John Bull's Reggae Kitchen, the best darn cooking show online
This is it, the best darn cooking show online. Ladies and gentlemen, meet John Bull and his Reggae Kitchen.
I'm entirely serious. I've seen a lot of cooking shows on the web and let me tell you nobody got my attention like this guy did. Hardly anyone on TV does anymore either. I found him earlier today, and just watched his entire line up. He's great!
Watch him fry dough in lard with Paula Deen's abandon, but he did her one better by breaking into a little impromptu reggae tune even gave us a little dance..
Flo-wah dompleeng maan, itsa poor man's bread in Ja-may-ka
Adorable! He's even got an Emeril moment in there--well, Emeril before the annoying BAM! took him over entirely--telling the audience to add just a leetle beet of cari pow-dah in da saltfish while dumping it on without missing a beat, like Emeril winking at the audience with his, just a little cah-yeane.
From what I gathered he's got a Jamaican restaurant in Stockholm. Go figure. He has a bunch of shows up on Dayrobber.com, a Swedish Web TV site, I embeded one video here, but you should go watch them all!
P.S. I just read this post I realized I didn't say enough about the food. It looked great! You can really tell that he's really a cook and he just loves what he does. It's also fun watching him fumbling around in his well-worn and well-loved kitchen, pulling a pan from the bottom of a big pile and somehow not toppling the whole thing over!
















Hah, indeed adorable! John Bull is definitely my favourite tv cook from now on :) I'm also glad I live in Helsinki, Stockholm ain't that far away! Thanks for the post!
Posted by: Pekka Tolvanen | Mar 11, 2008 4:46:26 AM
Nothing beats Caribbean cooking! And the way he cooks definitely reminds me of my in-laws! Thanks for sharing Pim.
BTW, have you tried Trinidadian cuisine? If you ever make your way to Trinidad & Tobago, I would recommend the Tree Top restaurant in Speyside, which is in Tobago. Part of the restaurant itself is built in a tree right on the beach. Yep, a tree. The tree is still alive, btw. The trunk serves as a post holding up the restaurant floor. I ate there twice and they make the best coconut shrimp I've ever had.
Posted by: Simon | Mar 11, 2008 10:15:59 AM
Never mind the reggae (actually - LOVE this - thank you for the recommendation)
MUCH more important is your status as the 18th most powerful blog in the world! I particularly loved that you are well above Michelle Malkin!
And I've met you! I had no idea at the time of your power and prestige so please forgive anything wrong I may have said.
Seriously though - it was great to have food blogs - and especially yours and C&Z (and Waiter rant and beansprouts) on the list
Posted by: Owen | Mar 11, 2008 11:44:28 AM
OMGosh those dumplings make me hungry!!
mary
Posted by: hoganfe handbags | Mar 11, 2008 12:06:57 PM
My favorite webchef is Manjula, by far. She has several videos on Youtube. It's like having an Indian auntie teaching you how to cook. No gimmicks. You can't watch her without wanting to run into the kitchen to try out her recipes. I've tried several so far, and not only does she make it look easy, but the recipes are very clear, and the results are excellent.
Posted by: -- | Mar 11, 2008 2:48:37 PM
Rustic cooking with an easygoing personality and a obscure style of cooking is a great combination. Kinda reminds me of "Sam the Cooking Guy".
Food Network spends too much time promoting hyperactive people with stereotypical personalities working in sterile kitchens. As a result, there are a lot of copycats on TV and on the web looking for fame.
Posted by: Velops | Mar 12, 2008 10:44:45 AM
Thank you PIm!!!
Posted by: Kynan | Mar 13, 2008 3:35:52 PM
Now you talking. Reggae music ALWAYS makes things better in the kitchen. Everyting eyrie.
Posted by: Judith Klinger | Mar 14, 2008 10:26:19 AM
Thanks Pim! This guy is great! I just fwd the page with his video to one of my brothers (not the one who was looking for a room in Brooklyn ;-)) who is in love with reggae :-)
Posted by: Babeth | Mar 14, 2008 3:59:59 PM
entertaining, but would anyone who likes food actually eat this stuff? Brr
Posted by: dennar | Mar 15, 2008 5:16:32 AM
Whoa! I think I'm in LOVE! I never think of watching shows online, maybe it's b/c I hate my computer (it's old)? I'm totally going to follow your lead on this one!
Now, I wish TV could pick up personalities like this. But, sadly, like most other TV "cooks", the network will probably over-market them which means over-hype, thus forcing the 'cook' to become over-hyped and annoying. It's happened way too often these days. Like you said, BAM! ruined Emeril to a certain extent.
Thanks for the tip on John Bull.
Amy @ http://www.weareneverfull.com
Posted by: We Are Never Full | Mar 16, 2008 10:21:14 AM
love this guy, love his accent...man.Also he's the only one I've ever seen wearing gloves.
Posted by: Kathy | Mar 16, 2008 2:33:39 PM
This guy is great. The crazy part of it is that you would expect to take a trip to Jamaica,walk right off the beach in flip flops and bathing suit and eat some "salfish flitters mon", but no you have to go to Stockholm if you want to go to his restaurant. One love.
Posted by: chris | Mar 17, 2008 9:46:42 PM
This guy brings so much character and fun to his cooking, it's exactly what I like to see in a kitchen.
Posted by: Jeremy | Mar 19, 2008 6:03:53 PM
You're welcome all. I just adore him. Too bad Stockholm is a bit too far to drop by for dinner!
Posted by: Pim | Mar 20, 2008 1:16:33 AM
Thank you for the wonderful link Pim. I've loved Jamaican food since my family took a vacation there when I was 15-- we had the same fried dough (they were called Johnny cakes) for breakfast every day for a week and I was in heaven.
It's so nice to see a chef with both real personality and an easy-going nature (why is that combination so rare among TV cooks?), who obviously loves what he does and makes it look easy.
Posted by: Amy | Mar 29, 2008 5:31:56 PM
Thank you so much for the link!
I'm swiss and Jamaïcan and i am so happy to watch great Jamaican food on internet :)
Posted by: sooishi | May 5, 2008 7:35:05 AM