Food Network, comfort TV
My daughter is apparently at the stage when she starts to find other people eating fascinating. I guess we never completely loose this, which is why I've found myself tuning to the comforts of the Food Network late at night and in the early hours of the morning when on shift with her. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Man v. Food. The joy we find in eating and the discovery of places that feed more than just our bellies.
I first came across the Food Network and the Travel Channel when I moved to the Bay Area and bought the first TV of my own, having managed without one for many years. Myself and The Canadian became obsessed with Chopped, then cheered on Adam Richman in his many Man v. Food challenges, delighting when we found out one was in the town we lived in. We never tried The Kitchen Sink but did have plenty of ice-cream at the San Francisco Creamery in Walnut Creek! We loved taking friends there when the came to visit, the joy of inventing our own Ice Cream Sundays reminiscent of childhood.
Man v. Food does portray excesses of gluttonous consumption when many around the world are going hungry, and I do feel conflicted about that, but it also focuses on the stories of people and places as much as the food itself. The best food programs often do this, reminding us that the sensory experience of eating can be so much more. This seems particularly potent right now when sitting down and sharing a meal with friends and family is a simple pleasure largely denied in the ongoing pandemic.
I think maybe I'll start a series of blog posts about food memories, the places and people they evoke.
Enough for now with the deeper thoughts and meaning to light entertainment programs – time to escape for awhile in the wee hours, whisked away on food journeys and brought back to those early days in sunny California when the comfort TV of the Food Network was a new delight.
Entry 33 of my participation in the “100 Days to Offload” challenge – find out more and join in!
2020-09-23 #100DaysToOffload #food #TV #BayArea