Science!

My lunch break brings me the most interesting television programming.  I work with such a diverse group of people, one never knows what one will find on the TV in the break room.  I've seen reruns of I Love Lucy, Family Matters, and Rosanne.  I've watched CNN and begrudgingly, Fox News. My recent favorite is to find infomercials playing.

However, above all, there is The Food Network.  TFN has programming until late in the night--perfect for us night owls at the hospital.

I walked in the other day to find a rerun of "Chopped," the game show where chefs battle each other, and "weird" ingredients, to win money.

Initially I was not a fan.  I despise "reality" shows, and they have no real draw for me.  I'd rather see a regular drama than a reality show with the same plot lines under the pretense of being unscripted.  Call me a snob, but whatever happened to the "three-camera-angle-and-canned-laughter" TV show?  Can't it still work? (Note: according to fans of "The Big Bang Theory," yes it could; Watchers of "Whitney" would probably say no. BURN)

Despite my vitriol for reality TV, I feel as though "Chopped" is growing on me.  I haven't sought it out on the DVR or anything, but if at a friend or family's house, I may partake without a problem.

What exactly brought about this internal switcher-oo?  For me, these shows do well because of the layers they present.  The competition appeals to our more animalistic nature while the intrigue (the creative ingredients and choice of pairings) appeals to our more intellectual nature.   

Similarly, the show challenges the chefs to really know how to cook, or at the very least the science behind what they actually do cook on a daily basis.  How would one prepare pork rinds for a dessert?  What about beef tongue?  If you know a given ingredient, that's fine, but what if you don't?  One would have to have at least a base understanding of a given ingredient's food group and scientific make-up to know how it would cook and take form.  It's not just cooking, it's science, and entertaining at that.

The idea of  "hacking" regular and well-known dishes using bizarre and fun ingredients isn't nouveau, but Chopped seems to reheat it and serve it like it were fresh (hey, I had to stick a cooking pun in there somewhere).

I don't know why I wasn't watching this show in the first place, come to think about it.  I am always looking for recipes, and always looking for hacks to those same recipes.  The few days before grocery day can be my most blissful--I love figuring out how I can make something with only the items found in my pantry or fridge.

I may have to keep my eye on the show, if only for further inspiration.  Or, for the very least, entertainment.