The Food Network and Women of a Certain Weight
Paula Deen: "I'm your cook, not your doctor!"
The other day I tuned in to “The Barefoot Contessa” cooking show to see my friends’ daughter, Phoebe Lapine, talk to Ina Garten about her cooking blog, Big Girls, Small Kitchens. But I was so eager to watch Phoebe’s TV debut that I tuned in a day early. That meant I got two shows’ worth of Ina’s incomparably tasty, unbelievably fattening food tips.
This coming off a second viewing of Julie & Julia, which is of course one big tribute to butter.
I got on the butter bandwagon early, thanks to my German grandmother, who never met a high cholesterol dish she didn’t like. When I worked for chef Dione Lucas (another eccentric Brit who trained in Paris), the kitchen was also one big tub.
So, to an extent, was Dione, although she carried it well. And I would say the same for my Food Network favorites, Ina and Paula Deen…both of whom, like Julia Child, boast husbands who stay amazingly thin.
Paula, incidentally, has an amazing life story (beyond getting hit by a ham), which includes several years of agoraphobia and (before her current husband) an affair with a married man, all detailed in her autobiography. When I read about the affair, it was sort of like finding out Mrs. Claus had cheated on Santa. But there you have it. At least it got her out of the house.
When Oprah (another woman of a certain weight) asked Paula about her fattening fare, Paula replied, “I’m your cook, not your doctor.” And p.s., she’s still here, at 62, and my grandmother lived to 97.
Which brings me back to Ina’s Christmas menu: Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter, Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, and Trifle with Cognac Cream.
I did a test run of this dinner–why not branch out from the traditional roast beef?–and the thing is, my husband and I never got past course one. That would be the Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter, which Ina claimed “served two,” but in fact served six or eight. (And trust me, we are not delicate diners.)
And that returns us to the dreary old topic of portion size.
I won’t go into it again. Mainly because, before I die, I want to sit at Ina’s table. And Paula’s, too.
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I just watched Julie and Julia again last night — and remembered we own the Child cookbook. It inspired me to start leafing through it and choose some recipes for 2010.
Watching Child and her husband enjoy eating in the film is such a pleasure.
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If I can’t go to Ina’s house for Christmas, can I come to yours.
Count me among the many who loves the Julia Child cookbook, although I will skip the section on aspics.
Sure–I need a few more to consume the Truffle Noodles!
In response to another comment. See in context »I definitely think Ina makes the most delicious-looking dishes on The Food Network. And, almost by definition of what they’re doing, it’s refreshing to turn on the TV and find a place where there are actually women of different sizes and ages.
Absolutely! And I personally am suspicious of skinny chefs! How good can their food be if they don’t eat it?
In response to another comment. See in context »Maybe the skinny chefs just don’t use butter?
In response to another comment. See in context »ina garten is my absolute favorite on food network, but you are correct about her portions. i made her roasted shrimp and orzo over the weekend. according to ina, it serves 12. i doubled the recipe and had enough for 45 at a party.
Maybe we all need to get together and do our own, secret calculations!
In response to another comment. See in context »I think Alton Brown (Good Eats) would have the healthiest fare. Bobby Flay the most fun. I like Ina but usually only catch food channel on dead network programming nights. Don’t really care for Paula’s “country” affectation.
By the way I grew up on a farm. Love butter. My old farmers around here have lived quite long lives.
Actually, Paula in person is very down to earth. So I don’t think it’s an affectation–I think it’s her real personality!
In response to another comment. See in context »I typically don’t worry too much about the calorie/fat content of these recipes as I can only afford to cook them a couple times a month. I couldn’t imagine eating like this every day.
Few could!
In response to another comment. See in context »