Great Chefs Roundtable on Charlie Rose

[Dover]

Just a heads up about this program. Features chefs Daniel Boulud, Patrick O’Connell, & Jonathan Cartwright talking about creating meals with locally available food identified with an area, the exciting American cuisine and foodie scene and why it is attracting so many new and well established chefs.
I was a bit surprised to hear this internationally diverse group of chefs say that the American dining public is among the most passionate, appreciative and sophisticated in the world and that chefs all over appreciate/prize our patronage. This statement came from a French chef! And the others agreed. Americans? Sophisticated? Having travelled a bit, I had gotten the impression that Americans were generally seen as ignorant of other cultures and kind of annoying, albeit generally likable oafs.
So, a nice change to hear that. Maybe we WILL make the transition to citizens of the world.

You may need to wait until sometime Friday or Saturday to view the online video of the show.

http://www.charlierose.com/schedule/?date=2010/12/2

[The empressof all]

1. I think that it is in fact true that we have a broad appreciation of food

We are by history a country of immigrants...and American food culture has been shaped by broad influences from around the world. American food is not just Fried Chicken or Hamburgers. It's the Sunday gravy, the stir fries, the fish tacos and the roast pork and sauerkraut. All the dishes we grew up eating from our own families and from our local communities that were influenced by the people that settled there. I've traveled quite a bit and no where else do you see the diversity of food that you see here in our cities and suburbs.

The exposure to so many different cuisines I think has caused us to develop a rather sophisticated palate. We are open to new and exciting flavors and open to fusing different flavors as we are not so bound by one tradition.

[Dover]

4. It's true that, as a melting pot and based on our sheer size, we are

exposed to a lot of cultural cuisine, from the inexpensive to the very expensive. Local cuisine/culture is working counter or parallel to the homogeneity of commercial foods and chain restaurants.
I am really pleased about the whole movement toward locally grown and produced foods. I do hope this is, in the broadest sense, how we will grow globally, retaining and appreciating local cultures while also becoming more connected.

[housewolf]

2. "American dining public is among the most passionate..."

"American dining public is among the most passionate, appreciative and sophisticated in the world"

While I think it's true that for vast numbers of Americans their food-tastes and broadened enormously, I can't help but think that at least on some level, his comment has to refer to that small percentage of the public that can afford to eat in the celebrity chef's restuarants and travel the world. The vast majority of Americans can't.

I had the show on while I was doing some other things this evening. It was interesting.

[Dover]

3. I wondered that too....n/t

[elleng]

5. Not necessary, I think, to eat in the celebrity chef's restaurants;

there is a good number of 'local' and diverse restaurants and the number is growing, imo.

[The empressof all]

6. I think sophisticated doesn't always equate with expensive

American barbecue for example is from a culinary perspective quite a sophisticated and complicated cuisine. It involves a complex layering of spices and a cooking technique that frequently involves a great attention to detail.