It never changes. It never will. I should just accept that. However, it drives me absolutely insane when people like
Tom Colicchio (and the other judges) taste what is no doubt “exceptional” food, but then blast the chef because they feel
the food is meant for a different time of year.
Case in point: Last nights episode of Top Chef found the contestants having to cook for roughtly 300 Airmen/(Airwomen??) at
Nellis Air Force base. Two teams of chef’s made dishes that you normally find in more cool weather. The dishes were a 3-bean
Chili and Clam Chowder. Both dishes got rave reviews from the Airmen, but Padma found it necessary to quesiton the line of
thinking behind cooking those dishes when its hot outside. Colicchio promptly replied, “Yeah, its 90 degrees outside and we’re
eating Clam Chowder…and its 90 degrees outside and we’re eating Chili.”
My point is, “So $%^&ing what?!?” Hey Tom, did it taste good? It was food after all right? Food is supposed to taste good, yes?
Do you eat — and enjoy — ice cream in January, or do you hold off on that sort of thing until its hot outside? Do you drink
a hot cuppa joe in the summer time to help you wake up or do you have it iced? I’m sure that the wealthy folks like yourself
have a different standard by which you consume your food, but those of us with a “common tongue” — who thoroughly enjoy food for what it is, not for what it says, — apparently aren’t astute enough to realize that a given food should only be eaten during a certain time of year. (Like wearing white after Labor Day I guess). I can agree that hot soup isn’t the first thing I think of when its 90 degrees outside, but it sure as hell doesn’t keep me from ordering it at a restaurant, especially if its damn good soup!
I can eat any type of food at any time during any season and enjoy it. If the food tastes good, hasn’t the chef done their job?
If they’ve pleased your somehow superhuman pallette, isn’t that enough? Now they have to stimulate you intellectually? There
are these wonderful things called “books” for stuff like that…
Look judges/chefs, I love you guys and all, and Top Chef is an awesome show, but its _very_ condescending to those of us that just love food for what it is. I’d give just about anything to be on that show as a judge giving a “common man” opinion. I literally salivate while watching the show and then I hear you guys say stuff that no doubt tells the viewing audience that something tastes good, but then to have you “dock points” because the time of year in which something was prepped, or perhaps a chef said it was one dish, but you felt it wasn’t traditionally prepared so its “not really” that dish.
I realize I’ve no professional training and likely not qualified to even comment on this sort of thing, but the problem is,
I LOVE FOOD, and I feel that indeed makes me qualified. If it tastes &*#*ing good, eat it! For the love of GOD, EAT IT!
Anyway, now I’m hungry…