|
|
Cesar Millan
and Rachael Ray: America's Great Escape Artists
by
Maggie Van Ostrand |
|
During
the Great Depression of the 1930s, the American people, desperately
in need of relief from fears about the future, turned for escape to
movie stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers for champagne and chiffon,
horseracing icon, Seabiscuit, for inspiration and heart, and heavyweight
boxer, Joe Louis, for action and grace.
Similarly, Americans in 2006, with different fears about the future,
also look for escape. No longer admired by the rest of the world,
vulnerable to attack from within and without, and helpless to prevent
greedy fingers from emptying our pockets faster than Streisand can
schedule another comeback tour, we need to get away from it all.
To whom do we turn today for solace, now that movie musicals, star
horses, and the Brown Bomber are gone? Easy. We're turning in droves
to two proven comfort givers, dogs and food.
Daily relief is being gobbled up by millions of viewers of National
Geographic's "Dog Whisperer," Cesar Millan, and the Food Network's
Rachael Ray. |
| The
public is avidly behind both contemporary stars, each of whom has
a book on the best-seller lists. "Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday
Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems," and "Rachael
Ray 365: No Repeats -- A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (A
30-Minute Meal Cookbook)." |
|
|
America is tuning
out, and turning on to dogs and food.
In addition to best sellers, both icons have hit TV shows, and Cesar
Millan has a dozen DVDs on the best-seller lists, while Rachael Ray
has several shows on Food Network: 30 Minute Meals, $40 a Day, Inside
Dish, and Tasty Travels, plus ten cookbooks, cookware, and a popular
magazine, "Every Day With Rachael Ray," published by Readers Digest.
One is American by birth, the other by choice.
Cesar
Millan, who, according to the May 22nd issue of The New Yorker, crawled
across the border 14 years ago, has no formal trainer training. He
taught himself about dogs while he was growing up on his grandfather's
farm in Sinaloa, Mexico. As a child, he was called "el Perrero," the
"dog boy." He patiently watched and studied dogs' behavior until he
was able to imagine himself inside the dog's head, and could anticipate
the dog's next move, as well as how to control it. That was the birth
of National Geographic's Dog Whisperer. |
| Dog
Whisperer with Cesar Millan Vol. I |
|
| Dog
Whisperer with Cesar Millan Vol. II |
|
|
| Author Malcolm
Gladwell's Profile on Cesar Millan for The New Yorker, called "What
the Dog Saw: Cesar Millan and the Movements of Mastery" likens Cesar's
physical movements to both politics and dancing. The article rhapsodizes
over similarities between Millan and "movement masters" Ronald Reagan
and Bill Clinton, and the grace of Millan's movements as studied by
Karen Bradley, head of the graduate dance program at the University
of Maryland. Cesar thought he was a dog whisperer but he might really
be Barishnikov. |
Viewers
hooked on his hit show watch Cesar Millano train the owners, more
than the dogs. There are no bad Rottweilers, no bad Pit Bulls, and
no bad Chihauhaus, just owners who often allow their dogs get away
with running the whole show, like a spoiled child. In Mexico, a person
is a person and a dog is a dog. Then Cesar came along and pointed
out the reason why dogs should be dogs: there's only one pack leader
and that job rightly belongs to the person who pays the rent, and
that's rarely Fido.
When this fact is accepted by owners, their pet problems are pretty
much solved. Ask Oprah. She called Cesar's 911 for help with her dog,
Sophie, who had issues with other dogs. Oprah worked hard to earn
her new tee shirt from Cesar, which loudly proclaims Oprah "Pack Leader."
Sophie's much better behaved now that she's been socialized by a pack
of Cesar's dogs.
Cesar operates the Dog Psychology Center in South Central Los Angeles,
where troubled dogs, like those rescued in the wake of Katrina whose
owners have not yet been found, can learn to get along with each other
while the search for their owners continues. Though Cesar is generous
with hugs for his clients, the kisses are reserved for his wife, Illusion. |
Though
Cesar's professional attention is not required for Rachael Ray's beloved
pit bull, IsaBoo, they have something else in common. Rachael has
also helped Oprah, giving her some 30-minute meal tips. Called the
"Kitchen Queen" by fans and the media, Rachael Ray's winning personality
is closer to quick-witted, warm Julia Child than to aloof, cool Martha
Stewart.
A famous episode of Julia Child's PBS series shows the master chef
dropping a chicken on the floor, and an episode of Rachael Ray's Food
Network series shows her shaking a bottle of A1 sauce; the top falls
off and the contents shoot across the kitchen. "Don't try this at
home," laughs Rachael, a master of the quick save. Accidents happen
in real life and it's refreshing to see no cover-up on TV shows. Just
like home.
Rachel's easy, running patter is fast, funny, and continues as she
piles up ingredients chin high from cabinet to counter. This no-frills
approach is enormously endearing. She's one of us, even if she does
chop veggies faster. She describes the aroma and taste of each ingredient,
and her presentation of the finished meal is excellent.
Her presentation of herself is excellent, too. She doesn't dress as
though Rodeo Drive is outside her door; she dresses like real people
do, and sometimes, she's even (gasp) a little overweight. Unlike most
television chefs with state-of-the-art cooking equipment at eye level,
she has to bend down to use her oven, just like regular people with
regular ovens.
According to her magazine's website, Ray comes from a long line of
cooks. Her maternal grandfather grew and cooked everything for his
family of 12, and her dad's family was steeped in the food-rich traditions
of Louisiana. The Rays owned a family restaurant on Cape Cod, eventually
relocating to upstate New York, where her mother went to work as food
supervisor for a restaurant chain. "I was surrounded by all different
styles of cooking and worked in the food service industry in just
about every capacity you can imagine."
Rachael landed at Macy's Marketplace in New York, first at the candy
counter, then as the manager of the Fresh Foods Department. She helped
open Agata & Valentina, a prestigious New York gourmet market, where
she was store manager and buyer.
Being on New York's fast track wasn't as appealing to Ray as the Adirondacks
had been, so she went back home, and managed pubs and restaurants
at Lake George's very upscale Sagamore resort.
Rachael was recruited by Cowan & Lobel, a large gourmet market in
New York's state capital, Albany, as food buyer, and she added to
that the job of chef. To increase sales during the holidays, Ray began
a series of cooking classes, which quickly became a happening. The
cooking course taught thirty "30-Minute Mediterranean Meals," and
became so popular that the local media sent a feature reporter to
cover the phenomenon.
The following week, WRGB-TV/CBS Albany-Schenectady, approached Ray
about doing a weekly segment, 30-Minute Meals, for the evening news.
Nominated for two regional Emmys the first year, the show was a major
success. Her companion cookbook sold 10,000 copies locally over the
holidays.
"My life has been a total accident, a very happy, wonderful accident
that I didn't and couldn't have planned," says Ray. Despite her growing
celebrity, she is determined to stay grounded, and still lives with
her family in a cabin in the Adirondacks.
We might still be afraid of the future but, with Americans like Cesar
Millan and Rachael Ray, we're learning how to be pack-leading, home-cooking,
less-fearful escape artists.
Copyright Maggie Van Ostrand
"A Balloon In Cactus"
>
June 20, 2006 column |
|
| Dog
Whisperer with Cesar Millan The Complete First Season |
|
| |
|
