I’ve never been a TV addict. In fact, for two straight years in Manila I didn’t have a TV in my apartment, only occassionally watching the news or the Oscars or some episodes of SATC, Friends, or Survivor at Mark’s house. The only shows I could watch for extended periods of time are The Simpsons, re-runs of Seinfeld, and CSI Las Vegas.

In the past year and a half however, I found myself in unfamiliar surroundings in Florida, and not having the usual gimiks and activites I once had, I spent more time in front of the TV than I would have liked, and learned more about “reality shows” than I care to think.

One of the things I learned is that not all “reality” TV shows are created equal. A few of them are well-produced, while many are just poorly-made knock-offs.

Here is my take on the winners and losers of the “reality” TV world in 2005. Admittedly, I’m no expert, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Some of these shows I’ve followed for a couple of seasons or so, some I’ve started watching just recently, and some I’ve only seen a part or a few episodes of before changing the channel in utter disgust.

You have been warned.

the winners

The Amazing Race - a million dollar prize, a globe-trotting itinerary, interesting culturally-relevant challenges, and a chance to see different places and different cultures - how cool is that?
Survivor: Palau - the longest-running “reality show” has experienced peaks and dips throughout its past nine seasons, but it has two major things going for it - a big budget and a loyal following
The Apprentice - The Donald and his two alalays (assistants) can be so unbelievably boring and wishy-washy at times, but overachievers runnning around NYC have a certain appeal, plus the show has been able to successfully tap into big-time advertisers so far. and, it seems that the spin on season 3, “street smarts vs. book smarts”, is going to be a another big winner

the so-so

American Idol - while this show is very popular and is a big ratings hit, some of the contestants (even the semifinalists) are really low on talent. and i just really dislike simon
Fear Factor - the show has been experimenting with spin-offs, but after the initial novelty and shock value, it seems to be losing its appeal

the losers

The Rebel Billionaire - an ‘apprentice’ wannabe, with sir richard branson instead of donald trump, just doesn’t have the same flair and production know-how as ‘the apprentice’, and comes across as cheesy a lot of times
Nanny 911 - the families all have the same problems: unruly, uncontrollable kids and parents who can’t discipline them. they don’t need nanny 911 for short-term solutions, they need real-life counselling
Trading Spouses - although there was no actual carnal exchange of spouses involved in the episodes i saw, the title of the program insinuates sleaziness. the episodes that i did see were poorly made, and not interesting at all
The Biggest Loser - overweight people fighting against the odds and turning into fit, telegenic ‘personalities’ may have its appeal at the beginning, but the show quickly turns into something very b-o-r-i-n-g
The Swan - plastic surgeons cut up “ugly ducklings” and turn them into physically perfect “swans” who then compete in a beauty pageant… eeewww…
The Newlyweds - please, please, please no more jessical simpsonisms and general airheadedness messing up the already messy airwaves

really big losers (or, shows i hope will never see airing again)

Who’s Your Daddy? - an adoptee attempting to identify her biological dad from a group of men, and getting the prize money of $100,000 for doing it…just seems very, very sad…
Paradise Hotel - the hotel is the only tasteful thing in this production full of catty women and sleazy men. plus, the producers/directors couldn’t make up their minds what to do with the show, changing the rules as they went along, even bringing back some people who’ve already been booted out, and just generally messing the minds of the contestants. thankfully, it’s no longer airing. to that i say, good riddance.

Posted under Navel-Gazing

Last December, I was pleasantly surprised to note that many visitors came to my site by googling for different recipes. I guess my site came up when they searched google because I wrote about food and eating many times. However, I think I disappointed them because I didn’t have any recipes at all in the site. I’ve actually been compiling my recipes and planned to put them up this January, so it seemed like a sign to me that I should go ahead and do it.

For starters, I’d like to share a recipe that Markie actually came up with. It’s super-simple and easy to make, yet very tasty.

mark’s grilled tilapia fillet with herbs

This actually had its “origin” simply as grilled tilapia with lemon-butter sauce, which was good enough as it is.

When Markie got here, I told him that grilled tilapia was one of my new favorite dishes, and explained to him how I made it. One afternoon, I was pleasantly woken from a nap by wave after wave of delicious aroma wafting in from the kitchen. Turns out that he had “experimented” on my basic recipe by sprinkling some herbs on the tilapia. It tasted so good too, that every time we have a craving for this dish (like last night), he ends up the one making it.

For grilling the fish, we use a small electric griller. A similar result can be made by pan-frying the fish in 2 teaspoons of canola oil or butter.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: approx. 10 minutes
Servings: approx. 2 - 3

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kilo (1 lb) tilapia fillet (about 2 - 3 medium-sized pieces)
1/2 cup Sprite or other lemon-lime soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons canola oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sliced spring onions for garnishing (optional)

Lemon-butter sauce:

2 teaspoons (approx. 1/4 of a small stick) butter
1 1/2 medium-sized lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the Sprite, salt, and ground pepper. Marinate the fish in this mixture for 10 minutes.
2. After marinating, pat the fish dry with paper towels, and then rub with garlic.
3. Grill for approximately 3-5 minutes each side, or until fish flakes off when tested with a fork. Brush the fish occassionally with canola oil or butter.
5. While the fish is grilling, prepare the lemon-butter sauce by melting the butter in a frying pan or microwave oven (I melt it in the microwave oven for 1 minute).
6. When the fish is cooked, transfer to a plate.
7. Drizzle fish lightly with the lemon-butter sauce.
8. Sprinkle fish with the herbs, one after the other. Garnish with the spring onions (optional). Serve immediately.
9. You may also serve the lemon-butter sauce on the side for dipping.

This dish goes very well with steamed white rice. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Posted under Food and Dining