Yesterday's Times magazine carried an extract and recipes from Big Gord's new book "Great British Pub Food."
"The Great British pub has a unique place in British life"... and so on.
Something bothers me. Yes, I know, it's the picture of Ramsay and his chum clutching what appear to be pints of Guinness. It's black, it has a creamy head and there's a golden harp branded glass. OK, I know Guinness is in thousands of British pubs, some huge percentage market penetration but, well, it's an Irish brand and they boast it's all brewed in Dublin. To plonk something overtly Irish in a British pub book is inelegant, to say the least.
This strikes me as a lack of attention to detail on the part of Gordo. Either that or some well-rewarded product placement.
I am reminded of a cheffy documentary I saw a couple of years ago. The young hotshot Aussie chef at some high profile London restaurant is seen swearing and shouting at all and sundry in the kitchen in the manner popularised by Gordo. One specific macho rant aimed at some cowering junior went something like this: "flavour, flavour, flavour, never stop thinking about it, your tastebuds never have a day off, they're your most valuable skill, your tastebuds will never let you down, learn how they work and taste everything." Later, the loudmouth chef was seen at home relaxing after a long shift shouting at people. He kicked off his shoes, slumped in front of the telly and .... wait for it .... opened a can of Stella.
3 comments:
Chefs like fizzy lager because it's hot in the kitchen, apparently. But then a lot of kitchen staff smoke because it's a stressful job, the fact that this also damages the sense of taste is by the by.
Or could he have Guinness in his glass cause that’s what he drinks? One can take the Barthesian approach to signifiers and decoders too far sometimes.
Or it was just a recipe that called for stout!
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