I love cooking shows. I mean, I used to sit through wacky Chef Wan and his antics from years ago. I even watch (if there’s nothing else on TV) some boring RTM production – you know, the type where everything looks OLD and the lighting’s all yellow and the women look too pasty for words. But heck, I sit through THOSE too because I watch for the food, not the stilted host!
But then, TV became so sexy and food was the new sex (please correct me if I am wrong). All of a sudden, everyone’s popping up and declaring themselves cooking maestros.
Now I watch because the host is cute/sexy/funny and food comes second. Most times, the food isn’t that tantalising either as many of these hosts/cooks are rather slapdash. Nic’s biggest grouse is that these people/hosts/chefs do not ‘respect the food’ they are cooking with!
My favourite used to be Bourdain, yes that sunken-eyed, chainsmoking American with the French connection. He was the most sarcastic thing on Channel 11. He still is, though but he seems a bit bored. Maybe too much of food is a bad thing!
Now I watch Nigella of Nigella Bites and
Kylie Kwong of heck, Kylie Kwong.Now Nigella is one sultry thing in the kitchen. Look at me. I’m a woman for heavens’ sakes and I still adore watching this busomy lass do her thing in her kitchen! I wonder how many men tune in?! What I simply like is her ability to toss her black curls and smile her most bewitching, and add sinful chocolate/butter/lard into her recipes. She’s definitely NOT one for the dieting masses. And she’s not afraid to tell you why either. In her typical Brit way, she’ll say, with a mad twinkle in her eyes, “It’s simply not the same!” Her food is food for the soul. It’s rich, it’s comforting and it spells heaven.At the other end of sexy is Kylie Kwong. Not sexy in Nigella fashion but elegant, simple and understandable Chinese cooking with a panache that’s hard to rival. (Though I am quite sick of how studio-like her kitchen looks. I would not place my books near the oven, hardcover or not.) I watch Kylie not so much for her Chinese stirfries or her fusion of Australian-Chinese cuisine but for the way she makes food look …erm… exciting. Very exciting. Even ‘chow mein’ looks super delicious.
Sometimes I like that rolly-polly Aussie chef in ‘Never Trust a Skinny Cook’. Forget his name but he’s fun! His forte is not Asian food but then again, he’s cooking for an Aussie audience. But his food is more palatable than Jamie Oliver or Floyd.
So who is your fave TV chef?
haha…i like jamie oliver now… i still like wok wui yen? the one before yen can cook, and mrs. fong… Fong Tai…~ i dun like the taiwan ah hong, as sibeh gay… felt geli…!
Jamie Oliver! Just finished the series Jamie’s kitchen on tv and caught a couple of Oliver Twist episodes. Fun to watch. He’s so cute and he comes across as so very nice, even to those lazy apprentices who should be booted out. Local : bubbly Chef Wan, his mile-a-minute talk spices up the show. Once i saw him in a program where he’s so serious… didn’t like it at all. Bubbly suits him. Serious : out.
HI Lydia, But I cannot stand his lisp! He does come across as engaging and fun in the kitchen but he’s rather mad with his cooking. Have you caught Ah Huang Food Tour on TV? That guy looks so effeminate these days that it’s beginning to be quite scary. I think he even wears gloss on his lips.
as i told u, ah hong, not ah huang lar.. he is a gay, he wear lip gloss, and when he wear shirt, he openned up his few buttons! jamie oliver’s book selling in kinokuniya, more than rm100~ but very very nice pictures inside…
The cooknengr on TV3 when I have my own cooking show. Oh yah, I will wear your ” still in progress” attire for sex appeal ..:)
Hi Hoyoyi,
Thank you haha. Nic told me that Ah Hong must be gay..the way he dresses and talks on TV. But I remember that a few years back, Ah Hong was still straight. He looked so much better then.
Hello Cooknegr,
Cannot find the right pattern yet lar! Wear it and get burned by the oil splattering 😉
Nigella dawson’s cooking is pure poetry. Just watching her cook is art. She knows she’s good looking. She knows her family is in to cooking. She knows she has wealthy husband. She knew all her advantages and she played the game well. And the way they film her cooking is so ‘real’ it had me slurping back in a few stringy drops of saliva..
Yes, I’ve watched Ah Hong a couple of times. I did suspect that he’s gay. Once I saw him touching a stocky chap and the guy sort of flinched away from Ah Hong.
Jamie’s lisp is kinda cute.