A Cook Abroad - Argentina

[johnw100]

I watched this on BBC iplayer the other day, its a programme about famous chefs travelling the world to discover the cuisines of 6 or so countries. This week was in Argentina. Highly recommended if your interested in Argentine asado and beef (who isnt!)

p.s you`ll need to use some internet hack to view from the bbc site, but there are other means of getting it off the net ;-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b052z6tl

 

[rrptownley]

Was the show good in the end?

I watched the preview for this and had to turn it off because the presenter was so ghastly, just a pantomime of disconnect between him and his cuisine, audience and subject. I almost cracked a tooth while inwardly cringing in his attempts to fraternise with some poor gauchos and mount a horse. What happened to the class of Floyd, Delia and Stein?

 

[johnw100]

Yes John Torode was the chef, he is a bit of an idiot. I think he spent at least 10 minutes joking and chuckling to himself about how straight the road was from BA to Mendoza and how it was driving him insane (excuse the pun). And he didnt speak any Spanish but when he did try some he seemed to be switching to Italian. But he was quite passionate about the beef which is his passion and it was interesting the way he went to see how the cattle is reared in different parts of Argentina and the techniques of rearing, butchering, cooking meat and even made some chimichurri and empandas,etc.
He highlight the fact that around BA much of the beef is from grain fed cattle in small plots to increase the speed of growth, compared to what he had imagined , the vast green pampas and cattle roaming free. So he did compare the beef from both types of cattle.

The look on his face (and the gauchos) when he mounted the horse only for it to start getting nervous was priceless.

I enjoyed it more for the scenery and showing Argentinans cook and work. The presenter was just a slightly annoying sideshow.

 

[rrptownley]

That's one thing good I did pick up up from the preview, that he was sourcing the meat and comparing feed-lot practices with the traditional methods here. It would be quite interesting to some people on these forums as the feed-lot/grass-fed question does arise often.

 

[Rich One]

To be viewed only in UK B) ??? ... the preview was full of British humor,,,, O Sole Mio.....give me a break,,,what an insular colonialist remark.

 

[johnw100]

To be viewed only in UK B) ??? ... the preview was full of British humor,,,, O Sole Mio.....give me a break,,,what an insular colonialist remark.

Yes that why I said you have to use your noggin to view it here.
btw, Number one that preview you watched didnt make the final programme, and number two thats Australian humour not British. Couldnt you even tell from the accent??? Best keep your ignorance to yourself next time.

 

[johnw100]

That's one thing good I did pick up up from the preview, that he was sourcing the meat and comparing feed-lot practices with the traditional methods here. It would be quite interesting to some people on these forums as the feed-lot/grass-fed question does arise often.

Yes interestingly they interviewed an yanqui cattle farmer living in Argentina for 11 years who said that 80% of all cattle here is fed lot!? I find that hard to believe when you drive around this country, perhaps around BA but not elsewhere.

 

[Rich One]

Yes that why I said you have to use your noggin to view it here.
btw, Number one that preview you watched didnt make the final programme, and number two thats Australian humour not British. Couldnt you even tell from the accent??? Best keep your ignorance to yourself next time.

Sorry for not detecting the difference between Brit and Aussie Humor guess only for pundits , John Torode after 20 years in the UK may have mastered the Brit Humor? without losing his accent? Well we are all entitled to an opinion ? :wub:

 

[johnw100]

Sorry for not detecting the difference between Brit and Aussie Humor guess only for pundits , John Torode after 20 years in the UK may have mastered the Brit Humor? without losing his accent? Well we are all entitled to an opinion ? :wub:

Yes you are certainly entitled to your own insular colonialist remarks ;-)

 

[goodboyjakey]

Despite Torode being a bit annoying, it was an excellent program and showed well the difference in cattle rearing and butchery.
As an advert for Argentina, it was as good as the Top Gear Special (without the ending) and will I am sure be approved of by the embassy in London.