Ugly Delicious

Ugly Delicious is an original Netflix series that premiered in 2018. Created by American restaurateur, author, and television personality David Chang, it combines elements of travel, cooking, and history. It is named after the ideology that food doesn’t have to look aesthetically perfect to be delicious, an ethos that Chang embraces in his own cooking.

The captivating show refocuses our attention from the high-end, pretentious side of the culinary world to the more accessible, and often more flavorful, everyday grub. In each episode, Chang takes viewers on a unique gastronomic journey that is refreshingly unpretentious and genuinely curious about the literal melting pot that is food culture, tradition, and innovation.

The series is far from a typical food show. Each episode concentrations on a single dish or concept, ties it with thematic threads, and delves beneath the surface to tease out the cultural, social, and historical factors that have given the dish its particular identity. The show explores common dishes like pizza, tacos, fried chicken, and barbecue through the complex lenses of immigration, community, and authenticity.

Ugly Delicious introduces viewers to a variety of cuisines throughout the world. From Asian to American, Italian to Latin, Chang travels far and wide to try regional delicacies, street foods, home-cooked meals, and fancy restaurant repasts. However, the focus isn’t just on the flavors on the plate. Instead, Ugly Delicious digs into the rich stories behind these meals and how they came to be, the type of culinary history lesson that can only enhance your appreciation of the foods you love.

In each episode, Chang is accompanied by a rotating cast of guests — fellow chefs, food writers, activists, artists, and even some celebrities. But unlike some food shows where the host towers over the guests, Chang positions himself as an equal, a student notebook in hand, constantly learning and growing. His eagerness and genuine interest in the stories people tell through food is contagious and anchors the show.

In Ugly Delicious, food is a medium of storytelling, international understanding, and unity. The show uses food as a launching pad to explore issues of race, identity, immigrant life, and what authentic representation means in today's globalized world. This wide-lens approach to the subject matter adds depth beyond typical food-show fare and allows for insightful commentary on how the dishes we eat transcend mere sustenance.

With its unique documentary-style presentation, the show encourages you to think about food and the related cultural dynamics in a whole new way. The series blends together kitchen scenes, on-location dining, animations, archive footage, and round-table discussions to create a dynamic and fluid narrative. This mosaic approach helps the audience observe the dish from all possible angles, providing not just the taste but also the smells, sounds, historical relevance, and cultural significance of each dish.

Supplementing these various elements are sharp and visually stunning cinematography and a laid-back, natural dialog style that draws viewers in. Every scene in Ugly Delicious feels like an inclusive conversation within an intimate dining space where viewers are invited to reach beyond their comfort zones and engage with food on a greater level.

For Netflix, Ugly Delicious is a step towards meaningful content that combines entertainment with education. For viewers, it’s much more than food porn. It invites them to go beyond their culinary boundaries to engage with food in its raw, rudimentary form. It encourages them to step out of their comfort zones, to try something unusual, and to look beyond aesthetics.

As much as Ugly Delicious is about eating, it’s also about the people, places, and complicated histories that serve up our meals, which are frequently universal and always personal. If you're open to learning more about the food cultures worldwide or simply go on a food adventure without leaving your home, Ugly Delicious is the series for you.

In its thoughtful interrogations, Ugly Delicious appeals to anyone — from, food enthusiasts to cultural explorers, and reflects our globalized world in a fascinating and delicious way that any food-oriented broadcast has yet to achieve. It urges its viewers to consider new perspectives about familiar foods and, in turn, to think differently about their own dining experiences. The show lasts eight episodes in the first season and follows up with a four-episode second season, each one a wholly satisfying watch that leaves you hungry for more.