Thursday, October 04, 2007

Cook With Fire

Non workout/run day.

Last night was the finale of Bravo TV's Top Chef. I currently don't follow a lot of TV shows but I was drawn to Top Chef's season 3. I really enjoyed seeing the skills of each chef, the culinary delights or disappointments that the chefs would come up with, the melding or clashing of certain personalities, and the anticipation of who would hear "pack your knives and go." I didn't follow season 2 very closely when it was initially on, but Bravo rebroadcasts their shows a gazillion times, so I eventually caught up once that season was over.
I was anticipating the season 3 finale since I had followed it closely. Would the winner be the imaginative and pretty Casey, technically proficient and intense Hung, or the culinary creative and every body's friend Dale? I even made myself comfy in front of the TV. SUDDENLY, right before the broadcast of the final episode, the picture on my TV screen becomes pixeled. Then it freezes. I start flipping through the other stations to see
if it's happening on other stations as well. About 6 stations in a row were pixeled and frozen. *UGH*... Obviously, it's my cable service having some sort of satellite transmission problem. I thought I could just jump on the internet and watch from my computer but I couldn't find a feed for Bravo. Then I thought, just maybe, I could find a chat or a board that discussed who the winner was, since the broadcast was eastern time, three hours ahead. Nada. I'd just resigned myself to find out who won via internet the next morning, and tried to settling in to watch something else, but kept checking to see if the frozen screen was still there. Eventually, with about 25 minutes left in the show, the pixeled screen was "fixed" and I was able to view a part of that episode and, finally, who won. Sheesh. It was no surprise to me that Hung took the victory. He wasn't one of the fan favorites, personality wise, but this was culinary competition, not a Ms. or Mr. Congeniality contest. He did have his foibles along the way, like the breakfast cereal diorama ~I can't find a picture but it was pretty funny ~ but when push came to shove, he did a lot of shoving to prove himself. His hard work and skill did pay off. I personally would love dine on a meal put together by Hung, or the other two finalists on this show. Oh, and since this show is really about the finished product, here's a picture of Hung's duck with truffle.

Now that Top Chef is over, I'm anticipating Bravo's next season of "Project Runway."



Peace

10 comments:

Anne said...

I fell asleep before the finale started, but maybe my cable would have done the same thing. I wish Casey would have won, or Derek, since he's had it rough prior to the show. But, all three were worthy unlike last season, where I didn't think the right chef won.

You are amazing with plants, by the way. I know where to go now when one of mine needs rehab.

Pat said...

Weird. We both have food pictures on our blogs today. Mine's a beef dish (i hope).

Pat said...

I forgot. I was going to guess


Train.

Irene said...

Anne,
We have Time-Warner, so I don't know if it was just them or other carriers as well. RE: Top Chef season 3 - It was a really good season and I felt like the personalities went together well for the most part, not so much controversy and stupidity, as in Season 2. Now for plants - If I could figure out orchids, then I'd really have something! I've managed to kill all but one.

Pat,
Hmmm, that is interesting, however I would much rather go for a hotdog at the Ball Park than duck with truffle. As for the song, keep guessing. ;)

smartypantz32 said...

Heart

I’ve only watched maybe three episodes of Top Chef but it seems like everyone has been talking about this season. Looks like I’ll have to check out the reruns!

Anne said...

Why o why did I call Dale Derek in my earlier comment?!

I watched the rerun last night and think the judge's made the right decision. And, yeah, orchids are a tough one, though I've managed to hold on to one of mine (a birthday gift) for about five years. I think it just blew away in this wind though!

Anonymous said...

Never watched the show. Saw bits and pieces of last season and didn't care for it. My brother-in-law is a chef, wish he lived closer!

Irene said...

Smartypantz,
Winner!!!
I don't know why I got so hooked this time. I didn't watch the first season at all. I think I started watching because a coworker mentioned something about it in Season 2.

Anne,
I get my own kid's names wrong all the time! LOL... The thing with my orchid now is trying to get it to bloom again.

Evelyne,
Good to see you here! I know what you mean. I had no interest in it until my coworker mentioned something about it. This season, I think, was much better.

barbie2be said...

i was so disappointed that hung won. i couldn't stand how cocky he was through the whole series. i wanted to beat him with a zucchini.

Irene said...

Barbie2be,
Yeah, I know! But, it wasn't a personality contest... I can't wait to see the reunion show!