Cooking Channel's new show Big Cheese is kinda cheesey. No?

[Midlife]

Caught what may have been the premiere episode of this the other day and was immediately reminded a lot of some of Alton Brown's schtick. With Alton now moved to Food Channel are we teetering at the top of a slippery slope here?

I guess I just have a problem with over-the-top, sortof slapstick comedy in cooking shows. I still can't take watching Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen for the same reason. Now, maybe it was Nadia G's Bitchen Kitchen.................... but I've been down that road before on this board. Anyway, ot started out with an Alton-like bit that made me switch the channel immediately. I came back to it a while later and things seemed to have calmed down quite a bit. Has anyone seen this show yet?

Comments?

[paulj]

I'm watching Big Cheese now. I've seen a number cheese segments on other shows (e.g. making Manchego in Spain), but it's nice to see one where the host has professional experience with cheese. The style does not strike me as over-the-top. The host isn't a Rudy Maxa or Mark Bittman, but that's ok.

[paulj]

I'm just watching Baron Ambrosia, which is a Bitchin' DDD, Bronx style.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Ambrosia

I've got to make the Portuguese dry soup, Açorda de Marisco, that he found at a Neward marisqueria.
http://www.njdiningguide.net/Seabras/...

[Midlife]

Just noticed The Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia on the cable guide. Watched the last half of an episode where Baron is in search of the Jersey Devil. Um--m-m..................... kinda left me speechless, but somehow it wasn't as bad as I find Nadia. And yes, I agree that it's a takeoff on DDD (and also Mans vs. Food).

I would have to conclude that supposedly intelligent cable network people determined that this kind of 'sketch comedy cooking' format is a way to keep audience interest, or maybe attract an audience that finds "normal" cooking shows too dry. I know I'm getting along in years, but I just keep wondering if we aren't truly witnessing the decline of civilization as we know it............ or is that just too dramatic a perspective?

[paulj]

I enjoyed it for 2 reasons:
- I learned about about dish that I'd like to try
- I like some of his humor, and laughed quite a bit. Even the visual effect at end where he 'swallowed the elevated train' caught my fancy. May be that's because I'm a partial fan of Monty Python.

It appears that's he's been producing programming like this for some time, and CC is testing it to see how it flies with their audience.

[J. Sexton]

I think the show is great. Unlike Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern (in whose steps few viewers could afford to follow), BA offers his viewers food centric travelogues that they could easily emulate. I think this show - and the one he did that was broadcast in a NY/regional market, Bronx Flavor - shows people how to find the cool local food scenes right under their noses. Plus, he's pretty hilarious