I don't watch it for the celebrities, like I said, I don't know who they are half the time. I watch it to see what they cook. I like to cook and have gotten some good ideas. Obviously, some participants have no clue what they are doing but many cook well.


I wish they would arrange to produce another vaccine here if patents are no longer an issue. Why does it have to be the worst one? I swear our president must be making money off it somehow. I have nothing against the Chinese people, but I don't trust their government or companies. There have been past quality scandals with Chinese-made medications and vaccines. In the end, I see the vaccines as an attempt by China to gain influence in the region. They've been trying to do it for years in Africa and Latin America. Basically, they need our natural resources.

My previous job was as a research analyst for infrastructure projects in Latin America where I had to track the progress of projects like new highways, ports, public transit, hospitals, etc. In Bolivia and a few other countries, Chinese companies often underbid the competition to win these projects. The companies were always shady. If you were able to track them down, they never answered the phone or e-mails. There were frequent reports of delays, shoddy quality and workers not being paid. They bid cheaply thinking that if they help Bolivia develop these projects, it will give them access to Bolivia's mining resources like lithium. Here, too, some Chinese companies received mining concessions and have been accused of mistreating workers. There was one case where they brought workers from China and didn't pay them anything. They were paid in food. Basically, China giving access to vaccines comes with strings attached.