The Holy Connection An Alternative Exploration of Existence
From passive consumption to active indulgence, my gourmet awakening can be credited to a great extent to the food porn that was being served on television so generously. There was something fascinating about realizing the sophistication and intricacies involved in food preparation and consumption. This is the kind of porn you can watch with parents:
1) Jamie at Home: Although Jamie Oliver was known to people from previous successful TV shows, I was introduced to his wizardry through this particular one. My favourite aspect was seeing him take raw ingredients (literally plucking them from his garden) and converting them into food masterpieces. The conversational style of this show was a novelty for me as I was accustomed to the instructional styled cooking shows on Indian television. Not able to find a short clip for this one so I’ll give you the whole episode.
2) Masterchef Australia: Matt, Gary and George (the judges)-class apart! I had watched cooking shows before this, but the sheer upbeat and cheerful nature of the show provided such a wonderful escape from daily rigours. The reason behind the show’s worldwide popularity, in my opinion, is that cooking always took centre stage, and not bogus melodramatic “reality” elements. It has an impressive 8 on IMDB, not bad for a cooking show into it’s 7th season now. This clip is not from the regular competition episodes but a teaching segment, watch and enjoy!
3) Man VS Food: I was addicted to this bit of TV madness! Unfortunately it lasted only 4 seasons, but each episode is worth it’s weight in gold. Amazing host Adam Richman dared to go where few (if any) had dared to go as far as eating big is concerned. What’s not to love about the show- eating challenge at the core of it, amazing restaurants with unreal food challenges and the thoroughly entertaining storytelling. Warning- this is not for the faint stomached!
4) Highway On My Plate: The show that will go down in Indian TV history as the landmark foodie-travel show. Rocky and Mayur traveled the country to bring to us a number of priceless gems from the culinary cosmos of Indian food. Salivating about foods that I can get in my own country was so satisfying-I have actually watched their shows before traveling to places (e.g. Goa) to know where I must head for my own gastronomic explorations. A short clip from the Goa feature follows.
5) Eat Street: This show is food utopia. Unfortunately, it’s been taken away from me because some networks just can’t keep it simple (and it’s not easily found on Youtube either)! Nevertheless, I can’t ever forget the few episodes that I watched for the outright inspiration. Alchemy being performed in the back of a truck. Mind boggling recipes, foods that looked too good to be true and sensual moaning of people eating them- James Cunningham took us ahead full throttle on this epic ride. This is the epitome of food porn! Alas, all I can give you is the scraps that I survive on these days.
