Food and television go hand in hand. Why else would cooking shows be so unbelievably popular? There’s even an entire cable network devoted to food—the Food Network! So it was only a matter of time before cooking came to the reality television genre. As both a fan of food and reality t.v., this was a combination that left me drooling.

My favorite reality television shows include “Iron Chef America” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” “Iron Chef America” airs on Food Network, while “Hell’s Kitchen” airs on FOX.

“Iron Chef America” is a spin-off of the original “Iron Chef”, which first started airing in Japan. The show features top chefs (Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay, and Masaharu Morimoto) battling against lesser-known chefs from the U.S. Each chef has one or two assistants to help them produce a variety of entrees in a one hour time period with an ingredient that isn’t revealed until the start of the show.

“Hell’s Kitchen” stars Chef Gordon Ramsay, a Brit with a major case of potty mouth. Ramsay puts two teams of contestants through their paces, eventually doing full dinner services for actual diners. Ramsay is a perfectionist and has no problems cussing out the team members and shutting down service hours ahead of the scheduled close of the restaurant. In recent seasons, however, we’ve seen a more human side of Ramsay, though it’s usually when dinner service is not in session.

There are other reality food shows but we’ll get to those another day. For now, happy eating!

I’ll admit I’m late to the Chinese food table. It’s only been about five years since I first started enjoying this ethnic cuisine. To complicate matters, I was started at what is considered one of the best Chinese restaurants in the U.S., so any Chinese I’ve tried outside of there has noticeably fallen short, by comparison.

Yet, when I heard of this new fast food experiment in the UK, I was immediately intrigued: fast food Chinese! Alan Yau is the master chef behind this. Yau, while similar in fame to Gordon Ramsay, is not a chef most of the general public knows about. But he’s been down a similar road with fast food before.

Sixteen years ago, Yau changed the fast food game in Britain with his chain of Wagamama restaurants. He hopes to do the same now, with his Asian cuisine.

For the first year, Yau has vowed to not charge more than 3.5 British pounds, per dish. Though he will take a hit to his wallet on some dishes, he feels the low rate is worth it to see what works and what does not.

Isn’t that a fresh idea? I see McDonald’s doing this, often times, with their new menu items, but that’s it. I think more of the fast food restaurants would save money in the long run by following Yau’s example to discount upfront.

No matter what happens, the thought of having quality fast food Sesame Chicken and egg rolls is so drool-worthy that I may not be able to sleep tonight!

Men have a reputation for liking meaty meals. My boyfriend, in particular, seems to enjoy his pizza and subs with every kind of meat available. For me, that’s too confusing to my taste buds. I’d rather concentrate on a couple of complementary flavors. This is why we usually have to order two different pizzas, subs, etc.

At any rate, summer is a great time to try some different meaty meals for your dad, granddad, brother, son, and/or male friends. Even if it’s your first time trying one of these meat-ful recipes, you know guys will be eager to try it!

For one thing, just about anything done on the grill is going to be a hit. You can try an old fave (chicken, steak, burgers) and play with the spicing and marinade. Grill up some veggies to either serve on the side or on top of the meat. If doing burgers, try lightly grilling the buns to add even more manly flare.

Or to get a great meat-meal indoors, try one of the many versions of brisket that you can slow cook in a crock pot all day. I saw a great recipe for chile and beer braised brisket that you can probably find by using a search engine. Be creative and try some different brisket recipes yourself.

Finally, don’t forget to add some good side dishes to whatever meatable meal you choose. Potatoes are always great, veggies make you feel like you’re paying attention to the guys’ health needs, and dessert makes a fabulous finish for anyone.

Mmmmm… Nathan’s Famous is one of my favorite fast food options. Not only is their food delicious and widely available, it’s affordable. Their famous hot dogs make me drool simply upon mention. Hello, Pavlov’s Dogs!

At any rate, I was most excited for Nathan’s when I read that they are continuing their international expansion. They have recently signed with Canada to open restaurants there. More exciting, they are opening restaurants at one of the most intriguing foreign locales of today—Dubai! Dubai and Kuwait City will be getting their own “Nathan’s Famous” franchises.

Dubai is a hot international locale, in part, because of the fact that there is no sales tax! It’s fast becoming the number one foreign location for billionaires to have a home. The islands are super-modern and consumer satisfaction is priority number one.

If you’re not in Dubai, Kuwait City, or any city where a franchise is located, you’ll be relieved to know you still have an option. Nathan’s Famous has an online store where you can order their family-size packs of bigger-than-the-bun dogs, as well as other non-edible merchandise.

Personally, my favorite dog is a Chicago-style dog with an all-beef hot dog, pickles, mustard, ketchup, onion, and cheese. Yuuuuuuuuuummmmm. Okay, I think it’s time we part, so that we may indulge our hot dog cravings.