It's going to be a whacky day, for sure.

 

Why? Well, on my way to reading the headlines, I see the article on Slate.com about how *foodies* should give Rachael Ray a break.

 

Here's that article: http://slate.msn.com/id/2122085

 

Here's something on Rachael Ray in case you care: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/rachael_ray/0,1974,FOOD_9928,00.html

 

Anyway, I got so ticked off by what I read (Chef's and their flunkies dogging out RR) that I had to post something on the Slate site.

 

Are you reading me?

 

*I* got so ticked off *about people ragging on a TV Show Chef* that I blogged about it.

 

????????

 

What the hell is wrong with me? Karl Rove, the Supreme Court, etc...and I'm blogging about people being mean to a TV show host.

 

Man. I really need to take my vitamins.

 

Anyway, here's the post: -----------

 

Why can't we all just get along?

 

Hey, snob! Guess what? You will always have your place. There will always be people that defer to you because of your title and education. You have skills and they are appreciated.

 

OK.

 

But the whole damn world doesn't need/want to cook/dress/be like you.

 

Get over it.

 

Instead of giving people like Rachael Ray grief b/c she doesn't show how to cook *the way you want her to*, instead see her for what she really is: a gateway to *your* world.

 

Do you think it is more likely that some regular Joe is going to start off cooking "cuisine nouvelle" or trying a something that he may (or may not) be able to pull off in 30 minutes <screaming> without having to figure out where in the hell he's going to find duck fat?</screaming>

 

Rachael gets the casual cooker in the door. Shows them a glimpse of what is possible. And because this Joe gets the feeling he *can* actually make a nice plate, maybe he'll want to learn more.

 

Maybe he'll seek out other shows and recipes that have ingredients and use techniques that are new or are hard to come by.

 

Maybe, he'll want to take a class from a snob. Or, maybe, if he’s really got a burning desire, he’ll have the patience to sit through thirty minutes of Mario Batali's completely unwatchable show.

 

Mario knows his stuff. I respect his talent, his passion, and enjoy it when he’s out with people getting ingredients or checking out local restaurants. But I have to be really motivated to sit through the hell that is the cooking portion of his show. He may be amazing in person, but his style wasn’t made for television.

 

That is not to say that he shouldn’t be on TV. It’s only after gaining more skills that I can appreciate what he does offer.

 

What I am saying is, if you want to teach the world a better way to cook, you’ll have more luck if you let Rachael get them in the door. Once they are in, if they have any initiative at all, they’ll sniff around and see what else is out there.

 

If not, hey, at least they are trying something new and talking about it. And, in case you’ve forgotten, the “it” is food.