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Journal of Communication Inquiry
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The Essence of Cooking Shows: How the Food Network Constructs Consumer Fantasies

Cheri Ketchum

University of California, San Diego

Television has a history of creating stories that invite viewers to engage in fantasy. But the most commonly analyzed television programs have been fiction. This article examines the nonfiction programming aired on the Food Networkto discover the fantasy food consumer worlds it creates through production conventions and narrative. This nonfiction media relies on a similarly fictitious construction of consumer realities in an attempt to build a viewer base beyond the traditional cooking show audience. The network offers the possibility of pleasure through creating the fantasy of an intimate connection to viewers and the promise of satisfaction through consumption. It is argued that the networkisan important element in the intricate web of discourses that sustain consumer culture as viewers are told their dreams should be realized through the acquisition and use of particular goods.

Key Words: Food Network • television • pleasure • intimacy • consumer culture

Journal of Communication Inquiry, Vol. 29, No. 3, 217-234 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0196859905275972
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