As I blogged on Monday, this week’s Top Chef featured Natalie Portman as a guest judge and thus I very excited that it would most likely be a vegetarian challenge! I love Top Chef but I do wish they cooked more dishes I could eat (I’m a 8+ year vegetarian) and I was looking forward to seeing the best chefs in the competition (there are only 7 left!) make some awesome vegetable dishes.

After finally watching the episode last night I have to say that I was super disappointed with what I saw. The chefs really struggled with their dishes and in my opinion it might have been their worst turnout all season. 

Granted they were thrown for a complete loop as they all assumed they would be cooking meat since the restaurant the challenge took place in was Tom Colicchio’s craftsteak but I am still bothered that they couldn’t seem to put together tasty, beautiful dishes as per usual.  I mean some of them didn’t even finish plating–which hasn’t really happened all season! Plus, watching the judges eat the food was a total letdown. Normally they are full of adjective and praise but here even the praise was faint.  Kevin and Michael both made dishes that I would want to try and that looked good, but they didn’t live up to the standards I have come to expect from them this season.

The reason this is so upsetting is that it really shines a light on what I feel like is a major problem with food culture.  For some reason being a foodie or a lover of food means loving meat.  And while I don’t look down on any food loving person for appreciating all that meat has to offer I do look down on foodie folks who don’t give that same love and attention to vegetables. Vegetables are amazing and come with amazing textures, flavors and colors and when you know what to do with them you can make some of the tastiest food ever!

Take note Top Chefs, you can’t be the best unless you know what to do with vegetables too–if you can’t feed an entire group of people awesome tasty food then you’re really not that great.

Vegetable power!

*photo by mckaysavage (CC)