Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad
One look at me, and it’s obvious that food is a big – perhaps TOO big – part of my enjoyment of life. That includes my time on the move, traveling, which I’m preparing to do later this month. Looking at our itinerary, I’m already looking forward to making a couple of stops at places I’ve seen on the Travel Channel.
TC has three shows on their prime time lineup devoted largely to food at various locations around the country and around the world. Two of them – Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” and Andrew Zimmern’s “Bizarre Foods” – are really, REALLY good, and encourage me to set my feet and my palate along the paths they have followed. Then there’s then there’s Adam Richman’s “Man vs. Food” … oh, well – two outta three ain’t bad.
In some ways, all three are alike .. each has a camera-friendly host inviting the audience to join them on their personal journey of culinary discovery. None of them forget us here, on the other end of the camera lens, and there are more than a few asides to us – winks and nods, arched eyebrows and sotto voce comments.
But there are other, significant ways that Bourdain’s and Zimmern’s shows differ from Richman’s. And that’s where I part company with fans of “Man vs. Food.” Bourdain and Zimmern, for all their personality and all their camera time, manage to keep the focus on the food, while Richman manages to keep the focus on himself. For Bourdain and Zimmern, food – and what they can learn from its preparation and service – is the real star of their show, while for Richman, the real star is him and how much food he can cram down. For Bourdain and Zimmern, food is celebration, while for Richman it is a competitive event. For Bourdain and Zimmern, food is a practice in discovery and hospitality, while for Zimmern it is a practice in gluttony.
I enjoy the cutaways on Bourdain’s and Zimmern’s shows, with quick shots of some interested locals watching the proceedings. I find the pre-arranged crowds on Richman’s show with their forced (cued?) yee-HAW’ing and woo-HOO’ing less than appetizing.
When all is said and done, I find myself wanting to visit the locations Bourdain and Zimmern visited … so far, I have found their recommendation and observations to have been spot-on. Not so with Richman … at least not yet. During one episode of his show, he visited a place that had been a campus hangout of mine during my college years, where I had spent many, MANY hours drinking coffee, eating one of their famous sweet rolls, catching up on reading assignments and cramming for exams – I hardly recognized the place from its portrayal on television as a Mecca for enthusiasts of huge, belly-busting entrees.
But you know what the neat thing is? Television viewing is a matter of personal choice. I an turn it off, I can turn it on, I can change the channel, I can read a book, and I can get the heck off the couch and get out of the house. For now, at least, I still look forward to my next serving of “No Reservations” and “Bizarre Foods.” “Man vs. Food?” I’ll pass, thanks.
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Hey Jeff – Good piece. I somewhat disagree with you here, but only somewhat, and not for the reasons you might expect. The only one of the three shows I watch is Man Vs. Food. I have intended to watch Bourdain’s show but haven’t caught it. I can’t watch Bizarre Foods because it grosses me out, honestly. I can’t watch people eating nasty things. When we first started watching MvF a few years back, it annoyed me. Richman’s schtick was pretty goofy and he seemed to lose most of the challenges. But then I got into it. I am fascinated by the giant sandwiches and crazy spicy food challenges. There is far less of me than there used to be, but I was always able to pack away the food in pretty good quantities when I was motivated. I often wonder how I would do on some of those challenges.
By the way, Richman stopped doing the challenges himself a year or two ago. The next show was Man Vs. Food Nation, where someone else would do the challenge and Adam was more like a coach/cheerleader. The show has actually ended now, and he is about to have a new show that does not involve stuffing himself.
Anyway, the show that really motivates me to seek out new places is Top Chef. I haven’t made it to any of the places I want to go yet, but I do intend to visit the restaurants of some of those chefs, particularly the ones from Top Chef Masters.
Oh, thanks a lot, Alan … I go and get a good rant started, and you have to bring up the FACTS!
Seriously, though, after reading your comment, I went back and checked the episodes of MvF running this week … and sure enough, none of them were produced this year, or last year. And speaking of facts, whatever I may feel about the show, TC is a business, and they must have the numbers to make a good business case for continuing to run MvF, and now MvF Nation.
We definitely agree on Top Chef! I’ve been a big fan since their first season. Haven’t made it to a Top Chef restaurant yet … though I was in Philly a while back, and did have dinner at Tinto, Jose Garces’ restaurant, shortly after he had won the Next Iron Chef America competition on Food Network … a GREAT evening!
My wife and I have eaten at Tinto. Tremendous!