When will the reality shows end?

Feeling slightly sluggish on a rainy day, I decided to watch a Food Network marathon expecting to gain some new culinary knowledge. Unfortunately, what I was presented with, instead, was a series of really bad reality shows that have very little to do with food.

I’m sure Hell’s Kitchen, the “Next Food Network Star” and all the Food Network Challenges make for really good television, but they’re not really showing the world what’s happening on the culinary scene. It’s all become a very trashy array of shows where wannabe cooks are being embarrassed in front of their peers. An hour long show now revolves around the screaming matches between the chefs and not around the wonderful dishes they’re trying to put together. I don’t care if there’s drama between the competitors in a competition, I want to see their imagination at work and their ideas (and of course steal all the good ones).

I miss seeing Julia Child (I’m aware that can’t quite happen), Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver, Alton Brown and the likes of these great television chefs that have taught us something about what we can do with food. I don’t want to watch Guy Fieri devour approximately 5000 calories in one bite while showcasing what seems to be the greasiest food found in the States. Or the “lovely” Paula Deen putting Miracle Whip on deep fried processed cheese skewers. I’m tired of having to visually ingest crap! One really good this is that Rachel Ray quit showing the world her “culinary” skills in mixing a series of canned products in order to create boring dishes within 30 minutes.

Anyways, I’m sorry for my rant, but I felt I really needed to get my opinion across and see if I’m alone. I’m even considering boycotting the Food Network and resorting to what has been my inspiration for years: good ol’ fashion cookbooks!