Of course I’m referring to a plate of Batali’s favorite dish, lardo (cured pork fat), not Batali himself.
OK, let’s back up: former macrobiotic Gwynnie, sweaty orange-Crocsed Iron Chef Mario Batali, NYT’s suave Minimalist Mark Bittman and … umm … some Spanish actress started to eat their way through an entire country last night in PBS foodporn Spain … On the Road Again. (If you missed it, the first episode airs again on WMFE 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.) See Batali eat raw pheasant! See Bittman eat clams off the beach! See Paltrow … eat!
So, basically, they’re taking on Tony Bourdain’s No Reservations: same formula of culinary tourism and cultural oversimplification PLUS two very pretty girls, but MINUS Tony’s rapier-edged don’t-give-a-fuckness. (Though Bittman gives Bourdain’s running buddy Michael Ruhlman some competition for top gastro-sidekick status.) Below is a bit of promo filmage (complete with inexplicable Michael Stipe and Willie Nelson cameos) that begs the alternate title Drunk Rich Folks.
And, because I feel like it, here’s a picture of Gwyneth feeding a rat with a sippy cup.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2008.
