They are such an important flavor in Tod Mun Pla/Goong, happy to hear it (and a bit Jealous).
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Many of the chefs you’re discussing started out as TV chefs in the old days, when shows were about cooking, not eyeballs. They parlayed their TV fame into restaurants or products later.
David Chang’s own celebrity came from being an actual chef, with magnet restaurants (in nyc) that bloomed into a restaurant empire. His earlier shows were food-intellectual, not reality show format (Mind of a Chef, Ugly Delicious).
That changed around Covid, when most of the restaurants were shut down, as it turned out later, permanently. The transformation from food intellectualism to reality show also happened around then iirc. Reality is the most profitable kind of tv,
It’s like watching Guy Fieri at a diner vs old food tv. Different goals, different audiences. Different $$$.
Discussion has been ongoing on other threads.
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I understand what you’re getting at but to some extent, if it’s on TV, it’s about eyeballs regardless. Little surprise that Chang’s other show rn is also a reality show. Low input.
Have you ever listened to this Splendid Table interview with Martin Yan? It’s fascinating. Truly a different time in food television.
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Oh No! Chronic pain just really sucks.
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ALL shows are about eyeballs. More eyeballs means more $ for the networks.
And most of who I listed had restaurants or were working in highly rated restaurants before they caught the eye of The Food Network’s execs to put them on their own show. That’s how they became “famous on TV.”
Yes, products might have come later, but many were cooking in their own restaurants or at highly regarded ones well before TFN or TV came around.
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Yes of course.
But the social media and reality tv world of the current moment means eyeballs at a very different scale than in the days of Lydia, Ming, et al.
Exactly. Reality tv has the lowest production cost and highest gawker appeal, that’s why there’s so much of it out there. The best return by a wide margin for the media companies. Add product placements and the jackpot grows.
Thank you! Fascinating indeed.
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I have a couple of friends who have been through long stretches of chronic pain, some of whom are off far worse - one had back surgery to solve his, and it didn’t make it one iota better - he barely got any sleep for weeks. I try to keep that in mind - perspective is everything. This, too, shall pass.
Eventually 
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Sausage/peppers/tomato sauce/Bulgarian feta on a toasted bun, side romaine salad with moar feta and pickled things.
Good sammich 
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Pizza night! Pepperoni and a mushroom. A quick pivot to a flat bread for the mushroom after a dough debacle. Both were excellent, no left overs for lunch. 
Accompanied by salad and wine.
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I love how you do not skip on toppings!
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looks like a delicious meal! Will have to check out these recipes, thanks!
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Thank you! If you try them, I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
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Tonight’s dinner was a vegetarian curry served over udon noodles and Huy Fong Sriracha 
I am still working on a bottle of “old” Sriracha (before drought/strike) and I will be very sad when it’s finished. The new incarnation isn’t even the same colour and I’m too afraid to try it.
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Another immensely frustrating day, the details of which I won’t bore ya with (for a change 
). The one good news I got today, however, is that I’m getting my final crowns put in a month earlier than anticipated – as in tomorrow 
To celebrate even the smaller victories, we had a rather indulgent mid-week meal: I made a shrimp & avocado salad for our appetizer, lightly dressed with mayo, crème fraiche, a blob of tomato paste, lemon juice, very finely diced celery, orange pepper & fresh dill, and some trout roe to gild the lily. That jar of roe is soon going to be history 
The main event was grilled local Delmonico steaks, a shared baked tater with TPSTOSSCAB, and salad. I made the SSC with Canadian-style sour cream, which is super luscious & creamy, if not runny (this batch def was).
The steaks weren’t all that great – they didn’t grill up evenly, and were thinner with more gristle than we recall from that farm. Might have to find a new purveyor. Tater was perfect, OTOH, following the ATK method.
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A stiff one to start out. Got our new homeowners insurance policy today. More than double from last year. OUCH and the air was Blue. The only claim we’ve ever had was about 20 years ago when a tree fell on our garage during a storm. A quick call to our insurance agent and everyone else is in the same boat and we’re shopping around blah blah… OK enough of my problems. Late lunch out so took black-eyed peas out of the freezer, sautéed some jalapeño sausage and my dinner is served. He had a leftover cheeseburger to go with it.
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What is TPSTOSSCAB?
I probably missed the explanation as to why you changed your avatar on a daily basis. I like your new dark blue background with an ice cold martini the best.
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Was looking for inspiration and a way to use up some random leftover ingredients, and stumbled upon this: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/ragu-paprikash Followed the recipe except I subbed some tomato paste and roasted cherry tomatoes (those random leftovers) for the can of tomatoes, and added a spoonful of BTB chicken base after tasting the sauce because it seemed flat. Tossed with shirataki fettucine and served with a caesar salad, it was a decent meal, but probably not a repeat, unless I had the same random leftovers to use up. DH liked it more than I did!
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