Top Chef rules, Chowhound sucks, and lastly, Ew.
I have a few things to get off my chest before the weekend so I figure I’ll combine them all into one post for your reading pleasure, er, reading.
Number 1.
I freakin’ love Top Chef. The holiday special was on last night, marking a competition between 8 former contestants from all three seasons. No they weren’t competing by teams this time; it was an individual affair and I have to say I really liked the format. It was an entire mini series of Top Chef in one night! Seriously, they should have these more often!
Warning: Spoilers to come.
The elimination challenge required cheftestants to cook a three course meal for 9 of the most renowned chefs or food critics you can find. Aside from the usual 4 judges, the contestants’ food was enjoyed by chefs like Eric Ripert, Alan Wong, and Elizabeth Faulkner among others. At the end of each course, two chefs were eliminated leaving Tre from Season 3 and Tiffani from season 1 as the last competitors standing. In the end, Tiffani proved victorious with her braised lamb dish she pulled together from her peer Stephen’s leftovers. Season 1’s Stephen was knocked out in the first round, along with Sandee Birdsong of season 3. The next 4 eliminated included: Betty and Josie from Season 2, followed by the infamous Marcel, and season 3’s CJ.
The highlights: Eric Ripert dressed as Santa Claus. Tre almost winning. A lack of flirting between CJ and Padma.
Number 2.
As a food blogger, I often frequent the renowned forum site Chowhound.com. While I love my fellow Chowhounders…I have to say I am fairly PISSED OFF at the dictatorship that is the Chowhound administration, and believe me, I know I am definitely not the only one. Time and time again my comments have been taken down for absolutely no good reason. Am I not allowed to have an opinion?
I’m really glad to see the overwhelming amount of people that agree with me out there. If you search “Chowhound sucks” on Google you get an overwhelming amount of results. Awesome. And I think the Muk report put it best when they said “Maybe the point is that Chowhound sucks. Well, that’s not entirely right. Chowhound is great, but their staff sucks.”
Not only do they censor and moderate what I say, but in the past they have sent me e-mails telling me to act like a “civilian“. Great way to treat your consumers Chow, really great.
I participate in many food-related forums, many of which function quite well without such offensive moderation, so I really don’t need this abuse! Before complaining here, I took the time to e-mail them and let them know how I felt. But now that nothing has been done, I decided I needed to share my thoughts…where no one is censoring me!
If anyone needs evidence, I can furnish you with plenty of examples where my comments have abided by their guidelines and were still removed. These countless incidents include topics they have considered to be “idle chatter” or “offensive,” none of which by my standards (and I assure you I’m no asshole) qualify as such.
If you look at any of the other material on Chow.com, you’ll find a whole slew of poorly researched articles and ignorant offensive headlines like this one: “Hung Wins Top Chef: The arrogant prevails over the female one and the gay one.” Aside from having ridiculously poor grammar, that is the worst headline I think I have ever read.
The point: If you have yet to choose a forum site you’re addicted to, I’d like to suggest you avoid Chowhound.com. They’ll censor your comments. That’s all, thanks.
Number 3.
Ah yes, I almost forgot….EWWW!
Have a good weekend everyone!
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The jokes are endless on that picture. But let’s just say she looks good enough to eat.
CK1 be damned. I prefer salmon or proscuitto.
Posted by adam at December 7th, 2007, 2:27 pmIt was so great to actually see the “cheftestants” (does anyone else hate that word?) on Top Chef cooking head to head, with out any restrictions or product placement. Eric Ripert was just the icing on the cake!
Posted by evil chef mom at December 7th, 2007, 2:35 pm1. I wish I had seen that top chef thing. I only watched season 2 (I know, I suck) but a) I love eric ripert and b) I was a total marcel fan. I know, I know…
2. I read chubbypanda’s entire debacle (he lives in OC like I do so I read his junk) but I had NO idea they did that to so many others. wow. total suckage. stay away, folks.
3. umm. okaaaay. O_o *speechless*
have a good weekend hillary!
Posted by melissa at December 7th, 2007, 4:20 pmI just realized my personal blog is actually the one showing up on the chewonthis form. I’m so sorry about that! I’ll make sure I change my link to aloshaskitchen.blogspot.com from now on. oops!!
Posted by melissa at December 7th, 2007, 4:21 pmSorry to hear about those chowhound problems. I’ve never been to their discussion forums. Maybe you should start your own censor free forums!
Posted by Stef at December 7th, 2007, 6:32 pmI feel the same way about Chowhound…that’s why I much prefer eGullet.
Posted by Dina at December 8th, 2007, 8:07 amrelax….God loves you
Posted by paul a. muller at December 23rd, 2007, 8:00 pm… and yet you still keep posting Chowhound. It can’t suck that much if you keep participating.
Posted by Joanine at February 14th, 2008, 5:21 pmTry Yelp instead, no such censoring; at not that I have found yet
Posted by Joe at October 24th, 2008, 9:54 amPlease be very careful and think twice before you post photos on Chowhound. If they like your images they claim they have ownership over your copy right and will not allow the removal of your images. Think twice before you submit ANY content to Chowhound.
Posted by Bob at October 12th, 2009, 2:34 pmThere are claims that they have even published a book and altered the posts of members as content.
Chowhound stands for every thing a true hound should hate. Big corporate America running over the little guy with heavy handed moderation and what in my opinion amounts to little more than theft.
I have emails from CH refusing to remove my images after I requested them to be taken down several times.
Chowhound really sucks I was following a great discussion about how to use a home charbroiler, like a wolf with wood pellets. A retire chef posted a very long and detailed piece about how easy it is. It was the most informative and educational thing I have ever read on Chowhound.
A fellow chowhound called him ignorant so they took HIS post down.
I questioned their decision on the thread and asked for to be put back up, in less than 3 hours about 10 other people said the same thing. They removed the whole thread and I received and email that I was causing problems and not to bring it back up.
Chowhound sucks because I have seen them do this on other posts where tempered flared on stupid stuff, but this was ridiculous.
Posted by Doug at October 16th, 2009, 9:37 amlol, chowhound is stupid.
In fact, anybody who would use it possesses opinions which are, by default, valueless.
I mean, seriously. “Chowhound”? What, are we 12? We have to compare ourselves to animals which literally eat shit off the ground, just so that we can have a “clever” name?
lol! Bunch of maroons.
Posted by Marshall at November 8th, 2009, 8:51 pm