the return of conversation and writing that doesn't consider the offhanded use of scatalogical profanities as de rigeur, if not outright mandatory, at every possible opportunity- not excluding a story on cooking shows.

A long, long time ago, when those terms were employed by people, they were reserved for a very few contexts in which it arguably made sense to emphasize an intense emotion, like rage. Now all they do is demonstrate the slipshod vocabulary skills of the person speaking or writing, and their oblivious disregard for the idea that words might have any authentic connotative resonance at all.

And it's the usual case that all one has to do is to challenge such poor usage, to find that oblivious disregard transformed into contempt for the very idea.

And that state of affairs may help to explain an piece of writing whose topic is ostensibly a critique of poor taste, that turns out to luxuriate in it.

This is something that no "bailout" can cure.

(Maybe getting rid of grade inflation in the schools would help.)

Not that bestowing or withholding Federal funds would help with any of the examples targeted by the off-the-wall snipes in the article, either...it's a non sequitur, unless you're serious about establishing a U.S. Department Of Good Taste.

Please, tell me you aren't.

I'm not sure why Applebee's is supposed to epitomize Bad Taste, either. I've eaten there, and the place is fine with me.

Next time, Ms. Havrilesky, how about simply giving us a review of the last 5 worthwhile books you've read?

It's called satire people. Jesus. Heather is writing about the most mundane of things, "reality television," yet manages to make it funny week after week. It's a little, oh, shall we say, ironic, that the same folks keep slamming her column every week, yet, still keep on reading it. She's funny as hell, so screw all of you jealous geezers.

instead of capping on the concept of Bad Taste- she's simply capping on the concept of taste.

Salon's A&E section was always the worst kind of idiot pop tarted up. Now it's just the death rattle. All you have to do Heather is figure out how to blend 'Lost' with the obligatory Jew hatred and you're money.

hey, it's what's on.

...best when aimed at the arrogant and incompetent. When he's going off on pretentious, know-nada-and-don't-care restauranteurs/staff, he's hilarious and on-point. (I would give a million to see him take on any number of snotty, overrated restaurants in NYC, for example. Now, _those_ businesses definitely need the attitude knocked out of them. :))But too often he's vicious to people who make honest mistakes--or simply don't share his taste in minor things like decor, and that's inexcusable. I've often wondered if he feels he has to be that way because the food business often attracts ego-heads and folks who don't know what they are doing, or what...?

LOL!! Yeah, I've often wondered what's with all the "get you bollocks back, you bastard!" mondo-manly emphasis in KN...

Finnish by birth, reared up in Germany where he currently lives and cooks.

But...

I love the mom and pop delis and open faced beef and gravy sandwiches with mashed potatoes and big glasses of Coke with lots of ice.

I love amusement parks in the summer and blockbuster films and driving around with my car radio playing rock and roll music too loudly.

Truth be told, I don't want America to have an extreme makeover and be more like Europe. I don't think I could live in a land of extreme snobbishness.

And I don't watch Top Chef...but I do love Diners and Dives.

As far as Gordon Ramsey is concerned, I think he's hot. I wish he would come to my house and cuss and cook me dinner.

Wild game, by the way, is very good, even when you're a kid. My dad was a hunter, and we helped him clean game all the time. Rabbit, squirrel, quail, wild turkeys, deer. Don't knock these things until you've tried them, they're delicious. And when your dad is a hunter, you don't think it's weird that's what you're eating. You think it's pretty cool.

Not to get anal, but while I agree Stefan was raised in Germany (from what he's said). I believe he actually lives and cooks in Santa Monica, CA.

I heard he left on his own because he was so fed up with and disgusted by the overuse of corporate sponsorship (he mentioned it a few times in his blog entries on the Top Chef website, that probably pissed off Bravo as well.) But, he was funny and insightful and oh yeah, *he's actually a chef*.

Gail Simmons I also like because even though she's not a chef, she has an amazing palate and let's face it, girl likes to eat! Sensitive palate + actually loving food = great judge for a cooking competition.

This new guy is a hack in every way. He's not a chef, he's a restaurant critic, and his only schtick is those vicious "bon mots" which aren't very bon at all that he uses to put down everything before him. Not funny, poor sense of timing, totally inappropriate for the feel of the show. At least when Bourdain would say something rude (which was always) you could tell the "cheftestants" were upset but still thinking "oh well he's Tony Bourdain, that's fair".

I also can't believe Leah is still there. She's one of those middle-grounders who has never fucked up in such a spectacular way as to get booted, so she's been kind of floating along under the radar. I get the sense that she is also amazed she made it this far, and now that its been winnowed down to five people she's probably thinking "oh shit, what do I do now?" I am, however, thrilled that Carla has come as far as she has. She's definitely an odd duck, and so genuine about everything. Her flip-out when she won Superbowl tickets was great. I want to try her pastries, that's all everyone talks about is how amazing her pastries are.

I miss Jeff, but he did overdo it with almost every challenge. Instead of making one thing and knocking it out of the park, he kept making "trios" of things and doing them mostly-OK. Not to sound like too much of a Gordon Ramsay hack, "keep it simple!"