Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Finally. My husband admits the truth.

Out of the blue the other day, my husband tells me that "he has to admit" that after watching Rachel Ray for a while, he has begun to find her annoying.

Thank you. That's all I wanted to hear.

For the longest time now, my husband has pretended that she's not so annoying and teased me about my feelings for her. But alas, in the end, even HE is not impervious to the fake laugh.

On a similar note, my sister recently checked out a family style cookbook written by Ina Garten. I flipped through the book and the recipes looked pretty darn good. In fact, my sister has made the standing rib roast twice now, and let me tell you - it's damn good.

But the thing that struck me first when I was reading her notes and introduction, was this: she doesn't seem as stuck up when you read what she's saying versus seeing her on television. (My sister said she thought the same exact thing when she was reading it.)

So, when I think about it, I realize it's the impression of being fake or being a snob that makes me dislike those two cooking shows. And it's too bad. Because who doesn't need to know how to make a good meal quickly, or how to entertain in the Hamptons?

No, really, they both seem like fine cooks. But, I guess what I perceive as parts of their character matters enough to me. Enough to make me change channels when I see Rachel beaming out at me with unnatural joy over cooking a thirty-minute meal.

6 comments:

vlb5757 said...

I concur with your hubby. I change the channel when I see Sandra Lee, Rachael Ray and now Emeril. I am not fond of Bobby Flay either. I like the shows that aren't about celebrity chefs. I like Recipe for Success and The Best Of. They used to have this Aussie guy (I think he was from there) who explored cuisines all around the world. I never see it anymore. I have to admit that I do love most of Paula Deen's shows. She is from the South and so am I so I just crack up of her butter with a side of butter recipes. Course, I am not allowed to cook like that but I am totally happy for those who still can. I feel so at peace that I can say it out loud that I am not wild about Rachael Ray or however you spell her name...

Dawn said...

I like the older episodes of Recipe for Success, The Best of, Unwrapped, America's Test Kitchen (love that show!), and I do like Paula Deen. She's keeping dairies across the US in business with her butter consumption! In fact, right now, I'm using a recipe for her Cherry Cream Cheese Tarts as a bookmark. They are SOO good. And my favorite thing is that it's so simple.

Kristi said...

I totally agree. Have you seen the older episodes of 30 minute meals? RR is actually much more subdued, and normal, and doesn't yell or paste on that fakey-fake smile constantly either. And speaking of fakey-fake smiles-Giada, anyone? Does she have 1,000 teeth in her mouth?
I, too, love Paula Deen. And Ina usually doesn't bother me too much. And Dave Lieberman? mmmm... I like him too.

Dawn said...

Giada does smile a lot! I saw one show, it was one of those behind the scenes type shows, and I could only take about 5 minutes and then I had to change the channel. She was insanely happy!

Armchair Cook said...

Interesting observation about Ina; I totally agree. I watched a Chefography about Ina the other night and she really seems like a cool person. It's too bad she comes across as such a snob on her show.

Anonymous said...

Rather than simply link to someone else's photo, why don't you link to their article?

In this case, the article was from the excellent Superchefblog and the title (hyperlinked) was "Rachael Ray Every Day from Readers Digest.