my new summer obsession

with the lack of good tv available during the summer slump, I've been trying to find leisure in different places...reading, movies, bad chinese dramas...
however, nothing brings me more pleasure these days on the tube than a little reality show called "top chef".

to be very honest with you, I really don't watch reality tv. like all of my friends, I went through a half-commitment with amazing race, and occasionally watched american idol...but seriously, I don't have the patience for it. there's usually so much filler that watching an hour becomes more burden than leisure. I tuned onto "top chef" sometime during season 2 when anthony bourdain was a guest judge...being a lover of all things bourdainian (look poe! a new word for us!), I obviously was "obligated" to watch. I thought it was really exciting, dramatic, but not bordering on soap opera, and gosh....it was about food. nothing could be better.

I didn't keep watching however, because there were too many other shows to watch...with last season's TV being preoccupied with veronica mars, friday night lights, the office, et al...and therefore am enjoying the show now. for those who don't know, the "competition" is composed from chefs/cooks all over the country - they are presented each week with a quickfire challenge (such as having to cook with items bought from a vending machine), as well as an elimination challenge (such as cooking a five-course meal for an audience without initially knowing the ingredients available in the kitchen). the show is exciting due to the deadlines, for one, but also because people come up with the quirkiest dishes too...and it's also stunning to see some really talented chefs flaunt their culinary muscles.
and lastly, I also watch because of this person:

Sam Talbot is like....Scott Speedman, with the benefits of fine dining knowledge.