Ahira's Hangar

I spammed the Galley at KW, so I'll do the same here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Bourdain

I only tuned into this show last week out of curiosity. It has immediately become a favorite. Simply the most entertaining, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, show about food I've ever come across. Last week's show was about the culinary culture of Chicago -- that was an eye-opener. Tonight's episode was "Food Porn." Funny as heck, but the sumptuous looking food creations made me feel oh so deprived. I was nearly drooling by the end of the show. For me, this is better than any locked-in-a-studio cooking show. Such shows are good for teaching techniques, I suppose, but they don't get me excited about food the way Bourdain's show does.

Bourdain is a bit of a smart alec, which might turn people off. But Bourdain's enthusiasm for fabulous food wherever he finds it is infectious, and he generously praises the people behind the good food, so his seemingly rude manner doesn't really bother me.

I do not mind Bourdain, and some of his shows have been really interesting - like the one where he went to a bunch of illegal underground restaurants in New York City. These are run by people wanting to open legal restaurants, and are getting their craft down right, trying out new dishes, etc. before going for the real thing.

The one I cannot stand on the Travel Channel is Bizarre Foods, which makes me want to throw up.

My favorite Travel Channel show, and one I catch every time I can is Man Vs. Food. The host is good natured, and while every episode ends in some sort of an eating contest (could be quantity or hotness or both), he also goes to some local restaurants in each city he visits and soaks in local color and eats yummy stuff like the as-big-as-your-head donuts in Texas.

Heh heh, nice to know you get a kick out of Bourdain, duchess. I don't have the Travel Channel, but his show airs on Discovery. I hope past episodes are available online.

I have watched very few cooking/food shows in the last 15 or so years, so it's a big deal to me when I find something that really grabs my attention. A hungry guy roaming town in search of a good meal - that I can relate to. TV hosts in a studio kitchen elaborately preparing food with all sorts of kitchen gizmos - I just can't see myself doing that.

The problem with those studio cooking shows is that they usually feature meals you could not pay my children to eat. Combine that with impossible to find unusual ingredients, and I see no use in even watching most of them.

If you like a guy coming to a strange city and wandering around looking for a good meal, you might also like Man Vs. Food.

Yeah, the uncommon ingredients make me laugh, too. I mean, that's why we go out for fine dining - let the restaurants take care of finding obscure stuff, and let their chefs take care of cooking it.

Not sure I've seen Man Vs. Food on my TV schedule, but will check.