Anthony Bourdain vs. Paula Deen
 

Last year Anthony Bourdain without provocation singled out Paula Deen. He has also dogged Rachel Ray

Last summer Bourdain called Deen the "most dangerous person to America" who's "proud of the fact that her food is bad for you. In fact Bourdain tangled with several chefs in the TV Guide article.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Anthony-...y-1036482.aspx

His venom was saved for Paula though, he continues on in the article to say "If I were on at seven at night and loved by millions of people at every age, I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks."

Anthony is known for being a jerk towards people but he was pretty dead on about Paula it seems.

Paula has a great opportunity to turn this in her favor, she has known she had diabetes for 3 years and still she cooked ooey gooey butter cake with gallons of sweet tea to wash it down online. She hasn't taken that opportunity in my opinion, she looks the same size now that she was before the diagnosis and up until she signed that drug endorsement she was on TV cooking that crap of hers. She could have started moving her recipes and cooking techniques towards healthier but she hasn't. Instead she goes on the Today show and gets defensive and preaches moderation, Paula Deen and the word moderation just don't belong in the same sentence IMHO.

Then Anthony sends up the Twitter message saying he is thinking about going into the leg breaking business so he can profitably sell crutches later. Point taken Mr. Bourdain, point taken.

I don't know much about the actual incident, but Bourdain can be relied on to:
- Be passionate about good food. I love his instincts
- Be aggressive and primal. It's just the way he is

Having had a quick look at Paula's website, her recipes look pretty unpleasant on the whole..

Bourdain may lack tact and is utterly undiplomatic, but it's pretty hard to argue with the substance of his critique of Paula Deen, especially now that we know that she concealed a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes from her viewers for nearly 3 years until she could work it into an endorsement deal.

That is why I like Jamie Oliver. He also tries passionately to be healthy for America's kids .

Isn't it implicitly hypocritical for a gourmet chef to criticize for perceived unhealthiness? I mean seriously, is everything served at Brasserie Les Halles nice and healthy?

I've always liked his No Reservations show, but his recent comments on Deen are making me rethink that. People can eat Chicken McNuggets, "ooey gooey butter cake with gallons of sweet tea", or anything else Bourdain rabidly lashes out at without getting diabetes or even being particularly unhealthy.

I side 100% with Bourdain on this and a lot of his comments. Paula Deen's show is broadcast at very potent times and appeals to a larger mass (no pun intended) of what some Americans have come to serve their families on a regular basis.

I was never a big fan, but felt that keeping her diabetes a secret this long is a swindling of her fans, publishers, cookbook owners, etc. - anyone who makes a breakfast, lunch, dinner, or $$ off of her name prior to announcement. It's no secret what kind of food she cooks and promotes, and whoever knew about her condition purposely kept it quiet to keep sales up.

I have no patience for someone criticizing Paula Deen, or anyone else, for making "unhealthy" food, or for telling me what to eat. Mind your own business, I am an adult. There are dozens of cooking shows in the U.S.; each one has its own niche. And we can choose to watch or not. That's what makes America great.

I also have no patience for those who say that she somehow has a responsibility, due to her popularity, or the demographics of her audience, or the time she is on, or whatever, to lecture her audience to eat tempeh and soybeans. This is the type of totalitarian thinking that contradicts principles of free will and free markets.

That said, I am not a big fan of Deen's on-air personality nor her recipes, though I certainly enjoy that type of food sometimes.

I agree. I find her to be extremely annoying.

Sure, but just as you can choose which ones to watch, surely they can bicker amongst themselves as to who sucks?

Your argument reminded me of the "this is a free country, nobody should criticise what I do" kind of argument you get in the US every now and then.

Jamie Oliver is perhaps the most annoying thing on TV since the first series of Big Brother, but I do have serious respect for what he's done on nutrition, particularly amongst the poorer parts of society.

This is a great point. I love Bourdain.

But this is a very valid point also. Her niche is the fatty southern cooking. If she switched to healthy she'd probably be instantly off the air because as someone else pointed out Jamie Oliver already has that niche covered. You have to think of it in the Food Network's terms.

I think Paula's strategy is all about putting and keeping dollars in her pocket. I am sure she can reinvent herself but unless she gets a handle on her hand to her mouth and show visible proof that she is improving her health I do not see how Paula can effectively be a role model or spokesperson for diabetes. When someone says Oprah Winfrey is endorsing blah blah blah diet I ask them why would you take diet advise from her? Oprah has yo-yoed for years and is heavy still. For me to take someone seriously in the role model department they need to be living what they say.

Post-amputation care is expensive, you know.

If she was under contract for a time period to continue making a Fa Tass lard-laden program, well, that part, I can understand. The drug endorsement is more than suspect, however.

Finally, she could have used this as an opportunity in a constructive manner.
(1) Portion control - yes, you can still eat this vat-o-fat from time to time, but this is the portion size that will keep you in check.
(2) Alternative ingredients - Your xxxxx will taste 90% as good as the original, with half the fat, and much lower on the glycemic index (ok, her audience doesn't understand that term) by these few simple substitutions.

"You can continue to eat like a swine and everything will be fine if you take this simple little pill I'm hawking" is all wrong, wrong, wrong.

How does one eat a "double bacon cheeseburger with Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts as the bread" in moderation?

I am sorry -- Paula Deen is the exact thing that is wrong with Americans' eating habits. Now she is going to make millions endorsing a diabetes drug.

So, basically she said that it is ok to eat like sh*t and then pop some pills to make yourself better (but she is the only one who will make millions -- the rest will be a drain on the medical system).

Bourdain is completely right in his comments about her.

You [redacted] will have to take my fork at gunpoint from my dieing hand, before you will prevent me from my yearly Paula Dean New Years brunch of warm Krispe Kreame Bread Pudding, made with day old Krispe Kreams, Sweeten Condensed milk, bourbon, Fruit Cocktail, Raisins and Powdered Sugar glaze. Pure heaven on a fork. Cook until bubbly. A little sweet though, so I cut it with some Blue Bell Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream on the side.