I'm not a chef, but I play one on TV!
As a professional chef, I'm constantly battling misconceptions about my profession from the general public. I'm always willing to educate Joe Consumer about food and/or the food profession, because I have plenty to say. I also have plenty of "beefs" Ha!
Pardon the pun.
What's my beef today? Well, that would be the "food personality" phenomenon known as Rachael Ray. Never mind the hard working certified, professional, talented, innovative, "done their time in the trenches" chefs that have come and gone and had mild success on the Food Network and other channels, like Anthony Bourdain, Mario Batali, Sara Moulton, Jacques Torres, et al. The Food Network and other "TV Heads" aren't necessarily concerned with "food talent", but "TV Talent". You could be the worlds greatest chef, but if you had an "unmarketable personality" (whatever that is) or are a wee bit homely looking it wouldn't make a bit of difference....they'll pass you by in favor of people like......Ms. Ray. She has what it takes to make it in TV.....a bubbly-til-it-makes-you-gag personality, good looks, and most importantly, the savvy to know how to put some cheese on a Triscuit and make the average American think it's a great new idea.
Sadly, the average American doesn't really have the time to cook anymore, and public knowledge of cooking basics is becoming harder to find. Today's kids are taught cooking basics by busy parents who rely almost entirely on the microwave. Ask a kid to make some mac 'n cheese and he'll look for the convenience pack in the pantry to nuke for 3 minutes. Saute? Braise? Poach? Chiffonade? Julienne? All these terms are foreign to more and more people. I thought food shows were to educate folks about the fun and beauty of cooking, not to reinforce the "mac in the microwave" lifestyle that is ruining our health today. The "food dumbing down" of Americans will not do them any favors in the long run. Rachael has become the new whore for Nabisco...what better way to promote convenience foods and 30 Minute Meals than to team up with the company that makes them? It's a marriage made in heaven.
There's an article in Slate, called In Defense of Rachael Ray but that "defense" is lame at best. Rachael Ray is simply a "manufactured" and marketed celebrity, similar to Milli Vanilli, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and the Spice Girls....oh wait, let's not forget the newest marketable sensation.....The Pussycat Dolls. I see REAL musicians....talented, with so much more to offer the public, playing for pennies in the streets. I see them playing the bar circuit because they haven't kissed the right butts or been in exactly the right place at the right time, or because they don't fit a "genre" or an "image". They get passed by, and who suffers? The public. Luckily though, the internet has made it far easier for people to find these great talents....they can share their music with a wide global audience and get the exposure they deserve.....the sad thing is, where's the money they deserve too?
It's a similar thing for us food professionals. It's really hard for us to sit and watch people like Rachael Ray telling the public about the miracle of going out and buying ice cream and Hershey's Syrup and then coming home and dumping said sauce on ice cream. She's getting paid BIG MONEY to shill.....even worse, she's referred to as a "chef".
PLEASE!!!
We chefs work our freakin' BUTTS OFF. We're making the sauce....we're making the ice cream. We get paid SHIT.
We are the ones who possess skill and talent, but the nature of the food industry does not allow us hardly even a living wage because people are willing to pay only so much for food. Restaurants can only charge what the market will bear. It's hard enough to keep a restaurant afloat......food workers can't ask for, and don't get high wages because labor is one of the highest expenses in the restaurant business anyway. Restaurateurs operate on very slim margins generally. It's a tough business. Mostly, we are a prideful bunch. We do what we do, because we were foolish enough to follow our bliss rather than to follow the almighty dollar. We have a passion for our work and defend it vociferously.
How would the medical association feel if the dude who played "House" on FOX had a medical advice show?
It would be a sham. It is similar to how I feel as a chef, to see manufactured celebrities dishing out cooking advice because they are pretty and bubbly rather than being skilled and educated in their craft. It's a sham.
If anything, there should be disclaimers on any media appearance of Rachael Ray stressing that she is NOT a chef, because it REALLY insults those of us who are.
Boycott Rachael Ray.
Pardon the pun.
What's my beef today? Well, that would be the "food personality" phenomenon known as Rachael Ray. Never mind the hard working certified, professional, talented, innovative, "done their time in the trenches" chefs that have come and gone and had mild success on the Food Network and other channels, like Anthony Bourdain, Mario Batali, Sara Moulton, Jacques Torres, et al. The Food Network and other "TV Heads" aren't necessarily concerned with "food talent", but "TV Talent". You could be the worlds greatest chef, but if you had an "unmarketable personality" (whatever that is) or are a wee bit homely looking it wouldn't make a bit of difference....they'll pass you by in favor of people like......Ms. Ray. She has what it takes to make it in TV.....a bubbly-til-it-makes-you-gag personality, good looks, and most importantly, the savvy to know how to put some cheese on a Triscuit and make the average American think it's a great new idea.
Sadly, the average American doesn't really have the time to cook anymore, and public knowledge of cooking basics is becoming harder to find. Today's kids are taught cooking basics by busy parents who rely almost entirely on the microwave. Ask a kid to make some mac 'n cheese and he'll look for the convenience pack in the pantry to nuke for 3 minutes. Saute? Braise? Poach? Chiffonade? Julienne? All these terms are foreign to more and more people. I thought food shows were to educate folks about the fun and beauty of cooking, not to reinforce the "mac in the microwave" lifestyle that is ruining our health today. The "food dumbing down" of Americans will not do them any favors in the long run. Rachael has become the new whore for Nabisco...what better way to promote convenience foods and 30 Minute Meals than to team up with the company that makes them? It's a marriage made in heaven.
There's an article in Slate, called In Defense of Rachael Ray but that "defense" is lame at best. Rachael Ray is simply a "manufactured" and marketed celebrity, similar to Milli Vanilli, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and the Spice Girls....oh wait, let's not forget the newest marketable sensation.....The Pussycat Dolls. I see REAL musicians....talented, with so much more to offer the public, playing for pennies in the streets. I see them playing the bar circuit because they haven't kissed the right butts or been in exactly the right place at the right time, or because they don't fit a "genre" or an "image". They get passed by, and who suffers? The public. Luckily though, the internet has made it far easier for people to find these great talents....they can share their music with a wide global audience and get the exposure they deserve.....the sad thing is, where's the money they deserve too?
It's a similar thing for us food professionals. It's really hard for us to sit and watch people like Rachael Ray telling the public about the miracle of going out and buying ice cream and Hershey's Syrup and then coming home and dumping said sauce on ice cream. She's getting paid BIG MONEY to shill.....even worse, she's referred to as a "chef".
PLEASE!!!
We chefs work our freakin' BUTTS OFF. We're making the sauce....we're making the ice cream. We get paid SHIT.
We are the ones who possess skill and talent, but the nature of the food industry does not allow us hardly even a living wage because people are willing to pay only so much for food. Restaurants can only charge what the market will bear. It's hard enough to keep a restaurant afloat......food workers can't ask for, and don't get high wages because labor is one of the highest expenses in the restaurant business anyway. Restaurateurs operate on very slim margins generally. It's a tough business. Mostly, we are a prideful bunch. We do what we do, because we were foolish enough to follow our bliss rather than to follow the almighty dollar. We have a passion for our work and defend it vociferously.
How would the medical association feel if the dude who played "House" on FOX had a medical advice show?
It would be a sham. It is similar to how I feel as a chef, to see manufactured celebrities dishing out cooking advice because they are pretty and bubbly rather than being skilled and educated in their craft. It's a sham.
If anything, there should be disclaimers on any media appearance of Rachael Ray stressing that she is NOT a chef, because it REALLY insults those of us who are.
Boycott Rachael Ray.
Comments
its nice to hear someone say this! i can't stand her either. i like your idea of the disclaimers since she is just a personality.
i have a suggestion-- can we please call it extra virgin olive oil again??