Rachel Ray as Gateway Drug

"The road to eating at Robuchon for the majority of people goes through Rachael Ray. Ray and Fieri are the culinary versions of marijuana, the food-TV gateway drug to eating and cooking either bigger, better, and badder food, or, for lazier folks, a lifetime of the cooking equivalent of smoking really bad weed."

From: "The Grub Report: Critics and Commentators Survey the State of Our Food Union," comment by Michael Nagrant, Hungry Mag


I think this comment is interesting for a number of reasons. Aside from is humorous tone, I think it gets at a very valid point. A lot has been said about the rise in popularity of food TV (without a corresponding rise in actual cooking), but it may be the first step towards getting our culture focused on the preparation of meals as a normal part of the American lifestyle once again. It's unlikely that anyone would confuse Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals for gourmet, and there's certainly nothing everyday about the establishments that Guy Fieri visits in Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, but is the fact that people are actually watching and enjoying these shows a sign of a change to come?

Although Fieri's show encourages eating outside the home, the focus of the show is the preparation of the food and on the owners of the eateries themselves, promoting the lifestyle of small restaurant ownership and encouraging diners to eat at locally-owned establishments rather than the Olive Gardens of the world. Let's face it, people are busy and are unlikely to become less so any time soon; even if they'd like to cook it truly may not be an option every night of the week. In this case, wouldn't we, as a society or a city, rather that they support our local economy? This promotes the charm and uniqueness of cities and towns across America that are characterized by their local establishments, not the number of chain restaurants and big box stores lining the highways. Granted, generally the items on the featured menus aren't exactly helping to fight the obesity epidemic, but let's pick our battles.

30 Minute Meals really is a gateway for many people, from kids and college students to working adults. Sure, Rachel Ray may be irritating at times (yum-o? really?), but her recipes are a realistic introduction to the kitchen. They're simple, easy to follow, and utilize reasonably priced ingredients. Approachable may be the best descriptor. So you start at Rachel Ray, then maybe move to Mark Bittman, or maybe you've learned enough of the basics to start throwing ingredients together on your own.

Fostering an interest in cooking, or at least the knowledge how one's food is prepared, is the focus here. If that leads just 10% of viewers to actually enter the kitchen, I'd call it a success.