While the saas bahu saga was keeping the country in salivating hypnosis over petty family squabbles, early morning makeup and garish sarees a quite revolution was taking place in Indian television…..food shows are the new rage of the idiot box.
It started with a few shows on Discovery Travel and Living and now you can pick any lifestyle, news or family channel, at any time of the day or night and are bound to come across atleast one food oriented show…..in the kitchen or out.
There are new stars around the block and you me and any Tom Dick and Harry could be the next in line. There is Anthony Bourdain, Kylie Kwong, Vir Sanghvi, Anjum Anand, a couple of unknowns (to me) on NDTV Good Times, a few hosts on various news channels (whose only qualification as traveling food critics is their VERY ample girth), sure proof that the job needs no skill other than the ability to ooh and aah over all types of delectable but more often than not disgustingly ugly food.
I am a self confessed loyalist of Nigella Feasts. My husband complains of multiple reruns that I insist on watching even though I could regurgitate the days’ recipes within seconds of the beginning of the show. There is something thoroughly reassuring about:
1) watching someone else slog away in the kitchen (with no sweat, dirty utensils, cuts and burns to mar the beauty of it all)
2)AND look like she eats atleast large portions of whatever she cooks if not the whole thing (are we in danger of passive calorie intake here???)
Ofcourse I could never imagine actually cooking any of the potentially heart attack inducing chocolate laden cakes, pastries, cookies etal that Ms. Lawson bakes in each episode….but who cares. The producers never imagined these as educational or cookery-tips show anyway!
Lately, I see that there is a subtle shift in Indian television programming towards more ‘meaningful’ issues (taking a very flexible view of meaningful) but cookery shows have me currently hooked, line and sinker.With a surfeit of self professed food critics vying to be on TV, I am totally spoilt for choice and consistently snub my nose at all manner of mindless programmes.
Long live 24 hour TV!!
It started with a few shows on Discovery Travel and Living and now you can pick any lifestyle, news or family channel, at any time of the day or night and are bound to come across atleast one food oriented show…..in the kitchen or out.
There are new stars around the block and you me and any Tom Dick and Harry could be the next in line. There is Anthony Bourdain, Kylie Kwong, Vir Sanghvi, Anjum Anand, a couple of unknowns (to me) on NDTV Good Times, a few hosts on various news channels (whose only qualification as traveling food critics is their VERY ample girth), sure proof that the job needs no skill other than the ability to ooh and aah over all types of delectable but more often than not disgustingly ugly food.
I am a self confessed loyalist of Nigella Feasts. My husband complains of multiple reruns that I insist on watching even though I could regurgitate the days’ recipes within seconds of the beginning of the show. There is something thoroughly reassuring about:
1) watching someone else slog away in the kitchen (with no sweat, dirty utensils, cuts and burns to mar the beauty of it all)
2)AND look like she eats atleast large portions of whatever she cooks if not the whole thing (are we in danger of passive calorie intake here???)
Ofcourse I could never imagine actually cooking any of the potentially heart attack inducing chocolate laden cakes, pastries, cookies etal that Ms. Lawson bakes in each episode….but who cares. The producers never imagined these as educational or cookery-tips show anyway!
Lately, I see that there is a subtle shift in Indian television programming towards more ‘meaningful’ issues (taking a very flexible view of meaningful) but cookery shows have me currently hooked, line and sinker.With a surfeit of self professed food critics vying to be on TV, I am totally spoilt for choice and consistently snub my nose at all manner of mindless programmes.
Long live 24 hour TV!!
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