Is anybody else insulted by this guy's bug-eyed chop suey act on Iron Chef America? I mean, I know peeps gotta make a living, but it's 2007 -- Asian men don't have to do karate chops to be watchable. B. D. Wong on L&O SVU -- no wax on/wax off business AND his English is perfect. Look at that dude on Lost -- he's never done a roundhouse kick to get off the island. Alright, that guy on Heroes has a samurai sword, but it's a comic book show so it kinda makes sense. The whole Chairman's nephew as martial artist is not charmingly eccentric the way the pompadour and yellow pepper were. It's not hot. It's just vaguely racist and kind of embarrassing.
I did enjoy the first episode of The Next Iron Chef, though. It's fun to watch professionals who can actually cook on the Food Network instead of shlocky candy product placement and pointy haired chili dog assemblers. But I can't believe Traci Des Jardins got cut so early.
Bonus, because I'm feeling so judgy judgy tonight -- Is Alton Brown going through a midlife crisis? The whole motorcycle road trip thing complete with tattoo is so Wild Hogs.
Well, he is a martial artist. Check him out in "China Strike Force" alongside Coolio.
If there's a racist element here, it's the casting of the martial arts guy to be Kaga's nephew, not the fact that he acts like that.
That's what I mean. I know he's for real. But what do martial arts have to do with cooking? It just seems like pointless caricature.
...every time i see the Iron Chef America intro, i throw up a little. i miss the pepper-chomping Chairman.
but then, the food network isn't the greatest at authenticity or originality when it comes to packaging ethnic cultures/foods. they take a kinda Disney World approach. Remember "East Meets West"?
;Q.....
I, too, knew he was a real martial artist....so I wonder if he was like, "Unless I can incorporate some of my backflips and martial arts into the character, I won't do it!" You never know, but if that's what the guy spent his life learning, he probably wanted to showcase some of his skills.
I do wonder, however, how on earth all of the chefs keep from cracking up when he announces the secret ingredient like it's the second coming of E.T. for pete's sake.
Your comments about "schlocky candy product placement" and "pointy haired chili dog assemblers" really cracked me up. I'm still giggling.
Now I like Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt." I've ridden motorcycles my entire life, currently have two BMW's, I think Alton has just managed to do what any enthusiast would like to do. Get paid for riding their motorcycle cross country.
Although, I didn’t really get the tattoo thing, to each their own I guess.
i felt the same way about yan can cook. rumor was that his english was perfect but he was chinese-ing it up for ratings.