The Problem With Watching Too Many Cooking Shows
Ferdman makes a bold claim in his article by stating that, “As Americans cook less and less, they seem compelled to watch people cook more and more.” Ferdman creates a case around this claim, arguing through studies that the more one watches food television, the less healthy they eat. He also shows that people who watch food television and cook are even more prone to eating and cooking less healthy. Ferdman ends his article with a quote that sums up his rational towards the subject; “Restaurant quality meals really shouldn’t be eaten every day.”
Image courtesy of cartoon stock.com, artist: James Whitworth
Ferdman is taking a much more aggressive viewpoint on food television compared to other writers. From the beginning of his article, Ferdman takes a strong stance, not exactly against food television, but of the audience of food television. Ferdman is exposing what happens after the television is turned off, and studies show it isn’t exercise. Ferdman does seem to have a bias against unhealthy eating, calling out (ex) Food Network chef, Paula Deen for her insatiable use of butter in many of her dishes. This article tackles the eating or consuming category of food writing due to the texts hard stance against eating as if you were a Food Network chef. Ferdman demonizes the fatty, oversized food that has now become a popular staple of food television as it is normalizing this food; viewers are seeing these foods being eaten every day and in turn figure that they can eat like that every day as well. Ferdman emphasizes that if one wants to eat like a television chef, do it in moderation.
Ferdman, Roberto A. “The problem with watching too many cooking shows.” The Washington Post. WP Company, 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 2 Mar. 2017.
The Feeding Tube: How Food Television Changed The Way We Eat
Platt’s article discusses how food television has changed and how this change can be seen in American culture. “More people on average watch the Food Network than CNN, and when you throw in other hit food shows (No Reservations on the Travel Channel, Top Chef on Bravo, Kitchen Nightmares on the BBC and its American spinoff on Fox), you have an audience that dwarfs almost anything outside of ESPN.” With this quote in mind, one can begin to imagine the broad scope that food television now has in America. Adding to this line of thought, Platt introduces the idea that food television personalities are now not just “cooks” but have become food celebrities to the American people. Platt ends the article with a celebrative tone, telling his audience to just enjoy this “golden age of food television…because it is here to stay.”
Throughout this article, Platt’s mood seems to shift. While at the beginning he seems to be calling for reform of food television, the end has a drastically different tone in which he gives the impression that change is bound to happen in every industry and we just have to learn to go along with the change. This text mainly falls into the selling or marketing food writing category due to mainly discussing food television and its corresponding personalities, as they relate and influence the American home. Food television can now be found in almost every home, whether it is directly through the television or through items that were either created, shown, or endorsed by food celebrities. Food media is here to stay.
Platt, Adam. “The Feeding Tube: How Food Television Changed the Way We Eat.” Grub Street. N.p., 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.
We Spend More Time Watching Food On TV Than We Do Cooking It
Mills’ article gives an eye-opening view on food media and its relationship with actual cooking in the home. She begins her article stating a somewhat shocking fact, “The average adult spends more time watching, scrolling and reading about food on social media that they do cooking their daily meals.” She ends her article on a somber note, rehashing an interview with media psychologist, Emma Kenny. Kenny comments on the massive amounts of food media that is now available to the public, but despite this people are still not actually cooking in the home.
Image courtesy of cartoon stock.com, artist: Isabella Bannerman
In Mills’ article, she gives a lot of good facts and information about how food media is all prevalent in many people’s lives, but she doesn’t add much commentary; rather she quotes others to get her point across: food media has changed from informational and informative, to more of a leisurely pastime, no longer used to help the at home cook.
Looking at her bias, she is not seemingly swaying to any argument at the beginning, moreover she is just trying to get to information out to her readers. Near the end of the article she does appear to have more of an opinion, as the use of the direct quotes seem to be talking for her. Her goal from this article is trying to get readers to become aware of how much food media is in our lives, and introduce the idea that cooking is not just for professionals and is not that expensive. Her overall stance seems to be advocating for a change in how the public uses food media. Mills seems to want to get back into informational food media rather than have it be the leisurely activity it has turned into.
Mills, Emma. “We spend more time watching food on TV than we do cooking it.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 22 Sept. 2016, www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/we-spend-more-time-watching-food-on-tv-than-we-do-cooking-it/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
Epic Rap Battles of History: Gordon Ramsay vs. Julia Child
Image courtesy of Epic Rap Battles of History
This YouTube video, created by the user account “Epic Rap Battles of History”, pairs famed, hot-head chef Gordon Ramsay against the women who revolutionized TV cooking, Julia Child. They rap battle against each other, throwing lines with layers of multiple meanings at one another. The intended audience is a very vast group of people, as anyone who watches YouTube or is interested in food media may come across this; as of March 7, 2017, the original YouTube video has over 20.5 million views.
The creators of this “Epic Rap Battle” seem to be very fair and unbiased. Almost every word spoken has an under lying meaning, whether it is purely food based or more cut-throat and personal. Each character makes great points against the other and it is truly not just a one-sided battle. This document can fall into several food writing categories, but it most seems to follow the idea of celebrating or memorializing food media. This battle is pretty much pitting old versus new of food television, and has two of some of these most historic and branded chefs of the eras to demonstrate the drastic change that has occurred. This battle not only brings the history of food media to popular culture, but makes it fun to learn about through an underused medium.
“Gordon Ramsay vs Julia Child. Epic Rap Battles of History – Season 5.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 May 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=99-n42Xb6NQ. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.
Image courtesy of thechristys.net
Image courtesy of Pinterest
In this text, Dawn discusses the evolution of Food television. Dawn claims that while cooking shows evolve away from professional chefs showing the audience how to cook and more into reality television with do-it-yourself amateurs, the professionals are “evolving themselves out of a job.”
While not giving any defining opinion, Dawn seems to be judgmental towards the food television industry. The use of several quotes show his judgment and perhaps his longing for food television to return back to its roots: teaching the public rather than purely entertaining. In his longing, Dawn demonstrates features of the advocating for a change category. He leaves the reader with a sense of wariness towards having food television become just another reality television market.
Dawn, Randee. “TV’s Food Show Evolution.” Variety. N.p., 21 June 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.
Image courtesy of Betty Crocker
This article, with an anonymous author, gives an informational history of some of the most popular food radio shows of the 20th century. In looking at the evolution of food media, radio is important to examine because it is the real beginning of food media. While television has been a widespread medium, it wouldn’t be anything if radio hadn’t done it first. This article shows that, due to the time period, food radio was intended for women. Food radio was usually intertwined with other homemaker radio shows, such as “housekeeping tips, child-rearing, and even laundry tips.” As food radio began to progress as its own genre, many brands began to endorse shows such as PET Milk and The Mary Lee Taylor Program. Interestingly enough, a household name to this day, Betty Crocker, had a radio show and school all in one with the Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air, eventually adapting the show to NBC in 1927.
While this article demonstrates traits of the memorialization category by reviewing the origins of food media, it also fits into the category of making. While this article doesn’t show a recipe, it does demonstrate how making food and widespread recipes became popularized and distributed in an era before television or the internet. This article shows that food media is, and will continue to be, a part of the American way of life, no matter the era.
“Cooking in Old Time Radio.” Cooking in Old Time Radio | Old Time Radio. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
10 Years On: How Yelp Has Completely Changed the Restaurant Industry
Image courtesy of the street.com
Gardiner’s article claims that Yelp has given the public a forum to express their own critical voice, but questions whether that empowerment has gone too far. Gardiner seems to be writing towards the users of Yelp, with the biggest age bracket being 35-45 years old and people who earn more than $100k per year.
Gardiner’s opinion on food media, specifically the review site Yelp, is neither positive nor negative. He is able to show both sides of the argument, though he does give a disclaimer about the business’ ethics and potential consequences of having everyone be a critic, swaying him slightly towards the more conservative side of food media. This text falls into multiple food writing categories, but specifically encompassing marketing and advocating for a change due to the nature of Yelp and its powerful influence over the service industry. Gardiner seems to want the readers to be aware of the power that the consumer now holds, and not to be overly critical on seemingly petty things. Gardiner questions the practice of giving everyone a critical voice, and warns his readers to be wary as well; just because everyone is a critic, does not make them a good critic.
“No one cares if a particular McDonald’s gets a 2-star review. It’s McDonald’s. If the little mom-and-pop burger spot around the corner gets pelted with poor reviews on account of a lack of parking or that a well-done burger took “too long”, however, it could be put at risk. Call it an evolutionary phase of consumer capitalism, or the devolution of the “expert” opinion.”
Gardiner, Ross. “10 Years On: How Yelp Has Completely Transformed the Restaurant Industry.” Obsev, 23 June 2014, www.obsev.com/food/10-years-how-yelp-has-completely-transformed-restaurant-industry.html. Accessed 1 Mar. 2017.
The Yelp Factor: Are Consumer Reviews Good for Business?
Blanding’s article examines one of the biggest online review sites: Yelp; based upon research done by Michael Luca. The article has many similar opinions as Gardiner’s, but Blanding has a less cautious stance. While he does highlight some of the issues that Yelp and other review sites suffer from, he also proves the weight that online reviews carry. Using Luca’s research, Blanding shows that Yelp not only influences where people go, but what businesses survive.
Blanding keeps a very unbiased opinion in his article. He presents his and Luca’s information in a very open atmosphere, and allows for both positive and negative facts to be shared. He seems to be intending this article for Yelp users, as he wants to inform them of the full truth behind Yelp and its reviews. Due to the subject matter, this article is categorized into selling and marketing, as Yelp is one of the most popular ways to be able to advertise online. While reviews are still taken into deep consideration when purchasing anything, the importance of online reviews are growing every day.
Blanding, Michael. “The Yelp Factor: Are Consumer Reviews Good for Business?” HBS Working Knowledge. N.p., 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.