Words, Words, Words
a.k.a.,
the stuff inside
Nirvana and noodles in aisle nine
Scary but true tales from the toilet
Would the real Erica please stand up?
Diary of a slave to New Jersey Transit
The best import since the Camry
Solitaire only looks sweet and innocent
Seen and heard: Nifty stuff in the news
Stuff that rocks just like Lenny Kravits
For those uninitiated
to the world of wonder that is Japanese popular culture, I highly suggest
watching a few hours of "The Iron Chef," a culinary showdown and cultural
extravaganza.
The premise of the show is to pit the top chefs of Japan against one of a select group of four Iron Chefs. They battle it out in Kitchen Stadium to make an assortment of dishes that best illustrate the theme ingredient in one hour.
Keep in mind, there is no prize money awarded to the winner, no consolation prizes, just the knowledge that the winning chef triumphed over his opponent. The dishes are judged by a panel of Japanese actors, singers, athletes, fortune tellers and food critics.
Most of the show is dubbed in English, except the opening sequence that introduces the challenger, often starting with the phrase, "if memory serves me correct," giving the chef's resume with dramatic shots of him chopping furiously and then looking thoughtfully at a cabbage or other food product. There, the chairman narrates in Japanese with English subtitles.
Next, the challenger is paraded out on a red carpet and chooses his Iron Chef, who rises out from the floor. Then, after much drama and fanfare, the theme ingredient is announced and rises from the platform in a cloud of smoke.
The opening gong is sounded and the chefs make a mad dash to the platform with the theme ingredient, anything from eggplants to bamboo shoots to still-swimming squid (I couldn't watch that one). The cooking begins as commentators from the judging panel and from the floor try to guess what the chefs are preparing, if they've ever had it before and how it will taste. As time ticks down, the pressure starts to show on the stern faces of the chefs as they rush to complete their "true artistic creations" before the final bell chimes.
When the judges taste the dishes, they use words such as "wonderful" and "marvelous" but their faces remain composed and calm. The one exception is the ditsy actress they always have on the panel. Its not the same actress, but she always acts the same, covering her mouth and laughing demurely. Emotions are expressed more in the intonation of the translators than the actual judges.
It very easy to get sucked into the drama created by the music, smoke and mirrors, The chairman of Kitchen Stadium is not only dashingly handsome but his thoughtful looks into empty space rival those of the very best American soap opera stars. His wardrobe is up to par with the very best high school productions of the "King and I."
I usually don't get worked up by game shows, especially when I don't know the answers, But the Iron Chef is a very different experience. By the time the judging is completed, I am usually on the edge of my seat, rooting for the challenger (what can I say, I like an underdog). I force my family and friends to watch it with me. They don't seem to get as excited as I do. My father usually counters with, "But I can't cook any of those things." But that's not the point, Dad. It's pure entertainment with a sake chaser.
Only once have I seen the Challenger win. Even when the judges praise the Challenger and criticize the dishes of the Iron Chef (especially Iron Chef Japanese, they never like him because he is too daring), the challenger loses.
I think the game might be rigged.
The official Iron
Chef Web site is at http://www.foodtv.com/tvshows/ironchefindex/0,2243,,00.html.
An unofficial (and much more informative) Iron Chef Web site is at http://www.ironchef.com.