Ok, just so I get it right, Howie’s dish had a fennel and apple slaw. So I was a bit off base…but my point still stands, what the hell does that have to do with applesauce? The flavor might have been good with his fennel crust and all that. But how exactly is that an update on Porkchops and Applesauce? The major flavors seem to be anise and pork…not apples and pork.
I think he also missed on another basic part of this challenge, which was to update the classics and make them healthier. And I think this recipe failed essentially in the healthier category… or at least calorically-- fat wise and in sugar content. I guarantee a plain grilled porkchop and a scoop of applesauce (the original dish) have less calories, less fat, and less sugar than his concoction. His crust marinade and dressing both have added fat and the apple reduction is just a sugary syrup. I’d put that original porkchops with applesauce that he picked up off the table up against his Fennel Pork Chop creation in a Nutritional analysis anyday and bet on the original as being lower in fat, sugar, carbohydrates, and calories.
I’m glad we know this now, because her accent has always bothered me. It seemed to go in and out of English and Irish almost. Sometimes it wasn’t there at all. And when I heard South Africa, I said “what?” It sounded like no South African accent I’ve ever heard. And then we she was talking about Italy, I was thinking - not a trace of italian accent there either.
I had tried to rationalize it away as being a blended accent from years of travel, but I’m much more comfortable with the idea of it being totally affected.
I wasn’t really sure what they were supposed to do with the elimination challenge? Tom (I hate him, so this may be coloring my opinion) kept whining “they’re so literal.” But the one that wasn’t literal (the Chicken a la king) got slammed for being not literal. And the winner was still a pork chop.
Were they supposed to re-interpret meatloaf or make a lower cholesterol meatloaf that tasted like the real thing? Because those are two different challenges.
How do you “reinterpret” franks and beans? (I don’t cook, so someone who does, please enlighten me on ideas for how this challenge could have gone).
BTW, are meatloaf and/or fried chicken entirely unknown in South Africa (even though that whole “hometown” thing is a lie?)
(1) The first was similar to hers. Get chicken sausage (to lower the cholesterol) - and you’ve “upgraded” the franks. I would have used a melange of various bean types to “upgrade” the beans. Finally, I would have made damn sure that the sauce keeping it together retained that sweet comfort food taste. Voila.
[Note: I think she failed in execution. Leaving texture with the lentils? I’m not sure that’s a good idea - franks and beans don’t have too much texture. Better to update and upgrade the flavors with healthier, classier ingredients.]
(2) My better idea was to reverse it, i.e. make “Beans & Franks.” How? Use super-large beans that would act as the main texture / ingredient in the dish. Do the chicken sausage very fine, and maybe even simply puree it into the sauce as a flavor. Then, to the judges, say: “Beans are healthy. Beans are good for your heart. Beans should be the main focus in a healthy dish. So instead of franks and beans, I made beans and franks, updating the dish by using these excellent gourmet beans and healthy chicken sausage to provide the comfort food flavors.”
ETA: The main point of #2 is this - they are all capable of making something taste decent. But they need to clarify, focus, and simplify their goal in creating the dish. Two reasons: (1) even if it sucks taste-wise, Tom will appreciate where you tried to go if you can explain it, and (2) if you show an understanding and a tailoring of your dish to the challenge requirements, that goes a long way towards being successful. I agree with others who have said they are being sort of inconsistent with enforcing the challenge requirements, but at the end of the day, I think that’s what helps win in this game.
Beans and Franks:
One of my favorite dishes in all the world is (Fassoulatis Gigantes) Greek Butterbeans (Broadbeans) in tomato sauce, olive oil, and garlic. It would have made the perfect basis for a healthy update of the dish. She could have made a kind of grilled Shish Kafta with Ground Turkey (or even pork), and Greek Seasonings, if she didn’t have time to stuff casings…
I would never have done lentils…too boring, not enough texture. There are so many kinds of beans, you would think she could have come up with something better. I would have probably used a white bean, like a navy bean, and made a tasty, chicken-based sauce for it, to go with the chicken sausage.
Ooh…or maybe a a chorizo-style sausage, if she could find a chicken sausage with that kind of flavoring, and black beans, Cuban-style.
Hell, I don’t know if it’s affected… that’s what I’m asking? To my linguistic ear it sounded like a genuine accent. She didn’t seem to be playing it. In all fairness I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt. The only question is how much time did she spend in South Africa?
I’m sorry - I was unclear. I was responding to the fact that I’m glad that we know that she (or the show) was misrepresenting her backstory.
Then I was trying to answer your question about whether it was affected. Because my point was, her accent had me baffled - it was a confusing melange of strange pronunciations. I’m not willing to give her the benefit of the doubt when I was wondering to myself, “what the hell kind of accent is that? It sounds sort of Irish, oh what? Italy. South Africa? Are you kidding me?” I’m comfortable — without actually knowing the truth — saying that her accent was all bullshit. YMMV.
She might have a South African father who speaks Afrikaans for all we know… or maybe her husband. That has integral and ambient effects from a linguistic pov.
Yes, I agree in the abstract. However, to me, it did not sound like any South African accent I’ve ever heard. Definitely not what I’ve come to associate with an Afrikaans-accented English. Not to be repetitive but, to me, her accent faded in and out, sounding like a mixture of British, Irish, and vanilla American accents with a few odd pronunciations thrown in. What it did not sound like to me was a South African accent. That’s where I’m coming from.
The food seemed to be pretty miserable, particularly the “tuna casserole”. That was just revolting. I didn’t find the apple slaw to be a violation of the rules, it was supposed to be a different take of the dish. There was no casserole in that casserole.
I do have to say I’m so happy not to see the constant pimp of the Sears Kenmore Pro Kitchen.
This is allegedly a reply from Micah to her detractors posted over on the Top Chef messageboards.
I can see how her accent could be legitimate, and I can definitely hear the New Zealand influence in her accent/dialect now that I know her backstory. Still seems rather disingenuous to claim to know nothing of meatloaf and chicken… and deny all Us Ketchup using Americans.
What a load of crap. What kind of an idiot would audition for a reality show but never bother watching it?
Her exit interview was a POS also–she had obviously been bawling but claimed she was happy to leave because everyone was so mean. I also found it creepy that she said she was happy to be going home because she could sleep with her daughter. Or maybe she said “see” but I couldn’t understand her through her mongrel accent.
She’s a pretentious snob who made a crappy meatloaf because she didn’t understand one of the basics of meatloaf–you can’t use lean ground beef. Good riddance.