Did The Food Network Scam Everyone? Turns Out Robert Irvine Never Really ‘Gone’.
All you have to do is read the comments by our readers about Robert Irvine being fired to know that most Dinner Impossible viewers wanted him back, but what we didn’t know was that his replacement Michael Symon was from the start only a temporary host and that the Food Network planned to bring Irvine back all along.
When the Food Network announced they were bringing Irvine back, they made it sound as if it was because Robert was contrite and worked to repair the damage done by lying to his fans-
“Our audience has continued to demonstrate its interest in and support for Robert,” said network spokeswoman Carrie Welch. “He has taken responsibility and made a conscious effort to clear the air, rebuild the relationship with Food Network and apologize for the earlier inaccuracies.”
But according to Joe Crea/Cleveland Plain Dealer-
In a telephone interview from Anguilla, where he is attending the wedding of his agent Scott Feldman, Symon explained that the terms of his agreement required that he not reveal the duration of his contract for the show.
“Right from the get-go, we knew Robert was probably going to come back and do the show - but we couldn’t say that,” Symon said. “There was a lot going on with him that he needed to clear up. They [Food Network] told me, ‘You’re the only one who can do it, keep up that level.’ ”
“We didn’t ‘lose’ [the show],” Symon added. “I knew going in that there was a 95 percent chance that he’d be coming back. We really want to keep this brand alive. So we came in, rocked out the 10 shows, and moved on.”
Bedroom Nightmares: Gordon Ramsay Laughs Off Alleged Affair
In his first public appearance since the allegations began, Gordon Ramsay laughed off rumors of his long time affair with associate Sarah Symonds.
The Telegraph quoted Ramsay as saying: “We had a new bed delivered this week - the paparazzi outside must have been thinking that I’d been forced to sleep in the basement.
Now at Kitchen Warfare we’re very interested in sex forced to write about food (for more on sex check this out) but no doubt these sort of ‘out of the kitchen’ activities can have rippling effects even in the world of good chow. Reportedly the US version of Kitchen Nightmares is on hold, plus one has to wonder how tawdry rumors effect sales of Ramsay ‘add ons’ like books, pots and pans.
As you may recall, when Dinner Impossible’s Robert Irvine lost his job over a bogus resume KW readers seemed divided and many claimed that without Irvine they’d never watch the show again.
But so far the Ramsay stories are just rumors, and at the start of the holiday buying season no less. So would or should these allegations weigh into your decision to buy a Ramsay book? As a gift for a righteous friend? Does it make sense that his show’s production be put on hold?
How They Did It: The First Thanksgiving
In reality we know very little about the first ‘Thanksgiving’ (some even claim the first thanksgiving feast was actually in St Augustine). But even so there is little doubt that the first feast had little in common what we In America consider a ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving.
There are only two accounts of what actually happened at the ‘first’ Thanksgiving, the most detailed coming from Mourt’s Relation, a first hand account of the Pilgrim’s experience.
“our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours ; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.”
So again, we really don’t know much. But since this first feast wasn’t a special holiday meal, we can safely assume they simply ate what was available. And to that end we found an wonderfully detailed article from the Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project that provides a lot of detail into the foods, utensils and cooking methods used by the native Americans of the day. Also info on what foods the Pilgrims brought from England.
Harvard’s New Food Pyramid - Big Brains Say Exercise, Less Bad Food/More Good Food The Secret
Well you know us, we make fun of everything and its hard not to resist poking fun at the obvious. But of course the sobering reality is that many of us struggle with our weight and having a higher awareness and interest in the culinary arts can make ‘watching your weight’ a lot more challenging. It’s one thing to like to eat, but its made even more difficult by the ability and the PASSION for creating the best possible food we can. If we’re trying to lose weight many (most perhaps) would argue we SHOULD be using Splenda for our sweetener and apple sauce and yogurt for our fats etc etc but personally I have found I just cannot live with this. I once had a plate of ‘healthy brownies’ made with faux fats, faux sugars and faux eggs and my new neighbor who had heard of but not yet sampled my food said ‘So you made this?’. I have rarely used a substitute since. Instead I’ve adopted what is for me the far more sensible course of portion control. Alton Brown says it best, ‘There are no bad foods, just bad food habits’. My personal bad food habit is eating too much of it so I’ve just recently become a strict calorie counter. Eat what you want, you just have to count it and stop before you go over. More on this later.
But back on topic (sorta) its important to know what’s really good for you and what isn’t. Then try to prepare dishes using as many of the good ingredients as possible. For example you can enjoy a huge serving of bleu cheese dressing (3oz = 450 calories) if you use it to cover a 6 inch head of lettuce (75 calories). By contrast some foods have absolutely NO redeeming qualities whatsoever like say sausage gravy or Alfredo sauce. Of course you can have any of these too, just in extreme moderation.
And now on to the new food pyramid called the Healthy Eating Pyramid. Its searchable, downloadable and free. It’s also part of the revamped Nutrition Source site that shares research and recipes from other smart people and chefs. Sometimes both.
The Healthy Eating Pyramid [via Boston.com]
Local Food News Roundup 2
Some of the best recipes and food related stories come from the local news. While we don’t know exactly where YOU live, here are a few local stories from across the world that caught our eye last week.
- From Indiana, Pennsylvania the recipes of the finalists in their Potluck recipe contest. Also other entries the judges enjoyed.
- A few cornbread recipes from Knoxville
- An article on Great British Puddings in the Daily Telegraph (UK). Also Waitrose, a supermarket chain starts carrying Ostrich eggs.
- From Hilton Head Island/Bluffton, South Carolina Justin Paprocki tells us about his ‘first time’ in Diary of a Food judge
Your Own Personal Branding Iron (Also Works For Steaks)
If you’ve often thought the food at your barbecue was good enough to stamp your name on our guess is it costs a lot less than you think. For a very reasonable $14.95 you can have your own personal aluminum branding iron complete with 55 changeable letters and 8 blank spaces on a two line track. So not only can you remind folks who grilled their food you can also use your new branding iron to burn in customized messages for special events like ‘Happy Birthday’ or for special people like ‘Stick This Steak’. Or if the whole thing goes to hell in a handbag just stamp your neighbors name on it.
Personal Branding Iron (via OhGizmo!)
Bobby Flay to Guy Fieri - Are You A Jeweler Or A Cook?
Tim Cuprisin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provides us with a great interview of Food Network’s Bobby Flay. Cuprisin has a relaxed conversation with Flay and is able to cover a wide range of topics including-
- Flay’s becoming a celebrity chef (back then cooking wasn’t cool)
- The evolution and direction of the Food Network
- The controversy he unknowingly created by standing on his cutting board in his Iron Chef battle against Morimoto.
- On how nowadays ‘real men’ have become ‘ok’ with home cooking
- Much respect for Julia Child
- And not so much for Guy Fieri, whom Flay takes a shot at for wearing his bling while cooking (are you a jeweler or a cook?)
Here’s a link to Tim’s article, you can listen to the entire interview here.
It’s National Barbecue Month, Can We Hit You With A Poll?
So up for roasting today is the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association’s (HPBA) national consumer poll on backyard barbecuing. After all May is, according to the HPBA, National Barbecue Month which as they point out also extends to ‘all summer long’. I’m not exactly sure how you get a ‘National Month’ extended but if anyone is contact with the proper governing body please let us know.
One of the more interesting bits of data to pop out of this survey of backyard warriors is that IF they were given the chance 63% of those surveyed said they would rather learn to grill from a celebrity chef than their favorite athlete, supermodel, actor/actresses, presidential candidate or rock star.
Eh? Now don’t get me wrong I’d like to spend a few hours picking up tips from Bobby Flay and company but you really have to ask yourself how many times they had to underline ‘LEARN TO GRILL’ before people stop picking supermodel.
But as usual, I’ve already digressed. So here’s what else we can learn from the survey -
Top 100 Best Chinese Restaurants In The USA
Yep its time once again to pick the best Chinese restaurant in America. Actually since this is the 5th year and the contest starts in February and ends with an announcement the following January there doesn’t seem to be much time that we’re NOT picking the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants. But no matter everyone loves a contest, especially one that serves everyone’s self-interests. Restaurant owners get to remind us of who and where they are, we get to see what other people think of them and maybe just maybe just like Emeril everyone takes things up a notch. Bam(boo)!
Review, enter or vote for the 2008 winners
2007 Top 100 Chinese Restaurants In The USA
Local Food News Roundup
Some of the best recipes and food related stories come from the local news. While we don’t know exactly where YOU live, here are a few local stories from across the world that caught our eye last week.
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In Storm Lake, Iowa, Pilot-Tribune Editor Dana Larsen compares fast food to ‘grocery food’ by eating nothing but for two weeks (each).
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In the Rapid City Journal (South Dakota), Tanya Manus claims that beets are one secret to a moist and delicious chocolate cake and she backs it up with a easy recipe.
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In Maryland the Smith Island Cake becomes the official state desert
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Barbara Barnes of the Calgary Herald shares her secrets for stuffed (twice baked) potatoes.
