Arts & Culture
Top Chef, Top Scallop
By Aaron Bisman / August 21, 2009
I like food. A lot. Since my son’s initial appearance, my wife Amanda has been watching an intense amount of Food Network (great to watch in short bursts, when you don’t have the time or energy for a full show commitment) so I’ve been exposed to Chopped, Paula Deen, Ace of Cakes, UnWrapped, and The Next Food Network Star. It’s taken quite awhile for me to appreciate watching food as much as I enjoy eating it, but thanks to Top Chef: Masters, I think I am finally there.
The fitting label for these shows is Food Porn. For me, though, its not just Porn; it’s Food Voyeurism. As a keeper of kashrut pretty much my whole life, I have never tasted a scallop or a lobster tail. I can only imagine a cheeseburger, let alone one with bacon, fried in chorizo fat. And i find it hard even to fathom the consistency or taste of sea urchin. And yet I am captivated by these shows and the food in large part because of how they peak my imagination (and test my OCD-like commitment) for hitherto unknown flavors.
This week’s Top Chef Masters finale was a celebration of food and the chef’s preparing it. No nasty curveballs, nothing tricky, simply a chance for the 3 finalists to showcase their skills, passion, and food. It was exciting and moreso than when watching past shows, I found myself wondering: what does that taste like? Where can I eat THAT? Why DON’T I eat sea urchin? Mexican chef Rick Bayless‘ winning 27-ingredient Mole dish brought me to the height of food jealousy. It wasn’t even really unkosher. (ingredient-wise. At least I don’t think is was. He’s keeping the recipe a secret.)
Yes, kosher cooking has come a long way and some of it is very, very good. There are blogs documenting Kosher food for travelers and modern, socially conscious models of Kashrut. Yes, there’s even a Kosher restaurant whose executive chef is a Top Chef winner. I’m not complaining (quite) about the dining options within the Jewish life I choose to lead. But in these moments as a Food Voyeur, I find myself questioning (somewhat) deeply held convictions when I’d only planned to enjoy some after-work TV-vegetation. Kashrut (and halachah/jewish law) is not for me, generally, about obeying God’s directives. I find myself more connected to two things: a relationship to traditions that have defined Jews as Jews for thousands of years and the concept that Jewish life inherently requires some amount of self-control and self-directed living. And then there is my untested but strong sense that I am probably at least a teeny tiny bit OCD and rules about what pans my food can be cooked in and what foods can touch one another satisfies this need for order. In other words: I like rules and think following at least some of them is a pretty Jewish thing to do. I know: I’m a nerd. But then I am reminded that the Jewish thing may not be following rules, its struggling with them. Learning them, contemplating them, commenting on them, debating their value, relevance, and meaning. So maybe as long as I struggle with it and don’t enjoy myself too much, I can taste Chef Bayless’ mole. After all, isn’t that what Jewish guilt is for?
Probably. But I’m pretty sure I’ll be sticking to seitan skewers and tempeh bacon.
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"…I can focus on the big picture of organics, being kind to my neighbors, and living an ethics-based life."
It seems like being able to accept a sincere apology would tend to go along with that statement.
Nice post Aaron.
I had never watched a full episode of Top Chef until this season when one of our local restaurant chefs & his brother became contestants. I appreciate your description of the voyeuristic pleasures that program provides. It’s not quite pornographic. Although, I believe that distinction would have applied to Nigella Bites a few years ago.
I wasn’t raised Jewish, but I’ve always loved to cook (esp. seafood!); so choosing Judaism, & consequently keeping kosher, was especially challenging. I agree with your take on Kashrut being more about a Jewish lifestyle and self-control than simply blindly following the mitzvot. As someone who doesn’t happen to regularly say prayers outside of shul, making sure that I don’t have milk & meat on the same plate has become a kind of pre-meal "prayer" for me. I confess, like you, I also like knowing the rules, whether or not I choose to ocassionally break some!
Zachary- I agree with you that Orthodox adherance to Kashrut can more easily cause you to miss some very important ethical struggles within Judaism. Just a few examples:
But what about an outstanding family lasagna recipe using imported cheeses & domestic beef?! No chance of a kid & mom being cooked together!!
Why is chicken & cheese traif, but a chicken omlette isn’t?
And why the heck isn’t fish considered a meat?
Btw, under Conservative observance of Kashrut, you do not have to own 2 separate sets of dishes if you use glass dishes. The ancient stoneware/earthenware plate rules do not apply to glassware! Buy Corelle! Your friends can eat a bacon cheeseburger on it, you can rinse it off & it’s kosher enough to immediately use for a Passover seder!
Nice post Aaron. As a Jew who grew up in a secular background, I’ve had the opposite journey. I started out eating pretty much everything with no knowledge of what was forbidden or why, and have steadily drifted into a more kosher perspective. I even forswore non-hekshered meat for about a year, but found that it was too limiting. I want to experience life, and not eating meat most of the time was a drag. We all define for ourselves what’s important to us, and I guess I hit my wall.
Personally, I find the orthodox obsession with food unhealthy. I think you nailed it on the head when you mention OCD a few times, even though I know it’s tongue-in-cheek. But… I do think the Orthodox turn kashrut into a kind of self-fulfilling fetishization of rules that misses the point of what it means to be ethical, and why it’s valuable to be Jewish.
Once again, we all have our own ways of finding value in Judaism’s endless list of rules, but I prefer a more laid back approach. Avoid all expressly forbidden foods (pork, shellfish, etc), don’t mix milk with meat, and don’t worry about the rest. If I wash my plate, it’s clean. I can use it for whatever I like. The less I focus on the minutia, the more I can focus on the big picture of organics, being kind to my neighbors, and living an ethics-based life.
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