Say It Ain't Pukka, Jamie!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 | posted by Mike
I know he gets bashed quite a bit online, but I always liked Jamie Oliver. His was one of the first shows I watched regularly when I started to really tune in and follow food television. Yeah, truth be told, I'm a relatively new convert.
I always liked the goofy British-isms, the over-the-top use of the mortar and pestle and -- most importantly -- the strong Thai and Indian influence on many of his dishes.
And so it was with great joy that I managed to stumble across old episodes of The Naked Chef on BBC America (ahhhh...BBC America!). I get the feeling that the later shows that ended up on Food Network were more conscious of the American sensibility, because these episodes were chock full of goofy sayings that made absolutely no sense to me. But that's OK, because I still loved it whenever he said "pukka."
I had always thought that he made it up, but in the episode this weekend, he brought on an Indian chef friend who insisted that "pukka" meant "real" or "authentic." Not that it really mattered, but I guess it made me feel a little bit better about the whole thing.
Well, just as I have this little revelation, I see this:
Jamie Oliver has killed off his famous "pukka" catchphrase - and now describes his food as...
OK, let's stop right there. I'm fine with him trying to bury an overused catchphrase. I wouldn't want to be an old man at the retirement home having everyone come up to me and asking me to say "pukka" for them. And I'm all for him coming up with something new. But:
..."delish."In the TV chef's new C4 series, Jamie At Home, he uses his new buzzword - short for delicious - SEVEN times while cooking just three dishes.
Sigh. Don't we already have someone using that word?
Labels: Jamie Oliver
