Episodes 1 - 3
If your only exposure to Chef Gordon Ramsay has been through loathsome American shows like Hell's Kitchen, then you are sorely missing out. Unlike the one-note hothead he plays on FOX, Ramsay's actually got some depth to him, and is likable as hell. We already know that he is incredibly passionate about cooking. What I loved about this series, which follows him on a culinary journey throughout several regions of India, is that it highlights his remarkable ability to connect with all people, regardless of status or language, through a shared love of food. (Given Ramsay's intense pottymouth, it's probably better that most of the people he meets don't have a full command of English.)
His main reason for coming to India, Ramsay says, is to grow his skills as a chef. He's always loved curry ("Britain's Favourite Dish"), but has a nagging feeling that what Britons recognize as biryani and korma are dumbed-down perversions of the real thing. And from what we see here, he'd be right.
Gordon's travels take him from Delhi and Lucknow in northern India, to the remote northeastern states of Assam and Nagaland, to Mumbai and on to the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Not only does he eat in all of these places-- he cooks, too. Whether he's learning to prepare sambar from a master street chef in the Dharavi Slums, or concocting an original Indian feast for Bollywood stars and dignitaries, Ramsay puts his ass on the line again and again.
Indeed, Chef Ramsay's cajones are on full display here. (Um, not literally. Although he does at one point wear a rather flimsy muslin kurta that barely grazes his knees.) What I mean is, dude is ballsy. He makes Anthony Bourdain look like a spineless wimp. Whereas Tony whines when his No Reservations producers force him into things like roller skating and surfing, Gordon gleefully volunteers himself for stunts that are truly crazy. Like Bull Surfing in Kerala. Or facing off against dozens of Indian housewives in a cooking competition. Or "tapping" a palm tree for toddy by shimmying up its trunk with a tea towel between his feet. (One thing Tony does have over Gordon is a fondness for the drink. In one scene, Gordon spits out a mouthful of the esophogas-searing palm wine and asks his fixer, "Are you trying to fucking kill me?")
That's my favorite thing about Gordon -- he is an open book. There's no onscreen brooding or ironical, self-deprecating voiceover. His honest response to most situations he's faced with in India is "Oh shit" or "Shit shit shit shit." But he says it with a smile on his face, and while you're watching him, you're sure to have one on yours, too.
