I avoid reality shows, unless when I have been hooked. Then I thank Hulu for allowing me to finish the season in one long sitting.
Can I say I watch Hell’s Kitchen for education? I frequent restaurants reasonably and really never thought much of how foods show up on my table. Everyone orders, the waiter disappears, they re-appear with a tray full of dishes, we eat, we pay, we leave. What’s between step 2 and 3?
First of all, it never ocurred to me how much effort it takes to get everyone’s foods at the same time. Think about it, there are 3 to 4 items on the plate and each of them takes different amount of time to cook. For the whole table, the kitchen may need to prepare over 2 dozens items, and they all must finish at the same time so that we can enjoy delicious foods together. This is a complicated operation.
Secondly, cooking is so manual. All those cutting, seasoning, heating, tasting, inspecting, plating, delivering, etc. are all manual. No one seemed to have tried to automate commercial kitchen.
Lastly, the adjectives are so limited. What can you use to describe good foods: tasty, delicious, yummy, good, … The list runs out quickly. Where are the descriptors that tell the subtle shades apart? Most people use facial expression or tone of voice to communicate the quality of the foods. For an art that has as long a history as this species, we are amazingly primitive in its vocabulary.
I am glad that Dave won. I was sorry to see Ariel lost. She did not demonstrate organization and leadership skills at the end. Among the final two, I definitely like Dave, the one-arm-bandit, better than Kevin.
Surprisingly, I came to appreciate Chef Ramsay’s training method. He wants to expand his franchise and this is not a bad method. Creating a new high-end restaurant is an expensive and risky endeavor. A TV show can raise capital, scout talents, provide training, and advertise for the new gig. Brilliant!
No, I won’t watch next season. Unless I am, again, sick at home for several days without many other choices.