Take a look at this clip of Food Network's hit show "Chopped"......
In the first 30 seconds, you can see that this isn't your midday Rachel Ray episode.This show has intense competition complete with judges, a countdown clock, stiff competition, elimination rounds, and a huge cash prize. "Chopped really pushes the envelope on what we consider to be normal cooking television. What it's doing is showing the world how rewarding (and exciting) playing with your food can be.
Let's think back to grade school. Have you ever played with your food in the school cafeteria? I bet you have. While many of us have experienced less than savory school lunches, it's likely that we've also raced our friends to the lunchroom in hopes of winning the first spot in line or the best lunch table. Pretty exciting, right? Well, I would argue that the most exciting lunchroom game of all is the infamous food fight. We've all heard of it, most of us have seen one, and many of us have partaken in the food game of all food games. I mean, look at how much fun they are...
We've been exposed to games like this for our entire lives, and really, they look like a lot of fun! So, why wouldn't we play with our food? They're some of the most fulfilling games to play!
As someone who already watches some of these shows, while not regularly, I do see the appeal. People are able to watch people cook great food with the aspect of gaming added onto it. The Food Network is no longer simply about cooking but not it is about cooking better than someone else, something that viewers certainly are more entertained by, as even trash talking in kitchen stadium can be seen regularly on Iron Chef America. Even though the old saying does go don't play with your food, what this network has done is it has revolutionized the way people watch and view food and has had a significant impact in raising the viewer ratings in all aspects.
ReplyDeleteI think your post was very funny and interesting. As a kid, we always here our moms say, "Stop playing with your food." If I am sitting in my seat, and my mom puts something on my plate I do not like, instead of forcing myself to eat it, I will generally just look at it, touch it with my fork, move it around a little, and basically just play with it. I do see how this can frustrate my mother, however. After she spent time cooking and preparing the meal, I come along and instead of eating what she had prepared, I make it into a game and see what I can come up with. The idea of having more food fights is a little ridiculous, though. I cannot really see the justification for a food fight being "fulfilling" when it really is just aimlessly throwing your food around a cafeteria at other students. It isn't really even a game. There are no objectives, no rules, no time constraints and no teams. It is you against everyone else, and you better be good at hiding if you want to avoid getting a face full of pudding. Food fights are fun though, and I would not participating in one during my time at the University of Michigan.
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