Originally Posted By: Don Cardi
...I love those road shows also. I really enjoy the Diner shows that they've been showing too.


Absolutely! Feasting on Asphalt with Alton Brown is one of the best shows on the network. I also like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I have always been interested in American regional food, and these shows are very worthwhile, IMO.

(Personally, I'd like to see a series devoted to just classic American diners - before they become extinct!)

The original Japanese Iron Chef has always been a favorite. While the American version is passable, the changes in the format they made (from the original) didn't improve it. My two complaints are (a) that the original series stopped production years ago, and (b) there seem to be a great many Iron Chef episodes that have never aired on these shores. Too bad. I found the show very educational, as far as the ingenuity displayed by these master chefs, and quite enlightening as far as Japanese culture. Probably my biggest beef (pun intended) was that Italian Iron Chef Masahiko Kobe seemed to be the bastard child of the group! Hell, they didn't even film him rising up out of the floor with the other three guys! He always came off like a postscript or an afterthought. Infamia!

The problem I have with a couple of the shows (Giada's in particular) is that appear to be visually overproduced. There seems to be more of an emphasis on the visual production style than the food being made.

Emeril? A good show, but I get the feeling I'm watching a "celebrity" more than anything else. When the chef starts to overpower the cooking, then I just have to wonder...

If there is one thing I would change about the Food Network, I would make sure that a full breakdown for the recipes shown is posted on the program (I'm referring to the cooking programs.). Sure, you can get a good deal of the info from watching the way the recipes are prepared, but if you're not sure of yourself in the kitchen (or even if you are!), posting the recipes onscreen would be a big help.

How often do I watch the channel? Obviously, nearly every day. There's almost always something interesting on to tape for later viewing. Do I watch every show? No. (I've also had all I can take of Rachael Ray! \:x ) But I do watch the Food Network regularly.

Signor V.

"For me, there's only my wife..."

"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"

"It was a grass harp... And we listened."

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"

"No. Saints and poets, maybe... they do some."