GOK WAN: Live Webchat - Friday 11 October, 1.45-2.45pm

[RachelMumsnet]

We'll still be sweeping up the biscuit crumbs left from the Jennifer Saunders webchat as we prepare for the return of Gok Wan to Mumsnet Towers on Friday 11 October at 1.45pm. Since his last visit in Summer 2010, Gok has produced 2 cookery books and his latest, Gok's Wok is published this week.

Gok shares many of his family's traditional recipes but gives them a modern twist as he teaches us how to cook, simple, fast meals with flavour and a splash of Gok originality. Chapters cover all occasions from lunches to dinner parties and include curries, stir-fries, noodles, salads, soups and desserts.

Join Gok on Friday at 1.45pm or post a question to him in advance to this thead and you'll be entered into a draw to win a SIGNED copy of Gok's Wok.

We have also teamed up with Gok and Sainsbury's to host a live cookalong on Google+. On Wednesday 16 October at 7pm Gok will be making two super-delicious dishes from his new book and he'd love you to join him in cooking them. Find out more here.

Why didn't he answer my question about been pear shaped and small? I thought he loved that sort of chat. Why's everyone asking him about recipes. He has disappointed an overdue pregnant woman and made me eat a wispa!

Oh right I've just read the bit about him taking out a book on his fab meals.... Bit strange but that would be why he didn't want to chat about my pear shaped problems today!

I know you've gone now Gok, but thanks soooooo much for answering my question. Love you. Xxx

I'm not on Twitter.

Mumsnet webchats are known for being a pretty tough audience I think. Having read this one through it's completely clear that Gok was only going to answer the questions he liked. It's also clear that there are plenty of astute women posting here who had the gumption to question his world view. Bravo to them.

At least when Holly Willoughby came on and got some flak she had the grace to try and answer some of it with a scripted answer.

Holly did, didn't she.

Oh dear. That was disappointing.

This thread was a joke. There is a way to question Gok's approach without coming across as pathetic mean girls. Yes usual suspects I am talking about you.

Wow so many rather snippy posts! I wonder how this chat would have gone if it had been physical rather than online.

Shame

Gok I am in so much agreement with you re having 'ones colours done'
I would find it restricting too, I also feel that it buys into the consumer driven crap that is the bane of today's society. I always believe that one should 'follow' ones own inner 'guru' to find happiness!

Damn it, I missed this. I so wanted to ask Gok why he insists on calling breasts 'bangers'. It's just not a good term not least because it conjures up images of greasy sausages..

There are no rules saying that you must only post in a sycophantic style when talking to a sleb on a webchat.

We are allowed to pose questions that may be viewed as difficult (you might call them snippy) Frankly, I'm more embarrassed at the "luv u hunny" "mwah mwah" kind of posts than any of mine, or the other forthright questions.

So I've just caught up with this and I have to say that reading it in one go, it isn't pretty. I agree it come across as quite "mean girls" - I was wincing in places. Of course, difficult and challenging questions are fine, as they ever have been, but the tone here from some users combined is bullying, heckling and mocking.

It is also in direct contradiction of our webchat guidelines, summarised and linked to at the top of this thread. Namely:

1. To allow as many folks as possible to be involved, please restrict your questions to one per member plus a follow-up question if appropriate, once you've had a response. (NB don't even think about name changing to ask another, we'll be watching!).

1. Please keep your question reasonably brief (we'll not doing a word count but it will increase your chance of getting an answer, we suspect, if you don't bang on for paragraphs).

1. With the best will in the world, guests can't always get through every question, but we make every effort to bring common themes to their attention. Please don't be too disappointed if your specific question doesn't get answered and do try not to keep posting "What about me?".

1. Obviously you're free to voice your opinion, but do be civil/polite - please afford our guests the same cordiality you would if they stopped by your own house.

We specifically say one question and a follow up, so if you have a subject you want to discuss arising from the webchat thread then please start another thread. Don't derail the chat - it's rude and can prevent other users from getting responses.

I understand there were some serious and valid questions here and it would have been really great to get into them but I quite understand why you wouldn't want to engage with folks you felt were mocking, heckling and generally ganging up on you (which is what this feels like to me, reading it back).

If a particular guest isn't your cup of tea, please don't come on and spoil the chat for others who are interested in engaging? Bear in mind if you have a challenging question to ask there is frankly much more chance of getting answered if you are cordial, and besides it's in the rules.

From hereon, we'll make sure to link to our guidelines at the beginning of each webchat and we'll be deleting posts and suspending users that don't follow them.

Sorry to come over all headmistressy but we think there are very good reasons to have a few basic webchat rules - not least to encourage folk to participate - so we do need you to bear them in mind.

Justine

just want to apologize for multiple questions - the rules about posting only one question does not show on phone app, so I was unaware of this

plus I only changed my name as a joke, not for any naughty business.

again, sorry.

Justine,

A lot of us asked 'tricky' questions quite politely, myself and MmeLindor for example. If we are only supposed to ask questions that are relevant to a certain topic (cooking here) then would it be fairer to tell us to only stick to those questions?

I've read a lot of threads about Gok Wan during my time on Mumsnet and the general consensus is that he isn't doing women any great favours, so naturally, some of us are going to ask questions regarding that.

I wouldn't have asked my question if I'd known we were only supposed to be discussing his book.

The Alastair Campbell webchat was great, though. :)

It's not about sticking to the topic Marmalade. The questions themselves were pretty much fine. It was all the stuff in between. The asides, the limericks, the barracking etc

And agree Alastair Campbell chat was great.

Was he as gorgeous in real life, Justine?

Justine, when you say ban for not following guidelines...what does that mean? Can we not rib/banter etc on a webchat thread?

Well I enjoyed my hour or so with him