I just discovered your site, pretty cool. I look forward to exploring it. You might have a posting on there about the chefs and the “chefs” on the Food Network and their liberal use of foreign language words that make them sound smart and their dishes fancy, but which 99% of the times are ridiculous jokes. I think these Food Network people believe that their audience knows nothing about anything, much less a foreign language, and thus feel “safe” to blurt out enormous stupidities. Examples? Thought you’d never ask! (I know you didn’t, but I can’t resist to share them) Some are:

1- Bobby Flay: “This is ‘masa harina’ for the tortillas”…OK, maybe most people don’t know it, but that doesn’t make this right. “Masa” is simply the Spanish word for “dough”, any type of dough, wheat flour dough, corn meal dough, etc. “Harina” is simply the Spanish word for flour. I think what Bobby Flay really wanted to say is “corn meal”, but that didn’t sound fancy enough. After all, what else can we expect from the person that refers to any type of Mexican food as “Southwestern”…sad

2- Cat Cora: “I’m making a Greek ‘Pagoto-inspired’ ice cream”- Really smarty pants? We know you’re of Greek descent, but even I here in Texas know that “Pagoto” is simply the word for “Ice cream” ANY type of ice cream! LOL, so, cool, if I understand it correctly you made an “ice cream-inspired ice cream”. The creativity is oo strong here, I need to back off for a minute for it not to overwhelm me.

3- Tyler Florence: “We’re here in Mexico City tasting the traditional Mexican ‘huevo-style eggs”"…yes, you get my drift “huevos” simply means “eggs” in Spanish. ANY type of eggs! So Mr. Florence discovered the Mexican “egg-style eggs”. Way to go buddy! Keep going! You might yet discover the “Pollo-variety chicken” that laid those huevos!

4- Bobby Flay: “This is the special variety of Mexican cinammon called ‘canela’” – Ugh, yes, “canela” simply means “cinammon” in Spanish.

And I could go on, they all do this ALL the time. (Don’t get me started on Giada de Laurentiis!)

What are these people thinking?? With what nerve or authority do they say these moronic phrases? Does each audience deserve the hosts that they tolerate? …. Sorry for the rant, but, I’m curious if you’ve noticed anything similar? Anyway, GREAT blog, thanks for sharing it with us!!