Food takes over television

Does anyone else find the concept of an entire channel dedicated to watching other people make food a little odd? I mean, food is something that can’t be really appreciated just by seeing it, you need to taste and smell it to really get the full experience.

Still, we not only have an entire channel devoted to it, but also countless cooking shows on many other networks. One such example is one of my favorite shows on television, “Top Chef” and it’s spin off show, “Top Chef Masters,” which premiered its second season last Wednesday on Bravo.

For those of you who are unaware of the show’s concept, “Top Chef” brings together chefs from around the country and pits them against each other in weekly challenges that professional chefs could often face in real life, such as cooking for a wedding or opening a restaurant. “Top Chef Masters” is a little bit of a variation of that concept. Instead of chefs who are just looking to break into the restaurant world, “Masters” brings together world-renowned chefs as they battle it out for the honor of being the winner of “Top Chef Masters” and $100,000 for their charity of choice.

I really have a love-hate relationship with these two shows. On one hand, as someone who really does love to cook, I  genuinely enjoy watching them prepare these meals. These people are some of the most talented chefs out there and they create some of the most fascinating dishes using some of the most bizarre ingredients out there.

On the other hand, that’s one of the reasons why I sometimes hate the shows. First of all, I wouldn’t say I am an extremely picky eater, but I can say with certainty that I would not eat most of the dishes that are prepared on the show (maybe I would try them, to be polite).

Secondly, the dishes that I do want to try seem so impossible to make that I can’t imagine making them in my kitchen back home, let alone in my apartment at Rowan.

And finally, cooking encompasses so many different senses that it is extremely hard to judge people based on only how it looks. Yes, you have what the judges say as well, but you would always want to taste it to be able to form your own opinion.

Don’t get me wrong, none of these reasons are even good enough to make me stop watching; they are just things to think about. Personally, I suggest you watch “Top Chef Masters.” I highly doubt you will be disappointed, although you will most likely be hungry by the end of the hour.