# Hell's Kitchen, and it's viewers. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 14, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096 "2010-10-14T05:45:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/21 "2010-10-14T15:36:25Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > … The last thing I want to do is go home and read high-end literature or watch Helvetica (a documentary about the development of a _font_. Now there’s some must-see TV!). Hey! I liked Helvetica! 'course, my wife teased the hell out of me for watching it… ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/22 "2010-10-14T15:40:05Z")
How did you acquire the back story about them living in their car and coming to BK to see her ‘favourite’ show and not buy anything? Did they tell you this, or did you just fill it in yourself? Also, thanks for telling us about your expensive fancy video equipment - it’s just as relevant in this thread as the cost of you bicycle was in the thread about you falling off said overpriced bike. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/23 "2010-10-14T15:41:21Z")
> [@kombatminipig](#): > > > [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > > > Most of them wouldn’t even get a job in Burger King with that kind of low class attitude, frequent profanity, and obvious psychosis. > > Funny, the latter two actually describe most cooks I know rather well. And I say this without being glib. Ramsay, like any professional chef, is responding to a need. As a commercial media personality, he can do little else. In American culture, we worship excellence, but despise elitism, snobbery, and refinement. For that reason, we often admire hardasses - people who whip others into shape, creating excellence by bringing people _down_. That implies a down-to-earth work ethic, and a world where you _are_ your work. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/24 "2010-10-14T15:43:54Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > > [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > > > I was in the local Burger King > > Eh, shit. There goes your high ground. Now hold on a minute. He may have gotten _cheese_ on his Whopper. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/25 "2010-10-14T15:46:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > > [@RaftPeople](#): > > > > What are the generalizations you make that you think you are “spot on” about? What difference do you think you see in people that listen to country/western vs bach? > > Teeth. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/26 "2010-10-14T15:57:19Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > > > Eh, shit. There goes your high ground. > > Now hold on a minute. He may have gotten _cheese_ on his Whopper. Come on now. We should criticize his argument, and not his hygiene. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/27 "2010-10-14T16:02:34Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > No studies I am aware of, just observation. Fair enough. The vehemence and surety with which you admonished the OP for his generalizations made it appear, to me, that you may have been relying on more than your own observations. > [@RaftPeople](#): > > What are the generalizations you make that you think you are “spot on” about? What difference do you think you see in people that listen to country/western vs bach? I don’t think we need to do this hijack. I was simply wondering if you had something more than your observations and experiences for what you had said. I wasn’t looking, nor is this the thread, for an extended discussion of the propriety of generalizations based on entertainment choices. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/28 "2010-10-14T16:11:15Z")
> [@Zulema](#): > > Seriously? You’re criticizing people for watching “Hell’s Kitchen” and admitting that you watch “Wife Swap”. And eating Burger King- don’t forget that. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/29 "2010-10-14T16:11:44Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > How did you acquire the back story about them living in their car and coming to BK to see her ‘favourite’ show and not buy anything? Did they tell you this, or did you just fill it in yourself? > > Also, thanks for telling us about your expensive fancy video equipment - it’s just as relevant in this thread as the cost of you bicycle was in the thread about you falling off said overpriced bike. I thought telling us about the fancy video equipment was the whole point of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/30 "2010-10-14T16:31:32Z")
[quote=“Hamlet, post:10, topic:557096”] > [@RaftPeople](#): > > I fully admit to making generalization about people based on their taste in entertainment choices…people who love Larry the Cable Guy or who love Neil Gaiman; What is your generalization of someone who loves Larry the Cable Guy and Neil Gaiman and has autographed items from both? And I also assumed the point of the OP was so he could brag some more about his expensive things. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/31 "2010-10-14T16:42:58Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > > > Eh, shit. There goes your high ground. > > Now hold on a minute. He may have gotten _cheese_ on his Whopper. He may even have asked for it as _fromage_. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/32 "2010-10-14T16:49:22Z")
I’m better than all of you because I don’t watch reality TV. In fact, I don’t even own a television. My family and I sit in our cave every day after work in front of the fire and watch the drawings on the walls depicting the latest buffalo hunt. AND WE LIKE IT, DAMMIT! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/33 "2010-10-14T16:50:29Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > > > Now hold on a minute. He may have gotten _cheese_ on his Whopper. > > He may even have asked for it as _fromage_. But he did not have bacon on it so that completely invalidates any of his criticisms. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/34 "2010-10-14T17:03:18Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > What is your generalization of someone who loves Larry the Cable Guy and Neil Gaiman and has autographed items from both? Hmmm. Going out on a limb, I’d say it’s probably someone who lives in California who dreams of fighting vampires in the daytime with Ozzy Osbourne, who has a queen sized bed and was (rightfully so) impressed when Tennant was as good as, if not better, a Dr. Who than Eccleston. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/35 "2010-10-14T17:04:37Z")
> [@EmAnJ](#): > > You have a TV in your Burger King? Wow! Yeah, classy! ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/36 "2010-10-14T17:38:15Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > > [@RaftPeople](#): > > > > What are the generalizations you make that you think you are “spot on” about? What difference do you think you see in people that listen to country/western vs bach? > > I don’t think we need to do this hijack. I was simply wondering if you had something more than your observations and experiences for what you had said. I wasn’t looking, nor is this the thread, for an extended discussion of the propriety of generalizations based on entertainment choices. I don’t think this thread will suffer any from a hijack. Ok, you’re not looking for an extended discussion, fine, how about a relatively short one. I’m not looking for a pedantic nit-pick back and forth, just curious what generalities you think you observe and whether your mapping is based on perceived intellect and how you might ascertain that, or if instead your mapping is based more on culture/environment. I personally believe there are many attributes that we lump in together as “smart”, but the one attribute I tend to think really makes someone smart is their ability to step back and see themselves, their thoughts and actions, situations and the world around them in a relatively unbiased manner. Basically self-awareness. So, someone that has a great memory, great vocabulary and loves Bach, may at the same time not possess this critical element of self-awareness and thus, in my opinion, is really not as smart as he/she may appear. Beyond that issue, I personally have observed a wide variety of likes and dislikes amongst all of the people I know - so much that I think it would be extremely difficult to make the type of generalizations made in the op or that you seem to be saying you are able to make. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/37 "2010-10-14T17:55:11Z")
How did this thread progress from a pitting of some OTTW with flared nostrils and beady eyes, chortling along with a crappy TV show, to a discussion about the meaning of life? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/38 "2010-10-14T17:57:10Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > > [@Tahssa](#): > > > > What is your generalization of someone who loves Larry the Cable Guy and Neil Gaiman and has autographed items from both? > > Hmmm. Going out on a limb, I’d say it’s probably someone who lives in California who dreams of fighting vampires in the daytime with Ozzy Osbourne, who has a queen sized bed and was (rightfully so) impressed when Tennant was as good as, if not better, a Dr. Who than Eccleston. > [@RaftPeople](#): > > whether your mapping is based on perceived intellect I would say his mapping is based on intellect as he has quite accurately determined that I am a genius. > [@Morgenstern](#): > > How did this thread progress from a pitting of some OTTW with flared nostrils and beady eyes, chortling along with a crappy TV show, to a discussion about the meaning of life? Serendipity. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/39 "2010-10-14T18:18:18Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > > [@Dogzilla](#): > > > > … The last thing I want to do is go home and read high-end literature or watch Helvetica (a documentary about the development of a _font_. Now there’s some must-see TV!). > > Hey! I liked Helvetica! > > 'course, my wife teased the hell out of me for watching it… Dude, we saw it in the _theater._ We considered wearing paper bags over our heads so nobody would recognize us in this theater full of pretentious assholes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096/40 "2010-10-14T18:22:12Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > So, I figured, how bad could this show be? I soon found out the answer. Are these really the kind of people who work in high end kitchens? I find that really hard to believe. Most of them wouldn’t even get a job in Burger King with that kind of low class attitude, frequent profanity, and obvious psychosis. You’ve never known any actual kitchen staff, I see. Add in “functional alcoholism” and “willingness to engage in completely inappropriate sexual behavior at work” and you’ve pretty much got the personality profile of most of those who work in the food biz. It’s not my cup of tea as a work environment, but their parties are outstanding. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hells-kitchen-and-its-viewers/557096.md?page=3)