All That Flapping About Has To Stop
What a pleasant man that Rick Stein is. Only the other night, as I
tucked into Mrs Holmes' latest offering and flicked through the
channels before settling down with his show (yes, another TV
dinner) was I really made aware of this.
Pleasant-ish anyway. He seems a little heavy handed with his
ingredients at times -when they're still alive- for my taste but
I'm not overly worried by this. I think that's just twinges on my
part because I'm still feeling guilty about falling off the
vegetarian wagon. The pheasant shoot he went on recently still
sticks in my throat however.
BY
JOVE IT'S JOLLY JUNE!
Copyright The Quipping Queen 2005
CALENDAR OF ODD EVENTS
-- Eccentric events and odd occasions to .....
Last night, he was waxing lyrical about an upsurge in the nation's
enjoyment of Cornish sardines. When called pilchards, there was no
demand, no call for them. But Cornish sardines are a whole
different kettle of fish entirely. (Well, no they're not, they're
the same species.) It would appear the name change has added
romance and flavour.
He quite often enjoys going to the source of his dishes. Last
night's programme involved a trawler trip. I just wish he hadn't
pawed the fish, held them aloft, whilst they were still alive. The
dreadful flapping and the bulging eyes were a little off-putting. I
think this particular fish was wishing to god it was still called a
pilchard. Less demand, more time in the sea, it reasoned. Not
unreasonably'
All That Flapping About Has To Stop
What a pleasant man that Rick Stein is. Only the other night, as I
tucked into Mrs Holmes' latest offering and flicked through the
channels .....
I think it's his evident enjoyment in the whole cooking experience
that I find so endearing. An obvious enjoyment, whilst remaining
wholly down-to-earth is a winning combination. No airs and graces,
no nouvelle cuisine, just a man with a pleasant manner and a
straightforward recipe.
I was still pondering this today when I came across a snippet of
information regarding Jamie Oliver. In many ways, the antithesis of
Rick Stein. Tempting though it is, I'm not going to unleash on the
boy. He's got a lisp, he's the perfect example of a mockney, but
it's all been said before. Let's leave it. The information
regarding Mr Oliver was apropos the Sainsbury's adverts he's
starred in. 'Starred' here is the operative word. How can someone,
though undeniably a whizz in the kitchen, become a personality' It
seems very strange.
As Stephen Fry said, upon winning Celebrity Mastermind: 'The word
of the epoch: Celebrity.' You can't have celebrity chefs any more
than you can celebrity plumbers. But of course, once the bourgeois
have sunk their teeth in, logic spirals out of control. They adore
posh nosh, therefore we have celebrity chefs.
I digress. Jamie Oliver and Sainsbury's. The 'Jamie effect' as
Sainsbury's themselves have called it, has boosted their profits by
'153m. You can't say fairer than that.
Whilst we're on the subject of celebrity chefs, Rick Stein aside,
one other I have a lot of time for is Kevin Woodford. Though more
high profile than Stein, he has also retained some basic human
qualities such as humour and a lack of pretence. Speaking of Kevin
Woodford also allows me to regale you with something very funny I
read in Loaded several years ago.
One of their writers was over on the Isle of Man and had popped in
to The Waterfront, Woodford's flagship restaurant, only Mr Woodford
wasn't in the kitchen that particular day. As the Isle of Man has
very strict laws regarding homosexuality (basically, don't,
regardless of your age) the writer, John Perry considered that
perhaps the celebrity chef had gone back to the mainland 'where his
moustache would raise less suspicion.' Very good. Wit and a damning
indictment on homophobia all rolled into one.
These chefs do serve one useful purpose though. Highlighting the
fact that it's ok for blokes such as me to potter around the
kitchen without fear of ridicule. We can experiment to our heart's
desire. And whilst we're on the subject, I find it delightful that
my stepson is doing cookery at school. He has no choice. It's part
of the curriculum. Breaking down the barriers of stereotyping is
always a good thing. (I'd rather I hadn't had to try his scones out
last week though.)
This is the only use for celebrity chefs though. Allowing men into
the kitchen is too large a price to pay for having them on our
screens so often. You may remember I spoke earlier of Rick Stein
causing a fish to flap about with bulging eyes. It rather reminded
me of the chefs themselves.
Copyright Holmes Charnley mmiv. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Freelance Journalist based in Devon-UK. For more examples of my
work, please visit http://www.articles.me.uk. The two most recent pieces
have been published in The Guardian (UK broadsheet.) Pieces also
accepted by Jack magazine.
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