 | Capitalism Cooked Correctly
Unfortunately, there are not many TV programs that positively demonstrate the virtues of capitalism like "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares." And after watching a single episode, you will understand why.
The program follows celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in his attempts to bring sound business practices to failing restaurants. Most often, the proprietors are proud and well-intended yet poor business people who have restaurants with certain fundamental problems. Each restaurant Ramsay consults is in financial trouble, but each has there own interesting reasons for failure. Decor and front-of-house are often contentious issues but most often the key issues are in the kitchen.
Ramsay often confronts uninspired cooks who are creating bland, unexciting food. Other times, he meets cooks who are cooking needlessly complex and expensive food that is just not the right fit for the customer. Ramsay often insists a menu change to reinvigorate the kitchen and the entire business.
The interplay between proprietor and staff also often demands a change. Kitchen staff are frequently zero-sum hedonists that do not want to cooperate in the restoration of the business.
The series goes beyond expectations in how it depicts the realities of the restaurant industry. Moments of joy clash with sad realities of financial dead-ends. In the same episode one might experience the joy of creation in the kitchen followed by the crucible of over-extended credit.
"Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" can be seen on:
BBC America http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/154/index.jsp
Channel 4 (UK) http://www.channel4.com/nightmares
Food Network Canada http://www.foodtv.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=83612
Notes: This review refers to the original UK version of the show. A US version is currently on FOX. I have yet to see more than one episode and have yet to form an opinion on it.
Also note, Chef Ramsay is known for being a loud-mouth who swears a lot on his other shows like "Hell's Kitchen." On "Nightmares" however, Ramsay is relatively toned down and genuinely benevolent.
For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsay's_Kitchen_Nightmares
|
