HOT PICKS Tube - Meatless TV– Volume 13, Number 1, January 1/7, 2003

www.honoluluweekly.com

Joy Waters can’t hide the smile when she hears Mc Donald’s has posted its first quarterly loss while talking about her new television series, Tasty and Meatless. The 30 minutes show, which debuts on Oceanic 16 Monday at 6:30 p.m., is a “lifestyle” program dedicated to promoting sensible alternative to carnivorous tendencies.

“The world is ready for this,” says Waters, the show’s producer. “More and more people are exploring the benefits of a meatless diet, and our show is a way to promote this lifestyle without a militant attitude. And we want to encourage people who do eat meat to begin to think about introducing meatless alternatives into their diet.”

The pilot shows several segments which include cooking demonstrations, shopping guides and health tips. Of particular use is a segment highlighting local restaurants’ nonmeat menu items. Local people share their secrets on living as vegetarians.

The rough pilot, which had some distracting graphics and other minor quirks, showed promise in holding the interest of finicky television watchers, meaty or meatless. The cooking demonstration showed how to faux sweet and sour pork, which looked yummy enough to fool the most hardcore of meat lovers.

-Li Wang

Oceanic Cable Channel 16: Mon, Wed & Sat beginning Mon 1/6. 6:30 p.m. www.oceanic.com 625-2100