The Best Feast Yet?
Monday, September 15, 2008 | posted by Mike
It just might be.We really enjoyed the first two shots of Feasting, mostly because of the fact that it really presented a program that looked and felt like nothing else that was on the Network. But, truth be told, Alton and his crew were visiting places that looked somewhat familiar to American audiences. Sure, we may not have deep fried pig brains here in New Jersey, but this wasn't exactly a different world we were talking about. All that is different this year.
I think the real, "hidden" secret to this year is the fact that there seems to be less preperation on the crew's part and that they're also beholden to the winds, so we get the occasional detour.
In past years, the squad went from location to location, visiting real, authentic places that, nonetheless, were probably aware of the Food Network, and possibly even with Alton himself. I don't think that's the case this year, and it feels like more of a discovery...similar to what we see in some of the better food/travel shows.
The real tip-off for this was the fact that, during last night's episode (number 2 on the season), there was a little back-and-forth between Alton and his host about the fact that they knew about Rachael Ray (and Alton play-acted that he'd never heard of her). The fact that they included this episode and that Alton seemed genuinely a little surprised leads me to belive that they didn't hear a lot of, "Hey, you guys are from Food Network!" while making the rounds. Their ability to travel incognito lends the show a level of authenticity we haven't seen before.
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton Brown, Disk Jockey?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 | posted by Mike
We love Alton Brown.We love his cooking, we love his nerdy take on food science and we love his general attitude.
But the thing we really love about Alton Brown is the fact that he's got something interesting to say pretty much every time he opens his mouth. So it's no surprise to see him put something out there that has nothing to do with food.
And so, we were delighted when we took a spin by his site and saw that Alton has contributed an iTunes Playlist...basically a celebrity-created list of songs that you can, if you wish, purchase from iTunes. You can check out his list and comments on each track on his home page or click here to go directly to the list in iTunes. (You need iTunes installed for that second link, obviously.)
And you should check out his list -- it's very good. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't offer some thoughts on his choices.
(Hey, if you think I'm an opinionated know-it-all about food TV, you should know that it actually runs a distant fourth to sports, politics and rock music from about 1964-1985.)
- Prog rock with ELP's "Karn Evil 9" and jazz-rock with the Steely Dan cut: Good job establishing your genre-spanning credibility. He's only one glam-rock song short of the 70's Music Geek Troika.
- The Black Keys: A nice shout-out to the cool kids. I'm getting into current music a bit more now that I'm down in Philly for work. Those of you in the Delaware Valley should be listening to bands like The Black Keys on 88.5 WXPN. Everyone not in the Delaware Valley should be listening to bands like The Black Keys on 88.5 WXPN's online feed.
- Don Henley, Paul Simon and Billy Joel: A true music geek knows to throw out there some main-stream "pop" artists to prove that they're not an elitist. Usually, I go with Electric Light Orchestra and Todd Rundgren, but that's just me.
- Joe Jackson's "Another World" off of Night and Day: Nicely played, Alton. Night and Day is currently in heavy rotation on my iPod. That said, "Another World" is a perfectly nice song that doesn't hold a candle to "Steppin' Out," a song that I think is an underrated gem and that I've loved forever. Hey...I had the 45 when I was six years old and I had it played at my wedding. Maybe Alton didn't want to go for the obvious choice. If that was the case, I would have gone back to Jackson's Look Sharp! or I'm the Man.
Labels: Alton Brown
Special Offer on "Feasting on Asphalt" DVD
Wednesday, April 09, 2008 | posted by Mike
Speaking of a new Feasting on Asphalt/Waves (scroll down to my last post)...The folks at Food Network were kind enough to send me a complimentary copy of Alton "Scourge of the Unitasker" Brown's Feasting on Asphalt, The Complete Second Season: The River Run on DVD. It's like they knew I just installed my brand new kick-ass surround sound system! That BMW bike is going to sound awesome coming out of my subwoofer.
But their largesse is not limited to just my copy. You can get a piece of the action, too. They're offering a special discount for TVFF readers. You can get a 10% discount on the DVD of The River Run (regularly $29.95) by going to www.FoodNetworkStore.com, running a search for "Feasting on Asphalt the River Run" and using the code C93837 when you check out. Those of you who act quickly (i.e. one of the first 1000 to buy the set) will also get a free map of Alton's trip.
Labels: Alton Brown
Three More Years of Alton, Mon!
Friday, January 04, 2008 | posted by Mike
Good news for all of you Alton Brown fans out there. Food Network has re-signed the Scourge of the Unitasker (official TVFF nickname for AB from now on) to three more years.According to the release:
And, if that wasn't good enough news for you, we'll be getting another installment in the Feasting on series, and this time he's hitting the islands."We are thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with Alton and look forward to creating compelling programs with him," said Johnson. "Good Eats launched in 1999, its popularity and that of Alton is a testament to the creativity and longevity of our talent and programming."
"Food Network is my home and I am staying home," said Brown. "I'm looking forward to producing more and varied shows with the network and am especially excited about Feasting on Waves, which will bring a whole new perspective to food."
Feasting on Waves, premiering summer 2008, will feature Alton Brown trading the road for the waves to explore the people, cultures and food of the Caribbean. He will uncover the real mom and pop restaurants and food stands, cook on the boat, dive, fish, whatever it takes to find interesting edibles outside of the resorts. From the deck of a boat, it's a modern day pirate's tale searching out history, cuisines and stories.My only concern: Will he be taking the motorcycle on the boat with him?
UPDATE: The folks at FN have sent along the release (see, I told you they were good to us bloggers!), thus relieving me of my need to link to Fox Business. The quotes above capture most of the info, but it also included the top-level details, which peg Feasting a Summer '08 premier.
Food Network and Alton Brown have agreed to a three-year deal, it was announced today by Brooke Johnson, President, Food Network. In 2008, he will produce new seasons of the popular Good Eats and Iron Chef America, as well as assorted specials. In addition, Brown will produce a new season of limited series Feasting on Asphalt, titled Feasting on Waves, premiering in summer 2008. Additional terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. Food Network is a part of Scripps Networks, owned by the Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP).
Labels: Alton Brown, Food Network
Alton Brown Gets Cinematic
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 | posted by Mike
I realize this is a bit late, considering the whole thing actually happened a while ago, but Turner Classic Movies is running an event this month featuring "guest programmers" who choose the slate of films for the day and give a little interview about why the movies are among their favorites. Back on November 11th, Alton Brown was the featured programmer and his movies certainly fit the bill of a child of the Sixties who grew up to be a filmmaker.
What's Up, Tiger Lilly?
Closely Watched Trains
Point Blank
Blow-Up
Antonioni's Blow-Up, in particular, is a logical favorite for a highly-visual former cinematographer.
Alton's interview, which you can see on the TCM site (click on the calendar for the 11th and then on "Video Interview"), discusses his decision to go to culinary school and get into food TV. He also talks about his love of What's Up, Tiger Lilly?, the classic Woody Allen film.
Another food personality, Martha Stewart, will be running the ship this Friday. While Alton's films all came from the mid-to-late Sixties, Martha goes way back in the archives.
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton Brown Keeps It All in the Family with Criticism of "Top Chef"
Thursday, October 11, 2007 | posted by Mike
So, our post about The Next Iron Chef America spurred some discussion the other day. More to the point, the last part of the post -- which included some pretty inflammatory remarks from Alton Brown -- raised a few eyebrows. A couple of commenters pointed to the remarks as evidence of Alton's ego (check out Dan's thoughts at The Hungover Gourmet for more on this point of view). I don't necessarily disagree, but here is something to keep in mind:
The quote comes from an article written and carried by Food Network's parent company, Scripps.
Now, obviously these are separate entities within a large organization and I'm not implying anything by the association, but it makes for an interesting twist.
So, what was the motivation for this whole thing? Was it an attempt to stir the pot and get some press for the new show? Or did Alton go "off the reservation" and pop off? If there's something PR people love, it's when people start giving "interesting" quotes to the press.
I've been thinking about this for the whole thing and finally chalked it up to a one-time thing, but my peaceful commute this morning was interrupted by an interview in the Philadelphia edition of the Metro newspaper with Alton Brown, which included this exchange:
How do they compare to contestants on shows like "Top Chef?" On that show they don't make it look easy.
For people on "Top Chef," boiling water is hard work. When America watches it, they think that's what a chef is. My mom could outcook half the people on that show.
OK, we've now officially ventured into the realm of trash talk.
Will we be lucky enough to get a response from Gail Simmons? We can only hope.
Labels: Alton Brown
This One Goes Out to Alton Brown
Friday, September 28, 2007 | posted by Mike
As you can probably imagine, we read A LOT of very similar articles as part of our media-scouring duties. Plenty and plenty of local publications that run profiles of this or that TV food personality. To be honest, it can get to the point where I get the urge to skip many of them. Of course, then I'd miss little tidbits like this.
As we all know, Alton Brown has a real talent with the camera and that he used to be a cinematographer. What you might not have know is that, according to a profile in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was the director of photography on the video of the R.E.M. song, "The One I Love."
And so, I send you off into your weekend with the video of the song, released in 1987 on the album Document.
Labels: Alton Brown
"Feasting on Asphalt" Season 2 Comes to the End of the Road
Thursday, September 13, 2007 | posted by Mike
Sorry for the slightly long-winded nature of this post, but I have some extra time on my hands, thanks to my commute home, riding the rails up the scenic Delaware River.Compared to last year, I didn’t provide as much commentary on this season of Feasting on Asphalt. There were a couple of reasons for this.
The first was the questionable decision to show the first run episodes on Saturday nights. I’m sure the programming folks knew what they were doing, but I caught a grand total of zero episodes during their initial showing.
The second reason was that I think this season was much more…well, maybe “repetitive” isn’t the right word. It’s just that the path that Alton Brown took up the river basically kept him in the Mid-West, and it lacked the diversity of the first season’s ocean-to-ocean trek. If the first season was a cross-section of the food nation, this was more of an exploration of the depth and richness of a somewhat similar region. Both are compelling exercises, but the dynamism of Georgia-to-California just grabbed me more than the Louisiana-to-Minnesota run that was built around the consistent theme of the Mississippi. The first season showed the diversity of the cuisines, while the second reflected many of the commonalities, not surprising when the migration of people along the river played such a large role in the development of the Mid-West’s food and culture.
The differences between the seasons reminded me of the differences between Mrs. TVFF and me when we go to a museum, particularly an art museum. When we go together to places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA and The Philadelphia Museum of Art (now just a healthy walk from the new TVFF Philadelphia branch office!), we have different strategies on how to enjoy these potentially overwhelming structures. I like to see as much as I can, experiencing it all and sacrificing the time it takes to deeply scrutinize the pieces, which is her preference. Maybe that comes from the fact that I come to art largely from a layman’s perspective (although I would humbly submit that I’m quite knowledgeable for a layman) and she comes to it from the point of view of an expert, considering I lured her out of a career in studying art history with the promise of a life of wealth and fame as the wife of a part-time blogger.
I would argue that neither method of taking in the information is better than the other, but rather that we each have our own way of appreciating and enjoying things. Both made for enjoyable, albeit different, seasons.
But there is one thing that both seasons of Feasting on Asphalt possess that anyone can enjoy. What’s the worst part of any great vacation? Having to go home, of course. Both seasons end on a high note, with the caravan soaking up their destination and reveling in the events that brought them to it. There are no images of them packing up and trudging home, unpacking dirty socks and dreading the return to work on Monday morning.
And who wouldn’t want to go on an adventure like that?
Labels: Alton Brown
Like/Don't Like: Cinematography
Tuesday, August 07, 2007 | posted by Mike
I'd like to introduce you to a new feature here on TVFF. It's a semi-regular new series, which means that I'll post something in this vein whenever I'm too lazy to actually come up with a real topic. It's called "Like/Don't Like," and it will center on a theme of some sort that is somehow relevant to two things, one that I like and one that I don't. Confused yet? Good.
For example, today's topic is "cinematography."
Like: Alton Brown's second season of Feasting on Asphalt. Just as we said in our review of the first season, the show is almost a "playground" for the cinematographer in AB, and he takes the opportunity to try out some new toys and techniques. Part of it is necessary, having to travel light, and therefore unencumbered by the trappings of a full video crew. But part of it is the ethos of the road, which he is able to capture to a much greater degree in these digital video cameras. They're light, they're portable and they're on the move, even though they still haven't managed to work their way out of Louisiana by the end of the first episode.
The only reservation that I do have with the new season is the unfortunate decision to tinker with the format of the pre-commercial bumper, which now features the postcard-on-a-map motif rather than the slow zoom over three photos that they used last year. I greatly prefer last year's model. Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below if you feel differently.
Don't Like: The new season of 30-Minute Meals. Love the new digs, Rachael. Love the new look, too. Don't love the shaky-cam. It's not overwhelming, but when the camera dollies from side to side in the new kitchen, they're incorporating a little bit of a first-season-of-NYPD Blue thing that is slowly driving me nuts. Just like Blue toned it down considerably, I'm hoping they'll do the same on 30MM.
Labels: Alton Brown, Rachael Ray
Alton & Gang Going Upriver
Thursday, July 12, 2007 | posted by Mike
As you might know, we were big fans of the last Feasting on Asphalt. It have us Grizzly Alton (the beard was fantastic), some interesting stops and a show that actually felt like it was a road trip. Most of those other travel shows just feel like the host parachutes in for the taping. With Feasting, you actually felt like you were taking part in a cross-country journey. It also gave Alton a chance to flex his cinematographer muscles, which is always a good thing for the viewer.
Well, August is going to bring us a second road-trip and we got a little bit of additional information over the past few days. We already knew that they were going to be following the Mississippi this time, but now we have some more specifics about their route, thanks to an article on Broadcasting & Cable:
The motorcycle trip takes Brown and his gang (the "Hell's Angel Hair Pastas" of TV travelers) through Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, stopping at alligator farms, donut shops, and barbecue joints along the way.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also has a short blurb announcing that Alton will be making a stop in Wisconsin. I wonder if there will be cheese involved.
Speaking of travel shows, Glutton for Punishment debuted this week. I started to watch it...and my cable completely wigged out. Oh well. I did see enough of it to confirm one thing: Bob Blumer certainly has energy!
Wow...he certainly dives in with both feet. You can tell he's an old television pro, and his presence on camera is something that should be shown again and again to the eventual The Next Food Network Star winner.
Oh, and his hair deserves its own show.
Labels: Alton Brown, Bob Blumer
Good Eats Takes Home A Peabody
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 | posted by Mike
I've been running around all day, so there will be no Crumbs this week. I know you're all heartbroken.
Jessica over at Food TV and Me got around to this before I did, so a hat tip to her...
The University of Georgia made their announcement of the winners of the prestigious Peabody award and Good Eats was among them. In case you're not aware of the Peabody, this is a big thing. And since you know my thoughts on Alton Brown and Good Eats, you can probably guess that I feel it's well-deserved.
Our favorite non-food-related show, The Office, also took home an award, so we're pretty happy all around.
Labels: Alton Brown
Feasting on Asphalt 2: The Mighty Mississip
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 | posted by Mike
Who doesn't like a sequel? Sure, only two have ever been as good as the originals (Godfather 2 and The Empire Strikes Back), but that doesn't mean they're going to stop churning them out. There's money to be made in sequels!
Why is that? Why do people keep lining up for Final Destination 27 or Halloween: The Return of Jamie Leigh Curtis' Career? They keep coming back because they know what they're going to get, and that's a very reassuring thing for people who are forking over their money and time for some entertainment.
So I had to chuckle a little bit when I saw that there will be a "sequel" to a Food Network show that was all about exploring new places and reveling in the joys of discovering things you've never seen before. But, hey, the first one was pretty good, so we'll probably give this one a shot, too.
Alton Brown will be Feasting on Asphalt again, with a new six episode (super-sized from four in the last run) season set to debut on August 4th. And, this time, he won't be going from coast-to-coast. Instead, he'll bisect the country from top to bottom, following the Mississippi river and uncovering all of the delicacies along the way. According to his home page:
We're also prepping a second season of Feasting On Asphalt which will expand from four to six episodes tracing the length of the Mississippi river. In other words, we're keeping busy. in my spare time I'm working away on my pilot's license and hope to be able to do away with commercial air travel permanently by year's end. Perhaps the third season of Feasting can be on "air" rather than "asphalt".
Alton will be taping in April and May, so we'll just go ahead and start drafting the post about one of the bikers skidding out on the side of the road somewhere in Missouri.
AB fans can also look forward to a boatload of new Good Eats, which will begin filming soon, as well.
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton Brown Seems Like the Romantic Type
Tuesday, February 06, 2007 | posted by Mike
If you've tuned in to the Food Network's "all chocolate all the time" lineup this week, it has probably dawned on you that Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching. Normally, I can deal with their theme weekends when they do things like "cookouts" for Independence Day. But seven days of chocolate don't really lend themselves to anything more than, well, desert, so I'm a little out of luck. I enjoy eating desert, but don't particularly get a kick out of cooking it.
So, chocolate, love and all of that other stuff are the order of the day, and that apparently also goes for the items on sale on the Food Network's online store. We think that Alton Brown is the kind of guy who would never forget to buy flowers and candy for his wife (note to self). If your significant other has a sweet tooth, then Alton might be able to help you take care of your Valentine's gift this year, too.
DVDs of Food Network shows are often advertised using those little pop-up "bugs" in the lower right corner of the screen during broadcasts. One show that I always thought would be the most useful to own would be Alton Brown's Good Eats. You can obviously pick up the recipes for most of the dishes prepared on the Food Network. But no program spends more time discussing, explaining and demonstrating the various techniques involved with cooking than Good Eats. The ability to back up the tape and see exactly how it's done could come in handy.
Just in time for Valentine's the Food Network has come out with a three-DVD set of the best of his desert themed shows called Sweet Somethings.
Not only is Alton Brown a sweet tooth, he’s a brainy sweet tooth, so you can be sure his new “Sweet Somethings” 3-DVD set will satisfy both your thirst for knowledge and your cravings for dessert! Alton explores a myriad of sweet topics, such as growing your own sugar crystals, cooking with sugar cane, making homemade candy, whipping up a homemade "instant" chocolate pudding mix, and more. Recipes include Burned Peach Ice Cream, Peanut Butter Fudge, Yeast Doughnuts, Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix, and many more.
The set appears to only be available at this time on the Food Network store, so no link to the TVFF Store for this one.
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton's Toys
Friday, January 05, 2007 | posted by Mike
Hey, it's Friday and I'm in a pretty good mood.
Why only pretty good? Well, it's mostly because I'm feeling a little bad about my post from yesterday about Alton Brown. It actually wasn't too bad and we still don't know what's up with the Miller Lite thing, but we just feel a little lousy whenever we have something negative to say about AB.
The reason for this is that we really, really like Alton Brown. We like him because it's obvious that he loves food, because we catch a lot of the subtle references to movies that he sprinkles into Good Eats and because we've heard from knowledgeable sources that he's just about the nicest, most humble guy you'll meet.
(Shocking, I know!!! I had him pegged as the kind of guy who likes to kick puppies.)
So, in order to get right with the Lord/karma, I wanted to let you know about something that's for sale over at AltonBrown.com that epitomizes one of our favorite things about Alton -- his love of effective (and multitasking) kitchen tools. He seems to get genuine enjoyment out of the mechanics of kitchen tools. And you can tell that he especially loves to "improvise" a kitchen tool out of other materials...it lets him channel his inner "MacGyver."
As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, you can now purchase the nifty T. rex water spritzer bottle that accompanies Brown whenever he's trying to get the flames under control while cooking on the grill.
The bottle is part of the Grilling Essentials Kit, which is available in the Alton's Shop section of his site. It's there along with a couple of other gadgets that you'll recognize from Good Eat including the salt cellars and plunger measuring cup. Although I don't have the Alton Brown Signature Version, I do have one of those plungers and they really are terrific, especially if you do a lot of measuring of ingredients like honey and peanut butter.
Like I said, we like Alton's affinity for kitchen tools, particularly because he always explains what specific characteristics to look for when purchasing a tool and because he truly is correct in telling you to stay away from "unitaskers." There's just no need, as you'll only end up spending money needlessly.
Just walk into a Bed, Bath & Beyond and you'll see a floor-to-ceiling wall of kitchen gadgets, which serves as a testament to their appeal. And, of the five or six varieties of each gadget, there is probably one that is really effective. What makes it effective is also what allows it to do double duty somewhere else in the kitchen. Yet, there are plenty of people spending plenty of money on gadgets they don't need, and Alton Brown is fighting the good fight by leading the crusade against these wasteful, drawer-cluttering devices.
Alton points us in the right direction. Each of us has a couple of gadgets that we absolutely can't live without. I have my microplane and my silicon-coated tongs, which do an amazing job of tossing pasta in the sauce. We love these things because they make the job of cooking so much easier. They make it a joy to be in the kitchen and reinforce our love of this hobby of ours.
And isn't that what Good Eats is all about?
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton Brown is NOT Having the Best Week Ever
Thursday, January 04, 2007 | posted by Mike
Some times you're on a roll and some times you're not. That's just the way it is. This is on of those "not" weeks for Alton Brown, I think.
Granted, it's not like his dog ran away or anything like that, but we came across a couple of less-than-flattering items about AB on the Internet this week, starting with a tepid review of his appearance at a live cooking demonstration in Florida.
Onstage, however, he becomes a mediocre comedian. Without some of the B-movie props and sidekicks that he has access to on “Good Eats,” Brown was forced to rely more on improvised jokes to keep the audience entertained has he meandered his way through three eggnog-based recipes, which the audience saw projected on a screen thanks to a camera pointed directly at his mixer.
His stream-of-consciousness approach led to some genuinely funny and insightful moments. He riffed on such topics as the different rationales men and women have for cooking, the virtues of fresh nutmeg, Martha Stewart’s chickens and the nature of his own celebrity.
But, throughout, it seemed he missed the structure a TV cooking show offers. He meandered and veered. He repeated himself.
It does go on to say that Alton did a great job with the Q&A session. I'm a bit surprised by all of this because it seemed like Feasting on Asphalt was largely unscripted and Brown seemed to handle it well. In fact, some people are a bit turned off by the "always on" feel of Good Eats, so I would think a less structured Alton would be a welcome thing.
The kicker? That review appeared on a website owned by Scripps, which also owns...Food Network. So much for synergy, huh?
Then, Tracey over at Foodie Obsessed spotted something during a recent shopping trip:
As I walked last week through my grocery store, I walked past a display that caught my eye and disturbed me to the very core of my existence. I gasped, stumbled then attempted to regroup only to open my eyes to the upsetting truth in front of me…Alton Brown endorsing Miller Lite!!
Actually, Tracey's reaction is fairly tame compared to what you'll see by running a Google search on "Alton Brown Miller Lite." Ouch!
Alton, we still lova ya, and I'm more than fine with you picking up an endorsement deal, but couldn't you go for a Yuengling or a Samuel Adams?
Labels: Alton Brown
Good Deeds for Christmas
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 | posted by Mike
I hope that each and every one of you had a wonderful holiday! We at TVFF.com HQ are still easing back into the swing of things.
Did Santa (or whichever gift-bringing supernatural being you recognize) deliver any good food-related gifts? We picked up two new cookbooks, a whole mess of wine and a creme brulee set (complete with ramekins and blowtorch), so we'll be cooking well in the new year.
Of course, the holiday season is not about what you get, but what you're able to give. And two food celebrities, Gordon Ramsay and Alton Brown, got in the holiday spirit and gave to those who could really use it.
Taking a break from cooking for the guests at his New York restaurant, Gordon Ramsay flew to Afghanistan in order to prepare meals for the British troops. Although you would imagine that anything is an improvement over the usual food, the Hell's Kitchen star got rave reviews for his cooking.
Commenting on the chef's Christmas grub, Royal Marine Lee Oliver from 42 Commando said "the food was absolutely delicious."
Alton Brown also decided to do some good this year. Normally, whenever I hear about someone making a donation to a charity in lieu of giving gifts, I have visions of George Costanza and The Human Fund. However, Alton chose an interesting and worthy charity.
Through his production company, Be Square, Inc., Alton has been making donations to a charity called Heifer International, which provides livestock to farmers around the world in an effort to create sustainable solutions to combat hunger. The Associated Press spoke with Brown, who described why he is taking this approach:
''If I can get a couple of cows in Russia, bees to people in Kentucky, or a couple of flocks of geese to folks in China, that actually matters and I feel really good about it.''
...
Be Square Productions donates a Gift Ark every year -- a $5,000 donation that includes two each of Heifer's animals including cows, sheep, camels, oxen, water buffalo and rabbits, among many others. The animals go wherever they are needed most.
Brown donates money himself and in the names of his clients. Many times, he said, the people whose name the donation was given in are honored when they receive the gift card explaining that others will benefit from the money.
So, if you've ever wanted to give the gift of a camel but just haven't been able to find the right recipient, here's your chance.
Labels: Alton Brown, Gordon Ramsay
Alton Brown Doesn't Want You Burning Down Your House This Thanksgiving
Monday, November 20, 2006 | posted by Mike
When you fry your turkey, will you be using a derrick? Do you even know what a derrick is?No, and stop calling me Derrick. (Why are those kind of lines so much funnier when Leslie Nielsen says them?)
It’s Thanksgiving, which means that the two warnings you will be hearing from every cooking show, magazine and news program are:
- Don’t stuff you turkey and
- Don’t burn your house down while frying your turkey
Alton Brown has come up with a dummy-proof way of frying your turkey and he’s more than willing to share the plans with you. A new entry under “Knowledge” on his website includes instructions and plans for a “turkey derrick,” which will allow you to lower the bird into the scalding hot oil with a minimum of potential for disaster.
Quite a bit of time and planning has obviously gone into the derrick, and the accompanying PDF has a blueprint-style drawing to accompany the hardware list and cooking instructions. Some of the hardware (carabiner, pulleys) isn’t going to be found in your typically suburban garage, but I’m guessing that if you are motivated enough to buy a turkey fryer, you’ll run down to the Home Depot and pick up the additional parts.
Of course, chances are you’ll be drunk when you try to fry your turkey and you'll end up kicking over the oil and setting your lawn on fire, so at least the derrick’s fiberglass ladder will give you a way to avoid flames until the fire engine arrives.
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton Brown, Literary Critic?
Sunday, November 05, 2006 | posted by Mike
You’ll have to excuse me if my posts are even less coherent than usual. I’m still recovering from my bachelor party this weekend. The shindig did have a culinary aspect, though, with a stop at Tony Luke’s for cheesesteaks included in the trip.I was taking a spin around the Internets and dropped in on Alton Brown’s site, which I think is one of the better food celeb sites. Not only does it look good, but Alton and his team clearly care about it, taking the time to provide interesting content that can only be found on the site. Plus, you can buy Uni-tasker t-shirts, so that’s cool.
But the thing that caught my eye this time around was the inclusion of a “What I’m Reading” page, which includes links to four books and a short write-up on each by AB. And, lest you think that it’s just food-related reading, he includes Moby Dick and Watchmen.
Of course, there are links to Amazon.com so you can buy the books. That’s not out of the ordinary for sites, but I just thought it was interesting that Alton went beyond just linking to his own books.
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton Brown Knows What Time It Is
Thursday, November 02, 2006 | posted by Mike
And, thanks to a new online advertising campaign from the Food Network and their partner Agency.com, Alton will be able to tell you what’s coming up next whenever you happen to see one of the web ads. According to a press release on the Agency.com site:The campaign doesn’t advertise any specific show, but rather it advertises every show. Each unit uses a flash program to read each computer’s system clock and deliver tune-in information for the next upcoming or current show.A little bit of explanation as to why this is interesting from a “customization” standpoint…
The online ads show a caricature of Alton Brown through a combination of photography and illustration as he asks various food trivia questions. The potential answers scroll across the screen and invites the user to guess the correct answer. If they select the correct one, Alton provides them with a brief background and history to the answer. Users can then click-through to Alton’s page on FoodNetwork.com.
As I’m sure you know, companies like the Food Network work with advertising agencies to come up with a creative advertising campaign. In this case, it was a series of Internet advertisements. Then, the company would then take that “creative” and use an agency to place the spots on web sites that will attract the kind of visitors who would be interested in the topic of the campaign. (Sometimes they use the same agency, although many corporations buy the advertising in bulk through one of a few large agencies to get a discount.)
The catch here is that, with online marketing, it’s easy to decide what kind of sites on which to run the spot, but it’s difficult to “customize” the ads to know what is showing on the Food Network when Joe Blow logs on to the site from his home computer.
As it says in the release, the ad checks your desktop’s clock to find out what time it is in your neck of the woods, compares that to the Food Network schedule for your time zone and lets you know what’s coming up.
I think this is pretty cool, assuming that “Li’l Cartoon Alton” can’t also tell that I’m sitting at my computer covered in Pop-Tart crumbs and wearing sweatpants.
Labels: Alton Brown
Alton on Spinach
Tuesday, October 03, 2006 | posted by Mike
Every now and then (i.e. pretty much all of the time), something slips through me unnoticed, particularly when it’s on a web site that doesn’t offer an RSS feed (c’mon, Be Square Inc.!).Alton Brown, never one to shy away from sharing his opinion on all matters food-related, took to his site and weighed in a few weeks back on the spinach/E. coli story. In addition to putting the outbreak into perspective, he offers some interesting insight into the possibility that the outbreak, although unfortunate in the short term, may end up serving as a wake up call with long-term benefits.
I don’t want to sound like some crazy, anti-establishment bio-terrorist but maybe, just maybe this is a wakeup call. Truth is our food system has major flaws which point to one reoccurring theme: too much of our food is produced by centralized, industrial concerns.Apparently, Alton is also feeling a bit feisty because he takes a couple of swipes at some governmental and regulatory agencies for their handling of the outbreak. His comments on how everyday consumers can protect themselves from issues like this, such as buying locally grown food and eating seasonally, provides good advice in this instance as well as a smart plan for ensuring that you will get the best, freshest products year-round.
And, although he mentions the "bio-terrorist" thing in an offhand way, he’s not totally off base. A lot of people started to pay attention to the threat of bio-terrorism after those anthrax mailings back in 2001.
Labels: Alton Brown
