The British Revolution?

I can't wait to watch this show. It sounds like a blend of everything I love on TV: food, profanity-laden reality (the "real" kind, not the game show kind) and Brits. I was a little misled by the description of the article, though, but happily so.

Slate's teaser involves Brits saving Food TV. And while I agree with author Sara Dickerman that a lot (most) of what's on the Food Network is crap, and is unfortunately much more Good Housekeeping than Food & Wine, I think she sells American chefs a little short. Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) and Bobby Flay are fantastic entertainers. And the recipes I've used from their shows are the best kind: simply elegant, not pretentious, and easy for home. They're both Americans who show how to entertain. Especially Ina, who does a great job of incorporating table settings and flowers into her shows.

And how do you write an article supposedly about "the Brits" without one single mention of Nigella or Jamie Oliver? These two chef/entertainers literally got me cooking: the day I decided to learn how to cook (sometime during the month of February 2002) I went to Barnes & Noble and bought Oliver's book The Naked Chef. I read it straight through (I love reading cookbooks). Not long after, I bought Nigella's How to Eat. Read that, too. And I can't get enough of them on TV. They're both incredibly personable and make cooking relatively sophisticated food easy. Plus, they're messy in presentation. It's not all about perfectly cylindrical stacks or tiny cubes or any other bizarre presentation tactics.

And who doesn't love watching Nigella lick her fingers then stick them back in the bowl? Not that I do that...umm...