Finally caught up on Season 11, and I got up to "Matt's MasterClass: Pumpkin 3 Ways" where he does a supposed “Korean Hotteok”. What the heck happened there?!
The first major issue was structural: hotteoks need to have a filling, usually like gooey brown sugar, chopped peanuts, honey, etc, and this recipe didn’t have any filling at all. Also, hotteoks are famous for being squashed into a flat circle pancake on a hotplate, and not coated in sesame and fried as a whole ball. I’ve never in my life seen a hokkeok without a filling, or without being flattened.
The second major issue was cultural: Which Korean recipes feature tamarind and coriander?! Or Chipotle ketchup, for that matter? This is supposed to be a sweet Korean dessert, but it sounds more like a generic ‘Asian fusion’ dish.
For those unfamiliar with hotteok, I made a comparison image with photos pulled off the web: https://imgur.com/a/yHHWlI7
If the dish was “sticky rice sesame balls with tamarind and coriander”, it would be fine. But calling it “Korean Hotteok” wasn’t just wrong, it’s borderline insulting. It’s like having half a slice of bread spread with Marmite and calling it an “Australian Sandwich”, being neither a sandwich, nor strictly Australian.
Don’t get me wrong, I really love the show and the judges, and I don’t expect Matt to be an expert on every single international cuisine in the world, but I do expect the production crew to catch these glaring errors. It makes you question the rest of the show - what other dishes/international cuisines have been misrepresented and not caught?!
Thoughts?
C'mon, I can't be the only one who thinks that!
EDIT: OK, some links to show you what I mean
A gallery full of 'em: https://imgur.com/a/YghgDJb
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6012999/A-look-Matt-Prestons-flamboyant-outfits-MasterChef-Australia.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3651567/Matt-Preston-pushes-fashion-boundaries-flamboyant-ensembles-admits-savvy-suits-worn.html
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/masterchef-australia-is-about-food-and-waiting-to-see-what-matt-prestons-going-to-wear-next/news-story/3b7bddfbc611e0ca43ded18ef8e8d0c9
Hello,
Big fan of the show from the U.S. here – been watching since series 6.
I feel this sub could use some more fun topics outside of the episode discussions, so I present to you: screenshots I have taken of Preston eating in ways that have scarred me.
https://preview.redd.it/bqr6huekj3y21.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=cf2683b7530def2f7b905a7122ce2079d18e2797
https://preview.redd.it/nlf8wajnj3y21.png?width=1594&format=png&auto=webp&s=ba54ff9366e54a95c8762dc62b6d6d091572a1f7
https://preview.redd.it/2o5g6zcpj3y21.png?width=5120&format=png&auto=webp&s=f897c6114362c0f553d1e13cecd777dc20d26ed7
I will post any updates in this series to curse your timeline. =)
