Celeb chef and food revolutionary Jamie Oliver did the unthinkable earlier this week: he tweeted his “twist” on classic paella. And it didn’t go well.
Good Spanish food doesn’t get much better than paella. My version combines chicken thighs & chorizo https://t.co/2cXK4xoTfS #recipeoftheday pic.twitter.com/DD0HXY98pM
— Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver) October 4, 2016
Authentic paella does not include chorizo. It’s a big no-no. Poor James only got a little sympathy on Twitter for his unintentional abomination.
People in #Valencia think the #paella in #Alicante is a crime against humanity, and vice versa. #JamieOliver never had a chance.
— David Cottle (@DCottleDJN) October 5, 2016
But most of it was typical schoolyard taunting, and a few funny jabs from people who saw the (obviously) funny side of the debate:
Jamie, we don’t call that Paella, we call it “rice with things”#JamieOliver
— Leche Mal (@milkwasabad) October 4, 2016
#Paellagate Paella is to Valencia as Scouse is to Liverpool. Unless you’ve grown up on it, you don’t say what goes in it. #JamieOliver
— Ruth Gregson (@RG_Bhaji) October 4, 2016
Everyone knows a real paella is made with rabbit. You, sir, have made a jambalaya! #JamieOliver
— blitzen (@blitzen13) October 4, 2016
I think it is wholly wrong on every level to add chorizo. Shall we add haddock to sausage & mash? It’s just culinary vandalism. #Paellagate https://t.co/T5PWOepsF4
— alex woolfall (@woolfallalex) October 5, 2016
.@jamieoliver Hi mate. What do you reckon to my take on #paella ?#Paellagate #PaellaValenciana #JamieOliver pic.twitter.com/hS916g3Lj3
— Matthew Pope (@MatthewWPope) October 5, 2016
@jamieoliver pic.twitter.com/0rNsJkrS0x
— churreznos (@churreznos) October 4, 2016
Great work, @jamieoliver. I also cooked paella. Hope you like my version. pic.twitter.com/t9aszQgMB0
— Proscojoncio (@Proscojoncio) October 4, 2016
As The Guardian points out, this isn’t Oliver’s first foray into major rice blunders. Two years ago, he put his now famous “twist” on a favorite West African dish called jollof rice by adding tomatoes and other accoutrement. The gaffe soon became its own “gate” (as all good gaffes do). #JollofGate became such a public meltdown, that Jamie’s camp released a statement to try and calm nerves, reminding people that Jamie is a chef and this was just “Jamie’s twist.” How long until @JamiesTwist becomes its own Twitter handle?
