One of my favorite TV programs of recent years, the loopy Japanese cooking show "Iron Chef", is being re-launched in the US, and the premiere of the new series, titled "Iron Chef America" airs on Sunday night on the TV Food Network. I'll definitely be watching, but with some trepidation.
Two of my favorite food celebrities, Mario Batali and Alton Brown (his recipe for Thanksgiving turkey is ace), are apparently involved, as are two of the original Iron Chefs, Masaharu Morimoto and Hiroyuki Sakai. And the premise seems to be the same - two chefs, aided by a team sous-chefs, have an hour to prepare a multi-course meal in "Kitchen Stadium" based on that week's chosen theme ingredient. The winner is chosen by a tasting panel, composed of foodies and other celebrities.
But several elements appear to be missing this time around. First off, the Japanese series featured a strange host by the name of Chairman Kaga, who, according to the voiceover at the beginning of the program, had the original vision for the show. That was all bunk, of course. Kaga was just an actor dressed up like a Japanese cross between Liberace, Johnny Cash and Elvis. There was a great moment at the beginning of the old show where you would see Kaga turn toward the camera and, with a strage smile on his face, take a bite out of a whole yellow pepper. The way the chefs rose into kitchen stadium was also amusing.
Then there's the matter of the theme ingredient. The Japanese version would feature strange fish and vegetables, e.g. "Squid Tentacle Battle". Try making a dessert out of squid tentacles - I dare you. I can't imagine an American audience finding that very appetizing. But that wasn't really the point of the old show. It was all about inventiveness and presentation. Some of the dishes looked wonderful, but a lot of it was just bizarre.
It also seems that they've done away with the Japanese reporting team. One of the most enjoyable elements about the original show was listening to the English voiceovers for the banter between Fukui-san, the host, and Ota, his reporter down in Kitchen Stadium.
So I don't really expect the new series to hold a candle to the old one, but I'll check it out anyway. The appeal of the original "Iron Chef" series was never the food - it was cultural. You have to wonder whether the good folks at the Food Network understand that.
10:32:36 AM 
|
|
