MasterChef TV… Doing My Part for the Club. ;)
Everybody is talking about it, so I thought, oh well I’ll put in my two cents. If you live in Australia, chances are that you would be of the majority who has a MasterChef addiction. It’s all I’ve been hearing about since the series started. The topic of conversation everywhere; on the bus, train, street, office, classrooms, forums, TV, radio and various social networking sites!!! EVERYWHERE!!! Due to its success and popularity, everyone has been trying to cash in on this. I saw on one channel, whilst the MasterChef competition was in full swing, that they had “Perth’s Masterchefs”, where they got some local “celebrities” to cook off against one another. This is rather interesting, as usually when one network is onto a good thing, the other channels will dig up dirt on either the contestants/hosts/network in an attempt to discredit the show.
Just then I was flicking through the channels and noticed that both rival networks of channel 10 again had a segment on MasterChef Australia, and it was actually not an attack on the show itself. =O Then the question was raised as to what made the show so popular. Their theory was that the contestants, and the judges were nicer than the contestants and judges on previous reality based competition shows. Maybe so, but personally… and again I stress this is MY opinion and not that of an expert or what not; I think it’s because it is a show everyone from all walks of life can relate to. I don’t think it has anything to do with the niceness of the judges or how likeable the contestants are. To be honest, I didn’t really like the final contests. A lot of them had traits and personalities I just dislike. But I LOVE the show. Its interesting its exciting and it make you want to try cooking some of the foods. This is the reason I think it is so popular. Everyone has to eat. Simple as that. Whether we are on a strict diet or we are a connoisseur, indulging on the finer foods, we all need to eat to survive. That being said, the need to eat has meant the necessity of cooking.
Previous reality shows based on your talent to dance and to sing, they were very popular when they started for the same reason. We all thought we could sing and dance, and then as the show went one, and we watched all the auditions, we realised…. “You know what? Maybe I’m not that great a singer/dancer.” But with MasterChef, the great thing was that it showed that cooking a great meal, is something that can be done by anyone. We all go to restaurants and we are floored by how fantastic one of their dishes is or whatever, but many of us don’t think that we could accomplish that as well. After we do try, some of us fail and we are discouraged by that experience. I think the show proved to us, that even the best of chefs have failed and will continue to do so. Cooking one bad meal doesn’t mean we are bad cooks. It just means that we should try another recipe or to find ways of perfecting that particular recipe.
As for comments about how Poh should have won…. Can I just say, it’s a competition, and the only thing that mattered, is what they did on the night, in that instant. Poh made chicken rice. CHICKEN RICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is one of the easiest meals that can be cooked, and the only thing that could go wrong with that meal would have been the over cooking of the chicken. If I was on the judging panel I would have scored her so much lower. She’s someone with the ability to cook so much better, and she made chicken rice. She should have at least done a combination of chicken, one roasted and one steamed. When it all came down to it, on the night of the finals, Julie DEFINITELY cooked better. Her meal had techniques, and different and interesting flavours. Poh made chicken rice. The same stuff they charge $2.50 for in many hawker stalls across Singapore and Malaysia. Her Pandan Cake wasn’t even that interesting. She could have iced it, dusted it with icing sugar or desiccated coconut. People need to just let it go. You want to see how great Poh did? Go to your local Malaysian Chinese restaurants. The judges may be great chefs, but they are extremely uneducated in the Chinese Malaysian cuisine, making Poh average foods seem that much more exciting and exotic than it really was.
Well they were my comments. I’ll soon put up more….promise. And I will… eventually. LOL!
Laters!
Maybe it was good quality chicken rice. Or the judges have never had Asian food before.
Going on the comment I made last night – I just read an online news article that one of the Judges from Masterchef has never heard of chicken rice before… >.<
HOW CAN ONE COMMENT ABOUT CHICKEN RICE IF HE HAS NOT TASTED IT BEFORE? I WOULD THINK THAT THEY WOULD BE GRACIOUS ENGOUGH TO ASK AN ASIAN JUDGE TO TASTE THE CHICKEN RICE.
I was thinking exactly the same thing when I saw the promo for the finale and they showed chicken rice. Goodness me, and for the judges to say the condiments were well done and suited the dish, what the? Are you kidding me? It’s dark soy and chilli sauce! Sigh… to be honest, chicken rice to us asians would be the equivalent of a roast dinner to aussies. So for Julie to do a roast chicken, I’m sure some viewers would be saying “what the” to roast chicken!
LOL Mu hubby says next season I should go to the auditions and cook laksa or hokkien mee. I might be exotic!
great insights…i have to say, i never get bored of chicken rice though :p regardless of winner or not, most of the finalists got a foot in the culinary door, which is what they were trying to achieve anyway…
Without tasting, and only going by how the dishes looked, to me, Poh “won” on the chicken dish, but was set back badly with the chocolate challenge after failing to temper the chocolate properly: her chocolate pipe did not look glossy. How to temper chocolate http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/tempered-chocolate.htm. Julie was the clear winner on the night because of that pipe, yes, it’s $100K for that temper.
BY THE WAY, THERE ARE WAYS OF COOKING CHICKEN RICE TO RETAIN THE FLAVOUR OF THE CHICKEN, SOME
ROASTED,SOME STRESS THAT THE SKIN MUST BE CRUNCHY.THE CHILLI SAUCE PLAY A IMPORTANT PART.THE RICE MUST BE FRAGANT, AND THE SOUP
IS SWEET AND CLEAR.SADLY NOT MANY RESTAURANT TAKE THEIR PRIDE TO DO IT PROPERLY. ONLY HOME
COOKING CAN GIVES THE SATIFACTION IN AUSTRALIA
OTHERWISE GO TO CAMPBELL STREET IN PENANG, SOME OLD COFFEE SHOPS STILL HAVE THOSE CHICKEN
RICE THAT YOU BEG FOR 2ND OR ENEN 3RD HELPINGS.
Good luck
Why not when there is good food. Detox the next day with lots fruits of veg.
penny, hope to see more contribution from you. more ideas????