The other week I watched a show on the BBC that had GR going into
restaurants in Britain that were teetering on the brink and helping them
revamp the whole thing and become viable businesses. Although he did rant
and rave at a few employees and had a few walk out, they were definitely the
weakest links in the establishments and he seemed to show a certain empathy
with the restaurant owners/managers. He actually seemed like he cared what
happened and showed a concern for these peoples' feelings and livelihoods.

On the American telly however, he is the chef from hell. No one can satisfy
him and all you had to do was look at him wrong to have him rip a new
asshole.

My question is: Will the real Gordon Ramsey please stand up?

-ginny

On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:47:11 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski"
> wrote:

>The other week I watched a show on the BBC that had GR going into
>restaurants in Britain that were teetering on the brink and helping
them
>revamp the whole thing and become viable businesses. Although he did
rant
>and rave at a few employees and had a few walk out, they were
definitely the
>weakest links in the establishments and he seemed to show a certain
empathy
>with the restaurant owners/managers. He actually seemed like he
cared what
>happened and showed a concern for these peoples' feelings and
livelihoods.
>
>On the American telly however, he is the chef from hell. No one can
satisfy
>him and all you had to do was look at him wrong to have him rip a new
>asshole.
>
>My question is: Will the real Gordon Ramsey please stand up?
>
>-ginny
>

I watched one yesterday regarding an Italian eatery. I think he is
rude brash and swears a lot, but...he does do what he is assigned to
do. Bring them back from the brink of bankruptcy- if the owner wants
to do that. What ever it takes. It's like so many business want-to-be
s- "I want to be a ______(fill in the blank)".

I see people all the time wanting "to be Kona Coffee farmers" and they
have no clue what it entails, much less the amount of effort they need
to put in to be successful. They fail, sell the farm they usually
bought at a high price because they didn't even do that research, and
flee off to something else.

The guy yesterday had a fancy car, a fancy license plate, an inept
wish washy Maitre d'--- and the worst!!! -the restaurant owner served
warmed up frozen Italian food from his nasty/dirty kitchen. What
wasn't wrong with that picture? He'd learned his Italian cooking from
a taxi driver! No kidding.

So Ramsey does what he thinks is necessary. I like the show although
it makes me slightly uncomfortable during the procedure. I think
the ends do justify the means.

just my $.02.

aloha,
beans
--smithfarms.com
farmers of pure kona
roast beans to kona to email

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:

> The other week I watched a show on the BBC that had GR going into
> restaurants in Britain that were teetering on the brink and helping
> them revamp the whole thing and become viable businesses. Although
> he did rant and rave at a few employees and had a few walk out, they
> were definitely the weakest links in the establishments and he seemed
> to show a certain empathy with the restaurant owners/managers. He
> actually seemed like he cared what happened and showed a concern for
> these peoples' feelings and livelihoods.
>
> On the American telly however, he is the chef from hell. No one can
> satisfy him and all you had to do was look at him wrong to have him
> rip a new asshole.
>
> My question is: Will the real Gordon Ramsey please stand up?


Ramsay, by the way. Important for googling (ha, genericized!) the guy.

Hell's Kitchen is a certain show, which has Ramsay over-the-top for
dramatic purposes. The "real" Ramsay is almost never going to be on ANY
TV show. There's a third show, one that follows him around the world
and films him at various interviews or public appearances. He's often a
pretty nasty guy in those shows.



Brian
--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:47:11 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski"
> wrote:

>The other week I watched a show on the BBC that had GR going into
>restaurants in Britain that were teetering on the brink and helping them
>revamp the whole thing and become viable businesses. Although he did rant
>and rave at a few employees and had a few walk out, they were definitely the
>weakest links in the establishments and he seemed to show a certain empathy
>with the restaurant owners/managers. He actually seemed like he cared what
>happened and showed a concern for these peoples' feelings and livelihoods.
>
>On the American telly however, he is the chef from hell. No one can satisfy
>him and all you had to do was look at him wrong to have him rip a new
>asshole.
>
>My question is: Will the real Gordon Ramsey please stand up?

It's an act. Both programs.

The real Gordon Ramsey can be found only when the cameras aren't
rolling.

Kitchen Nightmares, the one you refer to, was a brilliant series. Most
times Ramsay was called in (we can only assume for an undisclosed fee)
to sort out the mayhem in a commercial restaurant/kitchen which had
previously been doing great business, but had since gone to ruin.
Given the agenda, Gordon was required (by owners or management) to
source the area/s and the personnell who attributed to the downfall of
a once successful venue.
In almost all of the episodes Ramsay went for the jugular. Ruthless,
critical and rude to the extreme. But the source of his angst (the
staff member/s) were well deserving targets. Most should never have
been in charge of a kitchen, let alone a restaurant!
In one episode one 'head chef' dished up rancid mussels, which sent
Ramsay dashing out the back door of the kitchen within 30 seconds, to
heave his guts up near the bins! And the HC was happy to send this dish
out to unsuspecting diners!!! Ramsay went berserk! And called it as he
saw it in all episodes. Luckily the restaurant owners/chefs took heed
and most went on to prosper.

Hell's Kitchen was totally different. It was Ramsay's restaurant - crew
and staff were his to do with as he wanted - and he wanted perfection,
while pitting one team against the other. Made for good reality tv.
Almost reminiscent of Jamie Olivers 13 - though instead of bringing a
team together the object seemed to tear the teams apart. It's still
screening here in Aus so haven't seen the finale.

Another one to look out for is The F Word - his new restaurant where he
meets & greets friends, colleagues and VIPs then cooks up a treat for
their pleasure, arriving at their table post-nosh to guage their
response/pleasure. It's currently screening here in Aus.

One nice aspect to The F Word is Ramsay in one or more shows gets his
Mum into the kitchen in a cook-off section and their dishes (identical,
but different ingredients/methods) are served (anonymously) to the
diners who have to rate the dishes. Ramsay has come off second best on
a number of occasions! But he takes it well.
Most head chefs/restaurant owners expect the best from their staff, and
a high standard of service. It's a lost more remiscent of his earlier
cooking shows - occasional language - but toned down a bit. Especially
with the punters! (aka diners)

Nice thing about the F Word, you get a glimpse of another side of
Ramsay, at home, in his garden, with his kids - 4 or 5 (can't remember)
- who are currently tending to the family's brood of turkeys which are
being loved & cared for prior to butchering for Christmas dinner -
guess the names of the turkeys......... Nigella (Lawson), Jamie
(Oliver), Nick (Nairn), Anthony (Worrall Thompson), Ainsley (Herriot),
Rick (Stein) and Gary (Rhodes) etc.... and most of them are hens! But
you get to see a side of Ramsay that is really quite nice. But not
necessarily good for ratings.
The f'ing and blinding Ramsay is over the top - which everyone loves
and expects. The more outrageous the better!
Amazing he's only 38-39..... achieved quite a lot in a short time
frame.

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"
Still laugh over Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential - which was a
bloody good read - though it begs the question, having read it, SHOULD
you trust a restaurant ever again?

LadyJane wrote:
> Hell's Kitchen was totally different. It was Ramsay's restaurant - crew
> and staff were his to do with as he wanted - and he wanted perfection,
> while pitting one team against the other. Made for good reality tv.
> Almost reminiscent of Jamie Olivers 13 - though instead of bringing a
> team together the object seemed to tear the teams apart. It's still
> screening here in Aus so haven't seen the finale.
<snip>

There are glimpses of the sweet Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen too. You just
have to look for them.

-L.

-L. wrote:
> LadyJane wrote:
>> Hell's Kitchen was totally different. It was Ramsay's restaurant -
>> crew and staff were his to do with as he wanted - and he wanted
>> perfection, while pitting one team against the other. Made for good
>> reality tv. Almost reminiscent of Jamie Olivers 13 - though instead
>> of bringing a team together the object seemed to tear the teams
>> apart. It's still screening here in Aus so haven't seen the finale.
> <snip>
>
> There are glimpses of the sweet Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen too. You
> just have to look for them.
>
> -L.

Yep, even when he wasn't outside of the kitchen And if you bring raw
chicken up for service you deserve to be yelled at, *loudly*.

Jill