Top Notch Chef
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Well I think I solidified my never-being-hired-at-MTV-or-any-of-it’s-sister-channels confirmation today. We were talking about the situation at Hofstra University on Long Island, where a 19-year-old co-ed says she is being terrorized by her former sorority “sisters” for de-pledging. Apparently, deciding you’re not into Greek life is an egregious no-no for some of the young ladies there. According to our guest and her attorney, sisters who decide not to stay in their “houses” end up leaving school because they’re “marked” women. I mean, seriously? Come on. What are they, the Sopranos? How ludicrous! So anyway we were talking with Dr. Keith Ablow about why girls are fighting more these days, and I mentioned my theory, which I’ve laid out many times before. But in case you’re a new viewer/reader… When you see mainstream, popular and in some cases, iconic television shows glorifying girl-on-girl fights, what do you expect?
The Real World on MTV is one of my longtime favorite shows; I actually don’t really watch it anymore but I did for years. But over the past decade or so (it’s been on for twenty years) (God I feel old) the shows have grown more sexual and, in many episodes, violent; girls getting into punching fights isn’t exactly a rare occurrence. In fact, during their anniversary celebration show, they actually handed out an award for the best fight.
Another show that is, I admit, highly entertaining yet a train wreck at the same time is Rock of Love, the VH1 show featuring women vying for the love of the former lead singer of 80’s hair metal band Poison, Bret Michaels — who is actually pretty charming on the show. But many of the girls on this series are… well let’s just say “demure” isn’t one of their main attributes. During their “reunion” show a few weeks ago, one of the former “contestants” from season one launched an attack on another from season two. Audience was cheering, chaos everywhere, locusts, you name it, it happened. This is a very popular show. And it’s on all the time, easy for youngsters to see.
I’m not saying these shows are bad. I watch them and I frequently get a kick out of them, yes, yes, yes I admit it!!!!!! Of course, I’m ancient (ok 38 isn’t ancient, just work with me here). My brain is pretty much as formed as it’s ever going to be. Young kids who watch these maulings, catfights, whatever you want to call them are a hell of a lot more impressionable than I; it’s not cool in my eyes. But it’s cool for a lot of these kids. They’re being desensitized, and it’s at the point where I actually feel it’s getting scary.
On a happier, more mellow note…
Padma Lakshmi whipped up one of the best things I’ve ever tasted from a chef this morning. Her Mexican-style cornbread was a
amaze. Follow that recipe if you like chunky, spicy, sweet cornbread. Also, the drink she made with grapefruit juice, club soda and muddled mint was awesome, so refreshing. And yes, it’ll go quite nicely with tequila at my Cinco de Mayo fiesta.
Padma is one of those people who is ridiculously beautiful. She has perfect skin, not a wrinkle anywhere. She’s also really cool. She came on our show once before, and I really liked her attitude; she was mellow and seemed normal. Same went for today’s appearance. She is recently divorced — are we all aware of who her ex is? Salman Rushdie. You remember ol’ Salman, don’t you? He was condemned to death by the Ayatollah Khomeini back in 1989 after he wrote “Satanic Verses”, a book that criticized the spiritual leader for “intellectual terrorism.”
He and Padma married in 2004. How those two kids got together is what I want to know! I think she might have sensed I wanted some gossip because man, she got right to the cooking! I was like “wait, wait, wait…!” I did ask her prior to the segment how her love life is; she’s dating and finding it exhausting. Dating IS hard work, especially when you probably have like 500 offers to go out on a date each night, ha-ha.
But seriously, try out her recipe, and watch Top Chef. I’m not as into the contestants this year as I was last year or the year before when there was as much eye candy. Doug is going to read this and throw up. I totally put that in for him; he reads this blog all the time. But, again, seriously, I’m not finding the people this season as likeable as years past. I bet ol’ Douggie’s not finding my very likeable right now.
Tomorrow it’s Gordon Ramsey time. I am enthralled by his antics on Hell’s Kitchen. It’s so odd to me that, among this season’s motley crew of contestants, he’s going to find The One to head up the kitchen in his new restaurant. Yikes.
