I am so mad right now that I’m not going to bother trying to write any kind of cohesive post. I’m going to rant. And you’re going to like it.
The deal is this: British “Chef”, fan of obscenity, and all-around prick Gordon Ramsay was on Conan last night. Per usual for the overinflated limey windbag, he had an awful lot to say. Normally I don’t put much stock into his puffed-up bile-spewing. His irrepressible crudeness is usually good for a chuckle, but on last night’s appearance, he let a comment fly that made my blood run cold. This quote and the video are over on Eat Me Daily:
“When McDonald calls him a “cook,” Ramsay responds “Big boy, use the word ‘chef.’ Ladies cook.”
Um, excuse me? Aw, HELL NAW! First of all, motherfucker, LADIES CAN BE CHEFS, TOO!!!!!!!!!!! Hard to believe, I know, but it is a fact. What the fuck is Ramsay trying to say here, that he deserves a title -which connotates power, achievement, honor, and respect, simply because he’s a man, while ladies who do the same job get no such recognition? So, what he’s saying is that females, by virtue of simply being women, despite any amount of ability don’t deserve titles and all that goes along with them? Or, is he saying that the act of preparing food itself has less merit when a woman does it, as opposed to when the kitchen is blessed by the superiority of the male sex? You know what, I don’t even think that anything resembling a thought went through Ramsay’s brain before the gaping, flapping hole in his face barfed out that priceless little soundbite. This is just the way this ridiculous, small little man thinks, just like so many other men in the restaurant world. One thing I can give Ramsay credit for, though, is that with one little off-the-cuff statement he did manage to handily sum up everything that is wrong with not only the culinary world, but also with every prestigious industry that makes it damn near impossible for women to get a foot in the door. It’s shit like this that is the root of the pay disparity problem, sexual harassment in the workplace, the glass ceiling, even domestic violence. When a group is openly thought to be a lesser being than another group, the only possible outcome is degradation and oppression.
I say FUCK THAT. There is no reason why when a man does a job it’s suddenly worthy of respect, but if a woman does it, it’s just some menial task that should be overlooked or altogether written-off. So fuck you, Gordon Ramsay. Stupid misogynist motherfucker can eat the biggest bag of dicks and choke on it, and I hope nobody gives his ass the Heimlich. I swear to god, I will never buy one of his books, tune in to his goddamn TV shows, or in any way support such a despicable, condescending bastard. And if I see him on the street, man, I will cut him. Words, knives, whatever.
/rant
ButtercupPunch - "La clique, c’est chic!" 
February 13, 2009 at 11:56 am
Those red letters across his forehead are right. He is a hateful douchenugget.
I’ve always said “chef” or “cook” and never thought one or the other went with a gender. To me, chef implies a bit more professional, while cook could mean the guy at Popeye’s. Which is probably why Gordon prefers the distinction. I’m with you on the “fuck you, Gordon Ramsay.”
February 13, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck that. Fuck him.
Please tell me Conan didn’t laugh at that. I can’t watch the clip at work.
February 13, 2009 at 1:56 pm
OH, I see. A “chef” gets paid to cook, it’s just a lady’s duty.
Got it.
February 13, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a “lady”, then.
February 13, 2009 at 2:01 pm
The audience booed, and he said, “I’m kidding! I’m kidding!”
At least people booed, you know?
February 13, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Forgive me if I’m having an Andy Rooney moment, but when did these assholes poke their heads out of their kitchens to start acting like superheroes, and would they please go back inside and plunge their heads into the deep fat fryer?Gordon, you make food for a living. You don’t save orphans from malaria. You are mildly interesting at best. Up the shut fuck.
February 13, 2009 at 2:47 pm
“up the shut fuck”
I like that.
February 13, 2009 at 3:44 pm
You should, um, totally watch Top Chef! They’re much more respectful there. None of – well, infinitely less of – the drama, abuse and ridiculousness.
February 13, 2009 at 4:19 pm
That was a really asshole thing to say … but back when I used to watch Hell’s Kitchen, women did win once or twice, and I never got any sense that he felt the female contestants were any more useless than the male contestants (caveat: he did seem to think everyone, in general, was pretty useless).
February 13, 2009 at 4:43 pm
What an insecure, ignorant little man with a ridiculous sense of self importance. Let’s see what your schtick is when the failing economy puts you in you back in your rightful place – the scullery!
February 13, 2009 at 9:59 pm
It is such a short-sighted attitude. Especially when many chefs had Mothers have influenced them. Jacques Pépin may have started as a kitchen boy but he grew up in his Mother’s little bistro kitchen and he recognizes her place in his life.
No respect. What a dick.
February 14, 2009 at 9:21 am
Asshole. At least people booed at him; that restores a bit of my faith in humanity.
February 14, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I’d still hit it.
February 15, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Barbara Fisher, at Tigers & Strawberries, would say that Ramsay has his head up his ass regarding the definition of who is and is not a “chef”.
February 15, 2009 at 1:19 pm
@Lipstick: I enjoy your inimitable ability to sum things up.
I take Ramsay’s extremely ill-judged and idiotic remark to mean that he was drawing a distinction between a professional chef (an ARTISTE, you know) and what people do at home, preparing meals for their families, and not so much a slur on women’s chefing/cheffing/??? abilities.
As LeslieAnne commented above, Ramsay was just as hard on his female contestants on “Hell’s Kitchen” as his male contestants, and praised them equally for their successes, in my estimation. He’s an arrogant prick, no question, but I’ve never felt like he’s a misogynist. That said, it was an incredibly dumb remark and I agree with your assessment that he just put no thought whatsoever into it. I think he was just playing big personality to the cameras, like he always does.
February 17, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Oh, boy.
I am SO glad I didn’t see that.
Though, as a professional chef who used to be a professional cook, I have to say that his attitude is typical of the old-school sexism that was and still is part of the professional kitchen. (This does not change the fact that Ramsay is a douchenugget.)
The deal is–the way to deal with this shit if you are in a kitchen as a woman is to dish it out and not take their bullshit sexist attitudes.
And as for sexual harassment–which is also rampant in the industry–you have to totally nip that in the bud.
I think I might write a post on this for tomorrow.