As far as sources go I think I will be able to find a lot of information regarding what roles women really do play in the restaurant industry in order to compare that to what is portrayed in these shows. I am particularly interested with the fact that women really do make up a large chunk of the industry's labor force yet they are not often seen in top spots. I hope to find research that supports that as well as maybe gives some explanation as to why.
The rewriting portion of the paper is where I am a little bit stuck. I have not been able to come up with one specific scene on Top Chef, or any other show, to focus on. Maybe I could focus again on show titles? Giving a show to a woman called Throwdown with Paula Deen or Chic and Easy with Bobby Flay I think would definitely confuse people and make them uncomfortable. This is obviously an idea that I need to explore further and definitely would appreciate feedback and other suggestions!
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteI think that you have a good idea for where you are starting. What if you do a comparison where you imagine two cooking shows like "Throwdown with Paula Deen" or "Chic and Easy with Bobby Flay?" What do you imagine those shows would be like, and how would they flip what we typically see on Paula Deen and Bobby Flay's shows? Would Bobby Flay be in his kitchen, cooking with his kids? Would Paula Deen be traveling the country, challenging people to cook-offs? I think that you are on to something there, and that offering a flip where you compare two shows might be the way in. Does that help? ~Megan
I think you have a great idea. I think you'll be able to find cases where some women have head chef positions, and other cases where the women are demeaned to lower, side cook jobs. Both will be examples you could use to support your ideas plus bring in opposing arguments.
ReplyDelete- You'll be just fine in getting this thing to 4-6 pages.
- I'm actually interested in the supporting articles you'll find. I'd like to see some statistics to the hierarchy of jobs in a restaurant. I'm also interested in the twist you plan on coming up with. Like I've seen that Hell's Kitchen commercial before, what happens when he's on Martha Stewart (that might be old school but I'm not a cooking expert).
- I mean really I don't have much for you to consider. I like where you are going with the topic. I think there are plenty of issues surrounding the male/female role in the kitchen. You'll have tons to write about, especially with switching those character roles.
Oh Grace, I love this idea. I am a huge Food Network fan, so this makes me really happy. I love Top Chef too, so I just love this idea. As for the rewrite, I think it is a great idea to analyze the titles of all of the shows. I think it is really funny how the guys always get the hardcore cooking names, and the women get the Momified show titles. I think you could even break it down to the differences in the kitchens. The women cooks always have very homey, woman friendly kitchens, while the men have very masculine kitchens to work in. Also, I have noticed that a lot of the shows that have the female and male cooks traveling, have the men order pretty manly meals while the female chefs order more figure friendly meals ( I guess that depends on what chef you are watching). You may also want to focus on who the chefs are cooking for. I know Paula Deen is always cooking for her boys and her husband. Sandra Lee is always cooking for her husband and nephews. Guy and Bobby Flay do a lot of grilling out meals for the men. I really like what you are doing and I think this will attract a good audience. You should have plenty to write about I would think.
ReplyDelete