February 23, 2011

Masterchef Mania















I’m addicted to TV. I can spend hours on end obsessed with the ‘IDIOT’ box, watching one mindless show after the other (read Splitsvilla and the like), but never really get bored. Reruns of Friends, repeats of My Wife and Kids, Nigella Lawson’s heaving bosom and paltry kitchen skills and Charlie Sheen up to no good every day – bring it on baby! If this is the curse of technology and hence television, then I revel and relish every single moment of it.

By now I think you have a fair idea about what I do in my free time (this is apart from the aged grape juice induced inebriation) and how I like spending it. So this brings me to one of my most favourite shows on TV at present – Masterchef. The American Idol of the cooking world if you will, Masterchef has taken the culinary world by storm, whipping up quite an appetite for foodies like me.
So, why is Masterchef such a success? Apart from being able to connect and see your dream being lived out on the teletube, there are other, subtler undercurrents in the Masterchef phenomenon, that need to be teased out if we are to understand its success.

 I think that the nature of the show is similar to most reality game shows. It's still about groups, people getting on together, liking each other, and yet competing. The fact that the audience isn't involved in ‘voting’ them out, takes some of the negativity out of it. The food thing is important as well. It taps into the whole desire for ‘authenticity’ trend, which in fact is something that fills the gap of class, religion, etc.

I guess you could even say the show invokes a romantic ideal of food, so we can escape from our everyday reality – which is counted in seconds, and we live each one of them. Moreover, I am not sure if it is a Gen Y and X thing (I hate those labels), but I think it taps into a deeper need for connection with people.

Simply put, shows like Masterchef make you feel good. It makes you want to go into the kitchen, imagine your own cookery contest and whip up a meal, only to be adjudged No 1 by the people you love. It makes you believe in the every day, the ordinary and the ability to convert that into something special. This is where it delivers – because it’s like a warm bowl of comforting goodness on a chilly winter night…and you know what? It doesn’t matter if the person making it was gastronomical guru Gordon Ramsay or a chunky, clunky and clumsy looking construction worker Jake. Ultimately, it warms the cockles of your heart!


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