Stills from a March 2021 video of Rachael Ray cooking pad thai surfaced on the Reddit forum r/StupidFood, where commenters took offense to her floral garnish.
American celebrity chef Rachael Ray is the latest chef to receive criticism for her creative revision of an Asian dish. In a 5-minute video posted to the “Rachael Ray Show” official website earlier this year, the chef makes a shrimp and chicken pad thai with ingredients including tamarind paste, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar and light and dark soy sauce.
In the final minute of the video, after adding chopped peanuts, scallions and bean sprouts, Ray finishes with a spritz of lime juice and then sprinkles a very generous amount of edible flowers all over the dish. One Redditor on r/StupidFood described it as “a whole garden.”
The Reddit post identified the flowers as “pansies, marigolds, fuschias, bachelor buttons, and baby carnations,” which are all safe for consumption.
Another commenter seemed to sum up much of the subreddit’s thoughts on Ray’s dish by joking, “Pad Thai? Looks like Bad Thai.”
The Reddit post is only the most recent example of social media roasting celebrity chefs for misguided takes on Asian food.
Feature Image via “Rachael Ray Show“
