Another Cooking Channel report from Globe and Mail

This article was published late February (and yes, I have been going through newspapers slowly). Personally I have no problem with another food channel (the more the merrier, as long as they are not just re-runs). We have PVR so a 24-hour channel really doesn't matter to us.

What bothers me is certain terms used in the article, especially the phrase "food p@rn". I find it extremely offensive. Since I can't even bring myself to type this term, let's just call it FP.

I don't understand why some people think the current food tv is flooded with programs which only show you the fancy food you can not make at home. If you are content with frozen food, sure, that's out of your scope. When I was a student, I lived on KD just like many others. However, if you are interested in food and hand-on, it just comes naturally that you want to learn more about cooking. For me, it's so much easier to watch TV than to follow a recipe book; you get to see how to execute each step and how the food should turn out (e.g. Consistency of the sauce).

Obviously you can't learn much from reality shows such as Iron Chef America. You can, however, learn to prepare food from shows such as "Chef At Home", "Ricardo and Friends" and "Tyler's Ultimate", just to name a few. Those shows cover a lot of basics with interesting recipes. Actually the most informative shows by far are "Cook Like A Chef" and "Good Eats", some episodes do make me wonder "Who's going to do that at home?" That being said, I enjoy watching all those shows and get inspired to experiment in my own kitchen.

Now to think about it, if cooking something "out of ordinary" is FP, Ms Julia Child ought to be "the first lady of FP" in North America history because her work encouraged so many of us to fantasize about food. There are super FP stars who are known for their uber-cutting-edged, artsy creations. Examples are Ferran Adrià(El Bulli), Grant Achatz(Alinea) and Heston Blumenthal(The Fat Duck). Let's just say that the tools and substances they use and the complexity of their work discourage the mass from trying. Like the real p@rn which cater to different audience, there are FP stars who are classically-trained, they emphasize that things need to be "done properly" for the ultimate pleasure. Oh and of course, there are tv hosts who show you how to cook at home. They always like to tell you just relax and enjoy it.

Can we get any more DISRESPECTFUL than this? There are so many people who devote their life on perfecting their skills, to make delicious food (and pleasant for the eyes). They go through vigorous training, long hours of shifts with relatively low pay. Without the passion for food, I doubt this is a desired career path.
In my opinion that article doesn't provide any valid information; just a collection of quotations from various sources. Maybe that's why the author was eager to use provocative words to draw our attention, be it good or bad.