Bobby Flay - No, I'm not a fan

Do we stand on our cutting boards?

Flay on cutting board on Iron Chef (Japan)

Uh, no! We do NOT stand on our cutting boards. Especially, if we are a professional Chef, especially, if we are in another country, and ESPECIALLY, if we are on Iron Chef and very especially, if we win.

Talk about an ugly American in a foreign country. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Bobby Flay. I have not liked the man since.

I was just watching America's Next Great Restaurant and eating lunch. Adorable Stephenie's ‘Harvest Sol’ concept has gone the way of many other losers on the show.

Stephanie Park

Too bad, she had a good idea, she just didn't prepare. One should be reading constantly when a contestant on a show like that, learning as each day presents new opportunities. Her thinking that lamb are raised like veal, was a huge mistake. There is meaning well and then there is just ignorant. Anyway....

Askmen.com put it this way:

"But perhaps Bobby Flay's most famous role is that of Iron Chef on the wildly popular series Iron Chef America. When the original Iron Chef came to visit the United States for a special in 1997, Bobby Flay challenged legendary Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto to battle rock crab. After the hour-long battle, Flay climbed on the counter and onto his cutting board to declare victory, perhaps forgetting that in Japanese culture cutting boards and knives are sacred. A deeply offended Morimoto criticized Flay, who eventually went on to lose the battle. Flay eventually won a rematch and the two chefs are now friends."

And that, is why I can't stand the man. I was a big fan of Iron Chef. Not the ridiculous Americanization of the original Japanese show, but, well, the original Japanese show.

Another sad American, Japanese show knock off

The article quoted above says, "...perhaps forgetting that in Japanese culture cutting boards and knives are sacred." Really? You have to be told by ANYone that you don't stand on a cutting board? You don't already know that this is offensive to a Chef, a professional? Isn't it a bit like hammering on nails with an expensive, Chef's knife? Not just disrespectful but offensive and well, dumb.


From that day on, I realized something about the man's personality. That he was coarse, ignorant, with little class and hardly any understanding of another culture other than his own; an obviously ethnocentric New York type. And I mean that in the most offensive of ways. I love New York and actually feel offended to have to link the two but, well, there it is. I love all the good things about New York and to me, he is a conglomeration of mostly those bad elements, stereotypes and well, let's just say he's from over the river in Jersey City.


Okay, okay, I love Jersey too. Actually I was always standing up for Jersey (mostly Cape May and the countryside areas but Wildwood used to be nice too. Atlantic City isn't bad, for short periods of time and it did a lot of good for mobsters over the decades.

Ells, Flay, Garcia, Stone

Anyway, I tried watching "America's Next Great Restaurant" series. I'm going back to "Celebrity Apprentice". after all, Trump could be our next President (hey, it's possible). How many chances do you get to watch a president of the United States be a TV star before the election?

Chef Curtis Stone

As for ANGR (hmmm, angEr(?) I wonder if anyone noticed that when they made the show?), the other judges are fellow Chef Curtis Stone, some woman from Florida Lorena Garcia (or Cuba), and Steve Ells, founder of Chipotle. I've always liked Curtis, but Lorena and Steve? Seriously? These are your judges? You choose other judges according to the flavor of the show and the head judge. I guess they did well because I think Flay, Lorena and Steve-0 belong together on a show. I just think it's sad for Curtis. Then, I've heard a few stories about him too that make me wonder.

I'm always fair, even when I don't want to be, so that leads us to this quote here from iFood:

"Uh oh.  Yes indeed, I started with Food TV’s current #1 star.  And YES, Bobby Flay is an awesome chef.  I’ve had the pleasure of eating at a few of his restaurants, and I can say the food was worth every penny.  His rise to the top of the Food Network was no accident.  He worked hard, looked good, and brought a level of testosterone to the FN that even Rachael Ray couldn’t bring (zing!).  But have you seen this awful show?"

Whatever. Essentially, I have no desire to watch or have anything to do with anything Flay invests his time in. Unless it's fighting in the Congo bringing a knife to a gun fight, or donating a liver. Then, I might be all for him.