Posts Tagged ‘The Fast Foodie’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Jerry Duppa hurts.
The self-proclaimed “preeminent fast food journalist” has, until recently, dedicated himself to passing judgment on the lost children of everyday dining–America’s burgeoning network of on-the-go eateries–from the relative comfort of his trusty Volvo.
But, it would seem he’s carried his penchant for carry-out–that driving force that compels Duppa to gorge on “something that sounds hideous … but has a tinge of ‘I-wonder-what-that-would-taste-like?’ allure to it,” according to director Matt Bardocz–just a bit too far.
Behold the ennui hanging over faux food critic Duppa’s head, presented documentary-style in The Fast Foodie.
Bardocz said he was already kicking around the idea of developing an internet film project when, one day, he caught friend and actor Hannes Phinney (he plays the angst-ridden protagonist with all the bitterness of Lewis Black, sans all the wild gesticulations) ad-libbing some jabs at an Arby’s commercial on the radio.
The eight-part series is their collaborative love-child, an exploration of the gauzy intersection between food and memory (see Duppa’s romantic ruminations about butter burgers, or his plea for more responsible bacon deployment)–or, what’s left of it when reality comes crashing down around you.
The most haunting installment so far would have to be the episode simply titled, “The McRib”:
(Video: FunnyorDie)
While Duppa’s passion for the seasonal sandwich borders on the delusional (“It’s a boneless rib sandwich. It just solves problems!”), the real “meat” of the exchange happens as the joy of snarfing down skeletally-challenged swine dissipates quicker than the chemically-induced euphoria fast food muckraker Morgan Spurlock encountered during his early forays into Super-sized dining.
“I’m trying to provide a sense of humor for the online food contingent,” Bardocz says of the food-as-pathos production.
For now, new episodes of The Fast Foodie will continue debuting every Monday on FoD. And Bardocz hopes to expand Duppa’s growing Facebook following via more telling blog posts and interactive events (including a “Meat N Greet” at the Hollywood In-N-Out Burger tomorrow night).
Meanwhile, Bardocz hopes to develop more multidimensional, food-related programming in the near future, noting that he’s got his sights set on Food Network spin-off, Food2 next.
–Warren