I quite like Rick Stein

RandallFlagg

Just watching a behind the scenes documentary about the filming of his trip through France on a barge, he's a grumpy old cunt but I like that and I like his views on food and the look of what he cooks.

Bridgehouse

You'll get over it. Have a lie down.

richh

I enjoyed a series he did on India, where he combined a look at their cuisine as well as the culture.  I did not enjoy the taste of chips from his place in Padstow.  Which surprised me - I don't know how you can make chips that bad, I've had better oven chips TBH.

Teetonetal

He always strikes as completely culturally ignorant. But I think he is passionate about food and that comes through.

octatonic

Ricky and Randall, sitting in a tree...

RandallFlagg

octatonic said:

Ricky and Randall, sitting in a tree...

...rimming Octatonic, come and see!

RandallFlagg

Teetonetal said:

He always strikes as completely culturally ignorant. But I think he is passionate about food and that comes through.

'Culturally ignorant'? Oooh get you

I'm not exactly sure what that means so I think I may be culturally ignorant as well

mike_l

richh said:  I did not enjoy the taste of chips from his place in Padstow.  Which surprised me - I don't know how you can make chips that bad, I've had better oven chips TBH.

You're not alone, I didn't like them either.
There was a massive queue in and through the shop though........

Sambostar

He's a good unpretentious, curious and honest presenter, I like his style, if I had to watch cooking programmes on TV that is.  Although some of his stuff is fairly not in your face, laid back and enjoyable.

As far as being culturally ignorant, the whole of the EU is supposed to be the same culture these days, I just think it's unassuming style rather than him lacking cultural knowledge, I think that is just his style so you cut straight through and aren't blinded by the cultural bullshit so you can understand the food prep and parallels and similarities between everything in the world, even though it's slightly different.  It's about food, not culture, whatever the latter pretentious bullshit that you can't pin down is supposed to be.

If I read a pub review I'd want to know what beer they had, how it was kept and what price it was, I couldn't care less for the atmosphere or culture of the locals.

Yes, a most interesting subject on a Sunday evening.

RandallFlagg

Sambostar said:

He's a good unpretentious, curious and honest presenter, I like his style, if I had to watch cooking programmes on TV that is.  Although some of his stuff is fairly not in your face, laid back and enjoyable.

As far as being culturally ignorant, the whole of the EU is supposed to be the same culture these days, I just think it's unassuming style rather than him lacking cultural knowledge, I think that is just his style so you cut straight through and aren't blinded by the cultural bullshit so you can understand the food prep and parallels and similarities between everything in the world, even though it's slightly different.  It's about food, not culture, whatever the latter pretentious bullshit that you can't pin down is supposed to be.

If I read a pub review I'd want to know what beer they had, how it was kept and what price it was, I couldn't care less for the atmosphere or culture of the locals.

Yes, a most interesting subject on a Sunday evening.

Sambostar, I sometimes think we are cut from the same cloth, Stein is on now on Good Food HD on Sky

WezV

I like rick stein when he is talking about food, but he does come across as a bit of a diva sometimes.

mudslide73

He likes a bit of fish or so I've heard.

His Long Weekends show has been very enjoyable indeed. 

RandallFlagg

mudslide73 said:

He likes a bit of fish or so I've heard.

His Long Weekends show has been very enjoyable indeed. 

You can't beat a 'fish supper' on a Saturday night

Teetonetal

@RandallFlagg ;I saw his Asian and Indian programs. They were presented in a way that tried to show something more than the food. Almost a travel show with food as the focus. 

Whilst the actual cooking bits were enjoyable I found the whole trip side of the shows to be a little twee and a bit of a bolt on. His questions about the history behind food and of the places he visted were very flippant and my impression was he couldn't have cared less.

So as a critique of his style.. I wish he'd stick to cooking and leave the food explorer stuff alone.

Culture and food in some places are deeply linked - he tried to show it but IMO he himself wasn't interested enough to pull it off.

cruxiform

I like him and his presentation style. He always appears to have passion for the food he is talking about. The only chef I cannot watch is Oliver and his pretend cockney delivery.

EricTheWeary

I quite like Rick. IIRC the chips at his shop were cooked in beef fat so between that and the queue we didn't bother. 
Anyway, someone who can cook and likes Jack Russell's is all good ( also hence a fondness for Angela Hartnet who, like us, has a rescue JR called Alfie).

cruxiform

EricTheWeary said:

I quite like Rick. IIRC the chips at his shop were cooked in beef fat so between that and the queue we didn't bother. 
Anyway, someone who can cook and likes Jack Russell's is all good ( also hence a fondness for Angela Hartnet who, like us, has a rescue JR called Alfie).

Wis'd. Chalky was a legend. I've owned 3 JR's in the past 20 years. My current one is also called Alfie! Although he lives with my ex-wife as I cannot have pets where I live

the_pman28

Recently watched him in Copenhagen where the food is pretty incredible. He seemed to dismiss any food that was experimental as pretentious and then eulogised about anything that was cooked in his own (traditional) style as 'real food'. He came across as quite dismissive and blinkered on account of it. Like Keith Floyd without the charm. 

EricTheWeary

cruxiform said:

EricTheWeary said:

I quite like Rick. IIRC the chips at his shop were cooked in beef fat so between that and the queue we didn't bother. 
Anyway, someone who can cook and likes Jack Russell's is all good ( also hence a fondness for Angela Hartnet who, like us, has a rescue JR called Alfie).

Wis'd. Chalky was a legend. I've owned 3 JR's in the past 20 years. My current one is also called Alfie! Although he lives with my ex-wife as I cannot have pets where I live

Small world but I wouldn't like to have to paint it...

https://bobblepic.com/images/2017/01/22/IMG_0982.jpg

cruxiform

He looks a belter! Here's my Alfie, a couple of years ago attacking a football: 

WezV

I like Chalky



although i gave my FIL a bottle of Bark and he poured it down the sink