Alton Brown NY Times profile

Alton Brown, Showman of Food TV, Pulls Back the Curtain http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/dining/alton-brown-cookbook-everydaycook.html

My, isn't he an unpleasant son-of-a-gun? That smartest-guy-in-the-room persona is as off-putting as it was for Jeffrey Skilling - or Christopher Kimball, perhaps more aptly.

Another one, from WSJ:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/tv-chef-alt ... 1474990853

I've read both the NYTimes and WSJ articles, and saved them to read again, and so far I just don't get what strikes you, peg, about him being an unpleasant person. Being the so-called smartest guy in the room is something someone said about him, not something he said about himself. And if that were the issue, being the smartest guy in the room isn't something someone can help any more than being the dumbest guy in the room and arguably less so. Neither of the articles gave me the impression he was an arrogant person, which I guess is what would matter more to me: arrogance and mean-spiritedness. Alls I'm saying (as we say in Chicago) is I don't know what gave you that impression. I enjoyed learnng some more about him through the articles.

Katie wrote:I've read both the NYTimes and WSJ articles, and saved them to read again, and so far I just don't get what strikes you, peg, about him being an unpleasant person. Being the so-called smartest guy in the room is something someone said about him, not something he said about himself. And if that were the issue, being the smartest guy in the room isn't something someone can help any more than being the dumbest guy in the room and arguably less so. Neither of the articles gave me the impression he was an arrogant person, which I guess is what would matter more to me: arrogance and mean-spiritedness. Alls I'm saying (as we say in Chicago) is I don't know what gave you that impression. I enjoyed learnng some more about him through the articles.

I agree Katie.

While I get that he may come off as a complicated person, he had a pretty traumatic childhood. Like a lot of celebrities, I don't think we have to be buddies with them to appreciate their contributions or overlook their idiosyncrasies.

Whatevs. I have my opinion, some of which is based on personal feedback from the subject. You have yours. You know what they say about opinions, right?

Back when I watched TV I always enjoyed his show. He certainly seemed to have a good sense of humor, about himself (always being put in his place by the disapproving lady at the kitchen supplies store) and about the world in general (still remember the holiday episode where 3/4 of an inch of snow fell on Atlanta, paralyzing the city & forcing Alton and his houseguests to survive on an assortment of leftover turkey recipes until rescued by Emeril's helicopter ("Emeril has a helicopter?")).

Okay -- I'm going to add my 2 Cents into this discussion -- I thought the NY times profile made him seem very, very bitter. I used to love him on Good Eats and thought he was fun on the Iron Chef as well as the first years of the Next Food Network Star. I really loved Feasting on Asphalt -- but ever since he's been this diabolical guy on Cutthroat Kitchen (a show I despise), I just haven't understood why he changed from the knowledgeable guy to this evil character. I totally get what sundevilpeg was commenting on and it bums me out. The other article is self-written -- so it makes him come off in a much different light. You can contrast that with the recent interview with another spokesman/host in the food world -- Ted Allen -- who is really humble, knowledgeable, funny and someone you'd want to have a meal with. Maybe comparisons aren't fair -- but I certainly have no interest in being in an elevator with a guy like Alton Brown. This all being speculative, of course, but I wanted to point out that I get the unpleasant impression of AB as much as sundevilpeg did.

I think this is a very interesting discussion, and I agree with some of the points above.
It simply stuns me how much I can love Good Eats vs how much I can despise Cutthroat Kitchen, which is literally my most hated cooking show, and that's saying a lot.
Hard childhood tho- hard to feel that way about your folks and sibs....

sundevilpeg wrote:My, isn't he an unpleasant son-of-a-gun? That smartest-guy-in-the-room persona is as off-putting as it was for Jeffrey Skilling - or Christopher Kimball, perhaps more aptly.

earthlydesire wrote:Okay -- I'm going to add my 2 Cents into this discussion -- I thought the NY times profile made him seem very, very bitter. I used to love him on Good Eats and thought he was fun on the Iron Chef as well as the first years of the Next Food Network Star. I really loved Feasting on Asphalt -- but ever since he's been this diabolical guy on Cutthroat Kitchen (a show I despise), I just haven't understood why he changed from the knowledgeable guy to this evil character. I totally get what sundevilpeg was commenting on and it bums me out. The other article is self-written -- so it makes him come off in a much different light. You can contrast that with the recent interview with another spokesman/host in the food world -- Ted Allen -- who is really humble, knowledgeable, funny and someone you'd want to have a meal with. Maybe comparisons aren't fair -- but I certainly have no interest in being in an elevator with a guy like Alton Brown. This all being speculative, of course, but I wanted to point out that I get the unpleasant impression of AB as much as sundevilpeg did.

I get what others find off-putting, and judging from the comments in the NY Times piece there are many who agree that he sounds horrible.

That said, the way I remember him from a decade ago on television I could totally see him saying the same thing as a joke/sarcastically. And unfortunately, in the printed text his tone on getting over yourself if you don't have a medical condition and eat what is before you does not come through.

Years ago, I recall being with a dear friend for dinner at the house of a charming frenchman who was so excited to serve fish cheeks. My dear friend was reduced to a small boy who really did not want to eat fish cheeks. I definitely still consider both men to be great lovers of food and drink. I was so stunned that I never forgot. It was awkward and sad for both men.

Since that incident, if I am hosting I tend to ask about allergies, restrictions, and dislikes (darn it all now I have to do so for the upcoming dessert exchange next weekend ). I do not want to host where my guests feel disempowered to enjoy the fellowship and break bread. I also don't want to make something with cucumbers, mushrooms, coconut, zuchhini, beets or eggplant, or blue cheese if I know full well my guests loathe it. A couple of years ago, I had a guest who was on the Whole 30 plan. Now even this Team Temperance, vegetarian rolled her eyes (not seen by my guest) but I appreciate that guest. She is a dear friend. And I told her to let me see what I could do. She was worried and said she would bring her own food and come for the fellowship. We had a great meal where everybody ate the same food.

boudreaulicious wrote: While I get that he may come off as a complicated person, he had a pretty traumatic childhood. Like a lot of celebrities, I don't think we have to be buddies with them to appreciate their contributions or overlook their idiosyncrasies.

Brown certainly has had terrible trauma (article says on the last day of his 6th grade year, his father was found in his office with a plastic bag around his head. It was ruled a suicide. But Brown clearly believes he may have been murdered and says so) in his life so I am willing to simply let it ride. The piece also makes him sound like a depressed, angry, gun-toting, arrogant problem drinker, albeit functioning, ( I struggle with the notion of a problem drinker carrying a gun but that is just me). When compared to the piece in the NY Times from a year ago, the difference is huge difference.