665383 Sat Nov 07 09:16:07 -0800 2009 53 33 Food Media and News 0 5163280 Ok - I'm male. I find her extremely attractive ... except ... Whenever I see her I cannot take my eyes of her mouth. (I guess I'm unusual in that.) For all the world it reminds me of the plasticine character Wallace in "Wallace in Grommet". Any other media persons in the catering world that do that for you? Leave you diverted, but in the wrong way? Sound warning for offices... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfHQuNd4aY8&feature=PlayList&p=7C67C5136609FFE7&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=19 Sat Nov 07 09:16:07 -0800 2009 154622 Paulustrious 1 5163556 It is interesting the way we all see things so differently. All I see when I look at Giada is beauty. I am flabbergasted when I read negative opinions of her looks. Okay - I am a girl and speaking of diversions, have you ever seen Curtis Stone? He has a show called "Take Home Chef" on TLC. http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/takehomechef/bio.html Sat Nov 07 12:09:02 -0800 2009 5163280 1110069 Sensuous 2 5163664 No - I haven't seen him. He may be here on Canadian channels, but if so I missed him. I agree, she is stunning. It's just the way one gets fixated on something. I do enjoy W&G though, so it's not all negative. Maybe I should have used farfalle as an analogy, would have been more chowish. On a more serious note, I am not that keen on the disjointed film editing. Very similar to the Nigella style, cutting from place to place. In someways that is an advantage as you do see close-ups of rolling-pin technique. I am more of an Alton Brown fan, despite all the flippancy and frippery. Sat Nov 07 13:15:42 -0800 2009 5163556 154622 Paulustrious 2 5166588 Healthy female willing to admit Curtis' mouth is completely distracting. Recipes..phuf...come over to my place and cook for me & my friends anytime, Curtis! So there. Mon Nov 09 05:57:00 -0800 2009 5163556 36312 HillJ 1 5172859 Sorry, but even after I saw several people refer to Giada's "big head," I don't see it. Maybe my eyes don't make it up that far. Seriously, I like her a lot. I loved "Behind the Bash" especially, but all of her shows have been good with the exception of that one where she's cooking for her beautiful, phony friends. Wed Nov 11 09:41:58 -0800 2009 5166903 214452 lscanlon 2 5173311 Giada is a heavenly beauty. If her head seems larger than some, it might be due to the fact that she has a particurly petite body. And I find her lips absolutely mesmerizing. Her talents have already been extolled in entries above, and is considered one of the more knowledgable FN chefs. I for one rarely watch FN, but if I did, Giada would certainly be one of the programs I would want to catch. Less Guy and Rachael Rays, more Giada and Sara Moulton types. Wed Nov 11 12:11:55 -0800 2009 5172859 277493 DallasDude 3 5173508 I do not think two very strong, hard working and intelligent women like Giada and Sara would or could ever be classified as 'Stepford'. These people could not attain their status with out the brains and hard work that took to excel to these postions. The amount of effort to make a simple salad in a top kitchen on a daily basis could prove exhausting for the average person, much less execute fine dining. In the case of Sara Moulton, she comes with great colors. She achieved the highest honors in the CIA in 1977, won a scholarship from Les Dames D’Escoffier, worked in Boston and NY, as well with a master chef in France. She has taught in a culinary environment, and worked with Julia Child. She was the chef for Gourmet for over 20 years and had her own extremely instructive programming. Sara was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America in 2002. On top of that, she is an wonderful personality and likable woman. I think women are often more harsh on their own gender than men. I find that amazing at best. Wed Nov 11 13:08:08 -0800 2009 5173352 277493 DallasDude 1 5167619 regardless of what one says about giada...she appears to be a pretty knowledgable cook...she is drop dead gorgeous and a killer smile...if i had her background...i too mighta capitalized on it...i work as a cook in a rehab centre...not as glorious a being a celeb chef...but i love what i do.. kudos on you giada Mon Nov 09 11:54:07 -0800 2009 5163280 1117989 fireeater50 2 5167645 I think she's a pretty knowledgable chef, too (cook also, as you said, fireeater). And while her shows are centered on Italian cuisine, I know at the very least she has a strong background in French and Greek cuisines, too. And I think she's a good teacher. I notice during her shows that she remembers to explain basic terms and processes that inexperienced cooks might not know yet and breaks them down into steps that I don't think would have been intimidating to me when I was a new cook (hard to remember back that far, though, LOL). I don't understand the criticism of Giada, but that's just me. I realize we're all looking for different things from the chefs we watch. Mon Nov 09 12:03:13 -0800 2009 5167619 1104013 Normandie 1 5168116 I never really cared about her looks one way or another. I know she's good looking. I just never found her looks distracting. Isn't her husband a designer for Anthropologie? I can see how showing his stuff off to its best advantage is a nice plug. I used to watch her show more, and I even have one of her cookbooks, but I find that her show has become old for me and she's out of ideas. I do see a lot of hostility towards Giada for reasons that have nothing to do with her cooking. Go to a board full of Rachael Ray fans and you'll see a bunch of women saying how "real" and "down to earth" she is and how great her cooking is, but when it comes to Giada, they say how awful she is for no other reason than she shows a lot of cleavage when she cooks, or how big her head is. They don't even bother to comment on her cooking, as if good looks alone are a negative. Yet if I say I think RR is a terrible cook and horrible on camera, I get told I'm "bitter". Go figure. Mon Nov 09 14:19:00 -0800 2009 5163280 116495 Avalondaughter 2 5174199 I've also read many comments about how fat Rachel Ray is. Women can't win--the fact is that all of them have their appearance criticized while most male chefs don't. It happens, of course, but it's ubiquitous with women. And, there's hostility towards women chefs based on their appearance alone. Wed Nov 11 16:54:31 -0800 2009 5168116 39874 chowser 3 5174218 i've never read any "rr is fat" comments. but then, i don't normally read every word of these "media" threads. women are prettier than men, and that's why men and women comment on women's appearances. what should've gotten better, however, is also admiring their *talent.* some women are jealous, and that's a fact. i don't find men to be as jealous about other men's looks. six-pack abs -- maybe -- but i don't see those on the ol' food network. ;-)). Wed Nov 11 17:01:39 -0800 2009 5174199 105717 alkapal 4 5174254 Heres the rub with Rachael Ray, and she does not profess to be any sort of chef and for that I can appreciate what she can do (and that is to communicate with the average house frau). In the beginning Ray played off on her spunky cuteness, which even at the time I could appreciate. However, time has been cruel to Rachael Ray and she is paying the price for the fame she now has by catching all the 'RR is fat' comments. You won't hear people say Paula Deen is fat, as obvious as that is, because she did not set her self up as this sexy minx to gain fame. Ray did. If she had more talent that just being able to bs a lot, she wouldn't be hearing all the fat jokes and comments that she does. I prove my RR Theory (now in the US patent office and pending) by attaching a photo of when she first began on the FN. edit @ chowser: It's not that she's horribly overweight (and she is for television) it's that shes gotten so rough. Scary rough. Wed Nov 11 17:14:13 -0800 2009 5174218 277493 DallasDude 5 5174723 knowing RR she is not fat at all...she is extremely pretty in person with very petite features...yes, TV does add pounds but she really looks great in person..not rough at all.. Today Show, I have seen Giada and she doesn't have a big head to her body..she is also very pretty, petite and extremely nice to all.. Wed Nov 11 21:21:27 -0800 2009 5174254 97452 Beach Chick 4 5174270 I read far too more comments about Ina or Paula Deen's weight than about Mario Batali or Emeril's. Not about jealousy in those cases. Not that criticism=jealousy, imo. The comments about rr weren't on this board, although some of them might have been, I can't remember. It just takes me aback because she's really not fat and that shows the standard on how thin women have to be. Wed Nov 11 17:20:41 -0800 2009 5174218 39874 chowser 1 5172177 paulustrious, me, too! i look at giada's mouth because it seems like she is always overenunciating. maybe she had a speech impediment that she has overcome. sometimes it sounds like she is overenunciating, too. and she says some italian words in a funny way (or at least they sound funny to me). i look at ina garten's really shiny hair. i get distracted by her slurping. i can overlook that, but it is hard to ignore that her husband jeffrey eats like a hog. i love jacques to death, but he does the slurping thing, too. i look at lidia's watch (hermès?) and jewelry. she dresses well, usually. i look at the current iteration of rachael ray's haircut, think it's cute and flattering, and then i wish i had someone to fix my hair every day. i look at alton's increasing scawniness and haggard face and wrinkles. please, alton, stop this weird diet you're supposedly doing! emeril, i'm always watching him flop his kitchen towel over his shoulder or tuck it into his waistband. guy fieri, i'm always checking if he's wearin' those glasses on the back of his head. josé andrés, i always look at his billowing overshirt and baggy khakis. this is his uniform! anne burrell, i am so distracted by all the bright colors on the set. i wish she'd wear better-fitting clothes. those are not flattering. i like all these folks, but these are just some things i've noticed .... now that you ask! ;-). Wed Nov 11 05:07:55 -0800 2009 5163280 105717 alkapal 2 5172885 It seems to me that she is always trying so hard to pronounce the Italian words like she was in Italy, except most of the time I have never heard her personal versions of the pronunciations. When she pronounces spaghetti - spegeeeti it make my skin crawl. I am not a fan. I'm sure her food is good, I just don't care for her. Who else makes me nuts?Sandra Lee and her tablescapes,her outfits and her cocktails. Ann Burrell is a terrific chef with lost of great tips, but she is a bit over the top! Wed Nov 11 09:52:39 -0800 2009 5172177 228219 wincountrygirl 2 5173822 Alkapal, You rock with your observations!! You should go to the Miami South Beach Food and Wine/Food Network show in February 2010. (I'll be the guy going from booth to booth, in the shorts and sneakers!) Being sometimes 2-10 feet from the chefs off stage gives a fun perspective, and their off camera comments are a hoot. There are colorful chef's grouples, too. (What happens in Miami stays...) Rachel Ray's bored hubbie checks out other chicks while Rachel's on stage, busy bringing home the bacon to him.. Guy Fieri is fun and really inteacts off stage with his fans. Cat Cora is nice. On and on.. Elsewhere, I briefly met Sara Moulton, and she's a delight. Emeril is a pretty regular guy in person, compared to his bigger than life Bam! persona on TV. I'm happy that unlike quite a few Hollywood stars, they have not given gone to drugs, bulemia or worse. Fame is heady stuff. Wed Nov 11 14:52:50 -0800 2009 5172177 138338 An Insatiable Appetite 3 5173835 wasn't your festival where paula deen dropped her drawers earlier this year? ;-)). oh yeah!!!! LOL!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MawQeAlsOEs holy moly, there's a "part 2"! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkKjbEgr-Sw&NR=1 ~~~~~ (i shoulda figured that aboutt rr's husband. he seems childish. too bad for her). Wed Nov 11 14:56:22 -0800 2009 5173822 105717 alkapal 4 5173906 Historians refer to it as: Full Moon over Miami! paula has an exaggerated "southern" accent that makes many people in Savannah just roll their eyes; that's where she's from. Still, I hear she's bawdy and I'd love to buy her a drink! Bet rr's husband has a jiucy prenup in his favor...he knows how to suddenly act interested when she has to walk backstage to his highness. He's not one to be in the audience- a loving husband would be proud and beaming to see his wife in action on stage. Yep, the people watching of chefs and attendees can't be beat on TV, or at the festival! Wed Nov 11 15:14:26 -0800 2009 5173835 138338 An Insatiable Appetite 5 5173997 actually, paula deen isn't from savannah, although she moved there and started her business there -- out of necessity. she is from a small town in the s.w. corner of georgia, near the alabama and florida borders. her drawl seems like it fits the region, as i'm somewhat familiar with that general area. when she began her first shows, it was less pronounced, but i think the bigger drawl is coming with her greater familiarity with the "gig" (and, i'm sure, a little encouragement from the FN execs who want to "entertain" in a broad fashion). i read her memoir, which gave me a lot of insight. you might want to check it out. she said she was always a flirt and show-off, and a little bawdy -- actually, quite rough at times. she was a huge agoraphobic, too, after her mom died. it's hard to think that she was ever agoraphobic, huh? ~~~~~ and i hope rr has the airtight pre-nup. punk husband! stupid, too, to be so obvious when he has to know (?) that *everyone* is watching..... Wed Nov 11 15:42:47 -0800 2009 5173906 105717 alkapal 6 5174155 Thank you for the insight on Paula. I'll check into it. (BTW, her hubbie's said to be a real nice guy.) Wed Nov 11 16:35:10 -0800 2009 5173997 138338 An Insatiable Appetite 7 5174169 it's a nice little memoir, and one can read it in an evening, really. Wed Nov 11 16:40:53 -0800 2009 5174155 105717 alkapal 2 5175631 Excuse me, but I think a great injustice has been done...no mention of Tyler Florence! I look at him and I think of...hmmm...maybe it's best to keep this PG-13! Speaking of Lidia, she's a slurper too. And I can't remember if it was her or Ina, but one of them used to bother me with their rather pronounced, heavy breathing. Thu Nov 12 08:48:13 -0800 2009 5172177 12045 gloriousfood 3 5175734 Ok, you can't compare Lydia B with anyone on food network - she is a great cook. I think Ina has the breathing issue, but she is a good cook too Thu Nov 12 09:16:43 -0800 2009 5175631 228219 wincountrygirl 3 5176099 mmmm, tyler florence Thu Nov 12 10:52:23 -0800 2009 5175631 12733 ChrisKC 3 5178139 lidia only slurps when she means to slurp -- a hot liquid or whatever. with ina and jacques, it is a breathing issue, i think. and tyler florence....well, he doesn't send me over the moon. too bad we don't have any real handsome chefs on tv. who is the handsomest? not todd english. eric ripert...a little effeminate....um, ming tsai, nah...... i liked that guy who found all the foods around the world (not gordon elliot, but the younger, tall, blonde-ish guy). come on ladies, help me out, here. edit: i mean, here's what i'm talking about:http://www.yumsugar.com/534769 what kind of a field is that? here's my #1: jim o'connor. that's his name. http://www.foodnetwork.com/jim-oconnor/index.html the name of his show was "the secret life of..." bobby flay has grown on me, but he's not my type. plus, he's got man-b**bs. <tip to bobby: don't wear clingy knits, bro'!> Fri Nov 13 05:43:26 -0800 2009 5175631 105717 alkapal 4 5178350 We'll try and line you up with Heston Blumethal. He seems to fit your major criteria. Fri Nov 13 07:09:59 -0800 2009 5178139 154622 Paulustrious 5 5178364 this guy? http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=heston%20blumenthal&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi no thanks. by the way, i don't know of any "criteria" in my previous post -- other than "no man boobs" and "not effeminate." i guess i need to watch the iron chef challengers more often. hmmmm. maybe there will be some good lookin' ones there, huh? here's a list for me to check out, the top ten hottest chefs: http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-hottest-chefs-alive heck, after checking them out, i wonder what those "criteria" were! the best of that pack is clearly jean-georges. Fri Nov 13 07:13:51 -0800 2009 5178350 105717 alkapal 6 5178373 What's the problem, al? Not into guys who view the world through their Magic Mirrors? http://aphear.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/heston-blumenthal2.jpg Fri Nov 13 07:16:46 -0800 2009 5178364 1104013 Normandie 7 5178429 "ground control to major tom" Fri Nov 13 07:33:00 -0800 2009 5178373 105717 alkapal 8 5178520 We shouldn't be so catty. He looks like a perfectly nice man in the photo, if just a tad overwraught with molecular gastronomy. Fri Nov 13 08:01:30 -0800 2009 5178429 1104013 Normandie 9 5178530 oh, i'm not saying he isn't a perfectly fine person; it's just that he is not my cup (or foam?) of tea. Fri Nov 13 08:02:59 -0800 2009 5178520 105717 alkapal 10 5178543 Please. This is a serious cooking forum. Use the proper terminology: Espuma de te. (Apologies for not knowing how to make that little accent mark with my keyboard.) Fri Nov 13 08:08:04 -0800 2009 5178530 1104013 Normandie 11 5178567 on a mac, it is option+e, then type the letter you want to accent. for accent grave, option+` key (see, up there in the upper left, under the escape key), then the letter. i've bookmarked this handy-dandy chart: http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codemac.html Fri Nov 13 08:14:00 -0800 2009 5178543 105717 alkapal 6 5178447 Yes - but he is far better live than as a still picture. Looks a bit like me actually. What can I say? Fri Nov 13 07:40:42 -0800 2009 5178364 154622 Paulustrious 7 5178464 i hope you don't have those glasses, paulustrious! ;-). or the space module.... ~~~~ i just thought of who is the cutest chef on tv: john besh, who also looks better in motion than in his still shots. and, most important, he seems to be a super nice guy. Fri Nov 13 07:45:19 -0800 2009 5178447 105717 alkapal 4 5178469 W/the exception of Tyler and Dave Lieberman, no one on this list is "it" for me. There's some chef from Canada who gets some love on these boards (Curtis something), but he always reminds me of a furry Ewok. JOC is cute in that All-American way but that's about it. I actually sort of dig Mr. Neely of the Neelys. And I would vote for Ina's husband, Jeffrey, as the cutest male spouse of a chef. Fri Nov 13 07:47:05 -0800 2009 5178139 12045 gloriousfood 5 5178482 jeffrey winning that accolade is like awarding my biscuits third place when there is only one entrant in the biscuit category. in other words, who else do we have to compare? actually, i sort of resent him on ina's behalf. he never really seems to express his love and appreciation for what she clearly loves to do for him. plus, he eats like a hog. ~~~~~ i agree; mr. neely does have a nice manner about him. he is thoughtful, loving, calm, funny, smart, attentive. and he adores gina! they have a great love story. (i saw one of those biography shows on them). Fri Nov 13 07:50:41 -0800 2009 5178469 105717 alkapal 6 5178534 <<jeffrey winning that accolade is like awarding my biscuits third place when there is only one entrant in the biscuit category.>> That's it! I'm howling now. DH is here teleworking, right next to me. He wants to know what has me in such stitches. Thanks for nothing, al. If I don't tell him why I'm guffawing, he'll think I'm up to no good here; if I do tell him, he'll never take me seriously about anything, again. :-D Fri Nov 13 08:03:37 -0800 2009 5178482 1104013 Normandie 6 5178576 I also saw the Neelys bio--what a great story! I agree w/everything you wrote about Mr. N. He's a real gem. A man who's good looking, adores his wife, *and* can cook like that? Hello!!! As for Jeffrey's competitors, well, there's RR's husband (bleh) and Giada's husband (meh). Oh and Mr. Paula Deen (no comment). You know what--you're right. Jeffrey has *no* competition. Fri Nov 13 08:16:47 -0800 2009 5178482 12045 gloriousfood 7 5178609 rr's hubbie -- nope. child-like, plus a little unrefined. a fellow hound at miami's south beach food and wine event says that he's got a real roving eye, too. chump! gdl's hubbie -- nope. insipid. mr. paula deen -- nope as to looks, but i think he's a nice guy. from her memoir, paula says that he probably saved her life (figuratively). ~~~~ i am really wasting time today. i started looking up pictures of daisy martinez's husband, but found this instead: her recipe for chocolate chile cake http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/daisy-martinez/chocolate-chile-cake-recipe/index.html so....this post is *finally* food-related ;-)). i always figure when the spouse is all over the tv program, it means that they can shift more income from the production company to the family. Fri Nov 13 08:27:45 -0800 2009 5178576 105717 alkapal 8 5178965 "a fellow hound at miami's south beach food and wine event says that he's got a real roving eye, too. chump!" if it's only his eye that roves, who cares? as the kashmiris liked to remind me every chance they got - looking is free. if it's more than his eye - well then it's between him and RR to work out how they feel about it Fri Nov 13 10:09:12 -0800 2009 5178609 135229 thew 9 5178986 well, i'd say, thew, that you and i have vastly different concepts of marriage and fidelity. Fri Nov 13 10:18:25 -0800 2009 5178965 105717 alkapal 10 5179065 so looking isn't allowed? or are you saying that how they decided to be married is our concern? Fri Nov 13 10:40:16 -0800 2009 5178986 135229 thew 7 5179564 How about Ina's friend, TR. Yes, I know he's gay but he's hot. And Pat Neely seems sooooo in love with Gina. I adore him! Fri Nov 13 13:11:10 -0800 2009 5178576 189144 dmjordan 5 5178589 easy to be cute when you spend the lion's share of your time living away from home (ever wonder about his secretary? - i do...) Fri Nov 13 08:19:32 -0800 2009 5178469 135229 thew 6 5178673 I'm not sure if he's made a change in the last 5 years, but his secretary when he was Dean of the Yale School of Management was a young man. Though I guess that doesn't rule anything out. Fri Nov 13 08:52:22 -0800 2009 5178589 36408 danieljdwyer 2 5178760 I've noticed that about AB too, especially on the promos for Next Iron Chef. He does look a little haggard, kind of like "Lurch". Fri Nov 13 09:15:21 -0800 2009 5172177 233294 cuccubear 3 5178773 that's it, cuccs: LURCH!!!!** http://foodnetworkhumor.com/2009/08/alton-brown-is-skinny/ here, alton looks much better with some fat on his bones, appearing as "alton scissorhands" or "knifehands" -- whatever. http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d94/cbgblena/?action=view&current=alton-brown-knives.jpg&newest=1 **dang, looky here, lurch was a hottie: http://www.news-journalonline.com/special/snapshots/2008/092908.htm Fri Nov 13 09:18:18 -0800 2009 5178760 105717 alkapal 4 5178797 If you say so LOL, definitely not my type ;-) Fri Nov 13 09:23:49 -0800 2009 5178773 233294 cuccubear 1 5174515 I grew up eating italian food, and for that reason I love watching Giada's show, I think she is a beautiful lady and one that can cook, tried a lot of her recipes and they were very good. Can't say anything about Rachel Ray because cannot stand her (BTW what's the connection between Rachel and Oprah?). I watch Paula Deen's show for fun, even though I think sometimes she goes a ittle too far. She is originally from Albany, Georgia, where my father-in-law is from, and my husband's family says (they don't talk like her) that her accent is a litlle bit too much, I have her books and some of her magazines but tried maybe only a couple of recipes, I like to cook healthier. Wed Nov 11 19:23:10 -0800 2009 5163280 1123796 TexasSage 2 5175563 Oprah had RR on her show a number of times and thought enough of RR to give her her own show. The Rachel Ray Show is produced by Oprah's production company. Thu Nov 12 08:32:28 -0800 2009 5174515 10195 KTinNYC 1 5184824 ladies, ladies, ladies! tonight is the debut of the hottest tv chef: chef jean-christophe novelli -- on bravo. the show is "chef academy." http://www.bravotv.com/chef-academy/videos/a-surprise-test (i just heard he was voted "world's sexiest chef"). Mon Nov 16 04:16:18 -0800 2009 5163280 105717 alkapal