Ive been consuming 4 to 5 hours a day of food and wine television, in two different languages, from 5 different countries. Excerpts from my notes: 1) Most presenters seem to lose their awkwardness on camera after presenting at least 5 seasons (Summation: this is bad for me as my television appearances are still in the double digits). Gladwells rule of 10,000 hours? 2) Few should be trusted on the food and wine of Italy. There is as much that is simply wrong as right said on television, regardless of hosts nationality. (Good for me, especially when it comes to Southern Italian food and wine: Im playing to my ONLY real strength). 3) Few strike the right format the first time out. Compare Blumenthal in his first ten years of television and then afterward. As a presenter hes stronger, as a product, his shows keep getting better. 4) Love of individual presenters is more trendy than discounted fashion. You can be in, then out very, very quickly. And like fashion, these trends are stated as if they were studied opinion versus just the observation and then aping of how others behave. Youre likely bored by the presenter you loved a year ago, and hate the your old favourite from just three years ago. 5) Watching Nigella one has to ask why there arent more curvy ladies on television. Ive never met a man that doesnt perk up at her name. There is too little VA VA VOOM of ample hips, of women that actual eat the foods they profess to. Italy is the worst on this one but the other countries are close seconds. Plus, not only the spatulas and oven mats are silicone. 6) The best presenters take the stance of just having learned something, that they are then excited to pass on. Fearnley Whittingstall is a great example of this. It makes him knowledgable but not snobby or pretentious. ( Im stealing this). 7) Keith Floyd, Rick Stein, Jeff Smith have made careers presenting for years without any real content, odd as number 7s sub rule is that the prettier the host, the less real content. (I define real content as other than I make this for my husband and the boys and they really love it, a concept closer to gossip than real information). 8) Only a fraction of show food shows today are really about food, versus food-based sporting events robotically featuring elimination rounds, tattooed cooks posing like thugs and the blanching of pig rectums. (This is either a blessing or a curse. Either its a great time to produce real content or the concept of food television with real food and information is dead or dying). 9) That youtube really is the worlds food and wine content presenter, an interesting moment in history as the channel doesnt produce anything itself.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 12:47:53 +0000