One From The Vaults: "Food On Film: Our Just Desserts" Part 1.

This will be a 2-parter.
First, here, is a piece I published in 2011.
Part 2 will be an analysis of subject matter progression since publication.
Some small editing has been done for formatting purposes.

Food On Film: Our Just Desserts?

Every new generation is mentored by the ones that came before, bearing echoes of their preferences and tendencies. However as time passes, those core facets shift and reform into a new identity to better fit the psyche of the next generation. Vagaries aside, such things are exemplified by the changing state of food in the public eye. The evolution of food, cooking, and restaurant life as detailed through the media (television in particular) through the past fifty years, has shown a constant fluid shift in preferences and popular trends, while maintaining the appeal of classics through various methods of rebranding. With constant improvements in media technology, the sensationalist aspect of food becomes vastly easier to express and explain to a studio and at-home audience.

Side by side with the evolution of food in the public eye, another popularized television movement was fitness, and the combination of those two concepts on a growing television audience had nothing but positive potential. Better food, better eating habits, and better physical fitness were all starting to make themselves known to nationwide audiences here in the United States. Now, some fifty years later, the cynics are laughing.

Food-related programming grew more and more popular as the utility of it grew. The first real trendsetter in food television here in the United States was Julia Child with her program The French Chef. Displaying classic dishes and basic sundry-centric staples fit for families across the country, her pep and personality carried the day even when her skills dropped out of the camera's eye. Occasional fumbling endeared her that much more to her audience of hesitant housewives, who took heart from her boldness and bravado to try and recreate her celluloid successes for their families and friends.

On the fitness side was someone who had the same vim and vigor, but vastly different motivation and methodology. Jack Lalanne, in his self-titled Jack Lalanne Show, displayed the very same urge towards satisfaction. He prompted his audience to get up, get moving, and get fit, working through each and every part of the body to better not just themselves, but to inspire everyone around them to do the same.

Both food and fitness grew in popularity through the decades, with new faces rising to prominence in each field. Through the late 1960s to early 1970s, The Galloping Gourmet ruled the airwaves, its host Graham Kerr ultimately collaborating with Julia Child to great effect. The 1970s gave way to Jeff Smith and The Frugal Gourmet on the culinary front, and while Jack Lalanne continued his hard work with fitness, the rise to prominence of a man called Richard Simmons was also well on the way. 

The first major foray into widespread 'nutritional science', pioneered by the infamous Dr. Robert Atkins, showed its face in 1972. Atkins introduced his “Diet Revolution”, a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and a bevy of evidence about the benefits. Shortly afterward in 1974, Richard Simmons’ program Ruffage and the popularity of his Anatomy Asylum gym debuted to promote the combination of exercise and healthy eating.

Fast-forward another fifteen years or so, a new fire sparked viewers with the 1993 debut of Food Network Television- an entire station devoted to nothing but food and its myriad facets. Every kitchen professional mentioned so far appeared again, to once more dazzle audiences old and new. They weren't alone- a great many fresh, new faces arrived sporting sharp knives and sharper skills to tantalize the wide-eyed watchers.

    And yet despite all of these advances and approvals in the industries, intended audiences seemed to snub the messages the performers sought to inspire.  As obesity runs rampant, juvenile diabetes rates have skyrocketed, and advertisements for fast food rule the airwaves as the selfsame garbage fills the supermarket freezer case. How could two subjects that spent so many years developing their value in the public eye have fallen so easily to the wayside in favor of corporate marketing and painfully transparent advertising campaigns? Does the couch-bound, captive audience have a particular disdain for hard work? Is making something look bad on television that much easier than making it look good? Or is it really only money they want, regardless of the cost to the public?

    Whose cuisine reigns supreme? Whoever paid the most for ads, it seems. Now go kick back and eat those instant noodles. 

 Bon appétit.