Sunday, January 27, 2008

What's on TV


While I spend plenty of time in restaurants, kitchens, and bars I can’t seem to break the habit of staying tuned to any show on TV about food, restaurants, kitchens and bars. Sometimes I snap out of the trance in just a few seconds and change the channel, other times I watch up to a commercial break, and in very few circumstances I return after the commercial. I’ve found myself increasingly interested in Gordan Ramsey’s show on BBC America called, "Kitchen Nightmares" I’m not at all a fan of Chef Ramsey. I find him to have a foolishly large ego, an unpredictable passive-aggressive form of leadership, and a fake British foul mouth. I guess all these things show up in ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ but in these cases where he chooses to help restore a fallen restaurant to it’s previous glory it is inspiring.

Generally he wakes the restaurant up to it’s shortcomings. Then demonstrates how he thinks the place should be run, and damn he is very opinionated. Finally he sets them on a road to success. In the last few moments of the show they chronicle his return to the restaurant after a few months. This short piece is always a wow factor, either "wow, you listened," or "wow, you bloody ignored me."

The reason I return to ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ is because I find myself more often asking myself while at work "what would Ramsey have to say about that?" Upon this review, I most likely improve what ever I’m working on.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have often wondered what Ramsay would do with Wonder Bar. I think he'd probably have plenty to say but it wouldn't be about you or the food. :)

michelle v said...

I'm just the opposite of you - I'm a big Gordan Ramsay fan. I think he's hilarious, talented (I love Maze) and I'm hooked on his shows. Have you seen the F Word? Another good program. I've seen KM, but unfortunately not the BBC version rather on FOX. I like it, though.

Michael Walsh said...

Ramsay is Ramsay, he obviously has alot of fans, but for any of us who have worked for someone like him, that personality type goes hallow, meaningless, and fake sooner than later. From experience i say this, i've seen it with my own eyes.

As for Ramsay at WB, wow, I think he would rip everything from the complete lack of front of the house to the size of the kithcen to the size of the menu ratio. The decor, the lack of identity, wow, i would love to have him come in and give his two sense even though i'm not a big fan.