An Interesting Proposal
Imagine being invited to an elaborate dinner party hosted by some of the country’s best up-and-coming chefs. You arrive and the party looks immaculate, all the details have been meticulously planned and you’re about to dig into some of the finest cuisine imaginable. Dinner is served and you come to find out that all of the main dishes have been sprinkled with keef and your kombucha has been infused with cannabis. This essentially sums up Viceland’s Bong Appétit.
The Craft
This cannabis cooking show is impressively more sophisticated than you might believe. Stunningly directed and edited, Bong Appétit is a real treat no matter the viewer’s experience with marijuana. Hosted by Vice’s very own Abudallah Saeed, each episode centers around a themed dinner party. In one episode Saeed sets up a mascarade party and in another he throws a cannabis-infused Korean dinner with chef Deuki Hong. The dinner is even complete with fried chicken tossed in a keef seasoning.
An Episodic Cooking Odyssey
In the episode where Saeed and How throw a Korean-inspired dinner, the group comes up with the idea of making Spicy Army Stew, or as it is known in Korea, Budae Jjigae. The dish is essentially Spam, sausages, fermented kimchi, onions, ramen noodles, a few slices of American cheese and of course a seasoning mixed with keef. Hong refers to it as “Korea’s Stoner Dish” and that seems like an accurate title.
Pushing the Boundaries
The creations in this show are innovative as well as the methods they use to infuse the dishes with marijuana. The culinary experience is approached with respect, and most importantly, a whole hell of a lot of fun. I was really caught off-guard by this show — before diving into watching it, I thought the idea of cooking with weed would be disgusting. However, flavor nuances of the plant are discussed in ways I didn’t expect. It is the focus of the procurement of marijuana that is the other interesting half of the show. Strains of weed that smell and taste like pineapple and strawberry lemonade are infused into dishes. It’s done in a way that enhances them, instead of overpowering them. It has opened up my mind to an entirely different way of enjoying food and pushing the boundaries of the culinary experience. Who knew cooking while “baking” could be so revolutionary.
Final Thought
While the hosts and chefs alike in Bong Appétit get stoned stupid at the end of each episode, Viceland’s new outing proves to be much more than dumb fun.