No more Queer Eye

[elfs]

Omaha and I have given up watching Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. In the first two seasons, the show had an honesty and verve that wasn't anywhere else on television. It was about finding poor schlubs and improving them in some way; going through the motions of metro'ing a guy: teaching him how to wash himself, maintain his dwelling, dress successfully, cook for himself and his partner, and choose the right music and media for wooing. Such stuff was edifying and generally kid-safe.

But the the latest season is just awful. The show's success seems to have taken off the brakes. Because they're a good forum for hawking products, Kaya's no longer about obscure but interesting things he likes: instead he has to sell Novena and Nutregena and stuff you can get off Amazon. Tom pimps for Ikea, and Carson does the Target "name" lines. The "fab five" aren't so fabulous anymore: they seem to believe that, being on cable and being successful, they can get away with anything, and the level of raunch they feel comfortable using has gone up to levels such that it's no longer near-acceptable for the kids to watch.

That's just sad. It was a good show once.

This summer, I've trying out Zinfandels to see what all the bad publicity was about. Yeah, they're one step up from wine-coolers and it's hard to ruin them (although Cypress 2005 tries hard) and there are some drier varieties that are really delicious (like Big House, which unfortunately has stopped making its blush line). Last week as I was sitting down to dinner with a glass, I picked it in the same way I usually pick up a red, and Kouryou-chan said, "Daddy! That's a white wine! You're supposed to hold it by the stem!"

I can only hope that such refinements of life stick with her when she's old enough for it to actually matter. Fortunately, at six she doesn't even like the way wine smells and has no interest in its taste. She's a weird kid anyway: she'd rather drink milk than soda pop and usually leaves her fruit juice half-drunk anyway.

Comments

[velvet-wood.livejournal.com]

Last week as I was sitting down to dinner with a glass, I picked it in the same way I usually pick up a red, and Kouryou-chan said, "Daddy! That's a white wine! You're supposed to hold it by the stem!"

That is terribly, terribly adorable, you know.

Heh. I'm 33 and I agree with her on the taste and smell of wine. I think it's pretty, sometimes, but then I actually try some and it's all I can do not to gag. I'm horribly unsophisticated, I guess, since the only 'wine' I halfway enjoy is one particular brand of plum wine served at my favorite Japanese restaurant. Icewine sounds like it might be drinkable, too, but most of it... even the terms used to describe it sound revolting.

When my son was nine he seemed somewhat interested when we were having after-dinner drinks with friends, asking what we had, so I told him. Knowing that if he decided to sneak a taste of his own, my amerreto (kept in the freezer cause I like it that way) would be the easiest for him to find and is sweet enough that he might actually _like_ it, I had Shay give him a sip of his scotch instead. Heh. That was the funniest face I'd seen on him since he grabbed a lemon wedge off my glass and bit into it when he was a toddler. Since, if there's alcohol in the house, he just gives us this disbelieving, disgusted look as if he can't believe we're crazy enough to drink _that_. Just the effect I was after. :) Only tequilla could have accomplished it better, I believe.

Still... tiny little girl lecturing you on how to hold you wine... that's just so adorable. Guess she told you! You have darling daughters, Elf.

[fallenpegasus]

I'm afraid I have to agree about QEftSG.