The Critical Eye (Season 1) Episode 4 The Rotten Egg Behind The Kitchen Counter

The Critical Eye (Season 1)

Episode 4

The Rotten Egg Behind The Kitchen Counter

Call it Delectable,

Call it Scrumptious,

Call it Palatable,

Call it Appetizing,

Call it Enjoyable OR

Call it Delicious, the world of FOOD revolves around these words. It spins on millions of taste buds and aromas. A watered mouth or a mouth watering recipe be it anyway, is a sign of a well made dish. But how do these innumerable recipes come to us? Through our own knowledge, experience, internet and the most common of them all are those countless food channels and programmes.

These channels or shows put together recipes from around the world. But how convincing does the food sound and look to us totally depends on the people who bring them to us. There are many chefs who host different food shows, or chefs who own food channels, home cooks who have amassed popularity to unbelievable perimeters etc. If all is so good and hunky-dory about these food masters then why is THE CRITICAL EYE hawking them? It is because it seeks to scoop out rotten eggs who make us look like fools; those who stand behind our kitchen counters and make us believe that the useless recipes they prepare are not worth our time.

The critical eye will begin with mis en place of the matter. With the rise of exclusive food channels in India especially, what is looked at is, quantity and what is ignored is quality when it comes to these channels. Foodfood channel in particular stirs a number of programmes catering to a variety of food types. It then tempers them with hosts who are essentially no chefs in real. Well, you really don’t need to be a chef to host a food show but the brewing requirement is, you should atleast know how to cook.

Sad it is, but the viewers get to taste the burnt cookies. At first what laced the thought was to keep the rotten eggs cased but then the whole purpose of writing what is intended would be lost. To start off with the non chefs on Foodfood channel; Mummy ka magic is a show that plates up recipes for kids is a nice concept but what about the worthless drama that the host; Amrita Raichand puts up. Not needed lady!  While watching one of the episodes where she makes Brownie is really worth a watch(funny side intended). Everyone on earth knows the fact that brownies are suppose to be gooey, fudgy and soft. However she messes up the batter and then the result is hard, hard, rock hard brownies. While she struggles slicing them up she tries to convince the viewers that brownies are hard so it gets difficult to slice them up. She however is herself not convinced with the fact that she endorses to a not so stupid audience. This was just a trailer of what actually she cooks and presents. 

Another well known chef Ajay Chopra hosts Hi Tea. A recipe as simple as the masala tea which should include spices, milk, tea and sugar ends up being a cup of hot chocolate. Milk goes in the pan with spices and out of nowhere springs up chocolate which is added, stirred and served. If I am not wrong, Chef you were making tea? Another of the lovely chefs tries a Ghevar, a traditional Indian sweet that lands up as a big PAKODA in the plate that he garnishes with strawberry crush. WOW!!

Rolling through one kitchen to another we now land on ZeeKhana Khazana, which is not behind in airing shows and hosts like this. Not so chef but still a chef Ripudaman Handa the winner of Masterchef. Many of us, remember him and it was not a surprise to see him hosting Firangi Twist on this channel. The disappointment hits the viewers when he starts speaking what only he can understand.

 Cheap attitude that can’t be called even an attitude is dominant throughout the show. Neither the diction is clear and a stance that conveys to its audiences’ that he is obliging them by making that dish. Seriously he needs some rigorous brushing on his skills, especially the ones that relate to hosting. Absolutely shit. Just like mummy ka magic on Foodfood there is another mummy on Khana Khazana who is shitting at the audiences. Since I had seen how are banana toffees made by a Chinese chef, I quiet knew the tricks.

 

Madame, Gurdip Kohli Punj the host of Baccha Party made banana dung’s literally. The banana toffee looked like homemade pakodas which she covered inadequately with sugar syrup and dunked them in cold water. Result, soggy banana pakodas half mushy half sweet. These shows are not aired live then why don’t they rectify mistakes like this. When something is put for a food show it should by all means look and mean perfect. You are trying to convince the viewers of what is shown, is, meant also. But by seeing all this I have to disagree.

We as audiences give them our time, energy, emotions and definitely TRP’s. But for what? When you can’t cook a single recipe as it should be then for what are the audiences’ indebted to see you. The bright side of this conversation with you all is the fact, The Critical Eye hates the bad and loves the good. Yes, our primary source of information on food these days rests on the presentation of these so called chefs or presenters. Hence, it should be their moral duty or if I say at least for maintaining the authenticity or aesthetic appeal of their show which makes them millions.   

   

By stating all that I by no means say, that there are no genuine food shows but there is definitely paucity of them. I won’t put up the names of those food channels that I love because I don’t want to sound pre-biased. Would love to talk about them in a different post, but to end this episode all I intend to underline is, food recipes are subjective but true cooking is objective. How you flavour them totally depends on ones taste and liking but the method of dishing out authentic cuisines is by making them right. 

Dear food channels many people look upto you for the right, choose the right populace of hosts to convey the love for food to the world.