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Feasting on Good Eats
It’s no secret that my favorite TV chef is the Food Network’s Alton Brown. Maybe it’s the self-deprecating attitude. Maybe it’s the corny humor. Maybe it’s the combination of science and cooking that appeals to both my geekiness and love of good food. Whatever the reason, Brown’s latest specials on the Food Network offer both fun facts and a glimpse at the man behind ....
... Good Eats!
Last Saturday, July 29, the Food Network featured a veritable Alton Brown day to hype his new miniseries, “Feasting on Asphalt.“ They started with a top 10 marathon of favorite episodes of “Good Eats”, followed by a one-hour special called “Behind the Eats.“
This show answered all the questions that fans have been asking all this time, including how they get those amazing shots from inside the oven, refrigerator, and microwave (special cut outs in functioning and non-functioning appliances); is that a real kitchen in a real house or is it a set (It’s a real kitchen with real appliances. During two seasons the kitchen was the actual kitchen in the home of the producer and director, but when neighbors complained they built an exact replica in a studio); are all those people actors or crew (most are crew, some are professional actors, some are real experts in their fields, and some are Brown’s friends).
One of the most surprising revelations for me was that the famed “W”, who’s been on the show nearly from the beginning is actually Brown’s chiropractor! She’s not a bad actress either.
The whole special took a light-hearted approach. Sure, there were plenty of behind-the-scenes facts, like how they do location shoots, all the people who make an episode happen, and things like that. But what you really saw was how Brown interacts with the people who work for him.
There’s a danger in making judgments about people only from what you see on TV, but I get the sense that Brown is not a prima donna TV chef, like some of the other Food Network stars. I get the feeling about some of them that they expect the star treatment and get it. Maybe it’s because Brown doesn’t own a restaurant and hasn’t been a professional restaurant chef (that I know of, apart from his training).
That personality shines through even more in his multipart series, “Feasting on Asphalt”. The premise is that Brown and a small crew are traveling across the US on motorcycle to discover good, old-fashioned road food. They have no set agenda except to make it to the Pacific within about a month and have no pre-determined places to eat along the way. As Brown says at the beginning, they’re looking for good local food—no chain restaurants—and if they don’t find a place for dinner, they’ll camp out and make their own.
Somehow I can’t imagine another celebrity chef traveling by motorcycle and camping out for a show. I’ve seen some of them do road shows and one in particular strikes me as the type to demand a first-class hotel while he’s traveling, while the crew stays in the local Holiday Inn. On the other hand, “Feasting on Asphalt” has the feel of a group of friends on a road trip, having the time of their lives. This gritty reality TV, including in a later episode Brown’s unfortunate mishap where he almost literally east asphalt. Near the end of their trip, he takes a header over his handlebars and breaks a bone in his shoulder and it’s all caught on tape. Bully for him that he didn’t insist the tape be buried.
Alton Brown fans should make sure they don’t miss these two shows (although certainly fans have already seen them), but for those of you new to Alton Brown or just getting into his regular show “Good Eats,“ they make good introductions to this TV chef.
Other links you might like are Alton Brown’s official web site, AltonBrown.com as well as the unofficial Good Eats Fan Page, which includes cross-referenced index to every show including ingredients and equipment used, plus transcripts for the episodes so that you can review those important nuggets of information that don’t end up in the recipes the Food Network posts.
And his books. I highly recommend “Gear for Your Kitchen” if you’re likely to be buying kitchen gear for yourself or as a gift. I’ve found some nice stuff in there as well as some good kitchen gear tips.
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