During childhood, I realized that I much prefer seeing others cook rather than doing the act myself. My sister and I grew up watching the golden age of Food Network, and those interests have aged alongside me, since my current YouTube watch-list includes producers such as Tasty and Bon Appetit. However, while the recipes and challenges were entertaining and reflected a new era of online content creation, I also enjoyed creators who were able to imbue the content with personality and humor.
You Suck At Cooking’s (YSAC) unique channel name was what initially caught my attention. “I know I suck at cooking; how did he also know that?” But what I interpreted as a provocation and insult turned out to be an agreeable an entertaining culinary philosophy.
The “refined use” of culinary technique portrayed within each video greatly contrasts with YSAC’s own diction. Whisking, mixing, and stirring all fall under the classification of a “wangjangle”. Just adding a few grinds of pepper is not stimulating enough, so he spices it up by annunciating and repeating the condiment’s name three times. (Pepper, pepper, pepper!) Preheating is referred to as “setting the undo on three fundo”. The unique nature of his cooking terminology distinguishes his methodology of teaching as creative, heavily scuffed, and just a bit absurd when it comes to creating unconventional dishes like cauliflower mac and cheese, chopped salami grilled cheese, green beer, modified ramen, and zucchini noodles.
You wouldn’t think that creating and sharing recipes online would involve a ton of editing, but YSAC employs adobe premiere to further differentiate himself within the industry. Incorporated within each recipe is some sort of small skit that ranges from YSAC finding elusive ingredients in the wild, showcasing impossible traditional chopping or prepping methods through edited superimposition, or performing a song alongside visuals of puppies to close out the episode. I believe that these components contribute to the widespread success of the channel, since all variations draw in a diverse audience, not solely those who come for general cooking advice.
Unconventional cooking techniques facilitated through editing (Provided by MakeaGIF and Giphy)
After watching a variety of mainstream television cooking shows, I realized that every chef personality portrayed for entertainment boils down into three types. You have the happy go lucky ones like Adam Richmand and Andrew Zimmern, the cheerful but serious-when-the-situation-calls-for-it hosts like Alton Brown and Anne Burell, and finally, the extremely passionate but easily irritable ones akin to your Gordon Ramsey. All draw in a good majority of viewers, because these three intrinsic emotions connect to a multitude of different individuals.
Personally, after maturing and realizing that cooking in real life is much more nonchalant, I realized that something as casual and muted as YSAC was ultimately more enjoyable to watch than much of what food television has to offer currently. With every video, you do not know what to expect until after the episode ends. It could be an extension of the loosely enforced lore of the “YSAC Pimblokto arc”, an elaborately constructed narrative on why cumin is the best spice, or, at the end of the day, just another recipe or general advice for how to not suck at cooking.
Learn how to not suck at cooking and check out YSAC’s book:
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