Top Chef

I am obsessed with the Bravo Network's Wednesday night reality show "Top Chef". I would pay my entire cable bill for this show. Fortunately, cable also comes with other channels, like ESPN, so I can watch Monday Night Football (go Bears!). But, honestly, it would be worth it just for the one show. I wonder if they put reality shows on DVD. I totally want to rent the first season, which I missed sporadically. This season, I missed the first two episodes, but I've seen all the other episodes, and I LOVE it!!

The show, about a group of aspiring "top chefs" (duh), is made up of a group of chefs and cooks from around the country who are given these crazy cooking challenges (i.e. create a gourmet appetizer from two vending machine items, prepare a dish with no cooking allowed using only items from a farmer's market--both of those were the "little challenges" where they are timed, too!), and they go to it. There is some drama, of course, because they deprive the contestants of outside contact or time away for themselves (it IS a reality show), but I am completely and utterly fascinated by the food. They make amazing things out of nothing, and I want to eat everything!! It's ridiculous. They make the weirdest things sound good. They're so talented. And the judges are a hoot.

It seems weird to me that I would like to watch a show about cooking, being that I don't actually do it myself. But, as Kristin so dutifully pointed out, I love, love, love food, so it makes sense that anything involving food would be interesting to me. If I had all the money in the world, I would eat at a different restaurant every night. I feel like there are so many flavor combinations that I am missing out on in life, and I love gourmet food just as much as I love burgers and fries. I just love good food.

Anyway, if you get a chance, and you're bored on Wednesday night, you should check it out. The new episodes are on at 9:00 on Wednesday night, Central Time on Bravo. The episodes leading up to it are always aired marathon-style leading up to it, so you can get caught up a little if you're bored. I can't wait until Wednesday night. But now, just thinking about it, I'm super hungry!