My mother always tells me the story about the time I was 2 years old and declared lobster and cheesecake to be my two favorite foods in the whole wide world. I guess you can say that my love for good cuisine started at an early age. I can honestly tell you, however, that lobster and cheesecake are not two dishes commonly found in my household. So, when I need exposure to fine dining and entertainment, but I'm at home, I turn to the Food Network. It's home to some of my favorite shows like "Cupcake Wars," "Chopped" and "Iron Chef." I love "Top Chef" on Bravo too.
If you are like I am, and are completely entertained and addicted to cooking shows, you will understand these stages.
1. Needing food.
I'm sure I'm not the only person who has returned home after a long day, only to find that nothing catches my eye in the fridge. Opening and closing my refrigerator doors four or five times is a common part to my daily routine, and after finally coming to the conclusion that guacamole is not going to magically appear on the shelf, I re-route to the living room where the TV awaits me.
2. Being sad.
Leaving the kitchen empty-handed is always disheartening, but luckily, on cooking shows, there are pantries and boxes filled with ingredients. Chefs competing against one another never seem to go without exactly what they need (unless it’s a tricky challenge).
3. Being amazed.
Even with weird mystery ingredients, the chefs on these TV shows always know what to prepare in very short periods of time. What is even more impressive is that most of the time, the dishes presented to the judges are not grey or brown globs. The dishes (with exceptions here and there) look like they are ready for restaurants!
Which brings me to my next stage ...
4. Dreaming of an ideal profession.
After watching cooking shows, I have discovered that my dream job would be judging on a cooking show. Please contact me if you don’t think being paid to eat food cooked by skilled chefs sounds amazing.
5. Practicing my ideal profession.
It is hard not to think “NO! You are overcooking the chicken! GET IT OFF THE STOVE!” when you are watching these shows, but hey, if I’m going to be a hardcore judge someday, I have to know how to speak my mind.
6. The dessert round.
Whenever there is a dessert round on any cooking show, I always crave chocolate or vanilla frosting (I have no idea why). This craving always has me thinking about what is in my kitchen again.
7. Returning to the kitchen.
After the craving starts, it is almost always followed by a trip to the refrigerator to see if there is frosting or anything like it lying around. Usually the answer is still no. I guess it’s back to Stage 1.
