most things have meaning hell's kitchen episode Gordon Ramsay suspends dinner service. There is a problem. Beef Wellington is raw. Or are the scallops raw? Or the salmon is raw. Ramsay is so upset by this that he is forced to slam Beef against the wall and punch Salmon, sending pieces of raw fish flying everywhere with the full force of his fist.
These meat-throwing moments signal a celebration of the chef's anger. hell's kitchen After 22 seasons, the guilty pleasure concludes tonight with its latest season.
But they also hell's kitchen It feels like we're stuck in a mid-'80s bubble. When it aired in 2005, it may have been refreshing for this reality show to peek into a toxic kitchen. But since then, as a culture, we have seen every industry attempt to reckon with its own toxic working environment. It took us thousands of years, but we've evolved enough to finally realize that you don't need the personality of an overbearing Regency naval captain to get people to do their jobs. This message has particular resonance in the food industry, which has been plagued by scandals. Even famous delinquent chef David Chang has been forced to accept the fact that being a delinquent chef is actually bad.
So why is toxicity still celebrated? hell's kitchenWhy do we enjoy watching a multi-Michelin star chef roll his eyes at a Midwesterner cooking for the minor celebrity of the minor? Criss Angel's Wife Is it really that radical to suggest that making risotto for someone shouldn't cause a nervous breakdown?
At this point, we all know that reality shows are unrealistic and a thing of the past. hell's kitchen The participants also recorded the same thing. According to some reports, the show's producers were also rumored to be shuffling the cast and playing their mean jokes to Ramsay through his earphones in order to anger him. Both cast and crew have proven that Ramsey is actually a decent person off camera, with season 15 star Ariel Malone saying, “Honestly, he's a really nice guy.” insisted. “He's actually a really genuine, caring person.” So it's possible that a) Ramsey is blustering on camera, and b) we're only seeing the worst of the worst. is high.
But that whiplash–Style The attitude “I'm going to be so hard on you that I question your worth as a person because I care about you” doesn't work anymore. Because we know you can care about someone without telling them you want to eat poodle poop. I call them toilet brushes because I think they look like baked bread, or toilet brushes.
Perfectionism may require difficult levels of sacrifice, dedication, and attention to detail, but it never requires yelling or giving yourself a mean nickname. Anyway, it's counterproductive.When Ramsay is screaming in the kitchen about one of the lower Real Housewives being served undercooked lobster., of Contestants appear to be more stressed and perform worse.
Chef Eric Ripert, who has also experienced rages in the kitchen and turned back to Jesus, said: hell's kitchen, he cited the fact that drill sergeant-esque behavior doesn't actually make the food taste better. “[Y]”If the team is scared, we won't get better results,” he said. “Especially in the kitchen, if your staff is scared or distracted, they can't do a better job than someone who can focus their energy on creating beautiful food.”
Maybe we embrace that heat hell's kitchen Is it because we feel that nefarious behavior is an integral part of the reality TV genre? We expect to see larger-than-life drama and sleep-deprived participants breaking down in tears during meme-worthy confessionals. I know that reality shows are bad for me, but I still watch them anyway.
It's cathartic, just like scripted television. The competitive angle of reality shows allows us to become emotionally invested in our favorite contestants. Even if it's a job at Gordon Ramsay's Pub and Grill in Atlantic City, we form attachments, follow us on social media, and feel a sense of justice when awards are given to those who perform well. I will hold you.
And Ramsay's cries give us a safe space to get frustrated with people we perceive as incompetent.contestants are not confused our Food, they are ruining Tito Jackson's food from the Jackson 5. It's a more base emotion, but reality shows are made to feed that baser impulse. You can't call someone a sandwich idiot when they fail in real life (at least not without facing some consequences), but Ramsay can do it on TV. Because once you step into the kitchen, you stop being a person and become a person. character.
Even so, the fact that hell's kitchen It's been going on for 22 seasons, all without significant assignments, but this sends the wrong message. Because it tells us that this behavior is “okay'' or even necessary. As the late Anthony Bourdain said of Ramsay, “He's supposed to be entertaining on TV and showing that abusing people is the right thing to do. Totally, excuse me, but I think it's bullshit.” ”
Many toxic kitchens still exist in real life, and Ramsay's toxic TV kitchens reflect that unpleasant fact. But just as television reflects culture, culture often reflects television, which makes it very important to be the change we want to see in the world. Especially if you want that change to take the form of not acting like an asshole to people who are wronged. I will work under you.
After all, it is the artist's duty to suggest better art, and it is the audience's duty to demand better from the artist. Instead of putting up with vein-popping anger, we might as well tune into the Gordon Ramsay Cinematic Universe and see him on the soft side.I wonder what will happen if we all watch it together. master chef junior instead of feeding hell's kitchen fire?Maybe it's because the kids bring out the best in him or make him more honest, but whatever the reason, he's an absolute peach.
Heidi Lux is a screenwriter and satirist based in Los Angeles. Her characteristics are: crushedis streaming on Tubi, and her work McSweeneyReduxless, and Belladonna Comedy.