The “Fifteen Word” Dish _ Blog 10

As I sleepily, I mean patiently, read the assigned packet articles this week, I noticed a relation between them.  The majority, if not all, of the articles brought Iron Chef America to my mind.  As I read about the fifteen word dishes and the opposing views on them, as well as the trials and tribulations of the food critic, I was reminded several times of the dishes, the descriptions, and the judges in Iron Chef America. 

Because I come from a small town with very few “fancy” restaurants, I am more predisposed to the type of food which Baker describes, preparing himself in his own kitchen.  For this same reason, the first time I watched Iron Chef America, I was so amazed by the sheer presentation of the different foods:  the white plates, the rich ingredients which I have never seen before, the different cooking methods, the plating styles, simply the delicacy with which the food is treated.  This show had so mesmerized me in this way that I never stopped to think of what my reaction would be if this type of plate was sitting in front of me.  Would I appreciate it still for its beauty in presentation, or would I yearn for the simplicity of my home-style meals, the foods that I am able to recognize?

Well, in practicing for an upcoming event, known as Paper 3, I suppose that as a critic or a judge for a restaurant or for Iron Chef America, I would argue for those plates which bring up memories of home and to which I can relate, which in my experience tend to be the more simplistic, ordinary plates.  Although watching elegant food plating being presented on television and listening to the creative fifteen word names that chefs come up with is something that I love to watch, it is simply entertainment for my eyes.  What I look for to entertain my taste buds is something different, something that will take me back to my Mexican heritage, to my mother’s kitchen, to my childhood, to my backyard.  This makes the food tastes so much better.  In my opinion, it is the food that makes the experience.  “Fifteen word” dishes tend to have more unfamiliar ingredients despite their beautiful plating.  The more simplistic dishes will more likely have ingredients that we can recognize and thus make the eating experience that much more enjoyable.   

In analyzing my practice piece for this important upcoming event, I realize that I have only used one type of evidence:  personal experience.  It is my knowledge that personal experiences may be helpful evidence for claims but maybe not as strong if used alone.  Other possibilities for evidence for this argument may be an experiment of a “fifteen word” dish vs. a more simplistic, ordinary dish, to see which seems to be the favorite, and possibly prove a point about gravitating towards the family oriented dishes.  Possibly even surveys, questionnaires, and interviews.  But for now, the wheels keep spinning.  Paper three coming soon. April 28. 

Celebrity Chefs _ Blog 9

It is not until a couple of years ago that I started growing an interest for the art of cooking and celebrity chefs I saw on television.  Giada DeLaurentis was the first celebrity chef I watched on the food network, and then came Rachael Ray.  Although my purpose for watching these cooking shows was simply for leisure, I seem to remember always having a critical eye for the way each celebrity chef presented themselves, their choice of kitchens, their styles of food, the way they talked, and similar details.  It is not until I became a student/ blogger in the rhetoric of eating that I finally found some use for my criticisms and judgments towards these celebrity chefs.

Well, since my forte lies with Giada and Rachael I will stick to these to explain my observations.  Ms. DeLaurentis always stood out in my mind for her soft, sensual voice, and constant smiles.  Always beginning her shows with an introduction of her meals to come, she made sure that I knew what the final product would look like.  Giada is probably one of the most technical celebrity chefs I have come across.  I have noticed throughout my journey with her that her cooking shows are silent most of the time and the camera seems to concentrate on her hands and the techniques she is applying to her foods.  In addition, her kitchen contains subtle colors and simply adds to her soft and sensual presentation of her food.

Anybody who has experienced cooking with Rachael will agree that the situation in her kitchen and her presentation of arguments is much different than Giada’s.  Let me just begin by saying that Ms. Ray does NOT have a soft and sensual voice and does not smile much, but instead has a much louder and vigorous voice with a lot of laughs in the mix.  Although this was a bit much in my first few times watching her, she grew on me.  With her style of coining unique terms such as “EVOO” and others, she presents herself as an outgoing and down-to-earth woman.  Her kitchen, as opposed to Giada’s, seems to contain louder colors, such as red and green which contribute to her personality.  The camera angel in Rachael’s kitchen always seems to be of the entire kitchen and of Rachael, as opposed to just her hand techniques.  There is never a silent moment with Rachael. 

Both of these celebrity chefs are Italian but each of them has a distinct personality that they have chosen to present as their celebrity personality.  By using easy to follow language that is simple to be heard by an audience across a screen and using their kitchens as visuals to complement their personalities, and at the same time establishing particular methods unique to themselves, these two celebrity chefs are able to present their desired character to their audience.

A Cook’s Tour _ Blog 8

Immediately by looking at the cover of A Cook’s Tour, we are presented with images of Anthony Bourdain’s different pit stops around the world.  What I see on those images is a variety of food, maybe a forced smile for the cameras, contemplations of culture and food, as well as a daring Anthony Bourdain willing to try almost any kind of food (except for monkeys).  However, I have come up with these conclusions because I have already read a part of his book.  Prior to gaining the knowledge of Bourdain’s cultural and culinary experiences in Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Vietnam and other places, I simply had a one-dimensional interpretation of these same images, seeing only the surface values.

At face value, A Cook’s Tour seems to be a book about food from different countries.  The fact that the title is printed on an image of a restaurant check seems to drive this point home.  However, upon deeper analysis of the text, one will come to realize that Anthony Bourdain is experiencing something much deeper than the cuisine and culinary styles of different countries.  He is giving his readers a taste of the countries themselves, their cultures, their beliefs, their principles, their ideals, their values.  Even better, Bourdain provides the connections between the two.  He explains how in Russia, it is considered a disgrace to one’s country if not enough Vodka is consumed.  He narrates the mechanical nature of a pig slaughtering in Portugal, which becomes a grand gathering centered on his arrival.  He recounts his experiences with relearning his table manners in Morocco to conform to Muslim table etiquette of eating only with the right hand and not using napkins.  Essentially, Bourdain tries to make one broad argument by presenting food in the context of these different cultures:  The experiences we remember are further deepened by the foods we eat in those moments.  Knowing these few essential facts about Bourdain’s book will make those images in the front cover a bit more meaningful, giving truth to the idea that the argument made by images depends on the context in which they are presented.