If you've never worked a night shift in your life, it can get rather dull. It turns out that, during the week, most of Fargo sleeps between the hours of 12 to 6 AM. If you didn't know already, I work weekend nights, which means I'm one of those rare people that's actually awake at 2AM on Tuesdays. In fact, that's about the halfway point of my "weekend." Because of this unusual schedule, and the subsequent lack of fellow mortals to interact with, I have to be a bit creative when trying to find things to do.
I'm not one that likes to hang out with the vampires, so I'm generally on my computer or watching TV. However, late night TV is similar to banging your head against a wall at best, so I record my shows on my DVR. One of my favorite shows is on Food Network, around 7PM Central. It's called Good Eats, and it's hosted by Alton Brown(AB). I'm sure some of you might recognize that name as the host of Iron Chef: America, and indeed he is. But to limit your exposure to AB to just Iron Chef is, well... Like smelling a pizza. Sure you get the aroma of the cheese and herbs, but you don't get to experience the full depth of texture, or the contrast of flavors from the sauce and the crust. Let me show you what you are missing.
My dad once described AB as the Bill Nye of food. While Good Eats is a cooking show, it's unlike any other cooking show I've seen. Ever heard of capsaicin, the molecule that makes peppers hot, refered to as lock pick? No? Well, then you'll need to watch Chile's Angels, the episode about chile peppers. AB brings a lot to his show. He starts with a food or type of produce, talks about the origins and ancient use of the food, and describes how to find quality products to make the recipes he highlights. He also discusses kitchen equipment, and trys to find "multitaskers," items that can be used for more than one thing. He brings in diagrams and models to help explain the scientific principles he's going over. And all the while he does it with a lot of humor.
So, I hope I've inspired to look beyond the television as a means of just entertainment, and to use it to it's full culinary potential. So what if AB is a geeky, or his show is like a science fair for food. At the end of the day, somewhere between your empty plate, your delighted tongue, and your full stomach, you'll know that Alton and I helped you get your hands on some seriously good eats. See you next time.
