tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post4361341453702585735..comments2024-02-01T09:24:06.521-06:00Comments on The Karmic Kitchen: SustenanceBig Shamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297361034783510191noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-66400686330087948932011-01-14T14:11:52.773-06:002011-01-14T14:11:52.773-06:00Julie, I saw that the link now leads to nothing bu...Julie, I saw that the link now leads to nothing but my experience with Bravo, especially BravoTV.com, is that the real reason it was taken down was much more mundane....like they didn't want to maintain it anymore. I'm sure there are whole swaths of early comments, interviews, photos and blogs that are gone from the site. I will tell you I took those quotes directly from Jay's blog and to be honest, I'm sure Jay would readily admit they were his words.<br />More importantly, Condolences on your recent loss Jay.Big Shamuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15297361034783510191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-64299850924164204752011-01-12T13:03:54.756-06:002011-01-12T13:03:54.756-06:00Coming to this several months later to report that...Coming to this several months later to report that Rayner's original post seems to be missing from Bravo's site, even though it's quoted on their Top Chef Masters page -- maybe they scrubbed the post since it was so scathing?Juliehttp://www.alittlepregnant.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-89510147522198046232010-06-15T15:41:53.436-05:002010-06-15T15:41:53.436-05:00Uh oh, Sham's cranky again!!!
Did you see my ...Uh oh, Sham's cranky again!!!<br /><br />Did you see my comments on your last post about Gael?LaDivaCucinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06000430029590301972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-78477660773140682022010-06-15T15:27:32.656-05:002010-06-15T15:27:32.656-05:00To be fair to Jay, what we don't know is how o...To be fair to Jay, what we don't know is how often Rick referenced his sustainability philosophy while competing on Top Chef. He may have mentioned it every time the cameras were rolling but much of that footage ended up on the cutting room floor. I don't get a sense of Jay over-reacting from what little we saw as the season progressed. It made enough of an impression on Jay that Rick suddenly switching up from being the Fish/Sustainability Guy to being the Non Fish/Carbon Blowing Guy was just too much for Jay to stomach and Jay pointed it out and apparently judged him accordingly. Do I fault Rick? Nope, he took a risk and in at least one judge's eyes that risk bit him in the ass.<br /><br />I'm cranky because I still don't know who had the overall best tasting dishes.Big Shamuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15297361034783510191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-55366352545244555572010-06-15T14:45:12.898-05:002010-06-15T14:45:12.898-05:00As a chef that is often at the mercy of whom is sp...As a chef that is often at the mercy of whom is sponsoring me for groceries/supplies, I am often left with only the choice of what is offered to me and many times things that I've put on my list are substituted. So perhaps the NZ venison was all that was offered to him? I mean, Whole Foods is their sponsor and I always see NZ and Aussie lamb for sale, why? Don't we have any local lamb farmers in this country? Or is it just cheaper to import from there? Doesn't that make Whole Foods a bit hypocritical too? <br /><br />Rick wanted to break out of the FISH GUY mold and he did. I believe a person could go insane trying to decide what is sustainable and have the least carbon footprint when one has minutes to think of a dish and perhaps the passion is what is driving the motivation to make a particular dish? <br /><br />I think if you walk the walk and talk the talk most of time, one can be forgiven for situations like this. It's not like he was committing some grave mortal sin, like cooking seared snow leopard, loggerhead turtle soup with Beluga caviar. And as "green" as I like to be, I'd hate the thought that if I diverge from my beliefs a few times that I get crucified for it. Jay's comments were super sanctimonious, I think Rick should be given a break.LaDivaCucinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06000430029590301972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-5336638957624199762010-06-15T08:07:04.874-05:002010-06-15T08:07:04.874-05:00Eggy, I agree the conversation is important but I ...Eggy, I agree the conversation is important but I can see Jay's point of when it came down to brass tacks, Rick chose to jettison the green option (using a protein that consumed more natural resources to get to LA than say a grass fed beef from the much closer Hearst Ranch) in his desire to win the top prize.Big Shamuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15297361034783510191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-69466270549824918192010-06-14T21:02:26.340-05:002010-06-14T21:02:26.340-05:00I agree with you, Moi, on the Amen to American ven...I agree with you, Moi, on the Amen to American venison. <br /><br />Meanwhile, I think there's a lot more context and discussion to be had on the sustainability v. carbon footprint front, and possible assumptions that may have figured into the TCM finale judging. <br /><br />Moonen asserts the New Zealand venison he used is sustainably raised and was brought in by boat, not air freight, and that he had personal familiarity its source in NZ. <br /><br />A portion of some comments exchanged by Moonen and Rayner can be found here: http://eater.com/archives/2010/06/11/rick-moonen-top-chef-masters-exit-interview.php#comment-596244 <br /><br />More is out there on the interwebs than I have time to pull together right now, but I particularly appreciated one remark I saw from Moonen (before this blew up quite so big, I think) about these questions being important to engage in and explore. <br /><br />Granted, Jay seems to have gone pretty cranky pants on this. But there are lots of ways to look at these issues without taking a knee-jerk foodier-than-thou or sustain-a-bully-er-than-thou position. The conversation is important. The choices each of us makes, one purchase at a time, make a difference. Even if we are imperfect people with busy lives who do not devote all our time to growing our own vegetables and raising our own animals . . .<br /><br />'Nuff said. Off to work on my picnic post.Sharon Ruddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598263732896925616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-34368941413495938372010-06-14T19:39:50.708-05:002010-06-14T19:39:50.708-05:00Amen to American venison. I grew up on it. Best me...Amen to American venison. I grew up on it. Best meat there is.<br /><br />Best summation? <i>"So having Rick Moonen on a TV show talking about Sustainability at his restaurant in Las Vegas is a big nugget of crazy wrapped up in a tender cocoon of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot." </i><br /><br />I laughed so hard I choked on my local, farm-raised trout.moihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07824043795171732429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-85157918025648451852010-06-14T18:31:42.516-05:002010-06-14T18:31:42.516-05:00I have to laugh, Innes because venison in the US i...I have to laugh, Innes because venison in the US is well fed on the most delicious landscaping shrubs and trees in many suburban backyards and gardens.Big Shamuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15297361034783510191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-3571376728926219962010-06-14T18:20:13.062-05:002010-06-14T18:20:13.062-05:00Just so you know, deer are raised on free-range fa...Just so you know, deer are raised on free-range farms in New Zealand and the venison is sea-freighted to the USA by refrigerated container. <br /><br />New Zealand has abundant water to use to grow food, and the environment is not degraded by food production. <br /><br />If you want sustainable food – buy it from places that can grow it and ship it efficiently. Local does not always mean more sustainable. <br /><br />And, as you saw from the judges’ comments on the food, New Zealand venison is delicious because it is carefully grown and prepared.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16316452946362414207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-22308931741506358562010-06-14T18:14:16.746-05:002010-06-14T18:14:16.746-05:00I have to agree with Anonymous 3:04 here, a Five S...I have to agree with Anonymous 3:04 here, a Five Star rating means ALL the dishes were perfect both in how the dish tasted and in how well the dishes addressed the specific challenge. Marcus's third dish sounds like it had issues. More of an issue than Susur's too large tuna blossom. What I'm really surprised at is the level of anger Jay is expressing at Rick's philosophy of sustainability. Keep in mind that if Jay had not picked venison for that last course, Jay STILL was steaming at Rick being vocal about Sustainability.Big Shamuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15297361034783510191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-12161692002461648632010-06-14T15:04:25.251-05:002010-06-14T15:04:25.251-05:00If you watch the extended version of the judges ta...If you watch the extended version of the judges table, You will see how obvious it is that the judges didn't care for Marcus' last dish. so tell me Jay, how does that constitute 5 stars? I'm ok with him judging Rick the way he did (even though he was ignorant on the carbon footprint of venison, and carbon footprint & sustainability are 2 different things, but I do have a problem with Jay giving Marcus 5 stars when on tape the last dish was not top notch.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-89190743206231315262010-06-14T13:11:24.261-05:002010-06-14T13:11:24.261-05:00It does Dani but maybe that was the only venison a...It does Dani but maybe that was the only venison available. Nobody is spilling the beans on what else was available.Big Shamuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15297361034783510191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-52074447780139341862010-06-14T12:23:43.827-05:002010-06-14T12:23:43.827-05:00It does seem strange that he would choose venison ...It does seem strange that he would choose venison from New Zealand. ???Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04038703319667640641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930710315732568255.post-22155060643670456182010-06-14T09:58:29.713-05:002010-06-14T09:58:29.713-05:00I lost interest when they did that color emotion s...I lost interest when they did that color emotion sex challenge. Regular Top Chef starts this week and it promises to be interesting. That should take your mind off of this Master's Dissapointment.<br /><br />"So having Rick Moonen on a TV show talking about Sustainability at his restaurant in Las Vegas is a big nugget of crazy wrapped up in a tender cocoon of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot." - That's funny.Buzz Killhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01443964019621130222noreply@blogger.com