From The French Chef to the Iron Chef

The New York Times has an interesting interactive feature called "The Origins of the Cooking Show." It starts with Betty Crocker's radio program, and continues to the Top Chefs and No Reservations of today.

The feature accompanies a new article by food writer Michael Pollan, who ponders the question "How is it that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves?" The article is very interesting...although long. And in exactly the kind of ADHD moment that Pollan rails against, I haven't quite finished it. Sometimes I feel like Mr. Pollan is the strict parent I will never please.