I've got to admit that I love this show. It's called Iron Chef. I discovered it on satellite maybe two years ago. You have to watch the show and perhaps be a bit of a chef yourself to really appreciate it. As the show's Web site says:
Get ready for the seaweed and giant eels to start flying as Ultimate Fighting Champion meets Julia Child in this Japanese-language hit.
Two chefs, with different specialites (e.g., Italian, Japanese, French, Chinese) compete against one another under a time limit (normally one hour) to make four or five courses (appetizer, main courses, side dishes, and - gulp - dessert) out of some of the most incredible ingredients. Frequently, this is not something that a European/North American audience would ever consider eating (sea urchin?).
A sea urchin dessert??
It's quirky and half the fun is the hilarity of the translation (not that I speak Japanese, it's just that I have a hard time believing the translation sometimes). The inventor of the show is the main judge, who introduces the contestants and he has built a "stadium" in which they ply their trade. They don't know what the ingredient for the competition will be until the show starts.
Of course, they have sous chefs to help out but as in all places where culinary talent is revered, the hand of the master chef must be seen in all the dishes. It's not a conventional competion like the Bocuse d'Or but it is compelling just because both the format and the ingredients are so unusual.
When I'm bored, late at night, I try to imagine sea urchin dessert.
Posted by artandscience at January 10, 2004 11:18 PM