Post by musicalchef on Feb 23, 2007 11:44:17 GMT -5
Hey, all! I've posted a review of ICA so far on my blog. My address is musicalchef.wordpress.com. I've also posted a couple recipes and will probably be posting more soon. I'll post the review below (the "this" at the end refers to a pilaf cookoff they're having at my university for Iranian/Central Asian New Year):
Iron Chef America Thus Far
February 22nd, 2007 · 2 Comments
Iron Chef America has just started its fourth season. I am a regular viewer and don’t miss a battle (except one, and I am eagerly waiting for it to be re-run so I can see it). It’s actually the only TV show I watch regularly.
For the record, I like the original Iron Chef better! The problem is that Food Network only shows it once a week now, and they are all episodes that I’ve seen before. I hope they start showing more episodes. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now that I am leaving. I hope they start posting the ICA episodes on YouTube so I can watch them overseas!
What do I like about ICA? I like all of the Iron Chefs (even Flay, who I think has lived down his “raise the roof” episode). I like that they have now gotten more experience and are winning more often (what’s so “iron” about them if they don’t win at least 2/3 of the time?), and I like the excitement of watching them hurry to finish five dishes in an hour. I like Alton Brown and Chairman Mark. I like seeing desserts made from strange ingredients, except when the chefs ignore my yells at the TV to not do something because it will taste terrible and they will lose! I guess they can’t help it if the episode was filmed a few months before I could watch it and give my input :-) I liked this last chocolate battle. I like that they are including more vegetable theme ingredients than they did the first couple seasons.
What do I not like about ICA? This is mostly a comparison with ICJ, which may not be completely fair, since they are very different shows. But hey, it’s my opinion; it doesn’t have to be fair! I feel that ICJ was more about excellent food. Plating is worth 5 points on both shows, but on ICJ they didn’t have to make every plate look like it belonged in a museum. Just maybe 2 of them. Chen Kenichi could fill one of those turquoise bowls he loved so much with the best fried rice the judges had ever had, and they didn’t mind that it didn’t have 5 different garnishes. On ICA he would have to plate a spoonful of rice on top of a colorful sauce or “reduction” of something exotic-sounding, and then plate something on top of it, preferably a piece of meat, and then add some funky garnish. The food’s not the star in this case, but making a full rainbow of tastes on one plate. Really a bunch of stuff on one plate that could be on different dishes, but I guess the expectations are different here. I also thought the judges on ICJ behaved in a much more civilized manner. Maybe because it was Japan. But i’m sick of the bickering judges on ICA hogging the spotlight from the chefs. And there’s not enough Mo. For lay people, that’s Iron Chef Morimoto. And he hasn’t had as many battles as the other IC’s. And that just boils my miso soup. And when he’s on, the judges don’t usually know how to judge his food. Anyways, it’s funny that ICA tries to give him such a “traditional” image, since his image was about the opposite on ICJ.
Best battle so far: Battle Tofu with IC Morimoto and Challenger Chef Patricia Yeo.
And speaking of chef competitions, this just makes me mad! Why did they have to wait for me to leave before doing this?
Iron Chef America Thus Far
February 22nd, 2007 · 2 Comments
Iron Chef America has just started its fourth season. I am a regular viewer and don’t miss a battle (except one, and I am eagerly waiting for it to be re-run so I can see it). It’s actually the only TV show I watch regularly.
For the record, I like the original Iron Chef better! The problem is that Food Network only shows it once a week now, and they are all episodes that I’ve seen before. I hope they start showing more episodes. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now that I am leaving. I hope they start posting the ICA episodes on YouTube so I can watch them overseas!
What do I like about ICA? I like all of the Iron Chefs (even Flay, who I think has lived down his “raise the roof” episode). I like that they have now gotten more experience and are winning more often (what’s so “iron” about them if they don’t win at least 2/3 of the time?), and I like the excitement of watching them hurry to finish five dishes in an hour. I like Alton Brown and Chairman Mark. I like seeing desserts made from strange ingredients, except when the chefs ignore my yells at the TV to not do something because it will taste terrible and they will lose! I guess they can’t help it if the episode was filmed a few months before I could watch it and give my input :-) I liked this last chocolate battle. I like that they are including more vegetable theme ingredients than they did the first couple seasons.
What do I not like about ICA? This is mostly a comparison with ICJ, which may not be completely fair, since they are very different shows. But hey, it’s my opinion; it doesn’t have to be fair! I feel that ICJ was more about excellent food. Plating is worth 5 points on both shows, but on ICJ they didn’t have to make every plate look like it belonged in a museum. Just maybe 2 of them. Chen Kenichi could fill one of those turquoise bowls he loved so much with the best fried rice the judges had ever had, and they didn’t mind that it didn’t have 5 different garnishes. On ICA he would have to plate a spoonful of rice on top of a colorful sauce or “reduction” of something exotic-sounding, and then plate something on top of it, preferably a piece of meat, and then add some funky garnish. The food’s not the star in this case, but making a full rainbow of tastes on one plate. Really a bunch of stuff on one plate that could be on different dishes, but I guess the expectations are different here. I also thought the judges on ICJ behaved in a much more civilized manner. Maybe because it was Japan. But i’m sick of the bickering judges on ICA hogging the spotlight from the chefs. And there’s not enough Mo. For lay people, that’s Iron Chef Morimoto. And he hasn’t had as many battles as the other IC’s. And that just boils my miso soup. And when he’s on, the judges don’t usually know how to judge his food. Anyways, it’s funny that ICA tries to give him such a “traditional” image, since his image was about the opposite on ICJ.
Best battle so far: Battle Tofu with IC Morimoto and Challenger Chef Patricia Yeo.
And speaking of chef competitions, this just makes me mad! Why did they have to wait for me to leave before doing this?