Aesthetics/Lifestyle of Food

While beginning research into the vast world that the Food Network has created, I began to see a pattern in the literature on it. Many authors speak about a “lifestyle” created by the Food Network, specifically once Judy Girard became president of the network. From what I’ve read so far, she was the one who gave the network an identity beyond the old-fashioned Julia-Child-esque cooking show aptly described as “dump and stir.”

How did the lifestyle emerge? Can it be quantified? How much do the personalities on the network override the glamor of the food that they cook? Is people’s obsession with the shows based on a caveman instinct for food or on the flourish of the show itself?

I would like to include some visual comparisons of the past and present style of “cooking shows” as well as people’s reactions to the new aesthetics. How much more do they want the food when they see the pomp and glamor?

I suppose that I want to look into the branding of food and cooking and how a form of consumption that we all undeniably need can be more than just sustenance. I would like to explore why we crave the expansion and experimentation of the food that we need to survive.

I already know that Julia Child created a whole new world of American home cooking. I’ll have to find the source again where it said that before her, American homes had salt, sugar, pepper, and mustard in them for seasoning. It should be interesting to see how the Food Network has expanded our expectations for food even more. And how the network has further decentralized the world of cooking from chefs to amateurs from Childs’ beginnings.

Richmond, Ray. "CUISINE SCENE." Hollywood Reporter -- International Edition 381.18 (2003): S1-S3. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.

Kaufman, Debra. "Food Network Grills, Chills and Thrills." Television Week 26.23 (2007): 14. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.

Richmond, Ray. "BRAND NAME." Hollywood Reporter -- International Edition 381.18 (2003): S8. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.

BILL BUFORD.  "TV DINNERS; NOTES OF A GASTRONOME. " The New Yorker  2 Oct. 2006:  Research Library Core, ProQuest. Web.  29 Mar. 2011.

Gallagher, Mark. "What's So Funny about IRON CHEF?." Journal of Popular Film & Television 31.4 (2004): 176-184. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.