume he's not trained to be a chef, but that was disgusting. 

It also would've been nice if he could have stopped chewing gum for a minute while he was being taught the new menu.

At least I have hopes that this restaurant won't change the menu, because it doesn't seem like any of them can cook literally anything else. 

The commercial with the former and current Tennessee Titans players with the cupcake shop showed more dedication to cooking than anyone on this show! I looked them up, and they trained two hours a day so that they could all make all of the cupcakes they sell. 

All in all, this episode made me feel kind of sad instead of my usual "making fun of people." A guy with an MBA and a career shouldn't be "bussing tables and taking orders," as Gordon told him his job was now. 

[zibnchy]

Ragnar's serious daddy issues caused him to invest his entire life savings in a venture he is not remotely trained to do or even particularly interested in. I'm not putting him down. I'm pretty old and I'm STILL dealing with the mommy issues that have helped me make so so many bad decisions in my life. I kind of wanted to hug him. Notice we didn't meet any of his family except the back-stabbing BIL (who should be fired). They took his money but they are giving him NO support. Guy looked pretty beaten down. He clearly is drowning.

Honestly, I think he should fire the entire kitchen staff (with the possible exception of bald cook who can probably be retrained). Those guys could not fry chicken correctly (and safely) after several tries. Fried! Chicken! This seems brutal but damn those guys were not good. And the guy who served nachos with moldy, rank "cheese" should be taken out back, forced to eat all the nachos, and then fired.

I get that Gordon's whole persona is an act but it's wearing thin for me. And I actually mostly kind of like Gordon.

Questions: Were those real cops in the beginning? Did Gordon impersonate a cop? Isn't that frowned upon? Did Gordon really send the one cop to pick up Ragnar in his cruiser? Gordon's head is way way too big for his britches.

I thought the new decor was ugly and incredibly basic.

With the publicity (though bad) that the show drummed up Ragnar should sell that dump right now for whatever he can get, grab his wife, and run very far away and live a nice life far away from his "family".

This show isn't really very fun so don't ask me why I watch.

[galaxychaser]

Congrats to Gordon on kid #5!

Ragnar should sell the place and get a job he likes.

[DoctorK]

On 1/3/2019 at 1:19 AM, zibnchy said:

With the publicity (though bad) that the show drummed up Ragnar should sell that dump right now for whatever he can get,

Agreed, his best bet. In spite of the bad publicity and not so great cosmetic make over, the kitchen has been upgraded with a lot of new equipment and the whole place really cleaned up so a new owner can start mostly fresh, and without the family entanglements. They could keep the new menu and advertise that their menu was designed by the famous Gordon Ramsay.

Edited January 4, 2019 by DoctorK

[seacliffsal]

I think that the grandfather held a lot of responsibility for the situation at the Trolley Stop.  I totally believed whoever it was that said the grandfather told the grandson that he would never have to be in the restaurant and that he would just have to do paperwork.  However, having said that, Ragner is not that bright if he didn't research what it took to run a restaurant.  I almost think that because he has a MBA that he thought he was so "smart" that the restaurant would not be a challenge at all.  Practical experience counts for a lot and he just did not have it.  He never came in, so there was no accountability towards the owner.  The BIL was the general manager so I don't get why he just let everything go.  Well, hopefully things will improve.

[NowVoyager]

Watching "Shanty on 19th."

The owner's wife reminds me of a blonde Diane Keaton.

The owner's dad will be back in the door before GR's semi-trailer pulls out of the lot.

For all GR's talk about how bad the food was, his reconnaissance party were getting their grub on.

Between watching Pop-pop spit into the food & the re-launch line cook licking his fingers, I may never dine out again.

What the heck was in the Guten Burger anyway?

Good luck to the owner, his wife & the head chef in business & in life! They seemed like nice people who actually deserved GR's help.

[seacliffsal]

I actually think that if Joe lets Kennedy run the kitchen without interference that they stand a good chance of being successful.  The three month update seemed really positive-Joe even said they hired more kitchen staff due to increased patronage.  It boggles my mind how many restaurants must think that they have to have a menu with something for everybody on it-as evidenced by this restaurant having 90 items on it (and, as we have seen numerous times on Gordon's various shows, how many restaurants do this).  It's a money loser as they have to have all of the ingredients whether or not anyone orders these items.  It seems like the Shanty stayed with the more limited menu, so good on them.

[mjc570]

I was pretty surprised by this episode - at first, i was sure that Kennedy was the problem, and Gordon's advice would be to get rid of her.  And then it turned out, she was really good and just needed to be able to do her job.   I think there must have been a lot of editing, to get rid of Dad so easily, and arrange it so the wife took over.  I felt sorry for Joe after the relaunch - he obviously needed a specific job, beside don't get in your wife or Kennedy's way and don't drink the profits.  Also, this was one of the few episodes where the makeover really worked.  This was one of the few that I might actually take the effort to see what's happening now.

[DoctorK]

1 minute ago, mjc570 said:

to get rid of Dad so easily

Agreed, I figured the only way to get rid of him would have been to take him out back and shoot him, he was so embedded.

[funky-rat]

My husband is from Allentown and he never heard of this place.  At first, he thought it was the place his mom liked to eat when she was alive, but it turned out that was Seafood Shanty, and that was more like Red Lobster.  He said it was out by the mall, which this place clearly was not.  From the exteriors, we thought it was closer to Center City, which is an area they are trying to revitalize, but it's a number of blocks away from there, in a neighborhood we rarely get to because there's nothing there we ever tend to go to.  Not really sure I'd seek it out, either.  It's off of one of the two main drags in the city, but it's partway down, so it wouldn't catch my eye while driving by.  If you can believe Yelp reviews, it appears they put a few things of their own on the menu.  One review mentioned a pastrami sandwich, and I can't recall what another one mentioned, but it wasn't one of Gordon's dishes. But all in all, reviews since have been generally favorable.

Hmmm......it appears that the show was a bit misleading.  I know right where the Sunset Grille is, although I've never eaten there.
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/index.ssf/2013/08/former_shanty_restaurant_plann.html

[WendyM]

On 1/9/2019 at 9:09 PM, NowVoyager said:

Watching "Shanty on 19th."

The owner's wife reminds me of a blonde Diane Keaton.

The owner's dad will be back in the door before GR's semi-trailer pulls out of the lot.

For all GR's talk about how bad the food was, his reconnaissance party were getting their grub on.

I loved that! Usually his spies follow Gordon's lead and stop eating when he does. I loved when Gordon took a bite off someone else's plate and immediately spit it out (which is gross in and of itself) while the guy just kept on chowing down. 

These places with giant menus--my sister works in a place like that and even though I've been there numerous times, I never know what to order. There are just too many choices. My sister says they're just trying to please everybody. Well...we know how well that works.

ETA: And there was Jamie from Top Chef! As part of Gordon's kitchen saviors! She should have shown Kennedy how to do scallops, with her the star of "Top Scallop" and all, lol.

Edited January 17, 2019 by WendyM

[galaxychaser]

Once again there is a good chef(Val) bad owner Vasi. 

His mom is a fool for giving him $250000. 

His wife is hot! 

[mjc570]

Re:  Vasi

Yeah, the thing that struck me was how attractive - both in looks and personality - the owner's wife is.  Why she married him - and stayed married - would have been more interesting than the restaurant makeover. 

I loved Val, especially her "Hell on Earth" remark.  She was right, folks on the show have to swallow a huge amount of humiliation before emerging on the other side.

This was one of the few times when I thought the restaurant makeover was really successful.  It absolutely looked great once they were done with it.

Edited January 18, 2019 by mjc570
spelling = correct meaning

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, mjc570 said:

Re:  Vasi

Yeah, the thing that struck me was how attractive - both in looks and personality - the owner's wife is.  Why she married him - and stayed married - would have been more interesting than the restaurant makeover. 

I loved Val, especially her "Hell on Earth" remark.  She was right, folks on the show have to swallow a huge amount of humiliation before merging on the other side.

This was one of the few times when I thought the restaurant makeover was really successful.  It absolutely looked great once they were done with it.

I wondered about Vasi's wife too.  Besides being more attractive than him she also looked more than a few years younger, although I thought he looked older than he is.

I took a look at customer reviews of Vasi's on various sites and they never were that bad.  One recent reviewer said the restaurant never had trouble getting business and wondered why it was even featured on the show at all.  One review from over a year ago said the owner clearly had pride in his restaurant and always went out of his way to please customers.  It makes me wonder how these restaurants get picked for makeovers.  Perhaps Ramsay didn't want to make over that many truly struggling restaurants anymore since so many of his "Kitchen Nightmares" restaurants later closed.

[galaxychaser]

Vasi is 44, wife is 31. 

[funky-rat]

On ‎1‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 1:29 AM, Yeah No said:

I took a look at customer reviews of Vasi's on various sites and they never were that bad.  One recent reviewer said the restaurant never had trouble getting business and wondered why it was even featured on the show at all.  One review from over a year ago said the owner clearly had pride in his restaurant and always went out of his way to please customers.  It makes me wonder how these restaurants get picked for makeovers.  Perhaps Ramsay didn't want to make over that many truly struggling restaurants anymore since so many of his "Kitchen Nightmares" restaurants later closed.

Just like the Shanty.  Their reviews were a little more dicey (and some mentioned the issues on the show well before the show was on, like hearing swearing and yelling from the kitchen), but they made it sound like the owner was incompetent and needed his wife to do things for him, when in reality, he owns at least one other restaurant in Allentown that has been there a long time and is successful.

[galaxychaser]

 

gordon in 1988 so cute and quiet!

[funky-rat]

1 hour ago, galaxychaser said:

 

gordon in 1988 so cute and quiet!

Back  before his split from Marco Pierre White.

[mjc570]

Catfish Cabin:  Boy, did I feel sorry for Rachael. I thought Gordon was unnecessarily harsh with her - she was extremely competent, more than willing to do whatever it took, and was constantly undercut by both her father and Geraldine.  I don't know which one I disliked more - the spineless father who says he loves his daughter but treated her horribly by refusing to take any responsibility, or Geraldine with her "cash withdrawals."  Speaking of which - if she couldn't produce deposit slips, I hope she was prosecuted. 

Gordon gets all that wonderful kitchen equipment donated - but nobody can supply an instant read  thermometer?  It just takes a second and then you don't have to worry about repeatedly sending out raw chicken.  I don't understand why I so rarely see anyone take temperatures of the food on the various shows I watch.

I thought there was going to be a bit of a customer revolt when Gordon kicked them out - are these people warned ahead of time that they'll have to interrupt lunch, and then spend time watching the big screen?  Isn't anyone on their lunch hour? I noticed that at the relaunch they couldn't come up with any notables (even a local one) or food blogger.  That lady with the raw chicken really didn't want to give it up - I think she would have eaten it anyway. 

I liked Rachael, and how the staff all liked her, and hope she was able to make a success of the place.  In the 3-month followup, she looked a million times more relaxed. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

19 minutes ago, mjc570 said:

I thought there was going to be a bit of a customer revolt when Gordon kicked them out - are these people warned ahead of time that they'll have to interrupt lunch, and then spend time watching the big screen?  Isn't anyone on their lunch hour?

Yes, a co-worker was on an episode last season and said he found out through an post on facebook that said 'come down if you want to be on a show.' He said they got free food, but no money. 

[DoctorK]

53 minutes ago, mjc570 said:

repeatedly sending out raw chicken. 

I may be expecting too much from this show but I wanted to hear more about this problem. They sent out undercooked chicken several times which tells me that there is something wrong with their process. At home, I may skillet fry chicken for a nice crust then give it fifteen minutes in the oven to cook through to the bone. I wanted to hear what Gordon changed to get their chicken properly cooked, not just that he yelled at people and this magically fixed the process problem.

Edited January 24, 2019 by DoctorK

[Mystery]

What a spineless weak old man Charles was. The one decision he let Rachael handle was what to do after they saw the footage of Geraldine stealing. On his watch. I was so glad they fired her. Even aside from the stealing, she was a terrible employee. I wonder if anyone else knew she was stealing. Good luck finding another job with that footage out there. 

 

1 hour ago, DoctorK said:

They sent out undercooked chicken several times which tells me that there is something wrong with their process. 

Gordon just took the chicken that was sitting to be given to the next person, without checking it. Since it came from a chef who had just sent out underdone chicken, before Gordon had warned them to be careful, I would have checked it first.

[Madding crowd]

I noticed in this episode when Gordon and his “friends” at the beginning were gagging and talking about how horrible the food was, you could see people all around them clearly eating their food and not gasping in horror. I believe all these places are made to be much worse than they are.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Totally, Gordon is a drama queen! Coughing and spitting out food like he's about to die. 

[WendyM]

I was shocked (SHOCKED) that he removed his disguise in front of everyone. He deviated from the script! Because it's so clearly a script, that lead-in the wherever they're going. I don't blame them because it's easier to do things while following a template. It just amuses me to no end. Now, if he could only get everyone around his table to spit out *their* food, that would be perfect.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I call it a Sequence of Events, because every show is almost exactly the same. I also was surprised when they deviated slightly. Luckily, we still had the full conflict resolution in 24 hours. Gordon didn't have to save anyone's marriage this time, though. 

[galaxychaser]

Cockroach duvet 

I never laughed so hard

[galaxychaser]

Geraldine should be arrested! Thief and lazy to boot.

[Mrs Shibbles]

I just figured they were bringing Geraldine to fire her, but when they showed the video my jaw dropped.  There goes your 80k last year.  

The local news in Memphis is all about how the health department failed to catch all of those violations.   The Facebook comments on the news stories are hilarious.  The general consensus is that Daddy and Geraldine had a 'thing going on', which is why she felt so entitled to the money. 

The restaurant has been packed the past few days, and did not keep GR's menu. 

[Mystery]

5 hours ago, Mrs Shibbles said:

The general consensus is that Daddy and Geraldine had a 'thing going on', which is why she felt so entitled to the money. 

It would also explain why he made his daughter make the decision. 

[Colorado David]

On 1/23/2019 at 8:52 PM, DoctorK said:

I may be expecting too much from this show but I wanted to hear more about this problem. They sent out undercooked chicken several times which tells me that there is something wrong with their process. At home, I may skillet fry chicken for a nice crust then give it fifteen minutes in the oven to cook through to the bone. I wanted to hear what Gordon changed to get their chicken properly cooked, not just that he yelled at people and this magically fixed the process problem.

 

Trolley Stop: Well this. If the chicken comes back once, drop in an extra piece with the rest of the plate so you have a tester you can slice open. That and maybe check your frier, maybe it's at the wrong temp.  I'm amazed the bloggers would allow having to refire twice as acceptable. 

I do like it when Gordon gets the city involved - loved the band, performers, and cheerleaders (and gotta wonder how much THAT costs the show.) 

Why did he bring Aaron in though? It didn't look like a high enough volume of food to need two chefs keeping an eye on things. eta: ah aaron's a local, so no brainer bringing him in, my bad.

Edited January 26, 2019 by Colorado David

[Colorado David]

On 1/25/2019 at 2:29 PM, Mystery said:

It would also explain why he made his daughter make the decision. 

it made me wonder -shirking his resp, or seeing if his daughter could step up? probably both really.  anyways, geraldine a model for how NOT to be a manager - no answers for anything. number 1 job manager -resp for how things are running, you are basically running things, overseeing staff - and your staff completely tossed you, no loyalty at all.  LEARN AND EARN RESPECT FROM YOUR TEAM. basic.

and sorry - perhaps just my personal opinion - if you're on the floor, DO NOT HAVE A SOUR PUSS FACE ON CONSTANTLY. abs drives me away any restaurant. re recent thing - went to McD (I do not live the high life, believe me) - no one willing to help me, just dismissal re use the stupid kiosks -I walked out.  Your floor staff needs to pay attention if one does not wish to use the kiosk. If your forcing me to use the kiosk, that's akin to forcing me to check my own groceries at the store, and NO, not tolerating that for the prices I pay. McD, pay a stupid employee to greet and take my order. if you can't pay a FTF for me, you get no buckage. sorry to diverge from the topic. McD stupid corp can afford it, and BK and Wendy's don't do that. Congrats, I'm patronizing them now loyally.

Edited January 26, 2019 by Colorado David

[Mrs Shibbles]

Local article about Catfish Cabin after the show:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/01/26/catfish-cabin-gordon-ramsay-24-hours-hell-and-back-fox-tv-memphis-restaurants/2684320002/

[Mystery]

Interesting. So there's a son who has nothing to do with the restaurant, and they're still claiming the former manager wasn't stealing. I guess for legal purposes, because it surely seems like she was. 

[GoGamecox]

Mystery said:

Quote

So there's a son who has nothing to do with the restaurant, and they're still claiming the former manager wasn't stealing. I guess for legal purposes, because it surely seems like she was. 

I agree. Seemed totally legal. 
It's a little lame that they just returned to the normal menu but then again the locals probably associated that place's branding with all that fried food and the previous menu. 

[Mystery]

This was a strange episode. I guess Gordon's right that family members shouldn't work together. I guess it could work if they all wanted to be there, but those boys didn't seem like they did, at least from what we saw. It seemed like the boys were just really worried about what the loss of the restaurant would do to their parents. So maybe they felt like they had to work there. But it doesn't look like they felt they had to put in a lot of effort. And that was Tara's sister as the hostess. That's a lot of family members all depending on that place for a job. 

If I'd been there when Gordon went off on his "I'd wake up feeling like a f***ing idiot every morning" if his wife was working two jobs to give him healthcare, I would have had a tough time keeping myself from saying (1) "We don't have NHS here" and (2) "*your* wife wakes up every morning knowing that she's married to a serial cheater." 

At which point he would pick up and leave without helping me!

Even assuming that people get used to smells, I can hardly believe that everyone was working with that rotten food every day. I agreed with Gordon that inspectors should have shut the place down. How has that not happened? Tara at least had the excuse of working a day job all day before she got there. She's too full of gratitude over her husband's care of her during her illness; she can't see him objectively. In fact she and the boys all jumped to defend him when he wasn't defending himself. That's probably their family dynamic. 

I also can't imagine what Tara was doing there that justified her working after a whole day of work. 

I don't remember Gordon ever being so angry. Maybe because he sent 3 of his people in there and they got food poisoning? Or because he was getting no reaction from Peter. I think maybe Peter's just a low-energy person who doesn't show a lot of emotion for anything. 

The best parts for me were when Gordon came out to greet his ladies at the end, and one of them was still calling him "Jean," and also when they showed those horrible chicken breasts outside at the beginning and one old lady said she was glad she hadn't ordered the chicken! 

[Yeah No]

Seymour is in what is called "The Valley" area of CT.  Many people from other parts of the state consider it a nowhere place that is often at the butt end of jokes.  People from there often want to escape. This guy was delusional that he came from a "fine dining" background.  He probably was formerly a chef at an old fashioned New England style restaurant that had a long history but gradually went downhill, became outdated, and offered no better than bad hotel food.  Like the awful food at a Marriott that bills itself as fine dining when it's really mediocre slop.  Especially telling was that he didn't even know that you should put the fat side of a duck breast down first in the pan to render the fat!  I felt for his wife, though.  At first I couldn't understand how she defended him, but after I saw what she went through it's understandable.

[12catcrazy]

11 hours ago, Mystery said:

. 

If I'd been there when Gordon went off on his "I'd wake up feeling like a f***ing idiot every morning" if his wife was working two jobs to give him healthcare, I would have had a tough time keeping myself from saying (1) "We don't have NHS here" and (2) "*your* wife wakes up every morning knowing that she's married to a serial cheater." 

At which point he would pick up and leave without helping me!

 

Is Gordon Ramsay really a serial cheater?  I've never read much scuttlebutt about him, and everything I have read made him seem like a devoted family type of guy.