I have always loved food. Its kind of obvious when you see me, the belly is large because the food goes in. Unlike a lot of larger people, my girth isnt caused by junk food, or alcohol, just volumes of food. I have never really been a fan of junk food, aside from the rare binge on KFC or maccas in my younger days, most of the food I eat, I have either cooked for myself, or comes from relatively decent restaurants. Consequently, my palate can be quite demanding. So, it follows, I have always had my inner food critic, which monitors what I am eating, in order to decide whether a destination is worth coming back to.
Over the past few years though, there has been a massive run of foodie tv shows. Awesome shows such as Top Chef andHell’s Kitchen and (admittedly one i havent watched) Australia’s Master Chef where we see chefs competing and being judged for their efforts by a panel of food critics and distinguished chefs. Also in food tv, there has been an increase in general food shows that discuss the joy of either food preparation ie: Heston Blumenthal’s In Search of Perfection or Gordon Ramsays Cookalong or just purely the joy of good food (one of my current faves) Man V Food (I may do an entry purely on this show later if anyone is interested.)
The result of all these great shows is for me twofold.
One, it gives me great ideas to try in my own kitchen. I have always loved cooking, now that I have my big shiny house with its excellent sized kitchen it is even more of a joy. I also especially love being able to present food that looks and tastes fantastic. Getting new ideas for food combinations and also new techniques that I can manage at home is something I always appreciate, and these shows deliver that in buckets.
The other result, is something I only really came to understand last night, when out with friends, getting particularly bad service and for the most part average or below food. I have always had that “inner critic” which has let me say this is good, or this is bad, but now, I can go beyond that. I can not only express my distaste, I can be more specific. I can state that this meat is overdone, or that there is too much seasoning. With the added experimentation I have been trying from various shows, I can even identify some of the herbs and spices that may be too intense or lacking. My culinary understanding has been increased and along with it, my vocabulary. No longer is it just - I do not like this, or - This is fantastic! - Nowadays when I judge a meal, I can not only give my general feeling, but also the reasoning behind it.
So who says television is not educational.
0 Responses to “Everyones a food critic”