How did you get hooked on Food Network?

[Kansan]

I thought this would be a fun topic, as we probably all have our stories.

Mine is from around 2000. Emeril is what got me hooked, so I hate it when I read people hard on him. I absolutely loved his show and would watch it every night. From there I got interested in some of the other shows, like Unwrapped. I also remember Tyler doing a show once on the various peppers that I thought was fascinating.

Since then, I was a huge Rachel Ray fan for a while -- loved $40 a day, that was informative and she was fun. Since then she's worn on me though I dont get the hatred some have for her. She's a nice gal and is very smart at making a ton of money -- and a lot of people LOVE HER.

Now I've become a huge Bobby Flay fan, as I find him, much like Emeril, to be the perfect mix between quality chef, entertainer, and also educational. He's confident (non confident people are boring) but not too cocky, and he knows what he's talking about.

[MiseEnPlace]

I'm a long time food TV junkie, going back to my childhood watching cooking shows on PSB. I knew about Food Network for years, but my cable service didn't offer it. Finally, in early 2001 I got digital satellite service and saw Food Network for the first time.

I knew about Emeril, so I watched him a lot. Still like him. That first week of having FN was awesome and I started checking out their programming.

I remember being up real late at night catching this kind of goofy guy using pop culture and science in his show. Needless to say I was hooked from the moment I first saw that! And Good Eats has been my favorite FN show since.

I watched a lot of FN back then, certainly not as much as I do now.

[BerryBaby]

FN was very popular back east for years before we got it out here. My family would tell me about it, but I had no idea what it was about. Then, a few years back, our cable provider started offering FN. I've been hooked ever since. Don't even remember what I use to watch before FN became available. Must not have been very interesting.

[Food Network Fan]

It was Emeril for me too. I loved watching him and I still do. Then came Alton and I was hooked for good.

[tuthead]

No surprises here, I'm sure, but it was definitely Iron Chef. (In fact, the only thing I ever watch on Food Network other than IC is Good Eats.) Iron Chef is what caused me to look for more Japanese music, TV, etc. and start dabbling in learning a little bit of the language. Now, I have DVDs and hard drives full of Japanese music, PVs, and TV shows thanks to those wacky Tetsujin.

[isilzha]

I liked watching Emeril Live and Iron Chef. Although my Food Network tastes have changed a little, I still enjoy a lot of the shows.

tuthead, my sister is absolutely in love with Japanese culture, and she's trying to learn some of the language and listens to the music. I l ike the Zatoichi movies, but I don't go much beyond that.