Diary of a Foodie - PBS...
I never gave much thought to this show but BF snagged an ep on TiVO to point out a specific dish. The ep was centered in Turkey and the dessert he wanted me to see was called Gullac. The recipe linked is not the one featured but it was the only one I could find. Said one of the hosts, "Gullac is light as the wings of fairies. A touch of rose water makes it simply magic." I could be completely snowed, but I believed in my heart she felt that sentiment and wasn't regurgitating a script. Her expression seemed too organic to be acting.
I got so sucked in, I rewound the entire ep and watched it, completely entranced. I know it's a series by Gourmet but it played more like an issue of Saveur come to life. The foods and traditions were so deeply steeped in the Turkish culture, I felt almost like I was spying.. The scenes filmed in home kitchens were definitely the most moving.
The show reminded me why I came to hold cooking in such high reverence. Diary of a Foodie is one reason why TVFN can never hope to rival PBS. This was much more than simply entertaining, it was downright educational.
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14 Comments:
I saw a commercial for this show today. It looks interesting.
gingercookiewithlime at 6:19PM on 06/27/09
I like that show. One of the things I like about it is that instead of sending a talking head from the US to some other location to "discover" the culture and experience it for the first time, they have someone familiar with the area explaining it to us. They might be going to a specific place for the first time (particularly if it's someone's home) but they're familiar enough with the general idea that it doesn't seem like they're barging in. It's not like they're saying "oooh, here's some really weird food that I've never eaten before," it's more like, "this is the food that we eat, and this is how its done and why."
dbcurrie at 6:30PM on 06/27/09
I'm a big fan. All the episodes are online on their website.
misterhee at 6:49PM on 06/27/09
Maybe I'll have to give it another shot. I tried watching it once (some episode in China) and thought the packaging of the show was really heavy handed and trying to be stylish whilst ending up looking a bit cheap. It felt to me like some contrived bullshit and I just couldn't get passed it.
SqueezeBottle at 7:01PM on 06/27/09
@ SqueezeBottle - They must have received, then heeded some feedback because the last thing this show seemed was heavy handed. Everyone in the role of observer was respectful and subtle. The one young lady who appeared to be from the US asked great questions and made observations about the food that were all complimentary without gawking at the food and being over the top. If you can catch this Turkey ep, you'll love it.
therealchiffonade at 7:34PM on 06/27/09
@ therealchiffonade - I had no real problem with the content of the show, it was the packaging that I couldn't stand. I just watched a season 3 episode online and it seems to have less of those horrible bits where the narrator talks and types at the same time. Those bits are so cheesy they make me cringe. But there are too many quick cuts and too much music over everything. I can't stand shows that assume that all viewers have the attention span of a gnat. Sorry for being fussy. I worked ten years video post-production and I tend to be a bit demanding when it comes to this sort of thing.
SqueezeBottle at 7:57PM on 06/27/09
I don't have cable...so no Food TV-->the only TV shows I watch are on PBS. In fact, today I taped 3 hours of them :)
orchidgirl at 9:14PM on 06/27/09
This series is GREAT! As with most programming on TV the content and the technical expertise has evolved and grown. You'll never see this type of quality programing on FNTV. I think of FNTV as the AM radio of eats and PBS as the FM. "Diary" is done by the same production company that does Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations."
thegoch at 12:09AM on 06/28/09
@orchidgirl: another non-cable chick here! I too love PBS food programming, agree with the PBS love...
However, this was one show for some reason I couldn't get into--perhaps because of the inconsistency of the format? I didn't see the Turkish show that @chiff spoke about but like @Squeezebottle, found things rather contrived of the ones I did see--I like shows where I get to know the host a bit better, I suppose, when it comes to cooking.
HeartofGlass at 5:28AM on 06/28/09
@Heart - try to catch the Turkish ep. It's not overblown in any way. I think you'll like it for the content as well as the no-nonsense format.
therealchiffonade at 9:57AM on 06/28/09
I really life Diary of a Foodie. I can do without the segments where one of the editor's of Gourmet magazine make their take on a specific dish, but as others have said it's very educational AND entertaining- take note, FN.
PumpkinBear at 2:05PM on 06/28/09
You are so right when you say FN can't hold a candle to PBS. I miss the shows on FN yester years. Batli, East Meets West, Sarah Molten, Emeril, there is more but i can't think of the shows name, it's been that long. I am going to try and catch that show.
pjracz10 at 4:33PM on 06/28/09
@chiff--I will give it another try based on your recc--I only saw the first episode or two and sometimes a show needs to find its 'voice.'
Currently, my PBS channel is showing Diary, Lydia, Cooks Country, ATK, Mike Colameco's food show and a few others--all of which do 'serious' food. It has been that way for years--it's great to see such a commitment--clearly there must be an audience otherwise they wouldn't have 'stuck' with the format for so long.
HeartofGlass at 7:41PM on 06/28/09
This is my favorite food tv show. Each episode is very well crafted and most importantly, very respectful and almost reverent of each subject. It's the only show that I've seen that even deals with non-European cuisine and culture. The Turkish one is really good and is the recent one on Seville.
AnnieNT at 1:00PM on 07/09/09