Different tastes
I wish to express concern over the article about celebrity chef Jack Stein (right) in the TV Guide (Jan 20-26). First, he claims New Zealand has the best pies in the world, even though he has never been here. His dad may think so, but I certainly have different tastes from my own father. Why exactly would New Zealand have any better pies than anywhere else? Is this statement based on solid, scientific fact? I understand that the UK, for example, has a huge consumer demand for pies, so they must be doing something right. Also, he suggests that New Zealand wine makers are friendlier than European wine makers. This implies overall that New Zealand is a more friendly, relaxed place to be than Europe. If New Zealanders are so relaxed, why do we have the highest suicide rates in the developed world? If we are so friendly, why do we permit homeless on our streets and people sleeping in their cars because of a lack of accommodation? I also challenge his view that New Zealanders are the best home cooks in the world. Oh really? If we’re so good, why do we have about the highest obesity rates in the world? How many Michelin-star rated restaurants do we have? By the way, I watch MasterChef UK as well as the Australian version and although I’m no expert, I don’t see the Australian home contestants as being any better than the UK ones. To be honest, it’s offensive to the UK participants to say that they are. As for Britain not being a ‘foodie country’... How come the UK can produce the likes of Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nigella Lawson? And why are they successful not only in the UK but internationally? Who are our famous chefs? In fact, Jack Stein, not to mention his father, owes the British foodie culture their success and, indeed, their livelihoods. New Zealand is only a foodie country for those who can afford it. My point is that no country is better or worse than any other. Both New Zealand and the UK have good and bad points, and neither should be talked up at the expense of the other. To do so smacks of ignorance and nationalism.