When you're watching TV or a movie, it's all too easy to point out the most unrealistic parts of the plot. I can recall, on multiple occasions, thinking things like "No one could hold their breath that long" or "Nobody would ever believe a lie like that." While many of the stories in our media ask us to suspend our disbelief for the sake of entertainment, one YouTube chef does the exact opposite by trying to recreate the most iconic and interesting dishes ever served up in our favorite shows, movies, and even video games. On his channel Binging with Babish, filmmaker and self-taught chef Andrew Rea produces a video series of the same name where he creates his own recipes to emulate foods we've only seen on screen.
While Rea also posts other types of cooking tutorials as well as vlogs, his Binging with Babish series, named after Oliver Babish from The West Wing, focuses on bringing menu items from TV, movies, and other pop culture to life. Each episode of the series tends to focus on one specific dish from a particular piece of media and the steps it takes to prepare it. While it's entertaining in itself to watch Rea create the food step by step, what's really intriguing is the way he chooses to describe the recipe in detail so that if you were so inclined, you could recreate the process at home.
As a host, Rea is generally soft spoken, but he brings a lot of humor and attitude to the table at the same time. Part of what keeps me interested and coming back to this series is not only its unique concept, but also the way Rea portrays himself and the nature of what he's doing. His sense of humor shines through to show that he knows what he's making is ridiculous at times (like Mulan's smiley-face porridge or a nonsensical ball of pizza from The Eric Andre Show), while at the same time, the detail in his narration implies that he's also taking his process seriously and trying to make the best possible version of the dish he can.
Rea's roots and education as a filmmaker is apparent in the style he chooses to shoot his videos in. To begin, he works in an aesthetically pleasing kitchen and is often centered onscreen, creating a sort of symmetrical, Wes Anderson-like framing in many of his shots. Rea also chooses to zoom in far enough to crop his face out of most of the frames during his cooking demonstrations. Not only does this remind me of the old TV trope of the character whose face is never seen (though Rea's face does appear from time to time), but it also makes a lot of sense when you consider that almost all of the audio in his cooking videos is done in voice over. There's no reason for you to see his mouth moving because he does not narrate as he cooks. Instead, we hear the narration and don't need to be distracted if it doesn't match up with his mouth onscreen. This gives the video series a very soothing quality watch because the narration and visual style are so pleasing.
My favorite videos in the Binging with Babish series by far are his Spongebob recreations, including the videos I've embedded in this post. But while my favorite videos in the series are certainly ones that come from my favorite pop culture and media, the structure and tone of the video series is enjoyable enough that I'll watch many episodes from shows I've never seen. I believe that's a true testament to Rea's approach to content creation, his eye for filmmaking, and his devotion to producing something that's really engaging and accessible to watch every time a new episode premiers. It's clear that Rea embodies both a love for filmmaking and a love for food, especially since he's always willing to try whatever he cooks up. The fact that he's doing something creative and often a little silly or indulgent but with the utmost care for quality is what makes the Binging with Babish video series so effective in my eyes. I mean, the man is willing to squirt mayonnaise directly in his mouth for the sake of a Spongebob joke (see video above). That's enough to win me over any day.