WEEKEND TV : All but a Few Eyes Cast on Mideast

News of U.S. troops entrenched for a possible war in the oil-rich deserts of the Middle East will dominate the news and the public-affairs talk shows this weekend. But the small screen will also be filled with some less-sobering news from the worlds of food, sharks and ecology.

“Nathalie Dupree’s Matters of Taste,” a 26-part cooking series that focuses on American regional and ethnic cuisine, debuts today at 1:30 p.m. on Channel 28.

Sunday, the Discovery Channel kicks off “Shark Week ‘90” at 7 p.m. with “Jaws--The Real Story,” a program featuring comments from “Jaws” author Peter Benchley, interviews with shark attack victims and a look at the shark hysteria created by Hollywood. Other programs on these infamous sea creatures will air at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

And TBS continues its commitment to saving the planet Sunday at 8 p.m. with “Network Earth,” a new weekly series designed to educate viewers on ways to protect the environment.