So some of you may be thinking “what is this show that this person is so crazy about?” And I am here to tell you exactly that.
As I briefly explained in my earlier post, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives is a television program hosted by Guy Fieri on the Food Network channel. The show has a sort of “road trip” concept where Guy travels around the country in search of the best diners, drive-in restaurants, and dive bars. The show debuted in April of 2007 on the Food Network channel and had earlier appeared as a one-hour special in November of 2006. Later on March 31, 2008 when the Food Network channel launched its HD simulcast, the series began being presented in high-definition.
Each and every episode is original and has a unifying name that corresponds to the food that is being shown (i.e. burgers, barbeque, comfort food, etc.). During the half-hour show, Guy visits three restaurants that serve the food that has to do with the theme of the episode. The show mainly focuses on small, independent restaurants that serve all types of food from traditional American-style cuisine, ethnic foods, or regional specialties. No chains or fancy restaurants here…just the good stuff. The places Guy visits only serve the best of the best: fresh ingredients and home-style recipes.
Now I should probably tell you a little more about the host since he’s basically what the whole show is about…right? Guy Fieri was born on January 22, 1968 in Columbus Ohio but shortly moved to Ferndale, California where he spent most of his childhood years. When he was growing up, Guy was always interested in food. He even made money by selling soft pretzels from a three-wheel bicycle that his dad made for him called “The Awesome Pretzel”. Guy loved food from the time he was young, but he wasn’t too serious about actually pursuing it as a career.
So you may be asking yourself “how did he become so famous?” Well when he was out of college, he and his buddies were joking around and told him that he should make an audition video for The Next Food Network Star, just for fun. An apparently, the people at Food Network loved him, because they asked him to be on the next season of their show! And let’s just say he won by a landslide, guaranteeing him a show on the Food Network channel. I think you know where it goes from here. People all across America fell in love with this laid back California dude with his signature spiky, bleached blonde hair, flip flop shoes, bowling shirts, well-known classic Chevrolet Camaro convertible car (which he drives in most of his episodes), and sunglasses worn on the back of his head.
In his show, Guy expresses his humor and playfulness with his viewers. At the restaurants, he interacts with the customers, to get the inside scoop on the best food to get, and with the kitchen staff who often demonstrate how to cook some of their signature dishes and reveal their secrets about how to make the best food they have to offer.
