Culinary couch potato or non-vicarious political living

In the last decade, the television screen has slowly turned into a giant kitchen. Food preparation programs are becoming more and more numerous.  They include cooking and baking and both.  They range from the sophisticated such as Professional Master Chef to the absurd, such Worst Cooks in America. Their approach can focus on the food, such as the French MasterChef, the people in the Israeli MasterChef or the culture in Les Carnets de Julie.  The competitive atmosphere can be high as in Iron Chef or bordering on cooperative as the Great British Bake Off.  They can emphasize team work as the Chef Games in Israel or single improvisational skills as in Chopped.  Regardless of the format, viewers sit on their fannies and watch other people prepare and eat food.  Admittedly, some actually learn from the shows, copying and applying the techniques and recipes.  Most people just find something to munch on and look forward to the next show or season. 

I admit that I belong to the last category. My personal reason for relishing cooking and baking shows is the current state of politics. Simply put, it stinks. I will be fair: it stinks in Israel, the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China, Turkey, Germany, Italy and the Palestinian Authority, to name just a few.  I heard that the situation in Monaco or Luxemburg and maybe Singapore may be okay but I lack sufficient knowledge to know nor do these good apples really improve the barrel. The situation is and has been so bad that I have stopped watching the news or listening to news radio.  I do care but lack the emotional strength to deal with the scope of the disaster even if I know I personally will be affected by it sooner or later. Call it cowardice or weakness but I simply cannot take politics right now.

So, instead, in the two hours or so of free time I have in the evening, I watch people prepare food and even jokingly, mostly, ask why they did not offer me a slice or taste of it.  From time to time, my wife prepares a dish based on one of the recipes, which I enjoy.  Theoretically, I myself could print the recipe and make it myself as I know how to cook.  However, there is almost no chance that I would ever do so.

They say that troubles cause people to either gain or lose weight, depending on their reaction.  Although I try to eat healthier snacks during my escapism sessions, I have to admit that I have not lost weight.  I cannot speak for the viewers of the program but the reason that I enjoy such programs is that I find it much cheerful to listen to a discussion of a beautiful profiterole than one on the profits of all Trumps and Bibi’s friends.  To paraphrase the maligned Marie Antoinette, let us eat cake, at least vicariously.