Final Essay
Kitchen Nightmares (KN)
Storyline: Gordon Ramsay visits struggling restaurants across America and spends one week trying to help them become successful.
Observations:
- The structure in KN is “problem-cause-solution-challenge- resolution”, it is repeatable in every episode.
- The part of problem-revealed is emphasized on the conflict between Chef Ramsay and the owner. Most of owners try to hide the problems at first, but all will be exposed under the embarrassing situation by Chef Ramsay.
- In the part of problem-solution, the chef in the restaurant performs stubbornly and unwilling to follow the advices which Ramsay gave. Likewise, the opposite opinions between owner and staff initiate a fight.
- After “make over”, there are still challenges in the night of reopened, some intensive conditions happen at that part. But most of them can be in charge finally.
- There is a part of review the current situation of restaurant after three months. Most of restaurants are running in a good trend.
- Most of the restaurants are serving foreign cuisine in America. The back stories of owner are usually pictured sensitive, restaurant likely as a dream to owner.
- In particular for the female owner, they bear more stress on running restaurant and always are challenged by the male chef and staff.
- The restaurant is like a disaster for customer in different ways including decoration, food, tempered owner and desultory staff. Chef Ramsay shows up as a rescuer with high-class taste and quality skills to make over the restaurant.
- The notorious hot temper of Chef Ramsay breaks out in the show regularly.
- Many dirty words appear in the show, the performance of owner and staff seems like working class.
- In the article called Another helping of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, it said “Never mind the cooking; this edition of the show appears to be more interested in playing up the family dramas at the restaurants Ramsay visits".
- There are several cases failed after three months. One of the owner claims Chef Ramsay destroys his business.
- Many critics argue KN as fiction soap opera rather than reality tv because it is exposed by the reasons of creating fake stories.
Questions:
- As like most of the makeover RT, the structure here is very common and repeatable. It is clear to reflect the cultural anxiety of small business in America in particular the business owned by immigrants. According to the transformation, it emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility, self-sufficient and self-discipline within the idea of neoliberal which government promoted.
- The following questions I am concerned about:
1\ Normally, foreign cuisines like French, Italian and Spanish are served as high class dishes, but in KN, those foreign cuisine restaurants are set in low-class character with disgusting food. The local staff always are pictured as ridiculous, sensitive because the language boundaries. It can be considered as the race and class problem within the hegemony of American ideology.
2\ The female owner is comprehensive portrayed in KN. Although they play a role of business woman, in most of the cases, they are tempered and emotional with alcoholic or smoking problem. The shift of their attitudes towards chef Ramsay also is significant, at first they are afraid of him and refuse to listen his advices, but after “make over”, they submit themselves to his guides. Woman seems to empower after makeover, not only experience the successful transformation, but also in the conflict part with their staff: when they are challenged by the staff, especially the male chef, Chef Ramsay stand by them and persuasive the staff get used to the new system and respect their female owner. This transformation doesn’t like the common makeover RT show; it is not only related to the self-discipline idea, as well as can be considered the problem of patriarchy system in society.
3\ The dramatic performance in KN is kind of soap opera. It emphasizes the intensive interpersonal conflicts by editing and acting styles rather than analysis the food problem of restaurant. Consider about the spectator of this RT show, audiences feel pleasure form the dramatic plot and gain power to be a judge follow Ramsay’s visit but ignore the real problems behind the restaurant including the finance, systems, or management. The incredible change in two weeks is described as fairy tale to highlight the miracle of American dream.
4\ The iconic representation of Chef Ramsey follows his famous image in Hell’s Kitchen image with blustery and foul-mouthed personality, he performs like a low class person but win the honor because his high quality food skills and successful restaurant. It gives the idea about people can achieve their success no matter what they look like, which class they from.
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