# I hate Alton Brown more than ever. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412 "2012-07-16T14:35:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/61 "2012-07-17T02:57:38Z")
Who’s the muscular Limey in the black t shirt who’s pissed all the time? That’s the guy I can’t stand. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/62 "2012-07-17T03:03:03Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Who’s the muscular Limey in the black t shirt who’s pissed all the time? That’s the guy I can’t stand. Robert Irvine. ---
**Author:** ![SticksAndString](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SticksAndString](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SticksAndString)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/63 "2012-07-17T03:09:08Z")
Dammit **sparky!** , you’re making me miss Julia and her good buddy, Jacques Pepin. We used to watch this show called “Jacques Pepin’s Dessert Circus” which had him making wonderful desserts and had cheesy animations to boot. And “Yan Can Cook!”…Martin Yan was very funny onscreen. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/64 "2012-07-17T03:29:59Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Julia was awesome. > > Have you tried Ramsay’s show “The F Word”? It’s much more… subdued. (On BBC America in the US, dunno how/if it’s carried elsewhere.) It’s a bit of celeb food chat, a small cooking competition with a 4-person team that he teaches, some “this is where your food comes from” demonstration, and teaching a couple recipes to a few regular people and the home audience. He’s very rarely shouty. I really, really like “The F Word”. I love the segments where you see him at home when he’s raising animals and stuff. He seems so real. He’s very nice to the people he’s teaching to cook and the celebs are always fun to watch. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/65 "2012-07-17T03:36:32Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Who’s the muscular Limey in the black t shirt who’s pissed all the time? That’s the guy I can’t stand. > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Robert Irvine. Chef Ramsay on steroids. (Seriously, I think Irvine must use the same writers as the U.S. version of “Kitchen Nightmares”…they have so many catchphrases in common.) I’m glad I’m not the only one willing to comment on this apparent change in Alton Brown. I used to love “Good Eats”, until he lost all that weight…his persona on that show went from the lovable little nerdy guy to a mean, judgmental, almost bitter individual. This is close to the persona I’ve seen him display on other shows…it’s so unpleasant for me to watch that I can no longer enjoy “Good Eats”. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/66 "2012-07-17T03:40:13Z")
At one point Gordon Ramsay, when he first started his own restaurant in London, was surreptitiously videotaped by a disgruntled employee who was taping him for a local television show designed to highlight “Bad Bosses.” Ramsay isn’t _nearly_ as over the top as he is in say, _Hell’s Kitchen_ or even some episodes of _Kitchen Nightmares_ but the profanity is legitimate as is his running his kitchen in a traditional French brigade style. (In a strange reality-inside-reality television moment, in the first documentary ever to feature Ramsay _Boiling Point_ the early parts of it actually show Ramsay watching the undercover report that one of his previous employees turned over to the Bad Bosses show air for the first time on TV, _Boiling Point_ in general is probably also a pretty realistic view of how Ramsay operated “legitimately” even though I’m sure some early hamming it up and editing made it a little less than 100% accurate.) Ramsay is actually probably a really good example of “real chef” versus “fake celebrity chef.” On _The F Word_ and the original _Kitchen Nightmares_ that aired in the UK I think you see very close to the real Ramsay. He’s a guy passionate about food, swears like a sailor, and rubs some people the wrong way. On _Kitchen Nightmares_ in America you get the “real Ramsay” in some of the earlier season and periodically after that–but KN in America is a lot more about Ramsay fighting idiot restaurateurs running hopelessly failing businesses than was the original British show (even though almost all of the restaurateurs in the British version were in the same boat.) If you look at Ramsay in _Hell’s Kitchen_ especially, you get to see “celebrity chef” in action, it’s a complete, 100% fabrication and nothing like what a real kitchen is like or how a real head chef acts in a kitchen. In any real work environment like a fine dining restaurant angry shouting matches will probably happen, but they are rare–real business doesn’t get done with constant fighting. In _Hell’s Kitchen_ the worst outbursts you might see in years of working in a professional kitchen are portrayed as something that normally happens 25 times in an hour. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/67 "2012-07-17T08:58:28Z")
> [@SticksAndString](#): > > Dammit **sparky!** , you’re making me miss Julia and her good buddy, Jacques Pepin. We used to watch this show called “Jacques Pepin’s Dessert Circus” which had him making wonderful desserts and had cheesy animations to boot. > > And “Yan Can Cook!”…Martin Yan was very funny onscreen. Yan has some good vids on YouTube, though not nearly enough. I remember watching him when I was a kid and really wanting that cleaver thing he used. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/68 "2012-07-17T09:19:39Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I add about a tablespoon to my apple pies and it seems to add some rich deliciousness. How much jelly did he say to put in? I don’t recall the exact amount, but it was enough to coat the apple slices. Maybe the problem was that I used too much. Next time I make an apple pie, I’ll try adding a tablespoon and see if that works for me. Usually, though, I make it with dark brown raw sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and raisins. I’ve tried putting nuts in as well (peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews), but they always get soft and chewy. I’d like it if they remained crunchy. ---
**Author:** ![SticksAndString](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SticksAndString](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SticksAndString)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/69 "2012-07-17T12:24:16Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > Yan has some good vids on YouTube, though not nearly enough. I remember watching him when I was a kid and really wanting that cleaver thing he used. My sister and I used to amuse each other with bad imitations of his accent. “If Yaaaan can COOOK, then SOOOOO caaaaan yoooou!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/70 "2012-07-17T12:37:48Z")
> [@SticksAndString](#): > > Dammit **sparky!** , you’re making me miss Julia and her good buddy, Jacques Pepin. We used to watch this show called “Jacques Pepin’s Dessert Circus” which had him making wonderful desserts and had cheesy animations to boot. > > And “Yan Can Cook!”…Martin Yan was very funny onscreen. Dessert Circus wasn’t Jaques Pepin it was Jaques TorreiSync he was amazing. I have his Dessert Circus cookbook and I read it like a fantasy novel! Jacques Pepin did cook with Julia though. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/71 "2012-07-17T12:49:21Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > **zombywoof** ’s cite nails it - the whole brigade de cuisine system was largely the creation of [Auguste Escoffier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escoffier) the whole system was ‘militarised’ from the start. Outstanding! What’s the board for, after all? Annnd done. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/72 "2012-07-17T12:59:50Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Dessert Circus wasn’t Jaques Pepin it was Jaques TorreiSync he was amazing. I have his Dessert Circus cookbook and I read it like a fantasy novel! > > Jacques Pepin did cook with Julia though. Jacques Torres. Weird auto correct there… ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/73 "2012-07-17T13:51:11Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Well, that’s fucking stupid. No more stupid that military personnel responding with “Yes/No Sir/Ma’am” or prisoners/slaves responding with “Yes/No Boss”. See the similarity? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/74 "2012-07-17T13:52:04Z")
My favorite Jacques Pepin show was “Cooking With Claudine,” during which he constantly corrected everything that Claudine (his daughter) did. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/75 "2012-07-17T14:14:34Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > I’m glad I’m not the only one willing to comment on this apparent change in Alton Brown. I used to love “Good Eats”, until he lost all that weight…his persona on that show went from the lovable little nerdy guy to a mean, judgmental, almost bitter individual. This is close to the persona I’ve seen him display on other shows…it’s so unpleasant for me to watch that I can no longer enjoy “Good Eats”. I think he lost all the weight because if his heart attack and now he can’t eat like he used to, so that pisses him off. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/76 "2012-07-17T14:24:57Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > My favorite Jacques Pepin show was “Cooking With Claudine,” during which he constantly corrected everything that Claudine (his daughter) did. That was the one where the babe with the long blonde hair was always talking to someone off camera? I didn’t realize she knew how to cook at all; I always assumed the French chef was there to teach her everything as they went along! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/77 "2012-07-17T14:28:30Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > That was the one where the babe with the long blonde hair was always talking to someone off camera? I didn’t realize she knew how to cook at all; I always assumed the French chef was there to teach her everything as they went along! :smack: Claudine wasn’t blonde. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/78 "2012-07-17T14:39:35Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Also PBS is offering some French Chef classic episodes from the 1960s in August, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Julia Child’s birth. We’re running one of them but I think the offer is three. I’ll post the dates tomorrow. [One stop shopping](http://www.pbs.org/food/julia-child-100-birthday/) for all your Julia Child-related PBS needs. Classic episodes are available for streaming, it seems, for a limited time. So get your bon appetit in gear! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/79 "2012-07-17T14:51:31Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I think he lost all the weight because if his heart attack and now he can’t eat like he used to, so that pisses him off. I’m pretty sure he never had a heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412/80 "2012-07-17T14:58:54Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Claudine wasn’t blonde. Not even kind of reddish-blonde? :dubious: Don’t tell me there was more than one show like that! :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-alton-brown-more-than-ever/628412.md?page=5)