Chef vs Normal: Taste Testing Pretentious Ingredients | S2 E8 

THIS

EXACTLY! its cut off so people can't grow their own pineapple at home

Considering it's GMO i bet if they didn't remove the crown people would be freaking out about spreading GMO plants and destroying nature or something silly like that. Sometimes you just can't win.

@@joz534 what

so naive....

Agreed lol. If it's made for looks over function, it's pretentious. Pretentiousness is an exaggerated assumption of dignity, importance, and form.

@@MelissiaBlackheartthat’s the perfect definition of pretentious!!

nope. If someone wants "preety" food to have fun in kitchen and share with friends food they are making. Let them.

Though not a perfect correlation, Instagram mention has 99% probability of pretentious.

If I see Barry in a video introduction I assume we're going down a pretentious hole..

😯 How dare you!?

I agree, it’s a good business move so they don’t upset and future sponsors.

@@gcfirestorm12 A lot of times the pretentiousness comes from the marketing more than the product itself. The pink pineapple is a great example of that. Nothing wrong with making sure the copywriters understand that appealing so hard to one demographic (the Instagram obsessed) will likely be offputting to another demographic, or sometimes even anyone who isn't part of the target group.

@@gcfirestorm12 Yeah and it makes the videos seem like ads sometimes. Lovely to see spiciness of James again :)

​@@SortedFoodthey have a point, I normally don't bother with these episodes as you guys seem determined not to step on people's toes, be it businesses or influencers who have bought into hype. I do not at all believe the commenter above thinking you do this to protect sponsorship deals, total inflammatory bollocks, but you can see how your general sensitivity actually comes across as disingenuousness at times

Adult supervision required

The children needed a babysitter while mum and dad were away, sorry lads

So he is not back forever?

No I think he is ​@@GFDIAA

The normals are not to be trusted.😂

"Who's Tonini?" I thought Mike was making a joke but it was so much funnier when he actually thought that. 🤣

@@fairygirl626 right? 😂

I was eating when that happened, almost choked lmao

It took me a good 20 seconds to work it out, and then i suddenly lost it

@@fairygirl626 Saying it while scratching his ear absent mindedly, it could not be more perfect

It was very nicely done, too!

I had the same thought

But I want to now the original prize

​@reginabaptista7402 I've come to the comments to find the prices lol. I'm assuming they must have been a fair bit more.

Well I wouldve prefered to still get the actual scene before or after the update.

Special conservatories, hot beds (with live compost/manure layered in that was still effectively composting and getting hot, to warm up the soil) - the old ways of growing pineapples in the UK were quite extraordinary. The pineapple was used in architecture, and in silverware etc - look at the Wimbledon men's trophy for an example.

I was going to mention the same thing. This seems like they're trying to bring back that pretentious, show-off vibe the pineapple used to have before it became ubiquitous. Just replace fancy aristocratic parties with Instagram.

@@samgrant83 Yeah, I reading an article somewhere and they had actual like ovens they used to use the heat the ground. It's pretty dang crazy the lengths they went to grow them! Oh, a lot of people would leave the pineapple on display so long that it'd actually go rotten instead of anyone actually ever eating them. Such a waste!

Also those "pinecone" wooden post decorations on period wooden furniture are not pinecones they are pineapples.

Me, a Malaysian eating pineapple a local fruit, thinks this is all ridiculous.

I recall one of my chef instructors describing the perfect presentation of risotto as a single layer of the grains of rice on a warmed plate. Thanks James!

I agree with James’ definition. The reason a pretentious anything is created is “because I can”.

Let's just generalize things. Every *video* needs a James.

I couldn't but laugh the moment I saw that huge block of parmesan and knowing how it came to exist 😆

When the boys retire in 25 years or so, their retirement package will include a wedge of that cheese lol

That was exactly my first thought too! GMO plant companies are like psychos

Nailed it.

Private enterprises throughout history, from craftspeople and farmers to winemakers and other specialty producers, have always been protective and secretive over their intellectual property (IP). How is it evil if this company wants to do the same? Is it just that if you do some thing long enough to acquire a few thousand cross-generational "keyboard warriors" who will, then, deem you traditional, that you somehow become sacred and above reproach? How is a proprietary pineapple inherently different from a high-end proprietary olive oil, DOP cheeses, or secret sauce recipes that old restaurants guard dearly? Del Monte isn't extraordinary in its attempt to keep its proprietary product out of other people's hands. Specialty producers across cultures have always done things like this. Trade secrets as well as taking measures to keep it a secret were once the norm, not the exception. As a product, the pineapple itself isn't inherently pretentious. It follows a long line of other rare and premium goods showcased on this channel. In those cases, a rare Italian olive oil, an extremely local oil from an African village, or some gourmet East Asian curiosity, being sold internationally at high prices wasn't considered pretentious because the price reflected the time and effort put into production. These were understood to be one-time or special occasion items, not everyday purchases. Why doesn't the same apply to the pineapple then? Why is the product itself considered pretentious? The Sorted team should've simply concluded that while the marketing may be pretentious, the product itself is not. It's simply an expensive product. This aligns with the precedent this channel has set before when critiquing similar products, and most people in the comment section have agreed. If an exotic tea mix with dubious "medicinal" properties got a pass as a product solely because it tasted good, despite being a rip-off and relying on woo-woo and health misinformation for marketing, what's so wrong with a unique pineapple that delivers on taste and appearance using its Instagram potential to market itself? James, like a lot of commenters here, went into this with a lot of pre-conceived bias and prejudice. Mike, in contrast, who was much more neutral, was clearly very happy with the product. Highly premium things in any category have always been a fashion statement - whether it be a 100-year-old vinegar, a little bottle of condiment from halfway around the world, a small-batch cheese from a rare breed of cows fed a special diet, a fruit endemic to a small region, or even puff pastry and gelatin desserts back when they used to be difficult to obtain for an average person. When some wines, coffees, or teas can charge 10 times the average price of items in their respective categories for their unique "terroir," a characteristic that will often be undetectable to a casual consumer, and not be considered pretentious for it, a unique breed of pineapple, created after years of work, which has a special flavor and appearance that a lot of people find desirable, isn't pretentious either. The reason why some people seem to have this double standard is the same as why the internet loves to bully coffee enthusiasts for spending time and money trying to perfect their craft but reveres the Japanese or Chinese tea ceremony as this precious, sublime thing that is the pinnacle of class and culture. The problem is the fetishization of the exotic - things unfamiliar to you because they are farther from you, in time, space, or both.

As soon as they said that I went looking for a comment like this haha, spot on

I didn't really appreciate the dynamic he brought until he was gone as well, he was just always the guy being like "okay sausage jokes but let's please just also no sausage jokes", he is just a considerate and sharing communicator, making everything that everyone else says a little more understandable just by having one steady eye on what he felt was right with food while giving respect (however sassy) to their viewpoints.

Yup

It does have seeds and I have seen people germinate them lol there’s always a loophole

@@b.r.v.8609 But will it grow true from seed? is the seed fertile and how long would it take?

​@b.r.v.8609 most fruit (I don't know about this one but it's pretty universally true) doesn't grow true to type from seed.

The patent on a plant is one more reason to boycott the company that takes out such a patent.

I think Exasperation is actually James' middle name... which sounds a little bit pretentious, if you ask me!

GMO 101 is that the main controversy (aside from ignorant superstition) is how miltant and protective companies such as Monsanto are over the seeds because of just how valuable they are. Of course, they aren't going to just let you have the reproductive part of the pinapple they spent millions and millions on developing.

​@@islandfireballkillyou already can't legally sell them so I find it quite over the top, especially when they purposely lie about the reason. I hope they barely sell and they spend that money for nothing.

@@ikkeisikkethey can’t sell it in countries that have IP laws or respect other countries IP. That doesn’t necessarily apply world wide. For example, China can grow and sell them and even sell them in the USA bc they aren’t subject to the same IP laws.

He's greatest!

Only argument I make here is my cat...Instagram likes him 😂

I think Barry's the one without a mean bone in his body. Mike has some snark to go with the niceness!

I mean, the literal dictionary definition of pretentious is "attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed"... which lines up perfectly with how James describes it. And yeah, I have to agree with James; the Noma products are NOT pretentious in the slightest. ...NOW THE PINEAPPLE, ON THE OTHER HAND!!!!!!!

Came to the comments section to make this point. Noma is groundbreaking and quality. It can back everything up with quality.

@@SeanStrife Eh, I'd say Mike got closer to the mark right at the end, when he was saying that the Noma name was also the selling point. Telling someone 'it's a sauce from Noma' is part of the appeal of the product, so it's inherently pretentious. Similarly, Champagne is inherently more pretentious than Cremant, because of the fancy name. It doesn't mean it's bad, but it's still relatively pretentious.

Agreed. The Noma product is clearly expensive but there's nothing about it that reeks of prentiousness. It's just a quality product at a high price. Would love to try those sauces but there's no way I'm spending that sort of money on them.

@@efffvss That's the person choosing to be pretentious. There's nothing about that packaging that screams "pretentious". Yes, it has the Noma name on it but that's because they are the ones making it and their reputation helps sell it as a quality product. Which from the commentary, it is as good as one might expect. Now with champagne I can agree because we aren't talking about the quality of the product, but a rule on labeling that lends itself to pretentiousness.

Especially when James brought out the difference between the tastes being that the pink version has less of the tang/acidity which makes it worse. Though I wonder if it has less of that compound that tenderizes meat? If so it might be better for a marinade.

This is a VERY good point!!

I was expecting around 30 a bottle.. truly impressed that it was 30 for the whole set.

my wine from Aldi costs around 3 € and it's perfectly fine.

Like when they had the very expensive soy sauce. It was an ancient, labor intensive process that reflected the heritage of the region. Expensive as hell but totally grounded. Vs putting flecks of gold in something or making a product purely for the 'gram.

@@GraemeHein i agree. gold on anyhting is just making your poop valuable

The pink pineapple is tasty. Mike loved it. James was just trying hard to come up with excuses as to why he thinks it's bad and no one should like it. He was leaning into the "chef-y" snobbery expected of him. Obviously, so many of you, who relish in pretensions of class by looking down on popular trends, love that. I hope you appreciate the fact that all it will take is a couple of highly regarded chefs or restaurants to advertise that pineapple on their menus, and everyone of you will switch gears into "glacier water rice isn't pretentious" mode, without the slightest sense of irony. As long as a famous chef or restaurant is associated with it, a product can fleece you for any amount and still be considered "not pretentious", even if it's the modern equivalent of "cockentrice. Yet, no matter how special, as long as it is being marketed to the popular culture instead of to the gatekeepers of good taste, well then, of course, it is pointless. After all, you're too classy to enjoy things that the average person in your community likes. Why is a focus on aesthetics an automatic negative when contemporary cultures close to you do it but valid when similar things exist in India, Middle East, China, Japan or other "exotic" places? What purpose does saffron serve? What is the silver and gold foil on "traditional" Indian sweet for? Is it okay that sweet paste turned into flowers or such can cost you 20-30% more than it would've, had you just purchased the basic barfi version of it? Why have multiple cultures across time spent money and effort trying to source ingredients just to add a new colour to their foods? Why does China, and the whole region that used to be its cultural export market back in the day, not only use the most unusual ingredients they can find but also come up with tedious and complicated preparations that often make minimal difference to taste or nutrition, and purely exists as a means to show-off? Are you willing to criticize the average Japanese consumer just as harshly for paying exorbitant prices just for fruits to have an ideal appearance? Where's the vitriol for square watermelon? I did not bring up European/American instances only because that wouldn't have as much impact since those cultures aren't exotic enough for you to hold them as sacred.

@GraemeHein So, by your logic, the pink pineapple should arguably be more impressive. To create it in a relatively short timeframe, specialized engineers and biochemists would have put years of their skills and time into it. More than a century of technological know-how and several centuries of agricultural knowledge must have gone into it. In contrast, a generations-old recipe for a sauce or a pickle likely arose over a long period of time through many small iterations by numerous people. The company marketing it probably didn't need much in terms of R&D. Just like how finally identifying how to manufacture long-lasting, shelf-stable bread for military rations was a greater achievement than some artisan baker churning out sourdough breads based on a centuries-old technique. Would the pink pineapple not have been "pretentious" if only it had been "genetically engineered" 500 years ago? Or would it simply be okay if, instead of Del Monte, a Japanese company had come up with it? Exotic fetishization is clearly antagonistic to logic.

Found some comments that shed more light on the pink pineapple thing. Apparently, it is commonly available and much cheaper in North America. People have mentioned prices around $6 to $15. So, all it is is a variety of pineapple, slightly pricier because of its proprietary nature. How's that so different from special varieties of other fruit or veg being significantly pricier than the most commonly available varieties? Turns out the pineapple was the least "pretentious" out of all the items in this video. I'll translate it into a metropolitan Indian context, so its easier for me to find some reasonable analogues that I can use to do a one-to-one qualitative comparison. The pink pineapple occupies a similar niche as blueberries, avocados or fuji apples do in my city. I can convince my parents to allow in the house for an occasional treat or a special recipe. On the other hand the other three things are in the same category as paying 30000 rupees on a pair of shoes simply for the brand name when you can easily find really good pairs under 3000. That's the kind of thing that'll get you kicked out of the house even if you're the one paying the rent.

? He’s got brown hair lol

Yellow tomatoes, white cucumbers and yellow watermelon can all be bought at markets and some supermarkets here in Australia. Where do you live that they are considered exotic?

Great comment!

Don't forget Alberto and Tonini 😂

@@bcaye Ah, the classic duo!😂

It probably is the tax importing it into the UK.

$6 at Kroger in Texas

@@TT_415 🙄 This is an UK channel. The pink pineapple is at this moment only available in the USA and Canada, so it's not exported by any company or it's added import tax.

​@madamnicknack Very aware it's a UK channel. You have no special, secret knowledge that others do not have.

Ben and this year's allotment!

Kush and his also new baby

In your opinion, what is that difference? I just can't see the point of selling stale rice (or dry beans, for that matter) for even more money.

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 There's a difference between aged & stale/off. Think aged cheddar, whisky, wine. Yes if produce isn't aged properly it goes off & is awful. I've never had the rice they talked about so can't comment of the angiosperm being absorbed into the grain. But aged basmati rice has a lower moisture content meaning it cooks differently & the flavour is better...riceier & more fragrant. As with any ageing process it'll have to be done carefully. Old stale grains & pulses are just that - stale.They'll have to be kept in stable environments.

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 For example think of milk. Fresh milk is great. Off milk is awful. Off-Off milk, cheese is great. Off-Off-Off milk - Aged cheese is even better. Or bread dough. Fresh cooked bread is one of life's great wonders. But let that dough age a bit - some would say go stale/off...you get sourdough. Lock-down folk & hipsters go nuts for the stuff. 😆

New parents?

Yeah, I was wondering why so many chefs were backing the product when listening to Mike and James it didn't seem like the rice was that much better. Perhaps they use it to help sell their food's story and justify the high prices they charge?

@@nanoflower1 "We've got some old rice that sat in a silo for several years, do we throw it out?" "What? No! Sell it for a higher price and tell people it's *aged* !"

well to be honest the mistake is from jamie...because in italian the a sound from Antonini is phonetically like "a" sound from "Appreciate"

I think the sorted team said in a previous video he is not back full time.

We’re all on our own journey - maybe try introducing one to your family one at a time?

Could give it a try.

Roadkill possum. The only way to make that taste anything other than bad would be to have your tongue surgically removed. ^-^

Try adding that to some durian to see if it can improve it. Or that fermented fish that comes from one of the Scandanavian countries.