Et Tu Food Network? Et Tu?

By: Barbara Groves

I have been seeing a disturbing trend on the Food Network that last 6 months, and no, I am not talking about FN faking the vegetables from Michelle Obama’s White House garden. Pffffft! What a joke that was. No, I am seeing professionally trained chefs using box mixes for their meals. Now, after watching the network for going on 4 years, I am used to Aunt Sandy’s Semi Homemade crap. That is the way the woman cooks, and if it is good for her that is fine. Though personally, Scott and I prefer to cook from scratch. However, when I saw culinary school educated Giada Delaurentis use a box cake mix, I about fell out of my chair. She is a professional who was taught to cook in France and Italy, and to see her use Semi-Ho (My nickname for Aunt Sandy) ingredients, I thought she would do it once, and that was it, because she is a new mother. However, she did it again in 2 more episodes, and I decided to watch other episodes from other chefs to see if they are starting a trend as well.

Now, Paula Deen is not professionally trained, however, she based her whole career off of cooking good meals from scratch, by first selling lunches to offices. People appreciated that, and her restaurant was born. Imagine my surprise when she made a Trifle using boxed cake mix as well. It does not take that long to make a cake from scratch, in fact, I timed it once with boxed mix, and the timing was about the same.I have heard and read recently a lot of bad reviews from her Lady and Sons restaurant for using processed foods.

Then this morning Scott said that Guy Fieri was using canned beans, and other veggies. What!?!?!? This is a man who stated he hates semi homemade. This is the man who criticizes other restaurant owners on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, if they use processed food. Yet, he was getting something out of can, which is a years worth of sodium in that little tin.

Then I thought I could still turn to Ina Garten. At first, I hated Ina. I thought all she has ever been is a New England, Hampton snob, but when I realized she makes very budget meals from scratch, she grew on me. Also, her very matronly voice is very soothing. Though, Scott does a funny dead on imitation of her. LOL Imagine my absolute shock when she also used canned vegetables for a soup.I know Julia Child is turning over in her grave, and I mean a 360.

So, FN is a liberal network, and that is obvious with the appearance of Michelle Obama, and other ways their promote their programming. So, you would think they would promote sustainable, healthy eating. Instead they are going the opposite direction, and promoting convenience, processed, crap. Also, there was an article recently where FN’s resident nutritionist Ellie Krieger, tried, and I mean failed, to make a healthy meal out of McDonalds. Which was just as shocking.

I have a theory about all of this promotion of convenience on FN. Big Food, like Monsanto,  is now getting a bad rap because of processing and GMO, so they paid the Food Network’s execs very well, not only to advertise more on the network, but promote their semi homemade cancer causing, liver spotting, brain tumor, shit.