The Humble Gourmand

Last night my heart broke a little. My curly-haired comrade from down under was sent packing, leaving the Top Chef kitchen without such exotic (and perplexing) ingredients as Marmite and Wattleseed.

In an effort to justify what I believed to be Mark’s untimely departure, I tossed and turned all night, reviewing the episode in my mind (and catching the numerous reruns on Bravo that ran over the course of the night).

What did Mark do wrong? The challenge was to create a healthy meal for a family of four, with children, for under $10 — a task known to many of us as “Wednesday night.”

Mark brought a red curry with roasted vegetables to Judge’s Table. A curry on a $10 budget? Budget would not have been an issue … well, maybe not for someone whose job title isn’t Sous Chef. Still, for $10 he could have gotten some nice and flavorful ingredients, especially from Whole Foods. Roasted vegetables were a vessel to get a kid to eat veggies, which may be perhaps the biggest challenge of all.

So why was this delicious looking plate at the bottom? How did Stephanie’s hot mess chicken, couscous with peanut butter and tomatoes (the picture of the dish speaks for itself) beat out Mark’s marvel? Why is the world such a cruel place when it comes to spice?

But Mark did make a curry. In a challenge where the cheftestants knew they would be cooking for children, Mark made a curry. Last time I checked, not many children go wild over a curry. Indeed, his dish did not elicit the response for Spike’s pasta with Puttanesca. His curry did not have the familiar and beloved flavors of Nikki’s one-pot chicken dish with apples and mixed vegetables. His curry certainly didn’t have the nutritional value of Antonia’s stir fry with whole-wheat noodles, chicken, and edamame.

Mark made a curry, and it didn’t even taste that good, according to the judges’ remarks. It wasn’t family (i.e. kid) friendly. It had strange, unfamiliar tastes. It lacked protein. It lacked presentation. Looking at the picture now, I don’t think it even looks enticing. I can’t imagine what I would have thought twelve years ago, when I was a far pickier eater.

The lesson to be learned from last night’s challenge is the same lesson I wish all the chefs would have learned over the course of the past three and a half seasons (and only Antonia seems to understand): Cook for the right audience. Don’t cook gourmet at a football tailgate. Don’t make corndogs for a block party on a block where the homes are worth more than just a corndog. Don’t make nutritionless, tasteless curries for kids.