5 TV shows that made me love Cooking

Can I just say this is the most excitement I have felt while researching for an article? Collecting information for this article was like.....TIME TRAVEL! I was taken back to this innocent, cringey, and socially awkward 12-year-old boy who was watching and learning something new and exciting for the first time. It's amazing how these "insignificant" little things in our lives have a significant impact on us without even us realizing it. By that I mean, I wanna share my list of Food TV shows that I watched while growing up and their impact on me.

I grew up watching food reality shows and all of us did to some extent. But, for some of us, it had a greater impact. One of the ways through which I viewed the world was through watching Travel and Living Channel (TLC) and Fox Life. Food television reminds me of learning new things for the first time, which I had never heard of, and having this feeling in my heart that this world is so vast and there is so much to explore. Going back and watching these shows made me feel that excitement again...for a short amount of time, and then I came back to reality.

So for this week, I wanna share some of that excitement with you. LET'S BEGIN!

1. Man v. Food (2008 - present)

Man v. Food is an American food reality show hosted by Adam Richman from seasons 1-4 and Casey Webb from seasons 5-9. It was released on December 3, 2008, on Travel Channel. It featured the host taking on monstrous and crazy food challenges and at the same time exploring famous and local restaurants across America in each of their episodes. Casey Webb started hosting the show after it got revamped in 2017, but I want to talk about the one which Adam Richman hosted since it's the one I grew up with.

Adam's way of enunciating food alone is enough to make your mouth start watering. He has a charming personality and a really good sense of humor. In the voiceovers that come in between, he educates people about the dishes, the ingredients, and the culture of the specific region. In every episode, there is always this suspense of whether the host will be able to complete the food challenge, which makes the viewer interested and coming back for more. Man! Oh, man! The food looks good in every episode, I haven't seen a single plate of food that didn't look good in Man v. Food (in its own way of course). This show made me learn about many food challenges and restaurants that are famous in America, and some of them arguably across the world. I still watch this show to date during the time I eat my meals. Some of the old episodes are still available online.

I urge you to watch this show if you haven't seen it before.

2. David Rocco Dolce India (2013)

David Rocco is a Canadian author, cook, and host of several internationally famous food television shows. His first television show was known as "David Rocco Dolce Vita", which became famous and led to a series of spinoff shows like David Rocco Dolce India, David Rocco Dolce Africa, David Rocco Dolce Napoli, etc. He explores the culture, cooking styles, dishes and ingredients, etc. of a specific country or region in his television series. He showcases his deep-rooted, Italian passion for food and explores the differences and similarities between Italian culture and the culture of other countries through food.

I remember when I started watching this show on Fox Life, it blew my mind. That was my first time seeing a foreigner explore Indian food and culture in such an extensive manner. The show was aimed towards people who are familiar and non-familiar with Indian food.....a.k.a me. David Rocco goes from eating at high-class 5-star hotels to speaking with celebrities to eating roadside, street food, and chaat counters. I like how some elements in the show are kept raw and unedited. There are a couple of instances in the show where a street fight breaks out between two random people, a lady selling fish throws water on David because he isn't buying anything. But, he takes it sportingly and moves on. Rocco's passion and curiosity for food is infectious and it sure as hell stuck with me even now.

I will put a link to the official website here, and also check out David Rocco's Dolce India episodes online. (The intro song is kickass by the way and it reminds me of fond memories)

3. Eat Street (2011 - 2015)

Eat Street is a Canadia Television reality show hosted by James Cunnigham who is also a standup comedian. The show features food trucks around America serving different types of delicious, interesting, and creative fast foods for the masses. James Cunnigham introduces the food trucks in the beginning and middle in his humorous style.

The real reason I included Eat Street in this is not just that it has tasty food or it shows the thriving community of food trucks in America, it's because of the on-screen text in the episodes.....bear with me. When the chefs are explaining the dishes in the show, the onscreen text displays the name of the dish and the ingredients that go into it in a bold manner. So much so that the viewer cannot miss it, it catches our attention. I learned about a lot of dishes and ingredients in this way. So much so, that they are stuck in my mind. The show is also edited really well, it cuts to the chase without any unnecessary commentary.

Watch this if you are into food trucks like me, a few episodes are still on youtube.

4. Masterchef Canada (2014 - 2021)

MasterChef is probably the most famous food reality show all over the world. This show needs no introduction, a bunch of really passionate and serious home cooks battle off in a series of rigorous competitions to win the title of MasterChef. Tell me another more successful formula for food television other than this......you can't......I think. Every MasterChef series features 3 judges and some guest judges for specific episodes which have a theme. The 3 main judges are Claudio Aprile, Michael Bonacini, and Alvin Leung.

Why MasterChef Canada? Why not more popular ones like MasterChef Australia? Because my routine for two years during my school days consisted of me waking up early morning, watching my brother get ready before me to go to school, sitting down, and both of us watching this show while he was eating breakfast and I still didn't brush my teeth. I am not a fan of the MasterChef series now, but I did have good memories of watching the show and it taught me quite a lot about cooking. I learned a lot about different exotic ingredients and cooking techniques. I believe for aspiring chefs or food enthusiasts of my generation, grew up watching MasterChef and that's what ignited a "spark" inside them. Although I do think shows like these educate and entertain people, they also create false perceptions sometimes. That's a story for another day.

You can watch MasterChef Canada if you have a premium subscription to Amazon Prime, or you can just watch clips of the show on Youtube.

5. Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (2007 - present)

WELL FOR THE LAST ONE! WE ARE TAKING A TRIP TO FLAVOUR TOWN WITH DINERS - DRIVE-INS - AND - DIVESSSS. (That was really stupid, I tried to imitate Guy Fieri.....on text) Yup, this show is hosted by Guy Fieri, who is an American restaurateur, author, and TV presenter, who hosted this tongue-twisting yet catchy title of a show for 12 seasons and still counting.

Guy Fieri goes to different diners, drive-in restaurants, and dive bars all across America to taste the famous items on the menu, and shows the behind-the-scenes. Guy has an energetic personality and I think his whole PR and marketing strategy is based around that. No wonder he owns this many restaurants, cookbooks, and TV shows. I watched Guy Fieri travel to different local businesses in America and taste their food and see what they have to offer. In fact, many restaurant owners commented that the show helped them sustain their business and increase their sales. The show features the life of people who own small restaurants and other establishments that serve good food. It gives them an opportunity for recognition.

I used to watch Guy Fieri for his personality and his passion for eating. You can watch clips of Guy Fieri yelling DINERS, DRIVE-INS, AND DIVES (man, the only thing that stuck with me from this show....and the other things I mentioned) on Youtube.

Never have I ever thought to myself that I want to become a chef or pursue cooking as a profession while watching these shows. But, here I am writing about culinary arts. Somehow, it worked its magic through me and I didn't even realize I was passionate about food until I look back at these memories. I heard somewhere that oftentimes the things which we are supposed to do or become, come to us like a whisper rather than a shout. Maybe that's the case for me and cooking. Someday, I wanna pay homage to all these shows that made me fall in love with this by making something that's bigger than me. Fingers crossed!

Hmm...I didn't even mention a single Indian food show in this post. I will try to make a part two for this.

Stay tuned till next week!