Gordon Ramsay Is Not a Jerk; He Just Plays One on American TV
Psst, it's posted on Salon.com, not Slate. Show the love...
Psst, it's posted on Salon.com, not Slate. Show the love...
I don't think people quite understand. I think it's reasonable to believe that Gordon is a an ass in HIS kitchens and is also a proper, decent human being outside of them. I don't think these are mutually exclusive. If you read Marco Pierre White's memoir, White states with certainty that the environment inside of top kitchens is not friendly or politically correct, and may be considered darwinian if nothing else.
How come the American talkshow hosts seem to enjoy being "funny" and talk all kind of nonsense and act stupid when they invite Ramsay over to their show? I just watched 2 different talkshows via SE and they were pretty unbearable - the hosts i mean. Gordon Ramsay was genuinely interested in the cooking and they weren't.
So... let me get this straight. Gordon, in the UK, does a television show where there are real restaurant people in a real restaurant and he lets the real Gordon come through. Here in the US he does a television show with actors pretending to be restaurant people, on a set pretending to be a restaurant and Gordon pretends to be a screaming asshole. This is supposed to make us like him and his US show because.... they think that Americans are just to friggin' STUPID to watch the real thing? No wonder it's on a FOX network: the think that we're all dumb enough to swallow whatever shit they shovel our way.
Oh, and Gordon... you want to be taken seriously AND play a clown at the same time? Yeah. Right. Sure thing, you pathetic Bozo. You own how many successful restaurants yet you act like an asshole on American TV for what? More money? Your screaming idiot act is a kick in the teeth to the real Chefs of the world who spend the time:
1 working their way up through the ranks, confident that they really know their craft
2 hire good people with good skills and work ethics
3 take the time to instruct their staff in how they want the dishes prepared
4 get the right equipment & supplies for their staff to do their jobs
5 hire a dining room manager who knows how to pace the reservations so that the kitchen doesn't get so slammed that they can't do their jobs well
6 leading by example... not by posing for a camera and screaming.
I simply cannot stomach the production values on the FOX version but the BBC version mesmerizes me.
I think it may be my favorite food orientd show on television, and from just watching KNightmares I have to say I think the guy is a genuinely fantastic caring individual.
Simon Cowell should be stranded on an island with nothing but the demos ove all the performers he's cut.
He's funny on Hell's Kitchen. Love the show.
The F Word is also a favorite.
Are Simon Cowell and Gordon Friends? I only ask this because it seems
convenient that their shows aired back to back last night on Fox. Seems to me that Fox is reaching for the reality factor of BRAVO. Gordon and Simon seem genuine; if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen!
They also come across as the real deal. So maybe Gordon took the glitzy
road after proving himself in the restaurant business! There was Rocco
Di Spirito(have no clue how to spell his name) who attempted the same!
How annoying he was!
We are all Gordon (and Simon) fans here. God Bless Hell's Kitchen and
KN! Rock on Gordie!
He may be a jerk but he also has a point. I think everyone knows that tv is about the DRAMA. i must have nonstop drama on tv or i may read a book(god forbid). i think it is sad that we see 2 different personas when i like him on bbc. I watch so much bbc my son started sounding british. He is never mad, he is cross- and other words.
Wow! That's an awesome article. In fact, it's so good that I wrote the exact same piece for the NEW YORK SUN about six weeks ago. I know no one reads the SUN since it's essentially the print version of Salon (you know: under-read and largely irrelevant) but it's exciting to be knocked off so shamelessly. Here's the identical piece I wrote a while back just for reference:
http://www.newyorksun.com/arts/britains-dream-americas-nightmare
What a great thread. Everyone is absolutely right about the "stealing the reservation book" story. I just flat out mis-remembered. Everyone has me jazzed about watching The F Word and the British Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America.
Funny you mention this... I love the British Ramsey, not so much the FOX version.
I was watching the Charlie Rose interview with Thomas Keller posted on SE recently and Rose asked Keller about Ramsey... his response included a comment about how it was too bad that Ramsey's legacy would be defined by his TV persona rather than his ability as a chef, which Keller lauded.
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