Just the ones that aren't the Second.

I mean, you're still the victim here, no matter which way I try and spin the scenario in my head.

I'm certainly not willing to lay blame at the feet of the establishments Fieri visits. Especially for non-corporate mom n' pop family joints that are the bread n' butter of the show. But so much of what turms me off about Diners is how much Guy inserts himself, probably even more than Bourdain - who is definitely a…

I don't wanna overly fingerwag, but you definitely hit on the biggest missing Con on this list for me.

One of the things I appreciate you pointing out (and this is as someone who probably falls more on the Con side with Guy) is that, all things considered, Guy approaches People of Color and non-American food traditions with gusto and equanimity.

Were we just having this discussion ar the '1997 was the nadir of modern popular music' threads?

I don't think I see equivalence of Guy's brand of douche-food and the more serious political and social events of late.

See - I don't mind those as much.

That's easily more credit than Guy or Trump are deserving of.

I don't even need him to do the elevating-comfort-food thing.

There's no way consuming that much hair gel is FDA-approved.

For my money, Bourdain's various food travelogues fill a similar niche in food media - seeking out authenticity in some of the most humble, unassuming surroundings and circumstances.

For my money, the underlying theme of Guy's take on food isn't unique, but certainly bears support: that "common" food is an important part of food culture, and warrants celebrating. That there are unique pleasures and comforts in it, that aren't to be found in the "high" cuisines.

I'd like to go on a gedankenexperiment.

Well, Imperial units, natch.

These days, I just assume we go through the pop culture motions of popularity -> backlash -> reevaluation, strictly as a kabuki theatre of how we've come to view our role (the royal "our") in fandom and as 21st century media consumers.

Oui, wee.

0.35 Lannister Units.

Bertolucci's The Dreamers taught me the French bathe, but exclusively for purposes of quasi-incestuous foreplay.

I wonder if maybe he could make it doing this professionally in the future?