Top Chef: Boston

[chefmd]

Padma's prank upset me.  Fish on the floor?  Really?  What a lack of respect for food. 

 

Overall this was one of better episodes since they could cook with nice ingredients and be creative. 

[lindag]

Padma's prank upset me.  Fish on the floor?  Really?  What a lack of respect for food. 

 

Overall this was one of better episodes since they could cook with nice ingredients and be creative. 

I completely agree.  I don't know whose idea that was but it was really stupid and didn't add anything to the show.

[Shelby]

Good episode.  I really enjoyed seeing how to cut and eat a jack fruit.  Maybe I can find one and try it myself someday.

 

Gail seems to realllllllly like Doug.  And I do, too.  

 

On a completely shallow note, I HATED the overalls Padma wore.  Ick.

[huiray]

I really enjoyed seeing how to cut and eat a jack fruit.  Maybe I can find one and try it myself someday.

 

 

Try not to get too much of residual "latex" from the skin/stems (if a fairly fresh fruit) on your skin or clothes.  Some blackening and sticking may occur.  :-) 

 

I used to help my mother in cutting open these fruits (called "nangka" in Malay) after harvesting them from the tree in the side yard of my family home.  Less frequently, we also had fruits from the chempedak tree right besides it.  You should check out that one too, if you ever find it.  Chempedak is more fibrous, but more fragrant (when properly ripe) while nangka is less fibrous and more "bouncy" in texture with a less complex aroma.  The "tongues" encapsulating the nangka fruitlets (so to speak) within the fruit) are often also edible, especially in larger and riper ones, the sign that they are is that these "tongues" are also orange-ish in color.  Other than eating them as-is, one could also (after deseeding them - a single, large, seed within each "fruitlet") dip them in a batter and deep-fry them - similarly to pisang goreng.

 

BTW the nangka shown in this episode looked just a tad over-ripe to me...where the fruitlets seemed to be beginning to be slimy; but the images from Gregory's "dissection" of the fruit may be misleading.  (Over-ripe nangka? Here?)

[huiray]

I wonder if anyone (else) noticed that Michael Patlazhan was missing from the cast of "previously eliminated cheftestants" in  both the Quick Fire "Sudden Death" panel as well as the Last Chance Kitchen contests proper.  I wonder what happened.**

 

**He did diss Tom Colicchio fairly strongly and basically told him to get lost when he was dismissed at the end of the EC in episode 1 - I wonder if that had an, um, impact on being tossed out of LCK, or if he removed himself and was permitted to do so.

[Lisa Shock]

I know that in early seasons of the show, before LCK, not every eliminated chef would return to help out during the finals or some other event. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, could just be personal issues or a job opportunity, etc.

 

That said, someplace on the Bravo website IIRC he admitted that the competition was far tougher than he imagined and he was in over his head.

[huiray]

I know that in early seasons of the show, before LCK, not every eliminated chef would return to help out during the finals or some other event. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, could just be personal issues or a job opportunity, etc.

 

That said, someplace on the Bravo website IIRC he admitted that the competition was far tougher than he imagined and he was in over his head.

 

The returning eliminated cheftestants for selection as sous-chefs in previous seasons were indeed for the finals (or the final rounds), which typically took place months after the initial rounds, with all the cheftestants having returned home in the interim - so it certainly is to be expected that some did not make it back for one reason or another.  The current season is still showing episodes being filmed consecutively, I believe - none of them have "gone home" yet, all were still being sequestered (I would imagine) including for the episode just shown with that selection of George as the challenger for Katie in the "sudden death" QF cook-off.  Amongst other things, no-one's physical appearance has changed in the episodes proper as aired - so far as I can tell. (The "Talking Heads" are a different matter)  If the preceding is correct, then Michael P. would have remained behind in the "sequestration apartment/wherever" while the others participated?

 

Yes, Michael P. did talk about being in over his head and being given to panic attacks in the separate "exit interview" video posted on the website after the episode itself had been aired on TV.  Perhaps that *did* also figure in as to why he is missing from that panel or why he declined to participate.  Who knows, except the parties involved, true.  (In that context maybe the producers also had flashbacks of the Seth Caro on-air meltdown over his melted sorbet followed by his freakout over paper cups (and removal from the show) in TC Just Desserts? Just speculating.)

[Shalmanese]

That is "affectionate"? Wow.

 

The "poking, poking poking" characterization of Katsuji also came from Doug, when he commented about Katsuji purposely needling people (not just Aaron) to provoke them.

It seems like this latest episode largely confirms my interpretation of the Doug/Katsuji relationship as a lovable one.

[Jaymes]

 

I'm surprised at the animus towards Katsuji.  He just talks and jokes a lot -- sometimes it's funny sometimes not.  I think it's telling that the only contestants that are really bothered by him are the bottom feeders like Aaron and Keriann. 

 

 

I haven't really noticed all that much "animus towards Katsuji," with the exception of one poster here.  And Aaron, of course, who doesn't really count since he was a name-calling jerk towards pretty-much everybody and, we later learn, is out on bail.

 

To the contrary, it seems to me that the other cheftestants like Katsuji, regarding him as something of a pesky, funny little brother.  I've really enjoyed him and am extremely sorry to see him go.  I never failed to find him and his cooking choices interesting, and always looked forward to seeing what he was going to do next.  I'll admit I never thought he had a real chance to win - dishes and skills not sophisticated enough - but got a kick out of his journey, and I'll be rooting him on in LCK.

 

It was obvious, sadly to me, from the opening credits of the episode that his knives were in imminent danger of being packed up and toted on out of there.  Has anyone else noticed that, if the show broadcasts your little personal vignette, that's the kiss of death?  They obviously film these glimpses of each contestant's personal life before the season starts, but can't possibly show them all at one time.  So, they tend to wait until you're on your way home before they feature yours.  That way, everybody gets theirs broadcast.

 

So when, within the first five minutes, we see Katsuji and his daughter, I said to myself, Katsuji, sayonara and adios. It's been fun.

[huiray]

It seems like this latest episode largely confirms my interpretation of the Doug/Katsuji relationship as a lovable one.

 

If that is a lovable relationship in your books then we have different conceptions of what is a healthy vs a sick "lovable relationship". Sorry, constantly "poking, poking" and verbal diarrhea and constant teasing/verbal take-downs is NOT a desirable relationship to me but an abusive one.

[Shalmanese]

If that is a lovable relationship in your books then we have different conceptions of what is a healthy vs a sick "lovable relationship". Sorry, constantly "poking, poking" and verbal diarrhea and constant teasing/verbal take-downs is NOT a desirable relationship to me but an abusive one.

Look, we get that you have a personal animus with Katsuji but it's clearly one not shared by Doug. I literally don't know how it could be made more clear than "He is probably my favorite person in the house" and "Me and Katsuji will probably be friends for the rest of our lives".

[huiray]

Uh, reading other forums and one's ideas of a relationship do not depend on each other.

 

One should remember that the eG discussion on TC (and other shows) here involves different opinions.

[huiray]

Look, we get that you have a personal animus with Katsuji but it's clearly one not shared by Doug. I literally don't know how it could be made more clear than "He is probably my favorite person in the house" and "Me and Katsuji will probably be friends for the rest of our lives".

 

Look, I did not deny that Doug has this "relationship" with Katsuji.  Rather, I expressed my opinion of it.  Note also that I am not requiring nor suggesting that Doug actually change his relationship with Katsuji, nor that my thoughts about it should be acted upon by the parties concerned.

Edited December 18, 2014 by huiray (log)

[gfweb]

I found Katsuji to be an entertaining guy but probably a pain in the ass in real life.

 

I can identify with that.

 

He'll be on Food Network before you know it.

[scubadoo97]

I found Katsuji to be an entertaining guy but probably a pain in the ass in real life.

I can identify with that.

He'll be on Food Network before you know it.

He already has been on Chopped

[lindag]

Katsuji is basically an ill-mannered yutz.

[Shelby]

So, I finally had the time to catch up on my DVR today and the last episode I have is the one where Katsuji is shipped off. I need to google to see if I've missed one.

 

I found myself really wanting to taste Mei's ode to Henry David Thoreau.

 

IMO, it will be a little less entertaining without Katsuji.  *ducks the thrown rotten tomatoes*

 

 

Edited to add:

 

I thought we were going to have to throw Padma "honey" in a cold shower during the quick fire challenge.  

Edited January 7, 2015 by Shelby (log)

[Jaymes]

I'm wondering if I missed any. Spent the last two weeks in New Mexico and expected to come home and find two episodes recorded. But none were.

Huh?

[gfweb]

Xmas break

[lindag]

Thanks for asking the question, I was wondering the same thing.

[Lisa Shock]

There was a new episode last night.

[Lisa Shock]

All of the chefs on the bottom made dishes that they should have known better than to attempt. They simply did not have time to make that number of servings and cook their meat properly. I would have made the aspic de pommes, had I been there.

[Shelby]

I just finished watching last nights epi.  Don't continue reading if you don't want a spoiler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOUGIE????  NOOOOOOOOOO!

 

 

 

 

Sigh.  He deserved to go.  He screwed up royally.  I hope he can make his way back in.

[scubadoo97]

He's back in

[Shelby]

He's back in

YES!