the next "iron chef"?

so i've already mentioned how i like to eat, but i also love to read food magazines, browse cookbooks, and watch food-related tv shows. we don't have cable so i only get to watch the food network every once in awhile. but more than those shows i enjoy a certain japanese show that my parents get on their japanese satellite tv : docchi no ryouri (which dish?) show. (it's also on ksci, channel 18, in los angeles, although i can't remember when.)

each week they have two dishes pitted against each other and they prepare them during the show. (for example, the october 27th show pitted wonton ramen against chashu ramen -- i would've loved to see that one.) a panel of guests has to decide which dish they would rather eat. they get three chances during the show to "vote" for the dish that looks better at that point. after the third "vote" whichever dish has the more votes wins, and those who chose that dish get to eat it. the panelists who chose the other dish have to sit there and watch the others eat (japanese game shows are cruel that way).

it's really fun to watch the preparation of each dish and try to guess which one is going to win. i also like that they feature restaurants that serve the dishes. (the website has recipes for each dish; it's all in japanese, though.)

if you ever get a chance to see this show (it could be on other indpendent tv stations that show japanese shows), let me know what you think. i actually like it more than "iron chef."