Food Bites: Bourdain vs. Deen

The whole situation between Paula Deen and Anthony Bourdain, at least in the culinary world, has made quite a splash. Everywhere I go on campus these days, it’s all anyone seems to be talking about, even after a week has passed since the NYTimes article detailing this feud was published. You can check out said article here.

In the article, Op-Ed writer Frank Bruni blasted Bourdain for berating the “Belle of Comfort Food,” Paula Deen in a recent interview. Bourdain said that Paula Deen was a menace for making a nation of already obese people, even more unhealthy by showing them how to prepare fattening and unhealthy food. Bourdain went so far as to say that Paula was making it OK for Americans to eat more of the food that was already killing them. Strong words, to be sure. Paula took some shots of her own. When asked by the NY Post about Bourdain’s comments, she said that not everybody could afford to eat a $70 steak or drink a $360 glass of wine every week. She cited her and her friends as those who “cook for regular families who worry about feeding their kids and paying the bills,” essentially highlighting Bourdain’s culinary elitism as the source for his harsh words.

So, who exactly is at fault? Who is right? Who is wrong? Answer: they both are, although one does have more of a point than the other, in my own opinion. Regardless, this argument may very well give the food industry a much needed push to better create a healthy America, and hopefully before companies that manufacture artificial limbs become members of the Fortune 500.

First, let’s look at Anthony Bourdain. Talented chef, food-writer and host of the Travel Channel’s “No Reservations,” is no saint by any means. He has an unrivaled talent of saying exactly what he thinks about a particular dish or restaurant. He never chooses his words and always lays on the expletives when voicing his opinions. Off-putting to some, to be sure, but he is a chef after all. It’s what he’s used to and probably doesn’t want to change. And let’s face facts, what he said is completely true. America is growing day by day. Growing WIDER, that is. Obesity levels have skyrocketed in this country over recent years and it looks like they’re only getting higher. Bourdain was right in highlighting a major problem plaguing this country and equally right in pointing out one of the plausible causes, albeit in his own “eloquent” manner. Paula’s dishes aren’t the most heart-healthy foods out there. They’re Southern Comfort Food, a food group known for using as much oil as the BP Oil Spill. They most definitely are a major contributor to the rising obesity rates in the country, there is no denying that fact. Bourdain’s sharp wit is not focused solely on the supposed culinary lower class, as Paula Deen thinks. Bourdain has taken shots at other culinary big-wigs, such as Alice Waters, and even Deen’s fellow Food Network stars: Sandra Lee and the infamous Rachel Ray. You could say that Bourdain is an equal opportunity critic.

On the flip-side, is Paula Deen. The Southern Darling that has graced our TV sets since 2002 and since then, has been showing Americans how easy it is to prepare all the deep-fried Southern delights that people call Comfort Food. Let’s not debunk Paula’s talent here. She is a talented writer, as evidenced by her string of well-selling cookbooks. She is very helpful for showing the “common” American how easy it is to prepare delicious food, quickly. And she is a very nice person.She does indeed have a point for defending herself against Bourdain’s onslaught of harsh words and criticism. She is right is saying that not all Americans can afford the expensive, fine dining options that Bourdain and other food critics espouse. For many Americans, it’s simply an impossibility, so they must search for an alternative.

So, who ultimately has the better point here? Personally, I’m going to have to with Anthony Bourdain, and not just because I’m attending his alma mater. Don’t get me wrong, they both have excellent points here. However, Bourdain’s point of an increasingly obese America holds a tad bit more water. It’s a serious matter concerning all Americans, not just those “average” Americans that Paula Deen holds in her “voice of the people” status. And speaking of status, shouldn’t Paula Deen be using her status as a TV personality to spread the message of better eating, instead of sharing the fattening recipes? Many other of her fellow Food Network stars have made the same public pitch, chefs or no. Bottom line: be a part of the solution, not the problem. Instead, Paula has teamed herself up with food company Smithfield Foods, a company who is known to be in violation of laws pertaining to small farmers, animal rights and other environmental environmental violations. Good job there, Paula.

Neither Paula nor Bourdain are saints of saviors, let me make that clear. Do I agree with Bourdain in this case? Yes, because his point makes more sense to me. Not taking anything away from Deen’s point, but, I digress. This whole incident does serve one major bit of good though: it may push the issue of healthy eating into the spotlight where it needs to be. Hopefully it can get there soon. Cases of obesity in America have tripled since the early 90s and is only expected to get worse in the coming years. We’re in need of some major change and having the Queen of Comfort Food stepping back a bit, my not be such a bad idea.

Food Bites: Off the Couch, Back in the Kitchen

It’s been forever, but I am indeed back! I apologize for the lack of pictures going up on my blog like I promised, but I ran into some problems while I was home. Now that I’m back at school, I’ll get it all done! In the meantime, here’s something I wrote up for class. To preface this piece, here’s a link to the NY Times Article I wrote this response to: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html

Without further ado, here’s my take on the growing home-cook crisis in America.

Off the Couch, Back in the Kitchen

From the very beginning of the article, it’s clear that Mr. Michael Pollan is a man in mourning. He has lost an essential part of his childhood and watched it decline and deteriorate before his very eyes. The decline of the home cook in America is indeed a terrible thing to behold. In recent years, Americans have doubled their daily meal intakes and sadly, have decided to let major food companies do all the cooking for them. Processed foods and instant mixes have all but replaced a well-stocked pantry, kitchen or refrigerator. It’s a problem that is reaching pandemic levels. Thankfully, there is a cure for this disease. While it is true that modern cooking shows are more for spectacle and less for education, there are many that still instill a spirit of adventure and exploration into home cooks the world over (Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” immediately comes to mind). If Americans can embrace this new-found spirit and take home cooking back into the home and out of the corporate kitchen, then they may be able to reclaim the regal domain that is, the home kitchen.

Chef Mario Batali described it best when asked about the Food Network: everyone has a niche to fill, no matter who it is. In recent years, the Food Network has only served to prove that statement correct. Nowadays, it doesn’t matter what’s being cooked. The focus is more oh who is doing the cooking. Many (one Harry Balzer comes to mind) see this as a detriment to food TV; it’s taking the focus away from the real star, which is the food itself. However, the argument can be made that, in some cases, this could actually be helping budding home-cooks to take up a knife and spatula and try cooking for themselves. It all depends on who is doing the cooking and in this case, food TV personality Alton Brown is the perfect example. From a personal standpoint, Alton Brown (not Emeril, not Bobby Flay) was my whole reason to take the leap and try cooking for myself. He embodies what the home-cook should be like; he embraces the spirit that Michael Pollan says all cooks should have. It’s that emotional connection to cooking that seems to resonate within me whenever I see “Good Eats” on TV. A connection can easily be drawn between Alton Brown and Michael Pollan: both want to see the revival of the American home-cook. It’s a movement that I wholeheartedly embrace.

Now, the careful observer may point out a flaw in my argument: If one is to forgo watching cooking for actually cooking, why advocate a cooking show? True, there is a paradox in that argument, but consider this: What is that particular cooking show was actually educational? That’s exactly why “Good Eats” embraces Michael Pollan’s stance on the current state of American home-cooks. Yes, it does use a bit of spectacle but it uses that spectacle to draw focus towards the food and techniques, rather than the person doing the cooking. What’s more, it actually drives home the message for home-cooks to forgo processed and pre-made ingredients for fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. It even continues Michael Pollan’s message of how home-cooking can break the hold obesity has over the American populous. The bottom line is thus: amidst the swath of spectacle and modern perceptions of cooking shows, there are true gems that will genuinely restore that spirit of curiosity and adventure within home-cooks across the country. There will always be, however, detractors and Harry Balzer is conceivably the biggest detractor the world has ever seen. Despite that, he does bring up some good points about the state of the American food market today.

Speed and convenience are the driving forces behind today’s mega-marts, fast food chains and food corporations. Who’s to blame? We are. Americans have gotten lazy, despite having added more and more work hours to their lives. In fact, the more work hours may have added to the overall laziness. More work hours means less time to cook a good meal. Therefore, we search for a quick and easy answer: frozen meals, fast food, casual dining restaurants, etc. It’s in these convenience answers that lie our three biggest enemies: fat, sugar and salt. The processed and/or pre-made foods we so often reach for after a busy day at work or school are packed and even over-packed with these three culprits. In addition, many of the food-bourne illnesses and outbreaks come from these mass-produced “convenience” items that the big food corporations sell to us. So why take that kind of risk in the first place? Why risk Salmonella and obesity? Because there’s less work involved. Americans today don’t want to do more work on top of the tough work day they just had. They’d rather relax and let the microwave do all the “cooking” for them. It’s a sad state of affairs to be sure and it’s one that has affected even my own family. There will be times when my parents would rather go out to a restaurant rather than cook at home, either because they’re too tired or too hungry and therefore too antsy to wait around for a meal to cook. It’s nice once in a while, but when it becomes a twice-a-week routine, it starts to make me sad. Thankfully, my mother has seized control and begun a very smart regiment against the easy way out: she’ll cook 2 or 3 meals over the weekend, portion them out and then freeze them. When the work week rolls around again, she’ll just defrost and reheat them and viola; a frozen meal that’s probably better than one you’d get at the local mega mart. It’s a strategy that I am more than willing to implore myself when the time for me to move out comes. And thus, phase one in the war against lazy American home-cooks is revealed: find a problem and solve it. Step two? Make like a scientist and experiment. Try different recipes and techniques that you find interesting in your own kitchen. It’s what inspired me to attempt cooking for the first time, and let me toll you, the very first time I successfully made an omelet without burning it was one of the happiest days of my life.

The joy of cooking. It’s what the late, great Julia Child instilled into many fledgling cooks in the 60s and it’s exactly what needs to be put back into home-cooks today. Amidst the ceremony and the spectacle of Food Network’s programming, there does exist, quite possibly, a modern day equivalent of Ms. Child, in Mr. Brown. I, like Michael Pollan, was and continue to be inspired by Alton Brown’s program and wholeheartedly embrace the value and fundamental spirit of adventure that seems to be lacking among home-cooks today. If more Americans would see the light and embrace that spirit, then the art of cooking will not be lost and the war on obesity may very well turn in our favor. I echo Mr. Pollan’s cry for a return to the kitchen and a return to the golden age of home-cooks so that one day, Americans across the country may rise from their couches and once again, create some good eats.

Recipe: Pasta Lovers Pizza

Yes, you read correctly! Pizza Week Day 5 arrives with one heck of a pizza! Like my Ramen Omelette recipe, this one is a fantastic leftovers magnet. It takes the most basic pizza recipe and turns the dial up to 11. Now, i realize I said in my last entry that sometimes the most simple recipes are the most delicious, but by all means, feel free to experiment. It’s how I came up with this particular recipe, after all. Now, on with the recipe!

Ingredients:

• Either home-made or store-bought pizza crust
• 1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese, crumbled of shredded
• 1 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1 Cup of Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1 Can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 – 2 Cups of leftover pasta (sauce and ingredients may vary, but are welcome)

Hardware:

• Pizza Pan
• Pizza Cutter
• Box Grater

1. Preheat your oven to 450-degrees
2. Spread out the dough on the pizza pan
3. Pour out and spread the tomato sauce on the pizza crust
4. Add Parmesan Cheese
5. Add the leftover pasta
6. Cover with the Mozzarella Cheese
7. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes
8. Let cool, divide and eat up!

Personally, I’m a huge fan of these recipes that are “Leftover Magnets.” They really save time and help clean out your fridge at the same time! Now, you could very well do this recipe with fresh ingredients. But, in today’s fast-paced society, sometimes, you’re allowed/forced to cut corners. Let this recipe (and my Ramen Omelette recipe) show that cutting corners doesn’t mean cutting out flavor or creativity. It’s like that Food Network show, Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee. When you experiment, you can come up with some fantastic recipes.

One more day of Pizza Week left folks! Admittedly, it may be a bit late because I’m going to be at Six Flags Great Adventure with my friends, but I can promise you this, there will be an additional recipe that I didn’t list on my first post of Pizza Week. So stay tuned and check it out!

Food Bites: A Culinary Conundrum

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards Food Network, Scripps and Cablevision. I don’t quite know how they solved the problem they had, but I am just thankful to see Food Network back on Cable, which means I can see all the great culinary programming that I was missing out on. Awesome shows like Iron Chef America and Diners, Drive-Ins N’ Dives. Speaking of both of those shows, I’ve got a couple of questions/observations about them. Let’s start with Iron Chef America.

Now, I like ICA. A lot. But, is it just me or does it kind of pale in comparison to its Japanese predecessor? I mean, it’s very fun to watch and who doesn’t love Alton Brown as the commentator? But, after a while it gets kind of boring, doesn’t it? Iron Chef Japan in comparison, while a bit confusing at times,  is pretty damn fun in my opinion. Like, the chefs always seems to be running around like chickens without heads which adds to the overall “rush-rush” feel of the show. And don’t get me started on the secret ingredients. The secret ingredients in Iron Chef Japan blow its American counterpart right out of the water. Octopus and Natto, just to name a couple. The one thing that I like more about the original? No limits outside of time. In Iron Chef Japan, the chefs are only limited to the one-hour time limit. They can make as many dishes as they want in that one hour (in my viewing experience, the least amount of dishes I’ve seen is 3; the most is 6). And in case of a tie? A 30-minute overtime with a brand new ingredient. ICA, however, seems to stress quantity over quality. Now, I know I may very well be wrong, but hear me out. With a base limit of five dishes, it would seem that the chefs are creating just to fill their quota, right? (feel free to disagree). Whereas in ICJ, they have a bit more flexibility in terms of creativity. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s my two cents.

Ahh Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Ol’ Guy has really hit it big with this show (not taking away from Guy’s Big Bite). Simultaneously it has made the secret eateries of the country not so secret anymore, including two of my personal favorites that are very close to where I live: The White Mana Diner in Jersey City and Hackensack, NJ (Hackensack one’s closer to me) and Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield, CT. The one question that always runs through my head whenever I watch this show is this: What makes a good diner? After watching the show for quite some time, the answer has three parts: The Food, The Atmosphere and The People: good food, a good feel to the place and good people to run it. Basically, you need to feel like you’re at home and surrounded by friends and family, when you’re actually surrounded by strangers.

Food Bites: Food Network, Cablevision and Super Chefs

So, for those of you who don’t have to deal with the whole Cablevision/Scripps insanity, I consider you the luckiest people on Earth. I also envy you to the highest degree. For those of us having to deal with Cablevision, you know my rage.

The day of the Super Chef Battle on Food Network; Flay and Comerford vs. Emeril and Batali. But, through a very strange series of events that I still don’t quite understand, Food Network was no longer on Cable. Now, Cablevision says that this is all Scripps’ fault. Frankly, I don’t care whose fault it is. I just want Food Network back! I mean, come on! The DAY the Super Chef Battle was supposed to take place and THIS happens?! COME ON!

All rants aside, I finally saw the episode thanks to my girlfriend’s quick thinking; she has AT&T U-Verse and still has Food Network, so she DVR’d it for me. So, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. Everyone else, feel free to keep on reading.

So, the secret ingredient was “anything from the White House Garden.” I found it funny that Batali and Emeril were stealing little bits of veggies from Flay and Comerford. Getting to the battle itself, the veggies from the WH Garden were supplemented by local proteins (meats, fish, etc.). It was a very intense battle. I mean VERY intense. It was the first time I had ever seen Bobby Flay screaming for a time check so many times. I was rooting for Emeril and Batali to win, but at the same time, I was hoping for Comerford to win (gotta root for a fellow Filipino!). The different techniques were on full display in this battle. It was very, very fun to watch. All of the dishes looked delicious! The one I wanted to try the most was that turkey dish Emeril and Mario Batali collaborated on. It looked very appetizing and despite being a little burnt, I’m sure it was extremely delicious. In second place on my taste list was the raiviolo that the judges were raving about. That one looked really good as well and it caught the eye of my girlfriend as well. I was a tiny bit sad that Emeril and Mario lost, but I was very happy and proud that a Filipino chef won. Whatever the outcome, everyone in the battle earned the moniker “Super Chef.”