Better in my belly than on television

There are two kinds of people in the world:

People who watch the Food Network and me.

At least that's what it seems.

Why do I constantly find myself in a conversation in which the participants are gushing over some woman named Gelato and complaining about the amount of butter that a woman named Paula Dean uses in her recipes?

Are cooking show so compelling as to draw viewers from across my friendship spectrum?

Someone please explain.