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Television Media

Iron Chef USA debuts Friday 329

Posted by chrisd from the william-shatner-in-purple dept.
devinoni writes "Yes, the long awaited American version of Iron Chef is coming. As reported on Slashdot, William Shatner will be hosting it on UPN 9pm (8 central) on Friday. The 4 Iron Chefs are: Todd English, Iron Chef American; Jean Francois Meteigner, Iron Chef French; Alessandro Stratta, Iron Chef Italian; and Roy Yamaguchi is Iron Chef Asian. Check out UPN's site (flash required) for more info." CD: The SF Chronicle review wasn't all that enthusiastic about this, so heads up, foodies.
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Iron Chef USA debuts Friday More

Iron Chef USA debuts Friday

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  • Today's theme ingredient... PLOMIK SOUP!

  • The theme ingredient is... (Score:5, Funny)

    by LMCBoy ( 185365 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:06PM (#2576420) Homepage Journal
    ...tribbles!

    • Re:The theme ingredient is... (Score:4, Funny)

      by UsonianAutomatic ( 236235 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @05:04PM (#2576748) Homepage
      ...Actually, given the host I'd say the theme ingredient is ham.
    • For those that did not see it: dungeness crab. Iron Chef American won (unsurprisingly, for the pilot).

      Not too bad an adaptation, IMO, though there was showboating by both sides - more from the Iron Chef than his opponent. A little excessive explanation of the rules, though that can perhaps be forgiven for the pilot. Even the commentators got involved at one point (Chairman Shatner was tasting some caviar, the commentators made a quip about getting some themselves, and the Iron Chef obliged, tossing it up to them).

      Overall: it could have been a little more faithful to the original - but at the risk of being nothing more than a clone/ripoff. They had fun with it, and it showed. If they can keep that up, they may well have enough audience for at least a few seasons' run.
      • Not too bad an adaptation, IMO

        What are you talking about? Are you mad? Geez. I really enjoy Iron Chef, but this was just sad. I felt embarrased for everyone involved.

        What's with the "sports commentators" sitting in the booth with their yellow jackets and headsets on? There was very little discussion about the preperation of the food, and what there was of it was just pathetic. I like the original Iron Chef because the commentators seem to be very knowledgable about Asian cuisine. I get to see people using ingredients I'm not familiar with.

        Why do television producers think that Americans are so stupid that they have to make it look like a sporting event? It's like they're trying to trick people into watching it by masking the cooking component of the show.

        Sad, I liked the concept but should have known what was going to happen when I heard that Shatner was going to be involved trying to portray the Chairman. The flamboyant mysterious chairman bit won't work in a show produced in America. It works with the import because... I don't know, but it does.

        The plot needs to be altered a bit to remake him into someone that Americans can identify with. Possibly a newly wealthy young .com executive who, after his company went public, decided that food and cooking where his true passion and decided to sell all of his stock the day before the bottom fell out.

        Now that he has all this money, he just likes to play. He liked watching Iron Chef on Food Network while getting drunk playing the Iron Chef Drinking Game [lemurlove.com] while home alone on Saturday nights (he's a .com geek, remember?) So, he builds his own incredible "kitchen stadium", hires some truely great chefs that are much more chef than TV personality, gets the head gurus from the Culinary Institue of America and Johnson & Wales to be commentators, and buys time on local public access to air it. ;) It would have a lighter feel than the import version, but the cooking would be taken very seriously. He, like his Asian counterpart, spares no expense on anything involved. Basically he'd just be a nice guy who had fun doing what he liked because he could.

  • haha (Score:3, Funny)

    by phungus ( 23049 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:06PM (#2576421)
    I can just see William Shatner biting into a big yellow pepper already..

  • Long awaited American version??? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by brunes69 ( 86786 ) <slashdot@keirstead3.14159.org minus pi> on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:07PM (#2576423)

    Yeah, I can NEVER wait until great foreign TV shows get moved over to the US, where they are immediatly ruined (eg. Whose line is it anyway, Junkyard Wars, Robot Wars, etc.) The originals are much better.

    • i wonder if anyone remembers the "pink ladies" from the early eighties. now that was a disaster...

      maybe Shonen Knife could have a sitcom next.

      ....concrete animals...concrete animals...
    • I did like the like the old host of Junkyard Wars as opposed to either of the new ones, but it's still a solid show. And I find Battlebots (maybe not the same but it's the same concept as Robot Wars) much more entertaining than Robot Wars. The difference here is that Iron Chef had a strong following because of the elements from Japan (dubbing, strange foods, Chairman Kaga). Despite the Shatner factor, I don't think it'll be enough of a success for UPN to keep it around for long..
      • I agree Junkyard Wars lost very little in the translation. Okay so we got hip looking young guys as co-hosts. Who cares about them anyway. I'm watching for the funky building action, the funky chalk drawings, and cathy rogers explains it all.

        Now Iron Chef without the chairman. I just don't know if I can take it.

      • I am Cooking Master Boy!!! (Score:4, Informative)

        by Bonker ( 243350 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:25PM (#2576535)
        I agree.

        99% of the fun of watching Iron Chef is the intensity the Japanese cast gives the show. Even if it's faked, they display such an incredible depth of passion for what they're doing that it verges on being ridiculous.

        And can we get Shatner into a Rhinestone-studded, sequined suit like Kaga? Well, maybe.

        Americans just don't get that passionate about simple things like that, whereas I can (almost) really believe all the old grudges and tests of honor that happen on Iron Chef Japan.
        Well, unlike most Japanese shows that come to the U.S. (America's Funniest Videos, ?!?!) we USians have fairly broad access to Iron Chef, both through Food Network and through the episodes that float around on FT and Gnutella. I wouldn't be suprised to see the Iron Chef Japan get quite a bit more recognition by the major players in the U.S.
    • (eg. Whose line is it anyway, Junkyard Wars, Robot Wars, etc.)

      Whose line is it anyway??!?! Did you ever see the first season? I saw a few episodes that were run on Comedy Central, and it was awful not funny at all. It wasn't until Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie showed up that it was worth watching! Okay, so they're Canadian... (Yes, I know that Colin was born in Scotland, but he grew up Canadian!)

      Okay, I can't comment on Scrapheap Challenge vs Junkyard Wars because I haven't seen the American version...

      Robot Wars! You've shown that you don't know anything about the history of Robot Wars [robotcombat.com] and the common lineage of Robot Wars, Battlebots, and yes, Robotica. They began right here in the US.

  • Why four chefs? (Score:3, Funny)

    by DotComVictim ( 454236 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:08PM (#2576430)
    What is Iron chef American? Hamburgers and hot dogs? Why not iron chef Cajun instead? All "American" food is really mostly Italian and French anyways. I certainly don't think the Iron chef is going to be slow roasting a turkey on a spit.
    • How about barbecue? He could wear a "Kiss the Chef" apron and stuff...

    • Iron Chef White Trash (Score:5, Funny)

      by rigorist ( 176416 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @05:09PM (#2576764) Homepage
      Iron Chef White Trash presents four dishes showcasing the theme ingredient of squid.

      First, a deep fried squid, served with ketchup and a side of fires.

      Second, a squid and peanut butter sandwich, served on Wonder Bread (tm) with the crusts carefully trimmed.

      Third, a delicious squid Jello salad. The squid is chopped and suspended in lime Jello with carrots. The Jello mold is topped with Miracle Whip.

      Fourth, squid nachos. Hunks of squid are spread over Doritos, covered with Velveeta and Pace Picante sauce and nuked.
    • Why not soul food? Why not Italian American (there are some differences)? Etc. I think the chose Iron chef American becuase even stuff that comes from other countries usually get "Americanized" in some way. There are several different "flavors" of American food (such as Soul Food, Cajun, etc.).

      Besides, it's the American version, and how can it be the American version without them calling a chef the Iron chef American?

    • Re:Why four chefs? (Score:4, Funny)

      by fobbman ( 131816 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @05:25PM (#2576831) Homepage
      I completely agree. If he is truly a master of American cuisine he'll just phone in a take-out order anyway.

  • Dammit, Jim, I'm a contestant, not a chef!
    • It's food, Jim, but not as we know it.. -Spock

    • Re:Shatner... (Score:4, Funny)

      by Winged Cat ( 101773 ) <atymes@gmail. c o m> on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:25PM (#2576530)
      "Data-san?"

      "Yes, Wesley?"

      "It appears that Quark is having second thoughts about challenging Iron Chef Klingon. He's headed over to talk to him, and..."

      [Half a minute later]

      "Well, *that* was unexpected. Worf's display has convinced Picard to change the theme ingredient to Ferengi, which of course disqualifies all of Quark's dishes so far. Quark will have a hard time preparing more while being the theme ingredient."

      "If my memory serves me correctly, this happened the last time someone challenged Iron Chef Klingon."

      --- or ---

      Q: "The theme ingredient..." [removes drape with a dramatic flourish] "...PARADOXES!"
  • What was so cool about the show (for me) was that it was dubbed over a foriegn language. If everyone is speaking english, then its just another cooking show. Boring.

  • Don't be fooled! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Wind_Walker ( 83965 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:10PM (#2576440) Homepage Journal
    If you're like me, you assumed that this was the Japanese show "ported" over to the USA, with no modifications. Don't be silly.

    What made Iron Chef so entertaining? The hosts. The voice-overs. The theatrical music. Kitchen Stadium.

    Guess what! They're all gone. They've been replaced by Shattner, English-speaking announcers, no sound effects, and a mock-up of Kitchen Stadium, but including screaming fans. That is NOT what Iron Chef was about.

    It's lame, through and through.
    • Sure, it won't be the same as the original. But without an Americanized version, where would you expect to see things like Battle Tall Double Latté, Battle Meatloaf, Battle Po Boy, or Battle Succotash?

  • oh no... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Damn.
    One of the reasons I like it so much is because of the Chairman, and the cheesy voice-overs, not to mention the occasionally-cute Japanese Ch1X0rZ on the panel.

    A big par tof the entire allure of it is the fact that it is predominantly Japanese/Asian cuisine, and the Nippon-centric interpretation of it.
    As it is cuturally known, the Japanese pop culture is not special necessarily because of its originality, but BECAUSE of the Japanese "twist" they give things.

    Sorry trekkies, William Shatner is going to take the show where it's never gone before - into the toilet.

    • Re:oh no... (Score:2, Insightful)

      by jazman_777 ( 44742 )
      As it is cuturally known, the Japanese pop culture is not special necessarily because of its originality, but BECAUSE of the Japanese "twist" they give things.


      Maybe the American "twist" culturally is to dumb it down. Being dumb as we are, we like it! Maybe it's this twist that makes Jerry Lewis so popular in France...

  • wouldn't it have been ever nicer if there could have been an international iron chef show? French, Swedish (meatballs! Guess where I am from;), Italian, Greek, Spanish, Mexican, American (your food tastes too damn good!), Japanese, Korean, the list goes on!

    Maybe we could hope for a european iron chef program? As posted above, if there is a good show anywhere, it's sure to be copied. Just look at all the Expedition: Robinson (survivors for you non Swedes;))

    [I miss a checkbox for "posting while you are ill"]
    • "American (your food tastes too damn good!)"

      Really? Thanks, man. That's the first time I've ever heard a non-American say they like American food.
      • That's the first time I've ever heard a non-American say they like American food.

        That's because most non-USians think American food = McDonald's.
        • Most great American cuisines are regional: Cajun, Califonian nouvelle-cuisine and the Californian fusions, Southern cooking, and the New England table. I can't think of a generic "American" cuisine.
  • ... there's one "Asian" cook. It'd be nice if there were several though, as European cooking tends to be pretty homogeneous and Asian cooking is so completely different.

    Also, is Shatner just gonna make a mockery out of this? He doesn't exactly get good gigs anymore ...
    • European food is pretty homogenous? Even northern and southern Italian are pretty different. Also, Scandinavian food is very different from Continental. German food is quite distinct from Spanish food. And above all, I challenge you to find a good Irish corned beef and cabbage dish anywhere in Greece, even on Easter. :)

  • They're too harsh (Score:5, Funny)

    by Exmet Paff Daxx ( 535601 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:13PM (#2576457) Homepage Journal
    They shouldn't be busting on the new show so much. Sure, it's Americanized, removing every hint of high cuisine and majesty that made the show what it was.

    But Shatner will clasp his hands together and deliver crushing two handed blows to the losing chef. So it can't be all bad.

    Right?
    • I just watched it, and frankly it wasn't much more or less cheesy than the Food Network version. I'd watch it regularly, sure. The only bad point is that they based it more on the American dubbed import than the original Japanese, down to the delivery style of the dubbing actors. Remember the announcers have to focus on the basics of the show for people who haven't seen it before, so of course they are going to ask pretty stupid questions.
  • Einstein without a mustache.

    Plain unnatural!

  • USA? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by zarathustra93 ( 164244 )
    The show is so distinctly japanese that I worry it won't translate well using american production teams.

    I also can't see them using gooey soybeans and lobster brains a theme ingredients either. After all how many ways can you actually cook mac & cheese :-)

    Also, it just *won't* be iron chef without morimoto or sakai.

    Well, I hope it ends up being good. It will be different for sure.
    • I also can't see them using gooey soybeans and lobster brains a theme ingredients either. After all how many ways can you actually cook mac & cheese :-)

      Actually, I think it would be great if they gave Iron Chef American a big ol' bowl o' natto to deal with.

      Also, it just *won't* be iron chef without morimoto or sakai.

      Must disagree. I think Michiba is a better Iron Chef than Morimoto ever was. Same wacky imagination but with so much control that you generally don't notice.

      This isn't to say that Morimoto is a bad chef or to start a flame war over who is better. The point is that a good Iron Chef show isn't necessarily defined by particular individuals.

      Except maybe Chen. :-)>
  • here. [irconchef.com]

    Lots of great info on the original IC as well as some stuff on the US version.

    A bit off topic, I know, but the site rocks.
  • And so... today's theme... is... I wonder what he'll say for the chefs to get running up to the stage. I doubt it will be comparable to Kaga's "Are kezeeeeeee!" --Chag

  • William FUCKING Shatner (Score:3, Insightful)

    by prototype ( 242023 ) <bsimser@shaw.ca> on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:17PM (#2576485) Homepage
    Oh god. What a waste of TV space. I'm a hug fan of the original series and sure, the dubbed version on the Food Network is a little odd but that's what makes Iron Chef. The quirky commentary from the floor reporter, the goofy dubbing (and apparently brainless actions) of the food testers (1 of which is some pop star nobody ever knew, 1 is a ditzy actress, 1 is a distinguished person and 1 is a food critic). Master Takeshi unveiling the main ingrediant (which usually amounts to some endangered species where the beef of the creature is $3000/lb.) is the highlight of the program and from there on in, it's a wild ride.

    UPN and Shatner? Yeah, right. Since when did putting a cooking show on UPN be something that would be a success. Then there's Shatner, who needs some serious help in the geriatric department not to mention the acting arena (T.J. Hooker, nuff said).

    This is going to leave a base taste in any Iron Chef fans mouth no matter what they try to do with it. I've already seen some clips and Shatner and the floor reporter look awkward at best. Don't expect anything like the original and as someone else said, the U.S. seems to almost always ruin a good foreign show without even trying.

    liB

    • Pure Camp (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Alien54 ( 180860 )
      Oh god. What a waste of TV space. I'm a hug fan of the original series and sure, the dubbed version on the Food Network is a little odd but that's what makes Iron Chef.

      They obviously went for camp. I mean, the the Idea of "American cuisine" has only begun to be specable in recent years.

      There is, for example. this guy, who claims to be Iron Chef Kentucky:

      http://jeffholland.tripod.com/food.html

      Worth checking out on his own. - - Some of the recipes are truly scary.

      Kentucky Bourbon Deviled Crab
      Bacon-Burger-Fried Okra
      Chocolate Steak
      Survival Biscuit Casserole
      Bubblegum Sauce
      and there's more!

      And I wonder if the chairman in the original Iron Chef was the Japanes equivalent of William Shantner from an earlier Japanese TV show

  • yaa-bore-kerr-ski-berr-skoo-keeedoooo!

  • Iron Chef selections (Score:3, Interesting)

    by cpfeifer ( 20941 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:20PM (#2576502) Homepage
    I'm kind of surprised they didn't get Bobby Flay [foodnetwork.com] to be one of the Iron Chefs. He had 2 appearances on the original Japanese show against Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto (one [ironchef.com])(two [ironchef.com]), one of which was a bit controversial as Bobby was almost electrocuted during the battle and then at the end Masaharu claimed that Flay was not a true chef since a true chef wouldn't stand on his cutting board.

    I wonder if Shatner will dress like Liberace to keep with the spirit of Chairman Kaga?
  • Get out of the stadium and get creative in the USA! -They should give them a squeeling pig and demand hot dogs in 20 minutes.

    -Make them deliver Dominoes pizzas in South Central.

    -Have them work as an "expeditor" for either an Applebee's or a Denny's in a medium-sized Midwestern college town.

    -Work as one of those weird New York street vendors selling unidenfied meat on a stick.

    -Feed all Detroit's homeless with one Swanson's TV dinner.

    The possibilities are endless.

  • Shatner is perfect as the Chairman... over-the-top, energetic and inherently humorous... however, I highly doubt he can fully capture the charm of Kaga [stomptokyo.com]...
  • ... "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters." I don't see how this fits with this Iron Chef thing. Is it because of that Shatner bozo?
  • I think part of the poplarity of The Iron Chef is its Japaneseness. It is at least partially a fascinating look into a bizarre part of a culture which we don't usually see. I don't see an American equivalent catching on nearly as much in the USA. Though it might see some interest in Japan...

  • Immitation by Idiots (Score:2, Insightful)

    by oddjob ( 58114 )
    This is what happens when people who are too stupid to come up with their own ideas try to copy the ideas of creative people. They invariably misunderstand what was good about the original. To my mind, what makes Iron Chef so interesting to watch is the contrast between how over the top it is and how seriously the participants take it. Sure, they're wearing absurd costumes, battling in an arena like gladiators, but the contestants, judges, and the Iron Chefs take it all very seriously. Clearly the people at UPN don't get that. It looks like they are going to take the "over the top" element and exagerate it even further, but ignore the serious side.
  • What is the show without Chairman Kaga biting into the pepper... the real kitchen stadium... the taste testers (loopy Japanese actress, fortune teller, egotistical male of the day, and famous murderer). Nothing beats Iron Chef Japanese vs. The American Bachelor Chef (mmmmm - mini-shark-head pizza bagels).
  • They should wheel barbeeque carts into the ring after WWF matches and have Pamela Andersen host the show. That's what they need to keep the ratings up! The wrestlers could be the judges! Wouldn't it be funny to watch The Rock eat speetbreads? And Pamela could say, "And the secret ingredient is... breast of chicken!"
  • The Chronicle's stuck-up staff strikes out again.

    The thing that made IC great in the first place was the camp and the dialogue. We can watch French Chef reruns if we want the food to star.

    As long as it's not "Let's Bowl" with food, it'll work.

    --Blair

  • 3 words for Iron Chef (Score:3, Funny)

    by sackenburger ( 301026 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:31PM (#2576569)
    Jump
    The
    Shark

  • Cult shows (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Violet Null ( 452694 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @04:35PM (#2576589)
    What is it about these replies complaining that the show won't be the same? Of course it won't be the same -- if it was the same show, what would be the point?

    Then there's the people who say that the show won't be as good because it's the inherent Japanese-ness that makes it good. Could be true, could be true...but I kind of doubt it. The show won't be the same as the original -- it's obviously going to be far less somber and and dignified -- but that doesn't immediately translate into "bad". It's different. Give it a chance.
  • I now get a lot of the tv I watch online. I get anime fansubs from private ftps, and I download Enterprise epsiodes from newsgroups. Is there any place I can get Iron Chef episodes? My cable has the WORST LINEUP EVER (no cartoon network, no news except cnn, no food channel, comedy central from 6p-6a only) so I can't get the dubbed version. It would be cool if someone out there was capping iron chef and fansubbing them, but I'll settle for food network versions. Ideas? offers?

  • well (Score:2)

    by British ( 51765 )
    If Emeril is any indication of successful cooking-related shows today, it will be cancelled faster than he can say BAM!@#!@#
  • Shatner can ham it up big-time we all know that. I've actually been waiting for this for months. It was originally going to air in August but was delayed for some reason. There are a number of reasons why it could suck, but Bill Shatner probably isn't the biggest one:
    • Las Vegas screaming fans venue (they did have a live audience on some (IC Specials)
    • Female floor reporter
    • Bogus tasters / judges
    • Non-bizzarro theme ingredients
    • UPN
    OK, the last one sent me over the edge. Think about it - what type of show would UPN try to sell to its advertisers given their viewership demographics? But wait a minute. They are also the Star Trek network and IC USA is hosted by William Shatner! I'm willing to give it a shot.

    One problem with /. is that there is never any follow-up on a lot of stories. It would be nice to see what everyone thought after it's over. The alt.fan.tv.iron-chef newsgroup is too lame.
  • For anyone in Philadelphia who doesn't know, the Iron Chef Japanese is opening a restaurant on the 13th of November. More information:

    click me [philly.com]
  • How are they going to tie in the story about kitchen stadium? How will it work with the glitz and show of the original without the storyline behind it? Of course, Big Bill Shatner is excentric enough to fill the part. I just hope he doesn't sing the theme song.

    And for god sake, please don't tell me that Shanter is going to bite into a yellow pepper. A doughnut or a handfull of McDonalds fries would be more fitting.
  • Let me be blunt.

    Never serve me anything that includes semen as an ingredient.

    I seem to remember insulting food by saying that's an incredient, now they want to squeeze sea urchins for it.
  • This show can't be good
    They will surely kill the theme
    UPN Bites It
  • FoodTV already tried their own "Iron Chef" wannabe - it was called "Ready-Set-Cook!"...

    I think it only lasted a season or so - but it had to be the cheesiest of cheesy cooking shows: Picture two "chefs" on a set from "Price Is Right" , in front of a studio audience (behind the camera, though always panned to, and on cheap bleachers or chairs, or something) given (30?) minutes to cook the "theme" ingredient for judging. Add in a ditzy, flat-chested blonde bimbo for a commentator, making rude and obviously non-insightful comments ("and now contestent one is doing...are you coring an apple?!") - and you get the American equivalent of Iron Chef.

    But this setup is sooo American - it wasn't taken seriously, but you could see the contestant "chefs" (they were apparently real chefs for real restaurants - but sometimes they would have "theme chefs" - think firehouse and navy ship cooks) were sometimes annoyed - some were even somewhat distraught or something - a very wierd look in their eye...

    I don't ever think I will forget the time the theme ingredient was SPAM - IIRC, there was some sorta "famous" chef as a contestant (not from FoodTV, but supposedly had a few restaurants or something) - and he damn near looked like he was going to faint, as in "HOW IN THE F--K AM I GOING TO COOK THAT?!"...

    Oh, the joy...

  • Slashdot. News for cooks. Stuff that simmers. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Dan Kelly ( 91261 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @05:03PM (#2576741) Homepage
    Is this really news for nerd? I'd rather read about working at WorldCom ;-)
  • Is it just me, or is anyone else's palatte "sophisticated" enough to handle the food they serve on that show? Minus the one episode with Bobby Flay, I can't think of a single dish I would let near my face. Octopus ink soup, lobster heads, etc, etc. Gross!
    • I can't think of a single dish I would let near my face.

      Mmmmm... 'soft roe' ice cream.... :-)

      Actually a lot of the stuff sounded really good to me, but it definitely was always punctuated with the occasional "They're making that out of WHAT?!?!?!"...

  • "Asian?" (Score:4, Funny)

    by Ravagin ( 100668 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @05:12PM (#2576772)
    Okay, American, French, Italian, and... Asian. Three countries and an entire freakin' continent.

    "Iron Chef Asian." How... American. Makes me proud to be a citizen. Gods bless the empire.

    • Re:"Asian?" (Score:2, Interesting)

      by amuro98 ( 461673 )
      Depending on how you define "Asian", you could end up including the Pacific Rim and India, as well as China, Korea, Thailand, etc.

      My guess "Iron Chef Asian" will mainly prepare Chinese (American Chinese, that is) style food, since that's what most Americans recognize as "Asian." (I mean, it wasn't until a few years ago that my mom experienced Japanese food for the first time...and was surprised it wasn't "Chop Suey".)

      Oh well...could be worse...they could have named him "Iron Chef Ethnic."

  • Iron Chef Slashdot (Score:5, Funny)

    by IdocsMiko ( 534405 ) <idocsmiko@ido c s . com> on Friday November 16, 2001 @05:25PM (#2576832) Homepage
    "He's reaching for the ramen! It looks like it's going to be Mountain Dew and ramen!"

  • Place your bets (Score:4, Funny)

    by Boawk ( 525582 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @05:58PM (#2576944)
    I bet by the 3rd show the producers will make Shatner say "Where no chef has gone before"

  • 1 hr???? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by pagercam2 ( 533686 )
    How the hell do those chefs get anything done in such a short period of time (1Hr). They supposedly don't even know what the "secret" ingredient is before the show, although they immediately seem to know what their dishes are going to be and have special ingredients that they have brought with them to the show (certain type of flour, oil, spices etc ...) that are key to the dishes that they didn't know they were going to make, so that seems a little fishy. But how the hell can they possibly get 5 gourmet dishes done in such a short period including masterful presentation. I can't seem to heat a can of soup in 1Hr and these guys are cooking lamb, making ice cream, making pasta from scratch, etc... . Just 1 dish would take me 2 hrs and they pull off 5 in half the time and they seem to have at least 5 servings, all perfectly arranged with garnish, sauces, real art works. I have trouble keeping the peas from rolling off the plate and they are creating masterpieces!!! The show does hide the fact that they have 3 or 4 helpers but still how the hell can they get that much done in 1 hr???? I realize that these guys are professional chefs and this is an every night sort of thing for them, but I still find this amazing and they never seem to accidentally added too much salt or overcooked something or made a bad guess in creating a new dish. Again I understand that they have much more experience than me and they probably couldn't write code to save thier lives, but it still blows my mind what they do. I do make one hell of a PB&J, but beyond that they got me beat by a mile (light year).
  • ...but will they let him sing?
  • Roy Yamaguchi rules. If you've never been to Roy's on any island in Hawaii, you haven't lived. I can't wait to see his first battle...
  • UPN's got a great new strategy. Since they couldn't come up with a decent show besides Star Trek (anyone remember "Homeboys in Space" or "The Watcher" starring Sir Mix-A-Lot?), they just bought a bunch of other popular shows - Buffy, Roswell, Senfield reruns, and Iron Chef.

  • Roy Yamaguchi (Score:2, Informative)

    by WilsonSD ( 159419 )

    Roy Yamaguchi is Iron Chef Asian

    If you haven't eaten at Roy's [roysrestaurant.com] you're really missing out. He specializes in a fabulous Hawaian Fusion dishes. I've eaten at his resturants on Maui and in Carmel. Also, the desserts [roysrestaurant.com] are incredible.

    The Iron Chef show is fun, but we American's would rarely have the opportunity to sample food from one of the "Iron Chef's". You should check out one of Roy's locations [roysrestaurant.com] in the US for a great meal.

    -Steve

  • Shatner's Final Comment (Score:3, Interesting)

    by CokeBear ( 16811 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @08:57PM (#2577361) Journal
    William Shatner's little speech at the end reminded me of Jerry Springer's Final Thoughts at the end of each episode.
  • Dear Shatner:

    Can you stick to the script, and tell the guys who's doing the special affects to cut half of 'em out?!? And get some culinary experts and identify the panelists while cutting down on the crowd. I becha you'll get better dishes that way.
    • while nearly everything there is true, I think on the whole it was quite good indeed. It was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. I think Shatner did the part brilliantly. I just wish the commentators were a bit less cheesy on the outfits, etc.

      I was happy with it.

  • Top ten^W eleven reasons why Iron Chef USA SUCKS (Score:4, Insightful)

    by rebbie ( 165490 ) on Friday November 16, 2001 @10:15PM (#2577504)
    10. Too damned LOUD (What you say?)
    9. Show is more concerned with obnoxious video effects than with food.
    8. William Fatner is a pompous ass, not a dignified chairman.
    7. Can't hear the commentary through the crowd noise. (What you say again?)
    6. Commentary sucks anyway -- not enough substance about the food, but plenty of information about who cuts the chef's hair. Anthony Dias Blue should be ashamed of himself.
    5. Judges are obviously two-bit no-name losers from failing UPN shows (no wait a minute -- all UPN shows are failing...) that are about to be canceled.
    4. No drama. No logic behind why the theme ingredient was chosen. Doesn't matter, nobody seems to notice anyway. (Since when is Dungeness crab "unusual"?
    3. Chefs are more concerned with playing to the camera than with cooking -- talking on the cell phone in an obviously set up call (you could hear both halves of the conversation!) and throwing caviar to the commentators? Puh-leeze! Escoffier would roll over in his grave....
    2. The three "Iron Chefs" watching the competition look like the Three (fat) Stooges.
    1. Commentator's yellow blazers look like they were fished from a dumpster behind the local Century 21 office.
    0. Sissy Biggers.

    Maybe this was all just a bad Priceline ad. We can only hope. The show was so bad that it made Shatner's toupee look good.

  • That show was the funniest thing I have seen in months (mind you, I don't get you much, and I used to watch the Japanese version on FoodTV religiously), but the American twist on this Japanese crackpipe had me rolling on the floor during the opening credits. The other interesting thing I noticed about the show was the amazing ego battle between the two competitors. They threw in these preshow interviews and clips of the chefs and these guys were real jerk-offs. It was the funniest thing to watch them puff up thier heads and try to cook at the same time. Plus the announcers were complete joe-sixpack morons (at least one of them kept quipping with things like "I sure to love me some crab legs"). I couldn't stop watching until the end and I actually felt like these two buffoons were serious about this competition. And then there was Shatner, the man, the myth, the legend. He has really mellowed since his hissy fits about being typecast in sci-fi for the rest of his career, and only being famous for his role as the Kirkster. His interview on Conan O'Brian earlier this week was one of the funniest displays of someone purposely trying to make as big a fool of himself as possible and succeeding better than anyone. He does not take himself seriously anymore. Someone must have slipped him some SOMA or something because he has become one of the coolest Hollywoods personalities out there. I sure hope this gets through at least one season so I can record them all on my Tivo and rip them to DVD. Man, talk about classic comedy.

  • It didn't suck (too bad) (Score:4, Insightful)

    by jht ( 5006 ) on Saturday November 17, 2001 @12:50AM (#2577766) Homepage Journal
    The good points:

    The two chefs really kind of got into it.
    Shatner's natural cheeziness is perfect for this sort of production.
    I thought the audience screaming, cheering, and holding up signs like it was a SmackDown! taping was hysterical.
    The motorcycle entrance.

    The suckitude:
    Lame secret ingredient.
    The announcers absolutely blew goats. Big-time.
    Way too much computer graphics to distract from the action.
    And not enough attention was paid to the food itself - the sheer exoticness and detail is one of the key things that makes the original Iron Chef so cool.

    There's a fine line between the kind of cheeziness that comes from good intent and earnestness, and the kind that comes from a calculated effort to be cheese. Iron Chef (classic) is the former kind - the US version, while watchable, is more like the latter. I'll watch the second one, but I'm not sure I'd watch it regularly if it became an ongoing series.

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