My world changed radically exactly 12 years ago, and it took spinal fusion surgery to get it done. Like a lot of guys, when I was young and stupid….I was young and stupid! I played a lot of sports, did a lot of skiing and got bucked off of a few horses. You don’t realize until you begin to approach middle-age (As I am:) that all that stuff you did was fun, but eventually you pay for it. Back injuries over the years finally caught up with me and I had to go under the knife. Who would have thought that it would be a blessing? After I got home, I was supposed to lie flat for about six weeks and take it easy. That’s when I discovered that daytime TV sucks! It was either soap operas or this thing I found called “The Food Network.” BAM! I was hooked. Emeril Rocked my world. I have always been the cook in the house, but this was an epiphany. I learned all kinds of new techniques.
I discovered all sorts of new ingredients. This was Julia Child on Steroids. I loved those shows. I wasn’t the only one either. Suddenly, TV Chefs were Rock Stars. They opened restaurants, sold millions of cookbooks, sold out auditoriums and food and wine festivals. They had agents and publicists and makeup people and social secretaries. Food suddenly became BIG business.
Everybody was watching, learning and talking about food. Networks feel an obligation to keep reinventing themselves, so most of the old “Stand & Stirs” (Network lingo for instructional shows) have passed on and have been replaced by competition shows. I assume that this decision was meant to capitalize on the success of American Idol (which is now gone) and the Realty show craze. Thank goodness I can still see people cook on Youtube. I guess the point is, any setback at all, can somehow turn into a positive. Keep your eyes and your heart open. You may be surprised by possibilities that you could never have imagined.