What the fuck did Guy Fieri ever do to anyone?
August 9, 2017 2:12 PM   Subscribe

 
What
posted by Melismata at 2:13 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


To be fair, (and yeah, I know rebutting a stand up routine is terrible and nit pick-y) but I believe Mr. Fieri charges to be featured on DD&D's. So it's not really free publicity. But the line about how you'd love his racing stripe painted fridge if Banksy had done it redeems any factual errors.
posted by Keith Talent at 2:31 PM on August 9, 2017 [8 favorites]


I've been saying this for a while now. I don't want to be friends with Guy Fieri, he seems pretty annoying, and nothing he's ever made himself looks even remotely appealing to me. But yeah, on Diners Drive Ins and Dives, he goes around to all these tiny little family owned establishments fawning over their food asking them how they do it and then he takes a bite and acts like he's going to die of sheer joy.

I still think that things like that fake Guy Fieri menu was hilarious and I am not sorry for that, but he did a lot of good things for people who needed some good things done for them.

On preview: Oh, shit. I need to try to find a source on that DDD for pay thing now, lest I have to change my mind about whether I need to accidentally trip him if he ever walks past me.
posted by ernielundquist at 2:36 PM on August 9, 2017 [5 favorites]


I believe Mr. Fieri charges to be featured on DD&D's

Uh...is there an actual cite for that, because that would be pretty wild. I've read this article, which says that the business had to cover their own costs for the food they cooked/wasted but nothing about how they were "charged" by Fieri.
posted by windbox at 2:37 PM on August 9, 2017 [7 favorites]


Nickelback: actually good, you elitist trend-follower!

Comic sans: actually good, you elitist trend-follower!

Guy Fieri: etc etc

The internet backlash backlash in action.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 2:38 PM on August 9, 2017 [45 favorites]


Also, a friend of a friend's restaurant was featured on the show and they definitely did not have to pay anyone nor did they have any complaints about the experience, other than the fact that the volume of reservations broke their system after it aired.
posted by windbox at 2:38 PM on August 9, 2017 [30 favorites]


For me, this piece is enjoyable as a solid piece of comedy from a comedian I didn't know before (Shane Torres). I'm not entirely sure what the split is on him trolling versus him trying to say something real about snobbery and the weird way we seem to collectively decide to hate, but I definitely laughed out loud.

Even if you continue to hate Fieri, there are some delicious burns here, too.

"He looks like a Hot Topic manager moonlighting at a Friday's."
"His hair looks like he was electrocuted while drinking Mountain Dew."
Etc.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:39 PM on August 9, 2017 [8 favorites]


I DVR Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and I usually watch a few episodes a week. It's a good show, and Guy seems like an alright dude. I'd drink a beer with him FWIW. From extended viewing, he seems to have a good rapport with the (most of) the people at the restaurants he features.
posted by dudemanlives at 2:42 PM on August 9, 2017 [5 favorites]


I have never watched his show, but my general reaction to seeing him is a feeling of some relief that Corey Feldman seems to have finally found his niche before I realize that that's not who that is. The Times Square restaurant sounds like crap, but if it's a crime for a celebrity to have a business venture of dubious value, hoo boy do we have a backlog to attend to.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:46 PM on August 9, 2017 [15 favorites]


Donkey Sauce
posted by tobascodagama at 2:47 PM on August 9, 2017 [5 favorites]


Apologies. I cannot find any proof of people paying to be featured. I must be wrong, not for the first time nor last. My apologies for besmirching the fine character and snappy dress style of Mr. Fieri.
posted by Keith Talent at 2:52 PM on August 9, 2017 [7 favorites]


Maybe, just maybe, a guy doesn't need a haircut or a shirt you can respect to recommend the best place to get chicken and waffles.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:53 PM on August 9, 2017 [24 favorites]


There's a tiny part of my that had been reserving judgement of him, thinking maybe he had some history as a chef in some n-star place I never heard of, but no, I now see his claim to fame is in creating a mini-chain of mainstream Italian restaurants in Northern California and winning some long-past cooking contest show.

I don't yet know the timing, but I visited my favorite falafel place a few years ago after DDD came through and they had changed the recipe from what it had been before (from separate cucumbers, tomatoes, and tahini to a combined single concoction). This was possibly due to increased business and needing to speed up the assembly line, but I still blame him.
posted by rhizome at 3:01 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


He does one thing (talking with his mouth full in a way that isn't gross) pretty well, and he's gotten a lot of mileage out of it. I watch him exactly once a year, when visiting family, because it's one thing that can be on the tv that no one will hate. we basically marathon DD&D for a week and everyone gets hungry and we can talk over it and no one minds.

I'd never eat in his restaurant tho (donkey sauce...wtf?)
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:11 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


My turning point with Guy came earlier this year and his Hot Ones appearance. He came across as a genuinely good dude, even if he's not my cup of tea. Like ernielundquist, the NYT takedown of his restaurant still makes me laugh.
posted by matrixclown at 3:13 PM on August 9, 2017 [8 favorites]


What the fuck did Guy Fieri ever do to anyone?

He got on my nerves. I can watch You Gotta Eat Here and not be possessed with the urge to kick in my teevee.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 3:20 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


My turning point with Guy came earlier this year and his Hot Ones appearance yt . He came across as a genuinely good dude, even if he's not my cup of tea.

I came on here just to say exactly this. (Though I've never watched any of his shows, so I really didn't have an opinion on him either way).
posted by littlesq at 3:21 PM on August 9, 2017


so has the internet moved on from the whole "guy fieri doing homophobic weird shit" angle too? cool, good to know it comes back down to a really abstract sense of aesthetics.
posted by nixon's meatloaf at 3:47 PM on August 9, 2017 [4 favorites]


Same thing every rich person did: Exploited an unjust system and enriched himself beyond his wildest dreams on the labor of others.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:50 PM on August 9, 2017 [4 favorites]


I mean, first Dubya, now this assclown, I guess.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:50 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


Ahhh, another chance to link to the greatest bulletin board thread of all time.
posted by lumpenprole at 3:51 PM on August 9, 2017 [5 favorites]


For what it's worth, Kenji thinks he's a good guy, and he endured and entire episode of Guy's Grocery Games.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:01 PM on August 9, 2017 [4 favorites]


Nickelback: actually good, you elitist trend-follower!

Comic sans: actually good, you elitist trend-follower!

Guy Fieri: etc etc

The internet backlash backlash in action.

Pruitt-Igoe

You don't have to think any of these are actually good, it's just weird how vicious and mean people get about these topics. People act like Guy Fieri or Chad Kroeger shot their dog when all they seem guilty of is making mediocre things and being kind of annoying.
posted by Sangermaine at 4:01 PM on August 9, 2017 [7 favorites]


Donkey Sauce

Thrillist: Donkey Sauce is a pillar of your business and isn't great for you.
Fieri: You're stereotyping it. If we called it aioli, does that make it sexier? It's aioli. This goes back to that exact comment that I said in the beginning: it's about moderation. I called it Donkey Sauce because you have to make fun of it.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:05 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


It's the insecure anti-intellectualism that gets me.

He's not a food person, he's a personality that talks about food.
Deepdish is gone... as a matter of fact... don't even... jus... cross it off *gestures*. That's bread with stuff on it.

My favorite food city is Chicago.
Guy had a good time in Chicago, or something. That makes it his favorite food city.

The standup mocks Tony Bourdain, but appears to not know anything about him; to have never listened to what he has said.

He thinks Bourdain would fuck up under preasure; Guy Fieri has suggests that pico de gallo would be better if you "hit a little beer in there too."

Because that's what Bros do when they're having a good time. Or something. Please love me.
posted by ethansr at 4:10 PM on August 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


so has the internet moved on from the whole "guy fieri doing homophobic weird shit" angle too? cool, good to know it comes back down to a really abstract sense of aesthetics.

Well, partly it's because the homophobic thing was in 2011, which now seems like a lifetime ago, and that partly was because of 2016. Which is also odd, because when it seemed like every celebrity was pulled into the Election of 2016, I don't remember hearing anything about or from Guy Fieri.
posted by FJT at 4:12 PM on August 9, 2017


actually good, you elitist trend-follower!

Reverse Milkshake Ducks, basically?

* 5 seconds later *

We regret to inform you that the Reverse Milkshake Duck is an anatomically improbable sex act.
posted by jackbishop at 4:13 PM on August 9, 2017 [9 favorites]


He does one thing (talking with his mouth full in a way that isn't gross) pretty well, and he's gotten a lot of mileage out of it.

He can also interact with the camera while driving a classic car, which might be tougher than it looks.

Under the influence of My Brother, My Brother, and Me's recurring Guy Fieri segment ("Guy Another Day," AKA "Fieri Walk With Me") I've come to regard Mr. Fie-di with bemused...fondness? Whatever's two notches under fondness.
posted by Iridic at 4:22 PM on August 9, 2017 [6 favorites]


I turned positive on Guy Fieri after digging up the old season of Next Food Network Star where he auditioned and got the job on the Food Network. (It's available via iTunes.) He was really remarkable on the show. He appeared fully-formed on the very first episode, the whole shtick and look already in place. (OK, one change: "off the hook", not "off the chain".) The personality we see on TV is either really him or very well-honed. He was also very good on camera. Not quite a polished natural, he makes some mistakes and learns a bit over the course of the season, but he clearly has innate talent. It was remarkable.

But the best thing about Fieri in that season is how respectful he was to other contestants. He never trash talked anyone. He supported his competitors when appropriate, competed with them vigorously but respectfully. He had a surprising amount of empathy for the other chefs and the various other people he encountered in the show. He seemed like a decent human. This quality comes through now when he shows up as a guest judge on other Food Network shows, too, he's always very good at relating to the chef contestants.

His family stuff with his kids is endearing too. His kid Hunter has kind of grown up on Guy's shows and it's a bit weird, but it also seems like a father who likes hanging out with his kid and making him part of the career. The short run they did last year with a European vacation when Hunter turned 18 was great.

He's nutty and has goofy hair and says ridiculous catch phrases. Some of his Americana food is regrettable. But I think that's sincerely who he is and he has more depth than I initially gave him credit for.
posted by Nelson at 4:33 PM on August 9, 2017 [24 favorites]


so has the internet moved on from the whole "guy fieri doing homophobic weird shit" angle too?

Well, from Googling, it looks like that was an allegation he denied.

Was it true? I dunno. His beloved late sister was gay. And after gay marriage became legal, he presided over a 101 couple gay wedding in Miami.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:40 PM on August 9, 2017 [14 favorites]


I've come to regard Mr. Fie-di with bemused...fondness? Whatever's two notches under fondness.

Beleaguered fondness.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 4:42 PM on August 9, 2017 [8 favorites]


I love watching Triple-D. Do I expect a Michelin 3 star? Heck no, the man is completely accessible and is able to project being comfortable around people. I think that is his real personality and that he is enthusiastic about people's food and does not over think things. I enjoy watching Bourdain because he is more thoughtful than most cooking/travel show personalities. Yeah, he is snarky too, but I have not seen him be rude to any of his hosts. To also confirm Nelson on the Food Network Star Show -- he was nice and knowledgeable. He also had a good rapport with the camera.

His restaurant, yeah, you can dog a chef/celebrity establishment but one of the hardest things for any chef, with multiple locations, is consistency and quality. So the criticism of a restaurant experience is valid because it is of that moment's experience. Donkey Sauce. Yeah, I may have wanted something different.
posted by jadepearl at 4:45 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


See all Drew Magary's GQ profile on him.
posted by Carillon at 4:49 PM on August 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


Shane Torres lived with me for a good while. We had a birthday show for a couple years (ours are a day apart). He's one of the nicest, sweetest comedians around. I'm stupid happy to see his work on the blue.
posted by Philipschall at 5:31 PM on August 9, 2017 [13 favorites]


I called it Donkey Sauce because you have to make fun of it.

.....No. No, you don't "have to make fun" of aioli. Why not just serve it and call it that, give your customers a chance to learn something new rather than spoon-feeding them by calling it "donkey sauce" to lull them into thinking it's safe and it isn't anything "weird and foreign". What's next, calling falafel and tahini on a pita "pocket bread with crunch patties and flavor sauce"?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:37 PM on August 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


I saw a food stall at a carnival selling "corn patties with mozzarella" over the weekend.

It was arepas.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:43 PM on August 9, 2017 [10 favorites]


Cosplayed as him a couple of years ago. Still feel unclean.
posted by radwolf76 at 5:44 PM on August 9, 2017 [4 favorites]


What the fuck did Guy Fieri ever do to anyone?

Serve them subpar food at inflated prices?
posted by ejs at 5:44 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


My uncle's restaurant was on DD&D a while back, and apparently it was a huge boost for their business. Also, one time I called the show "Diners, Dungeons & Dragons" and made my dad do a spit-take. I guess I'm more or less in the pro-Fieri camp? That feels weird to say.
posted by nonasuch at 6:01 PM on August 9, 2017 [9 favorites]


Nelson, I caught him when Next Food Network Star originally aired and also liked him. Maybe that's why I'm usually the only one defending him.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:04 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


That was a really funny bit.

I've got nothing against Fieri. I've never seen his show, but I like that someone's out there showing off funky local restaurants around the country.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 6:25 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


I like DD&D but I don't know why Fieri needs to yell at me at the beginning of every show, it's really offputting.
posted by chainsofreedom at 6:43 PM on August 9, 2017


Was it true? I dunno. His beloved late sister was gay. And after gay marriage became legal, he presided over a 101 couple gay wedding in Miami.

I'm almost positive the charge was debunked with some detail in an older Fieri thread.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:25 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


I like the show (it's one my husband and I can both stand, like the Great British Baking Show, because it's not actively hostile and isn't written (like Bar Rescue) to manufacture story or trump up conflict. Most of the meals are bigger than my head and made almost entirely of fat or butter, but they look like they make people happy.
posted by Peach at 7:33 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


Donkey Sauce

I always wondered, is it made of, from, with, for, by, or in donkeys?
posted by JHarris at 8:00 PM on August 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


for.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:02 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


I've always figured that the people who got really, really worked up about Paris Hilton or Kenny G or Thomas Kinkaide etc. were actually revealing their closeness to them. Like, they figured they were above them, but they were still in the same cultural neighborhood, so the big fuss was necessary. Protesting too much, you know? Not that their points weren't valid.

My favorite example of this was several years back --some young guy, or was it two, attacked Barney the Dinosaur on a stage in front of a bunch of little kids.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 8:17 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


People act like Guy Fieri or Chad Kroeger shot their dog when all they seem guilty of is making mediocre things and being kind of annoying.

Not even close to a fair comparison. Guy Fieri is on a single cable TV network, and is easily avoidable if you want. At Nickelback's height of popularity, radio had completed consolidation, but Internet radio hadn't taken off yet. You just could not avoid Nickelback if you tried.
posted by explosion at 8:41 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


"But the line about how you'd love his racing stripe painted fridge if Banksy had done it redeems any factual errors."

I am not particularly anti-Guy Fieri but if it turned out Banksy had painted his fridge I'd light his damn fridge on fire and become the leader of the anti-Fieri cult.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:51 PM on August 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


Was it true? I dunno. His beloved late sister was gay. And after gay marriage became legal, he presided over a 101 couple gay wedding in Miami.

I'm almost positive the charge was debunked with some detail in an older Fieri thread.


Yeah: the tl;dr was that it was a single accusation from an ex-producer who just so happened to be suing him for an unrelated reason at the time, Fieri denied it vehemently, and nobody other than the one producer ever corroborated the accusation.
posted by Itaxpica at 10:25 PM on August 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


I had never heard of Guy Fieri until this previous MeFi thread (which amused me greatly). But just the other day after watching DDD a few days in a row in our hotel room (we turn into mesmerized children when faced with cable tv), I said to mr hgg, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I actually don't mind Guy Fieri. He's relentlessly positive about the places he visits and is really, really nice to the owners. I mean he does not seem to have any malice in him whatsoever. Even his Guy's Grocery Games is relatively gentle compared to other cooking competition shows. He is respectful, kind, and positive without being drippy. The judges are honest and fair, but never mean to the contestants. Count me in as another who has found herself with a bewildered affection for the man.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:46 PM on August 9, 2017 [6 favorites]


He seems like a decent sort. His BBQ/Sushi fusion place in Santa Rosa, Ca (Tex Wasabi's) is basically terrible, though.

OTOH, he is apparently serious about trying to make good wine, and that's decent, too.
posted by notyou at 10:58 PM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


I've never heard a Nickelback song as far as I am aware.

I have seen Fieri
posted by Windopaene at 11:41 PM on August 9, 2017


A couple of weeks ago, some people on Twitter brought up the Great British Bake-off (or as we Americans call it due to the fascistic trademarking of Betty Crocker, the Great British Baking Show), and someone in the conversation brought up the fact that host Paul Hollywood looks like Guy Fieri's older brother. So, me being weird, I came out with:

"I'm Paul Hollywood, and this is Bakeries, Bread-shops and Bistros!"

That being said, when I was in Seattle, he was at a Greek place I liked. I asked them about what it was like to have him in and they told me he was very nice, very respectful, and the bit of schtick he did on the show was pre-planned so he didn't offend the head cook. They also said off-camera he was basically as he was on-camera, just less intense and more interested in the actual cooking process. (He asked some questions about how they did some things, and didn't interrupt the rather long explanation, just listened and nodded to show he was paying attention.)
posted by mephron at 3:57 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


We recently started watching Guy's Grocery Games with the kids - and it's a great exercise in creative problem solving. Yes, he's grown on us.
posted by childofTethys at 4:56 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


Just last week I was flipping through the channels and DD&D was doing a pop-up video version of their first episode. It was kind of hilarious, with Guy's head in the corner asking WTF he was thinking when he got dressed that morning, and pointing out all the errors in the episodes, and pointing out that he got his hair done between the first and second restaurants because it was much blonder in the second segment. Apparently it took 3 full days to get their first 10 minute segment done, but now they've got it down to one day. Still, that is a lot of work for 10 minutes of TV.
posted by COD at 5:09 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


I've always figured that the people who got really, really worked up about Paris Hilton or Kenny G or Thomas Kinkaide etc. were actually revealing their closeness to them.
Closeness can just be too much knowledge about a field. As a trained artist, I am saddened by Thomas Kinkade paintings. It's like watching a film set in an ER when you're a medical professional. Or ANY film about teaching. I would fire the teacher in Dead Poets Society.
Fortunately, I know diddly-squat about restaurant cooking, and I'm not a foodie, so I enjoy Guy Fieri.
posted by Peach at 5:50 AM on August 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


Has it really been five months since we last discussed Guy Fieri? My, how the time flies! Unsurprisingly (perhaps), I feel just the same way about him now as I did then. AND HOLY SHIT!! 36$ FOR A BOTTLE OF STAGGER HOME WINE!!! Tho that was five years ago. That stuff must be practically vintage by now and I'll bet you can only wish you could get a bottle that cheaply.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:40 AM on August 10, 2017


I loved this bit because I am as snobby and contrary as the next liberal elite but I love Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. They featured a local diner where we're regulars and we were SO excited about it. When we talked to the owners, they sounded like they had a great time filming it and are really proud of it. I get an email from them whenever the episode repeats.

I still laugh thinking of the only time Fieri seemed like he didn't like something he tried and it was at a Jersey diner. SNAPPER SOUP. It's made from turtles and it is, shall we say, an acquired taste. His dubious expression after tasting it was priceless.
posted by Aquifer at 6:51 AM on August 10, 2017


I know you think Guy Fieri is just a day-old Hot Pocket ...
What's funny about this is that Torres looks like Meat Loaf.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:54 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


Ok, so now we like Guy Fieri and we hate Ready Player One? What weird timeline am I even in anymore?!
posted by Grither at 6:56 AM on August 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


I agree with all the Fieri defenses in this thread: he seems like a genuinely nice guy, he promotes small local businesses, and he loves food.

I'll add one more...DDD frequently features vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and he never condescends or makes bacon jokes or acts like the food is weird. It's just "here's a funky little vegan joint with an enchilada you gotta try!" I'd say he's done more to normalize veggie cuisine in mainstream culture than a lot of other food celebrities.

(I also love his uncharacteristic disdain for food that's spicy just for the sake of being spicy. You'd think he'd be a macho hot sauce guy, right? But no.)

Some friends of friends had their burrito shop featured on DDD, and they were talking about it on Facebook. They're all from the scuzzier end of the hipster spectrum, but they all unironically loved hanging out with Fieri during filming. They'd expected, going into it, to roll their eyes and just do the segment for the good of the restaurant, but they actually had a blast. One of them said that now they know what 18 charisma is like: they didn't just like Fieri, they wanted him to like them.
posted by Ian A.T. at 6:57 AM on August 10, 2017 [21 favorites]


His Burger Joint on Carnival Cruise ships is pretty darn good burgering.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 6:59 AM on August 10, 2017


Ok, so now we like Guy Fieri and we hate Ready Player One?

If Guy Fieri has ever written and performed "poetry" proclaiming what a Nice Guy™ he is, I'll eat my frosted tips.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:07 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


Oh, and: folks who think they hate Fieri need to watch an episode of The Kitchen, Food Network's execrable talk show. Shitty food, braying hosts, a studio audience that's straight out of the Encounter At Farpoint courtroom. It's the televised equivalent of having "you go girl!" yelled into your face for an hour. Now THERE's a Food Network show to hate. It's the Ow! My Balls! of cooking shows.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:10 AM on August 10, 2017 [7 favorites]


My partner likes The Kitchen, so I've seen a fair amount. It seems like it's "What if The View, but in a kitchen?"

One other tidbit from the Food Network Star; Guy Fieri made a point of telling everyone his friends called him "Guido". I think he really wanted to be branded Guido. Fortunately that almost-offensively-stereotypical nickname went by the wayside in his public persona.
posted by Nelson at 7:19 AM on August 10, 2017


I can answer the question in the title in a single word: Jacknog. Somehow, he was able to combine eggnog and Jack Daniels to create a horrifying liquid that got worse as the ice melted. While I was not the one to order this, I did taste it and I was seconds away from a Marlon Brandoesque "the horror, the horror" moment.

That's what Guy Fieri did to me. That's why I mock him.

(And finding that part of the MeTa thread reminded me of the drink I got, the innocently named "Chocolate Candy Cane" that was even worse.)

He may be a perfectly nice man. But he is responsible for that drinks menu at some level. Which I can never forgive him for.
posted by Hactar at 7:29 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


"Jacknog" sounds like a terrible euphemism.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:33 AM on August 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


I like to think of myself as something of a foodie, appreciating, good, quality food, and yes, to some extent following the latest food fads. OTOH, I'm not an especially picky eater. Although I might prefer to try that hip new gastropub, I won't turn up my nose at something more conventional.

I was visiting NYC with my parents about a year ago. "Where do you want to go to dinner?" they asked. "Oh, anywhere is fine with me," I replied, since I'm not that picky, and my parents are, let's say, less adventurous than I when it comes to food, so I knew if I just picked wherever I most wanted to go, it might not be to their tastes.

"OK, we'll look up some places." A while later: "How about Guy's American Kitchen?" I doubt my parents know who Guy Fieri is, so it's not the celebrity factor, just a restaurant they had found online and liked from what they saw. I had seen the NYT review and the Observer review and various MeFi threads, so I was filled with trepidation. But I had already said, "anywhere is fine" so I felt like I couldn't now say "oh, except there."

I had the volcano chicken. I actually thought it was pretty good. I probably wouldn't choose to go there again on my own, only because it's in midtown Manhattan where there are many, many, very very good restaurants, but if it were in the suburbs of some mid-sized American city you could certainly do worse.

OK, so maybe "I like nearly everything I eat, and I liked the food at Guy's American Kitchen" isn't the most glowing of reviews, but I don't think it deserves the scorn it so often gets.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:34 AM on August 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


"Jacknog" sounds like a terrible euphemism.

Or some really questionable DS9 fanfic.
posted by radwolf76 at 7:35 AM on August 10, 2017 [8 favorites]


What bothers me about the Fieri haters is that when you peel away everything generally known about him -- personable, considerate, family guy, curious, unpretentious -- you're left with superficial markers like his hair and clothing, and I think it's mean and sad to have that much vitriol for someone that's ultimately based on a Smashmoth joke. You don't have to like the food, but that's not where the criticism usually comes from (that's saved for Olive Garden threads) it's just thrown in almost to justify the hair jokes.

As I've said before, I love food, I love cooking, and I would rather have a burger with Guy Fieri than dine with Anthony Bourdain any day of the week

And while we're talking about Donkey Sauce, yes, I think the name is gross, but not nearly as disturbing as Emeril's Essence.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:42 AM on August 10, 2017 [5 favorites]


I don't like him because he rarely actually describes the food he is eating! Use your words! Why would you simply moan and say that's delicious?! Tell me why!
posted by agregoli at 7:51 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


The GQ profile linked upthread is some fucking gold:

And if you’re looking for a metaphor of how the food-and-wine establishment views Guy Fieri, it’s hard to top a man who feeds dog shit to slow-moving animals and calls it foie gras.

I'm fairly sure I've written about it before, I used to work in morning show hell (on a show mentioned here in the thread). We used to do theme weeks, and one week we had on Fieri and the dude from Ace of Cakes, Duff. Fieri's people all seemed like abused spouses and roundly disliked him, a feeling which was confirmed when he came in...he was super obsessed with himself, and not the guy described elsewhere here. Duff's people all loved him, and he was super cool with the crew as well.

As long as Guy's leaving small-business owners all over the country feeling great and blowing up their wallets with money, then I'm willing to let that impression slide. It was also years ago.

Finally, "The View, but in a kitchen" was supposed to be "The Chew." I still have friends there, so I'll be charitable and say that they've definitely achieved the same level of being that annoying.
posted by nevercalm at 9:03 AM on August 10, 2017 [5 favorites]


What bothers me about the Fieri haters ...

Statistically speaking, while there must be some people who genuinely hate Guy Fieri, what I've encountered is a rough split between people who are entertained by his shtick and people who are entertained at the expense of his shtick. I guess I'm one of the latter, tho I watch DDD occasionally and it's okay—his choice of locations are usually enticing, but they'd be more enticing with less shtick. I try to keep from making easy jokes about his hair or clothes because those jokes are way too easy, but at the same time, his hair and clothes and manner are all so much part of a consciously chosen persona that ignoring them is like ignoring Ozzy's penchant for bats.

So, yeah, beneath all the HEY GUYS!! and the frosted tips and the FLAVORTOWN and the HOLY SHIT!! 36$ FOR A BOTTLE OF STAGGER HOME WINE!!!, Guy Fieri might be a swell guy. But the jokes are mostly about the shtick that he uses to run his business and it seems a little, I don't know, ungenerous? mistaken? to interpret that as hate.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:08 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


I ain't saying Guy Fieri hate is blatant class signalling... But it's blatant class signalling.
posted by FakeFreyja at 9:20 AM on August 10, 2017 [4 favorites]


My wife and I talk about him a lot - in the context of how strange it is that we really, actually, enjoy DDD. He comes off as an uber-Bro, sure, but is simultaneously so upbeat, genuine, and charming. It does not seem that he has a very refined palate, but so what? I enjoy DDD style food too when I am not eating truffle-infused gravlax puree on a liquid nitrogen cooled grass fed organic lamb's milk wafer.
posted by bluejayway at 9:21 AM on August 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


I ain't saying Guy Fieri hate is blatant class signalling.

Guy Fieri is a rich, educated, business man who performs "Guy Fieri" for money. He isn't some horny-handed tiller of the soil.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:25 AM on August 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


They didn't mean hating the class of the performer. They meant the class of his audience,
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:27 AM on August 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


I mean, honestly? Does that go for the Duck Dynasty guys as well?
posted by octobersurprise at 9:28 AM on August 10, 2017


Maybe, depending on the intent. But there are a lot of reasons to dislike them outside of their appeal to poor people so probably not.
posted by FakeFreyja at 9:30 AM on August 10, 2017


It's a pretty conceit to conjure imaginary Guy Fieri haters and then condemn them for "class signalling."
posted by octobersurprise at 9:35 AM on August 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


imaginary Guy Fieri haters

New to the internet, are you?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:39 AM on August 10, 2017


New to the internet, are you?

Well, I haven't seen any evidence in this forum of anything I'd describe as "hatred." Presumably we're imagining that it happens somewhere and that those running dogs also hate the legions of Fieri's impoverished fans who cram themselves into FLAVORTOWN to buy HOLY SHIT!! 36$ BOTTLES OF STAGGER HOME WINE!!!
posted by octobersurprise at 9:47 AM on August 10, 2017


Guy Fieri is fun to "hate" because he's loud, obnoxious and can take a bit of abuse, there isn't much classicism involved in it because after all he's richer than most of the people mocking him will ever be.

That he's a nice guy personally doesn't really matter: it's all about "hating" _Guy Fieri_ (and perhaps by extension, the various douchey dudebros who share his style if not his substance).

Meanwhile, speaking of Nickelback, one way to get me to love terrible music unironically is used it in a anime music video.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:06 AM on August 10, 2017


Statistically speaking, while there must be some people who genuinely hate Guy Fieri,

Well, I haven't seen any evidence in this forum of anything I'd describe as "hatred"

I think there's some confusion over my use of the word "hater."

To paraphrase Urban Dictionary: A hater is a person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success or happiness. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.

I agree that it would be weird to actually hate him based on his TV appearances.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:41 AM on August 10, 2017


On thing the Fieri backlash gave us was a truly excellent IRL meetup.
posted by Karmakaze at 10:54 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


DD&D episodes are like Pringles - totally manufactured and you don't want other people to know you are consuming them, but damned if you can stop once you start.

Fieri (or his loudmouth onscreen persona) seems annoying but I always respected the nice things he says about every establishment he visits even if it is obvious that he doesn't like the food or get on with the owners.

All I'm saying is that when I become King of the World and start rounding up obnoxious reality-TV stars for public execution, Fieri will be well down the list. Possibly even on the second page.
posted by AndrewStephens at 11:11 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


One can of Pringles, one can of Cheez Whiz.

God I miss those days.
posted by notyou at 11:15 AM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


Guy Fieri reminds me a certain of type of regular I would see when I was a bartender. The taste in fashion and hairstyle that's frozen to what was cool in his 20's. The over the top friendliness that rubs some people the wrong way, particularly the staff and other regulars who were repeatedly subjected to his stories and shtick. He always wants to give the female servers and bartenders a hug and the guys the handshake/hug thing when he arrives or leaves. Always becomes the best friend of any new people who come in and buys rounds to keep the "party" going.

Guy like this type of regular, is not a bad guy and just wants you to like him, but, you have to be in the mood to handle him.
posted by remo at 11:18 AM on August 10, 2017 [7 favorites]


Shane Torres was on Conan last year, too.

"The phrase 'enjoying myself'... pretty gross. Sounds like what a Kennedy would call masturbating."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:27 AM on August 10, 2017


I think remo's right on, although the particular look and attitude is one I think of as applicable to a lot of dudes anywhere from their mid 30s to 60s. There's something that makes you wonder whether one of his favorite movies is Swingers in that whole bowling shirt/guayabera shirt thing, but also a little bit of the ongoing midlife crisis attitude.

If you've known a Guy, or someone who aspired to be a Guy, then you start to recognize him in different places. That outsized personality that craves some sort of surface camaraderie where he buys you drinks and wants to talk about his adventures or business ventures or whatever.

I think the Bourdains of the world know the type and just see this grating personality that's terminally gauche and can't get past the grating part of it. On the other hand, I was thinking about television personalities in this whole travel/food/commentary space the other day and realized my opinion had flipped. Although a little too verbose and moralizing, I used to think Bourdain was pretty chill, but couldn't roll my eyes far back enough when I realized Rick Steves (who is truly the anti-Guy Fieri) was for marijuana legalization and mentioned that he liked to partake. Rick Steves! The most uncool nerd dad type! You're making weed less cool by saying that, Rick Steves!

At this point I'm thinking Bourdain is the kind of uncool dad and Rick Steves is pretty solid.
posted by mikeh at 11:42 AM on August 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


I've said it before, but Bourdain was super awesome when I met him.
posted by lumpenprole at 11:53 AM on August 10, 2017


Guy appears to approve.
posted by endotoxin at 12:06 PM on August 10, 2017


I think there's some confusion over my use of the word "hater." ... A hater is a person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success or happiness. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.

That doesn't make any of this less confused. Sound rule of thumb tho this might be among friends, what would it mean in the context of a discussion of media stars? If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all? What galls me about the suggestion that jokes = hatred and hatred = "class signalling" (I mean, beyond the obvious absurdity of it all) is the practically Trumpian degree of fake populism implicit in it. It should go without saying that there's no way to correlate "class" with either approval or disapproval of Guy Fieri and even if there were, no reason that one should be prefered one over the other. (Unless we're going for some real "Guy Fieri represents the true and authentic spirit of the People" stuff.)
posted by octobersurprise at 12:29 PM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


Class=/=money, even if the two are sometimes associated.
posted by Peach at 12:48 PM on August 10, 2017


holy crap this thread moved fast but thanks to those who corrected me on the homophobia rumor. I reserve the right to find it funny that the internet is recuperating Guy Fieri as it recuperated Juggalos, it's nice to see consensus opinion grow up i guess

his food still sucks
posted by nixon's meatloaf at 1:29 PM on August 10, 2017


Man I hope I never become a celebrity and have random strangers dissecting what they hate about my personality in their free time.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 1:44 PM on August 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


Rick Steves (who is truly the anti-Guy Fieri) was for marijuana legalization and mentioned that he liked to partake.

This does not surprise me. Before I moved to Europe I borrowed the entire Rick Steves box set from a friend and watched them all. It is very chill. EXTREMELY chill. You would almost require weed to be as chill about traveling as Rick Steves is.
posted by chainsofreedom at 1:46 PM on August 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


What the fuck did Guy Fieri ever do to anyone?

Broke the 4th Wall HARD. Every time he now takes a bite of something, I can spot the cut-away where he spits it out. Sad.
posted by mikelieman at 1:47 PM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


Rick Steves wrote a series called "Europe Through The Back Door".


FTW.
posted by mikelieman at 1:48 PM on August 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


I totally see social signaling in some of the more florid renunciations, and some of the snark. Nickelback, Leroy Neiman, Paris Hilton, Donald Trump, Dr. Oz, Thomas Kinkaide, Kenny G, and Guy Fieri have all been popular figures for polemics, usually as whipping boys. Some of the animosity is professional (Kenny G), some of it's political, (Donald Trump), and some of it looks, well, class-based (Nickelback, Guy Fieri, Donald Trump). You know: gaucheries, striving, "bad" taste, ostentation, etc.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 1:54 PM on August 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


when you peel away everything generally known about him -- personable, considerate, family guy, curious, unpretentious -- you're left with superficial markers like his hair and clothing

And the bad, overpriced food, restaurants that serve frozen crap, re-naming and appropriating established foods ("aoli"? NO IT'S DONKEY SAUCE), and, as I wrote before, the unthinkable wealth extracted from the labor of others (like every rich person).

I love lower-class signalling, but not from someone as rich as this dude.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:33 PM on August 10, 2017


Donald Trump has been a figure of fun since the 90s, and judging by his business decisions and where his life has gone I can only say that every joke ever made at his expense is valid. If anything, he needed a lot more people mocking him, because evidently the cultural memory for his prior awfulness was short-lived.

Dr. Oz regularly espouses terrible pseudoscience on his show, so there is a moral element to mocking him as well. If a person's work is actively making the world a worse place, then mock away, especially if he's got a real estate empire or a national talk show. That's punching up right there.

If they're not actively evil, but just very popular hacks, then I'll still mock them, but I don't actually hate them for it. In any case, they all have the consolation of their millions of dollars and wide-ranging cultural cachet to insulate them from my toothless remarks.
posted by JHarris at 4:25 PM on August 10, 2017


(By the same token, it isn't very fair to attack an *unpopular*, yet still non-evil, hack. Maybe offer constructive criticism. Care a bit about the no-name trying anything they can to make it in our harsh world.)
posted by JHarris at 4:28 PM on August 10, 2017


re-naming and appropriating established foods ("aoli"? NO IT'S DONKEY SAUCE),

Whoever used "aioli" to describe mayonnaise flavored with anything other than garlic was guilty of re-naming and appropriating long before Fieri came around.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:41 PM on August 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


eponysterical
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:44 PM on August 10, 2017


I was a total Rick Steves acolyte and then I found out he was a cannabis advocate and I was like 😍
posted by uncleozzy at 4:58 PM on August 10, 2017 [4 favorites]


I reserve the right to find it funny that the internet is recuperating Guy Fieri as it recuperated Juggalos

Funny that the topic of Juggalos would come up in a Guy Fieri thread, considering how closely linked the two are in the Homestuck webcomic.

Fieri, as the last remaining US Supreme Court Justice in 2025, swears in Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope from Insane Clown Posse at their inauguration as Co-Presidents of the United States.
posted by radwolf76 at 5:08 PM on August 10, 2017


"Whipping boy", to me, only refers to when the same person is singled out for the same criticism over and over, but not, necessarily, that those criticisms are unfair. Can I get away with that? Ah, well, that's all that I meant, anyway.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 6:05 PM on August 10, 2017


You would almost require weed to be as chill about traveling as Rick Steves is.

*ahem*
posted by wenestvedt at 7:48 AM on August 11, 2017


re-naming and appropriating established foods ("aoli"? NO IT'S DONKEY SAUCE)

For serious? Aside from the it's garlic mayo that DevilsAdvocate points out, restaurants everywhere do this this all the damned time. It's a fucking miracle if you go somewhere for a pizza where you can read the top line of the entry and have any idea what will be on the damned thing. Just last week I ordered dog collars at Lost Dog Cafe (a great little local chain) and managed to do it without any anger that they'd named baked onion rings in that manner.
posted by phearlez at 11:54 AM on August 11, 2017 [3 favorites]


I nominate the Joke of the Month to be "Stagger Home Wine."
posted by JHarris at 12:11 PM on August 11, 2017


*bows*
posted by octobersurprise at 10:11 AM on August 12, 2017 [1 favorite]


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