Ugly Delicious on Netflix

[gulfporter]

This is a series that began earlier this year but we just happened upon it.  Watched the 1st show of season about pizza and enjoyed it.  Fast moving with lots of debate about WHAT a pizza is.  From Brooklyn to Naples to Tokyo to.......Domino's.  Host is Chef David Chang of Momofuku fame.  

[btbyrd]

In my view, the third episode (on home cooking) should have been the first of the series, as it introduces us to the notion of "ugly delicious" and sets the tone and context for the rest of the series. That discussion comes about eight and a half minutes into the episode. I found this to the best episode of the series -- at once the most heartwarming and cerebral, the latter without trying to be. Other episodes can end up with somewhat artificial conversation in the form of panel discussions on the nature of ____________. Instead, this one just shows you beautiful people cooking ugly, unpretentious food whose validity and deliciousness is obvious and without question. It invites the haughtier among us to transvaluate their culinary values and realize that there is something incomparably wonderful to be found in simple, coarse, and ugly cooking. The rest of the series looks best through this lens. 

[Okanagancook]

Bumping this thread up.  I have watch three episodes so far and thoroughly enjoyed all of them....had to watch the pizza one again so my DH could see it too.

Hope there's more to come.....I see it has renewed for a season two...happy dance.

Edited January 12, 2019 by Okanagancook (log)

[CantCookStillTry]

I am late to the party but this was my 'is it/isn't it a lockdown' binge today. 

I really like it.

[BeeZee]

Watched about half of episode 1 of season 2, it is about David's transition to being an expectant Father...pretty touching.

[Kim Shook]

Mr. Kim and I have watched it in its entirety for the past few weeks.  Jeez, he can be a real horse’s ass.  I understand he’s split with David Meecham and done the obligatory Mea Culpa Tweet, but still.  In the New Orleans episode, it opens with him saying how much he loves Galatoire’s and then he proceeds to disrespect it by not following their dress code and mocking them on air about having one and being staid.  Dave, if you love the restaurant so much, you have to know about their dress code.  And, no, being a chef does not make you special and exempt from showing the respect of dressing as the restaurant requires (also looking at you, Duff Goldman and Antonia Lofaso).

 

In the pizza episode he orders Domino’s pizza to be delivered to Lucali, an Italian-American pizzeria in Brooklyn where he and Meecham are interviewing the owner/chef Mark Iacono.  He insists on both of the others tasting the Domino’s and excuses himself for liking it by saying it’s what he grew up with.  In later episodes, he becomes visibly irritated at non-Asian-Americans cooking Asian foods. 

 

The shows were interesting and I loved seeing all of the places all over the world.  We finished Somebody Feed Phil before starting Ugly Delicious and it was great seeing some of the same places in both shows.  Watching the delight that illuminates Phil’s face when he tastes something really good is such an improvement over Dave’s, “That’s so f***ing good.”  

 

Having said all of that, there is something very engaging about Dave Chang and I loved seeing him with his parents and wife.  And, of course, he's a Northern VA boy, so I have to root for him. 😁