Food on TV

I rarely watch tv although we almost always have the tv on in the back ground. Probably a result of my upbringing, my dad was a tv addict. When I do watch tv, or it's my choice in channels to have on in the back ground, I'll put it on Food Network. It's a nice neutral, non negative channel that will never have anything on that might be too much for the kid and don't even get me started on the news. I find network news too disturbing for me, I don't even know how old the kid will have to be before I'm ok with her watching it.

So Food Network it is and lets face it, they've got some great personalities on there. I love Alton Brown, he pleases the chemist in me. And Giada De Laurentiis? She is so lovely and that smile! She's my hubby's fav, her and Rachel Ray. He likes the girls with the happy smiles. Then Guy Fieri, he's got some great finds, and Duff at Ace of Cakes, I love his cast/coworkers. Have you noticed that Mary has gotten a helluva lot bigger lately? Yeah well must be a working in a cake shop thing.

I was thinking today of what tv cook was the first one I watched regularly and realized it was looong before the Food Network existed, it was like the early 90's. I was obviously a very young closet wannabe foody. My first inspiration was Jeff Smith of Frugal Gourmet fame (infamy?). Does anyone remember him? Anyone? No? I can't possibly have young readers on this blog, I'm just not that entertaining, all real life, no fluff here. Nothing the younger generations are interested in.

I remember he was the one who taught me that you shouldn't scrape food off of the cutting board with the sharp side of the knife but with the back of the knife (dulls the blade if you use the sharp side). One would think that would be totally obvious and yet watch the chefs on Food Network sometime, all of them use the blade of the knife to scrape their boards. Ah well, they get them for free right? You know he left tv amidst a scandal of sexual harassment charges? Two guys on his show accused him of sexual harassment in the 70's but he was never charged. It did end his career though which is sad in and of itself. Even worse, if it happened today I doubt it would have tarnished his career much. Ah where has the world gone.

Do you all realize how long most of us have been watching tv for and, even more surprising, how it has changed things in your own home? Recipes, design tips, oh and the commercials? 90% of the cereals the kid chooses are from a commercial, they work really well on the young ones. Whenever the Time Warner cable commercials come on she makes sure it's the cable we have. It is but only because we have no other choice. Free market my ass...