Eva Longoria: Auf der Suche nach Mexiko

Eva Longoria does a travel show on CNN. She is following Stanley Tucci's footsteps who went to Italy for two seasons. She is obviously invested in the show and in Mexico. She is dressed to the nines in most episodes. Sometimes she's more casual, but it is odd to have her stylish looks overwhelm some random everyday working people. I hate to call her out on her clothing choices. She can do less jewelry and less with her nails in the poorer places. She needs to fit in with her subjects like the working poor at a local taco stand. I want her nails plain so that she can grab the food with gusto. Mostly, I want her to dig in and fit in with whoever she's with. She's always worried about spillage on her nice outfits and that's not great for a food show.

This show is obviously a homage to the "Searching for Italy" which itself was suggested by the Anthony Bourdain series. I wasn't very impressed with either of those shows but I do travel a lot and so I watch them initially but eventually their personalities prevent me from continuing. This show did the opposite. In the first few shows Longoria got on my nerves. She was so conscious of looking good and saying the right thing that it annoyed me and distracted from what should be the focus of the show - the food, the people, and the place. To my surprise, she changed. She's able to focus on the people and the food and the show is now one of my favorites travel shows and sits just behind Huell Howser's. So if you start and you're a little put off, hang in there and it gets much better.

Overall the show is decent, but Eva doesn't come across very natural. I feel like she is acting. She talks about her "Mexican American" roots but she seems to misspeak in a few areas as she refers to regions like "The Yucatán" or kept repeating the term "Chilango" over and over again. Chilango is a slur in Mexico regardless what she says. She kept on calling them that over and over like she was trying to sell she was "authentic" and understood the people.

The last episode in Guadalajara showed a guy using a can of ranch style beans for his recipe and it didn't cover the city as it could have been. She ain't no Tucci.

I learnt a lot about Mexico and their amazing food. Makes me want to got to Mexico City right away. If you are an amateur chef you would also get some great ideas for new recipes.

I was amazed at the featured chefs, their passion and the creation. The nest of the lot for me was the one who made the onion fritters with the blackened cilli paste.

The show would have been a lot more informative with a host more proficient about food. The host needs to get into the food, provide descriptions that are more vivid. Like Andrew Zimmern. Not just "fabulous and amazing". Even Stanley Tucci did a reasonably good job with Searching for Italy.

The first thing I need to point out that the camerawork is excellent. There are lots of truly impressive shots in each episode, this series is truly a visual treat.

Second, Eva's "voice acting" when it comes to the narration is very high quality, she speaks in a friendly and entertaining way, it holds your attention.

Third, the series itself is informative and will be a delight for anyone with an interest in culinary exploits. It is a great demonstration of Mexican cuisine & culture.

All in all, I am happy to have watched this series and I would recommed it to anyone who would like to know more about Mexican culture.