Asian Mom Admires Paul Hollywood's Ability To Destroy Self Confidence

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Despite having no interest in baking, Ruth Liang, 58, tunes in every Friday to The Great British Bake Off to watch her favorite judge Paul Hollywood eviscerate the guests.

“He is so—how do the Americans say—savage,” she explains, nodding pleasurably. “With one look, he can ruin a person’s belief in oneself. I think Mr. Hollywood is very good at his job. Sometimes he doesn’t need to say anything and just looks scary. I think this is very Asian.”

She doesn’t enjoy the other judges very much, because she thinks they drink too much.

Liang originally had little interest in the show because while she enjoys the competition element, she hates cake. She has always had little patience for baking, uses her oven as storage, and does not believe in desserts.

Despite all this, the hit British cooking show has won her over, and she tunes in religious every week to guess who will be the one to cry.

“I can always guess who is the first to break,” she adds, “I’m rarely wrong. It is always pastry. You think it’s bread, but the pastry is where people break. I like it.”

She adds that she thinks Paul Hollywood should consider being harsher.

“Sometimes, he is too nice. Their cake looks like hot garbage, very bad, very ugly. I would never serve that to anyone.”

She hopes that in future seasons, he will look more menacing and make the recipes even harder.

“If it’s too easy, what is the point? He will never break someone’s spirit with a cookie!”