Anthony Bourdain occasionally does some guest blogging on Michael Ruhlman’s food blog. He’s in fine form today as he goes off on what’s become of the Food Network as it oozes towards mainstream network programming:

I find myself riveted by its awfulness, like watching a multi-car
accident in slow motion. Mesmerized at the ascent of the Ready-Made
bobblehead personalities, and the not-so-subtle shunting aside of the
Old School chefs, I find myself de-constructing the not-terrible shows,
imagining behind the scenes struggles and frustrations, and obsessing
unhealthily on the Truly Awful ones. Screaming out loud at Sandra Lee
in disbelief as she massacres another dish, then sits grinning, her
face stretched into a terrifying rictus of faux cheer for the final
triumphant presentation. I mourn for Mario..and Alton…Bobby and
yes–even Emeril, nobly holding the fort while the TV empire he helped
build crumbles like undercooked Bundt cake into a goo of Cheez Wiz
around him.

While I love Ruhlman, Bourdain I can only take in small doses. I have four or five episodes of his No Reservations show stacked up on my TiVo waiting for me to be in the proper mood to watch them. But this rant is dead on on what’s going wrong over at the ever-more-vanilla Food Network.