Food Network: Difference between revisions

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[[File:200px-Food_Network_Logo.svg.png|frame]]

Food Network is a cable network whose main topic is [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|food, food and more food]] -- where to find it, how to prepare it, as well the people who do all the work behind the scenes. Founded in 1993 by the Providence Journal Company as the "TV Food Network" (this name was dropped in 1996 for the present one), FN was bought by the E.W. Scripps Company as a result of a trade with the A.H. Belo Corporation, who bought the Providence Journal Co. in 1997 (the trade was for the CBS station in San Antonio), and is co-owned with a few other channels: Home and Garden Television (or HGTV, which focuses on home improvement and construction, and was launched in 1994, three years before Scripps bought FN), DIY Network (a channel for do-it-yourselfers, launched in 1999), [[Cooking Channel]] (launched in 2002 as a general lifestyle channel called "Fine Living", it adopted its current name in May 2010), Great American Country (a country music channel inexplicably purchased by Scripps in 2004) and the Travel Channel (65% of which was bought from Cox Communications in 2009). FN and its siblings were spun off into "Scripps Networks Interactive" in 2008.

FN rose to fame in the late 1990s, after picking up Emeril Lagasse's show ''Essence Of Emeril'' and its hit follow-on ''Emeril Live''; he was the face of the network for many years until [[Rachael Ray]] and ''30-Minute Meals'' came along. Also the network that was willing to take a chance on [[Good Eats|a certain offbeat cooking-science show]] back in 1999, as well as introducing most of the USA to ''[[Iron Chef]]'', a show whose exposure had been limited mainly to the Bay Area before then.

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* [[Adored by the Network]]: Many examples. Given that cooking/travel/reality shows can be produced relatively quickly, its easy for the network to air their shows noon and night until the audience finally gets used to, or sick of them.

** Episodes of ''30 Minute Meals'' and ''40 Dollars A Day'' were on constant repeat shortly before [[Rachael Ray]] got her own talk show.

** Once the network discovered Guy Fieri may have a chance among the much-coveted young male [[Demographic]], they began to run his shows constantly. If you tune in to Food Network at any given time these days, chances are that they're showing ''Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,'' or are about to start showing it within an hour.

** Emeril Legasse had [[Wolverine Publicity]] for a while, and made a big deal over how much butter and fat he used long before Paula Deen came on the scene. He has since been [[Demoted to Extra]].

** As of 2011-12, Food Network has basically become the "[[Iron Chef]] and Anything Like It" Channel, featuring hours upon hours of ''[[Iron Chef]]'', ''[[Chopped]]'', and similar shows clogging up the schedule.

* [[Ascended Extra]]:

** Anne Burrell started as Mario Batali's sous chef on ''Iron Chef America ''. Now she has two shows herself.

** Several stars on the network started out as competitors on ''Iron Chef America'' (almost all of the ''Chopped'' judges including Alex Guarnaschelli who, though she was an early Food Network star and got on ICA because of such, essentially got a second career boost) or were part of profiles on other people's shows (The Neeleys on the Deen brothers' show. Paula Deen on Gordon Elliott's)

* [[Author's Saving Throw]]: Sandra Lee's ''Semi-Homemade'' has been widely criticized, not only for processed, unhealthful, cost-ineffective ingredients, lavish sets and wardrobe changes (including her signature "table-scapes"), and her boozy cocktails. ''Sandra's Money Saving Meals'' features recipes made to feed a family of four on a budget, while Sandra's wardrobe has been stripped down and [[Ascetic Aesthetic|the set is almost entirely white.]] The [[Bottle Fairy|boozy cocktails remain]]. Having cooked for her impoverished family as a kid, on [[It Got Worse|food stamps]] nonetheless, [[I Take Offense to That Last One|she probably didn't like the idea of someone calling her wasteful.]] Apparently [[Even Evil Has Standards|Even Sandra Lee Has Standards]].

* [[Bald of Awesome]]:

** Chris Santos

** Duff Goldman

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* [[Cooking Duel]]: Increasingly a part of the line-up. Showing re-runs of ''[[Iron Chef]]'' brought the trope to high visibility in the west.

* [[Cooking Show]]: The focus of the network; most of them are relegated to the "Food Network In The Kitchen" daytime block.

* [[Cool Old Guy]]:

** Wolfgang Puck was this for some people.

** One might also mention Rokusaburo Michiba from the original [[Iron Chef]].

* [[Cool Old Lady]]:

** Paula Deen may be considered this for some people, especially on her ''Paula's Party'' show.

** Ina Garten probably counts too.

** The real holders of the title were the ''Two Fat Ladies'' (RIP Jennifer).

* [[Cordon Bleugh Chef]]:

** Sandra Lee.

** Paula Deen, whose recipes seem to consist of breaded sticks of butter coated in butter and deep fried in butter with butter on the side also counts. People were sadly not surprised when she revealed she has type II diabetes.

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* [[Cultural Translation]]: The original ''[[Iron Chef]]'' gained enough success to earn the aptly-named spin-off ''Iron Chef America''. The reruns of the original version on Fine Living were given the retronym ''Iron Chef Japan''; Cooking Channel, to which the reruns were carried over from Fine Living, has also picked up the name.

* [[Author Existence Failure|Creator Existence Failure]]: Jennifer of the Two Fat Ladies.

* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: Sandra Lee is not only notorious for this, but it defines her entire style.

** [[Two Words]]: Kwanzaa Cake.

** Even worse - her Hanukkah cake is filled with what looks like Kraft marshmallows, which aren't kosher.

* [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]]: Robert Irvine, mainly in ''Restaurant: Impossible'' where he often ends up delivering [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] to various people with failing restaurants. The fact that he used to be in the British Navy, and in fact got his start as a chef there, certainly helps.

* [[Fag Hag]]: Ina Garten. Her parties are attended almost entirely by her gay friends.

* [[Fan Service with a Smile]]: [[Giada De Laurentiis]] is known for this.

* [[Fiery Redhead]]: Bobby Flay.

* [[Fighting Irish]]: Again, Bobby Flay. Besides having a rather feisty and spirited personality, he also says that when he was a teenager he frequently got into fights and hung out with a group of other tough guys before getting involved in the food industry and turning his life around.

* [[Food Porn]]:

** [[Fetish Fuel|Disturbingly close to literal porn]] with some of Giada's and Rachel's quasi-orgasmic tasting shots.

** ''Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'', with some of the most surreal junkfood you'll ever see.

** ''The Best Thing I Ever Ate'', which features Food Network personalities and colleagues rhapsodizing about [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]].

** ''Emeril Live'' [[Catch Phrase|took this up a notch]] this for 60 minute food "live sex show", featuring "ohh"s and "ah"s from the audience. [[Egregious|Egregiously]] so when he added a great deal of butter or garlic and the camera cut to a closeup of someone reacting in the audience..

** Alex Guarnaschelli takes it to an even more disturbing level. Virtually every sentence she speaks describing food is practically dripping with a sensuous tone of voice, and [[Purple Prose|such admiring physical descriptions of the food]] that she makes it sound like it's a person that she wants to date, rather than a piece of food. Her orgasmic facial expressions when describing the food just make it worse.

*** She does it on Twitter too. Spoofed by Food Network Humor, who created "A Sensual Reading of Alex Guarnaschelli's Tweets": http://foodnetworkhumor.com/2010/07/video-a-sensual-reading-of-alex-guarnaschellis-tweets/ There's also a Part 2. Don't worry, it '''is''' perfectly safe for work. Basically just the FNH editors reading Alex's [[Purple Prose]] in a rather exaggerated fashion.

** Then there's the Neelys, who somehow always find a way to slip in sexual innuendos during every show, as they endlessly flirt with each other. They pretty much embody the [[Sickening Sweethearts]] trope.

** Alton tends to pick on his Food Network siblings over this. During the crossover Thanksgiving special he said mocked Giada's garnish by saying "You're one of those people who eats with their eyes, aren't you?"

* [[Genki Girl]]:

** [[Rachael Ray]] and Paula Deen are by far the worst for this, but [[Giada De Laurentiis]] puts in some genki moments on a fairly regular basis as well.

** Sunny Anderson, of ''Cooking for Real'', is this as well.

* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]:

** Marc Summers, host of ''Unwrapped'' but better known as the former host of Nickelodeon's ''[[Double Dare 1986|Double Dare]]''. He also counts for this behind the scenes: ''many'', if not the majority of non-competition/reality shows on Food Network (including ''Unwrapped'') come courtesy of his own production company based in Denver, CO (also explaining why many profiled restaurants and Food Network events, such as ''Food Network Challenge'', are hosted there)

** You may also remember Ted Allen from ''[[Queer Eye For The Straight Guy]]''

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** While Flay certainly cooks to win, he isn't broken up if he loses, since according to him the whole point of ''Throwdown'' is to get awesome local chefs some attention.

* [[Keet]]: Guy Fieri's persona is a Guido version.

* [[The Ladette]]:

** Anne Burrell appears to be this.

** Cat Cora definitely is.

* [[Large Ham]]: Mario Batali, Mark Dacascos (and Takeshi Kaga before him), Emeril Lagasse, [[Rachael Ray]], Guy Fieri, Paula Deen, Gina Neely, Aaron "Big Daddy" McCargo, the entire cast of ''[[Good Eats]]''... It would be easier to make a list of who ''isn't''. Ironically, however, ''not'' George Duran (formerly of ''Ham On The Street'').

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* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: [[Giada De Laurentiis]], Aida Mollenkamp, [[Rachael Ray]], and, [[Mr. Fanservice|gender-flipped]], [[Dinner Impossible|Robert Irvine]]. And, as of her second season, apparently Claire Robinson as well.

* [[Motor Mouth]]: Ever heard Rachael's voice?

** During the ICA battle where Flay and Giada went up against Rachael and Batali, [[Fark]] [[In Joke|warned the]] [[Memetic Mutation|kitten population]] [[A Date with Rosie Palms|to be on alert]].

** During the ICA battle where Flay and Giada went up against Rachael and Batali, [[Fark]] [[In-Joke|warned the]] [[Memetic Mutation|kitten population]] [[A Date with Rosie Palms|to be on alert]].

* [[Pretty Fly for a White Guy]]; Guy Fieri describes his look as [[Xtreme Kool Letterz|"kulinary gangsta,"]]. The loud clothing and the sunglasses seem to indicate something closer to "skater", or perhaps "midlife crisis."

* [[Purple Prose]]: ''The Best Thing I Ever Ate'' basically encourages all the FN stars to go on and use [[Purple Prose]] to describe various dishes. Alex Guarnaschelli is ''by far'' the most egregious though, both there and on her own show as well.

* [[Sassy Black Woman]]: Gina Neely. Stereotypes? You're soaking in it.

* [[Science Show]]: ''[[Good Eats]]'', ''Food Detectives'', and ''Ask Aida''.

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* [[Silver Fox]]: Geoffrey Zakarian.

* [[Spin-Off]]: [[Cooking Channel]], which replaced Fine Living, can be considered one. It also shows some programs that used to be on FN (such as ''Two Fat Ladies'').

* [[~~Straight~~ ~~Gay~~]]: Ted Allen, Cat Cora.

* [[Invisible to Gaydar]]: Ted Allen, Cat Cora.

* [[Southern Belle]]:

** Paula Deen, y'all!

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* [[Three Cameras]]: Used for the shows shot live to tape in studio, but surprisingly frequently averted, especially with shows like ''Good Eats'' and the travel shows.

* [[Totally Radical]]: Guy Fieri. He really tries too hard to be "hip."

* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]:

** Paula Deen and butter. A couple other chefs are noted for their favorites in terms of both using it and eating it, but Deen's love of butter has reached [[Memetic Mutation]] levels. One of Paula's shows focused on fried butter. Straight up '''FRIED BUTTER'''. A home viewer was even invited to share a recipe, who also had a variation on the recipe for weight-conscious viewers (it was still fried and it was still butter).

** Sandra Lee loves to use alcohol in her recipes.

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* [[Travelogue Show]]: Several food-related ones have aired; among them are ''[[Rachael Ray]]'s Tasty Travels'' and ''Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives''.

* [[Writers Cannot Do Math]]: In Sandra Lee's 2011 Halloween special, one segment features Sandra Lee dressed as a ghost, claiming to be the spirit of a Viennese ex-pirate (which itself is a case of [[Did Not Do the Research]]) who died in 1430 and was 560 years old. Assuming the episode was set in 2011, she's been dead for 581 years.

* [[Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?]]:

** Sunny Anderson, although not [[Egregious|egregiously]] so -- born and raised Army brat, US Air Force veteran, military Armed Forces Network Station DJ and later hip-hop radio DJ, TV chef -- she's had a lot going on over the years.

** As mentioned above, Ina Garten also. Ina's careers have included a job as a nuclear budget analyst at ''the White House'', owning a catering business, and her current career as a Food Network host and cookbook author.

* [[The Wonka]]: Ted Allen on ''Food Detectives'' practically channels Wonka himself, casual sadism and all... Maybe a tad bit ''[[Nightmare Fuel|too]]'' well.