"The kitchen's a laboratory, and everything that happens there has to do with science. It's biology, chemistry, physics. Yes, there's history. Yes, there's artistry. Yes, to all of that. But what happened there, what actually happens to the food is all science".
- Alton Brown
It is safe to say that Alton Brown is my absolute favorite person from the Food Network. When I was younger and I saw some episodes of "Good Eats" it is what launched a positive relationship with cooking. For a young nerd like me integrating science into cooking was integral to learning not only how to cook something but WHY some things work the way they do in cooking.
Alton Brown was the vehicle that provided me with the answers I was searching for which is why when I realized that Netflix started to bring out collections of "Good Eats" I was so excited!
Since it has been a while that I had watched "Good Eats" (I was 12 when I saw a couple of episodes) naturally I had to start from the first episode of his collection on Netflix to the end. (Note: Netflix currently has Collection 3 up!) Now I won't go into the nitty gritty of the episodes nor really discuss what each of them were about. I want to talk about why Alton Brown's show was important to me when I was 12 and now.
I believe I have always been a curious person from a young age. I liked to find out why things work they way they do. I was a shy child however keeping things to myself and most of the time being an observer rather than someone who took action. When I was bored watching television one day I was skipping through the channels and I decided to stop at the Food Network. And low and behold I see something like this.
You see if I had not stumbled upon this show at a young age of 12 then I would not be the person I am today. I'm not saying that "Good Eats" is responsible for all the decisions I have made but it is one of the things that has shaped me. It just took me about 13 years later to realize that Alton Brown and "Good Eats" are one of the reasons I love cooking and I'm a scientist. Alton and his show gave me an appreciation for the food I ate and granted me the ability to understand the science I was learning in school in relation to the food I wanted to learn how to cook. His show was very important in my life and development because it allowed me to create connections with the world around me and to expand my way of thinking in terms of what the world has to offer me.
It also gave me a love of chickens! Look how cute that one is! Anyway, it is funny to me how unaware I was for 13 years that this entertaining show is one of the driving forces for me to continue going toward my goals. When I started to learn about Alton Brown I learned how multidimensional he is in his career. He managed to combine his love of science, cooking, and producing into an empire that not only entertains but educates. It gives me faith that I want to create something that can help shape the mind of a child and to give me the courage to take the risk of creating a career that I want in this hectic world. So, thank you Alton Brown, maybe one day I will be able to see your live shows like "Eat Your Science" and perhaps capture some part of your genius to pay it forward to someone else.
