(photo by wm. christman)

Unless you've been trolling your cable or satellite tee-vee listings on a daily basis, it probably escaped your notice that Iron Chef episodes are being re-run on the Fine Living Network (FLN). These are the ones that ran with dubbed English voice overs on the Food Network when the clamor about the original version reached a fever pitch. The original Japanese language episodes ran in major television markets on stations that cater to the large Japanese communities in those areas. Language barrier or not, foodies quickly caught on and Fuji Television (the originator of the series) had a minor hit on their hands.

Although it sounds like some of the original voice overs have been updated with second takes and commentary, the same pleasantly inane banter is still there in force. Having watched a majority of the original Japanese language episodes, the English translations are pretty accurate but are delivered so hilariously over the top that you could easily devise a drinking game for key phrases, like "Fukui-san!" "Ohta, GO!", that get hammered over and over again.

FLN (now the exclusive home to Emeril Lagasse...BAM!) is running up to three episodes a day depending on east and west coast satellite/cable feeds. So two of these are usually the same show but still, that's 14 episodes a week!

So why get so enthusiastic about a show that had it's day, and spawned two spinoffs, including the ludicrously pompous Captain Kirk version and the current overblown-on-it's-own-hype Iron Chef America? Well, aside from the entertainment value, it's not like I'm going to go out become the Delacroix of Charcuterie by intensely studying IC episodes in slo-mo. However, watching all of the interesting ideas and combinations of ingredients that all of the chefs come up with has been fueling lots of my own home cooking adventures recently. And having that on hand as a semi-passive reference is kind of refreshing.

I am still working my way through 20+ episodes that I told my TiVo to record, usually with a pad of paper or my laptop nearby when the inspiration strikes. More arrive every day and as long as FLN is running them, I'm recording them. It's one piece of television worth its weight in foie gras or pork belly...it just depends on what you're hungry for.