Monday, March 30, 2015

Daytime TV... A lesson...


For reasons I won't go into today I spent the day watching regular ordinary daytime TV. This was not pleasant. In fact at times it was perplexing. Nonetheless I try to see everything as a learning experience so here is is..... Things I've learned about daytime TV.

Firstly there is a lot of news. They seem to have news on several times a day. I'm not talking about the dedicated 24 hours a day news channel. I mean all the other channels. Mostly it seems to involve simply retelling the same stories over and over. Occasionally there is something new to add, when there isn't they seem to exaggerate the stories they do have so that by the end of the day each story has become something completely different. 

There is also a lot of channels solely selling crap things that presumably won't sell anywhere else. Why they put them on during the day is beyond me unless they think that people who watch TV during the day must be home from work on very heavy medication. Some of these things defy believe. ‘Dr Ho's physio belt’ anyone? Then there are those hideously ugly bras that somehow all women must have because apparently we all don't know how to get measured and buy proper bras in our actual size.

Or a product called ‘True back?’ I don’t even know what that is... I just flicked on to the channel in time to witness people answering the questions, "Truly? You are not just saying this because you are on camera?" To which they all enthusiastically replied no of course they are not just saying that because they are on camera, the product really works! It's changed their lives!" I for one totally believe them... I'm picking up the phone to order my free trial of something or other because I mean why would these people lie? 

Then there are the ads selling insurance. Every channel and every single ad break. Sometimes even as a segment on a show....Income protection, life insurance or funeral insurance. Seemingly we are all sitting at home contemplating our mortality so that these ads seem perfectly timed. We are all easily convinced to sign up for yet another kind of insurance that we (don't) need. These ads declaring that it's cheaper than a cup of coffee and that no medical exam is required. Which does two things for me... Firstly it makes me really want a cup of coffee and secondly it makes me want to shout at the screen ( assuming that everyone watching the ad on TV will somehow hear me...)  that what they really mean is that if you don't tell them about any health condition chances are they won't pay out...so beware! 

Want to watch old episodes of Charlies's Angels? Then daytime TV is for you! Or movies so old they actually look grainy on the screen? Some TV show you have never heard of? Probably because they were so bad they never made it to prime time? How about an old episode of Taggart? No I mean old... Really old... Taggart is still alive! I like a good crime show but I'm sure I've seen these... Twenty years ago. 

I am currently being saved from complete mental breakdown by The Antiques Roadshow. Yep that's the pick at the moment. I'm dreading it finishing as I will have to channel surf again. I can't seem to avoid noticing the gaudy jewellery on TVSN that they are asking a ridiculous amount of money for... Or a few seconds of someone smiling inanely because they have supposedly been saved by some odd appliance or from taking out insurance. Then again I could be lucky enough to find a cooking show.... Thanks goodness for Justine and Poh!

So the day is not done but I daresay I'm not in for much different. Of course I can't wait for The Chase to come on. The one daytime show that I love... That it is from the UK says a lot about Australian TV  in general... But that's a blog for another day.



Sunday, March 1, 2015

Don't read the comments... Except the ones under recipes..

Don't read the comments

We hear that a lot as really there are some terribly ignorant people out there who hate to have to actually think...

But what I think is funny is that don't read the comments really applies to recipe websites and apps. Or in fact do read the comments might be more apt, if you want to laugh out loud. Rarely do they give you any helpful advice about the recipe but they sure can be funny. 

                           


So let's make up a user name - how about MrsICan'tCook or MC for short. MC feels it's necessary to leave a comment every time she follows a recipe, and I use the word 'follow' quite lightly.

So MC might say something like this, presumably with the idea of helping guide others in their culinary journey and recipe choices...

'Well I just have to say I don't think I will make this recipe again. I didn't have any yogurt so I used milk instead. I had to add extra flour also. I didn't have any baking powder so used cream of tartar instead. Plus just as I was making it I remembered I hate cinnamon so I just left it out. I didn't bother chopping the nuts as I needed to get this done quickly. So these yogurt cinnamon muffins really didn't turn out. They didn't even look like muffins! They tasted very bland and the texture was funny. I don't recommend this recipe'

Or

'I was unsure about making this as it seemed complicated. But I gave it a go! I don't like duck so I used chicken. I didn't have cherries so used raisins instead. I prefer not to use butter in cooking so I left that out. When it was done the chicken was a bit dry even though I cooked it for as long as the recipe stated. Plus the raisins were tough and didn't really make much of a sauce. I don't think I would make this again.' 

Poor dear MC. She really has a pea for a brain doesn't she? Look for her though. Next time you search for a recipe have a look at the comments and chances are MC will be there. It's why so many great recipes never get 5 full stars. Because people like MC will bring down the recipe score with their fantastic improvements. 

Also you know MC might be the type of person who feels she has to leave comments about every restaurant and hotel she has ever visited too... Maybe in a future blog MC will comment on her latest holiday. It won't have been fun because MC lives to criticise. If there is nothing to criticise she will simply make something up...

Till next time!