Comments on: Do Home Cooking Shows Practice Food Apartheid?

By: Miriam Kresh

Miriam Kresh — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:29:41 +0000

Mrs. Krieger has a point regarding the value of seasonal shopping. The article did give rise to mixed reactions in me too. And with Faye, I also photograph the food as it is naturally, hoping my attempts to style it turn out well. Sometimes that backfires, even – like when I spent too much time photographing my cold, unbaked hamentaschen and found that they started falling apart in the warm room. I had to include a note in the recipe telling the reader to bake them right away.

By: Faye

Faye — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:01:50 +0000

I agree with Miriam about the condiments and the food photography. I have lots of different condiments because I love to taste new foods but I use them.
For the photos in my books, everything was natural. We cooked the food exactly as in the recipe and enjoyed eating it afterwards. The food stylist sometimes brushed food with oil to make it shiny or sprayed water on something if the photographer said it was drying out. For shoots that took long to set up the lighting and props, we made 2 of those dishes so that one could be used during setting up, and then we took out a fresh one when the photographers were ready.

By: Ms. Krieger

Ms. Krieger — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:56:40 +0000

Hmmm…I agree that the cooking shows are a little unhealthy. But I would use the word “cooking pornography”. Or perhaps pornography is too strong…my point is that they satisfy a natural urge (to eat well) by proxy, not in reality.

But I would disagree about the focus on seasonal ingredients being ridiculous. Garden plots are practically a religion in England — there are laws on the books requiring towns to give one to anyone who asks. And even if you can’t/won’t garden, it’s pretty obvious what is in season even in a regular grocery store. Just look at prices. I’ve noticed in the US that shopping frugally = shopping for in-season vegetables.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:09:04 +0000

Miriam, I agree with you about the word “apartheid.” Thanks for letting us know the low-down on food photography.

By: Miriam Kresh

Miriam Kresh — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:36:09 +0000

I read that article a couple of days ago and found it a bit overwrought; I’m wary of any article with the word “apartheid” in it. But I agree with most of what Glaser wrote. Myself, I do keep lots of different condiments in my fridge, most of which I make myself and use frequently – I do grow favorite herbs and find that they generously pay back the minimal care I give them. I’m a foodie. But those are trivial points. I was more impressed with Glaser’s analysis of today’s food culture, where popular chefs create ever more elaborate foods while pretending to be just folks, like me and you. And the public watching these shows is cooking less, eating more industrialized, processed foods. That’s the dark side.

Regarding food photography, it’s not all fake. Just some. I don’t think it’s such a big deal to dress up the food for the camera. Even we put on makeup for getting photographed. People love those glistening veggies, that perfect, golden roasted chicken, that pizza slice with the cheese melting perfectly as it separates from the pie. As a blogger and amateur photographer, I also try to arrange food and lighting to look good in the picture. If food photoraphy stirs creativity in readers and motivate them to get up and go cook something, then I’m for it.

By: Leah

Leah — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:20:21 +0000

The Mishpacha magazine read a story about food photography a few weeks ago. Turns out, 3 out of 4 times it’s not food in those photos (or not the one they are saying it is), or they make multiple batches and mix and match the best pieces. I think many of us get wistful that we can’t reproduce these “masterpieces” when in fact, it’s all fake!

By: Hannah

Hannah — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:32:31 +0000

Thanks for the ideass, Faye.
Sharon, sounds yummy–I need to put some soup up myself!

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 12:59:43 +0000

Sesame oil — sesame noodles (an excellent cold side dish), fried rice (w or w/out tofu), “chinese-style” veg. Marries well with soy sauce.

By: Dena Lerner

Dena Lerner — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 12:54:54 +0000

I agree and disagree. I love cooking shows because they insprie me to make things differently, add a new technique or try a new vegetable. At the same time, I rarely if ever 1. follow an actual recipe 2. buy a specialty item. It is the best advice to use what you have and then buy.
I believe that cooking shows are really there to educate people into understanding resturant food better, which is what the majority of americans eat on a daily basis.
As for home cooks, well stick with cooking manager and other blogs better advice all around.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 12:49:27 +0000

Thanks Tim.