HAPPY BOURDAIN DAY
A day of appreciation for the man that helped me open my eyes and realize there's a lot to see and experience in this big, beautiful world.
"He has changed the way we see the world. He has changed the way television covers travel shows and food shows. Who would have known what happened in Congo or in Libya except through his eyes? He was giving a voice to people. His show was not a food show. It was not a travel show. It was much bigger than that. All of this, I think, it's something that will never be forgotten." - Eric Ripert
It’s still hard to think of a world without Anthony Bourdain. His on-screen persona was so full of zest and vigor; his enthusiasm for experiencing new countries, cultures, and ideologies was so palpable that it brightened the colors of the television screen to a new dynamic swirl we have never seen before. It’s as if our understanding of the world was stuck in black and white, and Anthony Bourdain created an ever-changing color palette we never thought was possible. It’s as if life existed in two phases: before Bourdain, and after Bourdain.
Sadly, when I try and think of the first time I stumbled upon Anthony Bourdain, I can’t quite pin it down. I know I remember seeing snippets of his Travel Channel show, No Reservations, when I was in college. I know I remember seeing his book, Kitchen Confidential, in every airport imaginable. I know I remember hearing people quote his many virtuous words of wisdom, whether in person, on a Facebook wall or Twitter thread, or from a shared YouTube clip that made its rounds through all of his curious and adoring fans. I also know that, although I can’t pin down the first time Tony entered my life, I can assure you he has never left my side. His fire continues to burn as bright as it ever has before, if not even more so.
Bourdain’s logic, wit, and humor resonates with me, more and more, as each year passes. His mile-a-minute, anecdotal monologues, his knowledge of where food comes from (and why it’s so very important for us to understand this), and his ability to bring us in on his journey, as if we were right there with him in all of those exotic places, is something that no one has been able to come close to replicating (…looking at you Gordon Ramsey, Stanley Tucci, and all 17 of Bobby Flay’s one-and-done series).
If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move. - Anthony Bourdain
I first got into Anthony Bourdain when Netflix had purchased most, if not all, seasons of No Reservations. At the time, I was living in an itty-bitty, shitty apartment, in Hollywood, not far from the big Hollywood In-n-Out Burger, which, ironically, was one of Bourdain’s favorite restaurants in the city. It was the first time I became a cord-cutter, so, aside from my ridiculously large collection of blu-ray discs, Netflix was my main source of entertainment. Once I started watching the show, it became a religion. I became obsessed. I devoured every episode Netflix would allow. I started with No Reservations, as one would, and then went into the short lived, and often overlooked, The Layover (seriously, there’s some hidden gems in this fun, unique show). For a while, I didn’t really know anyone else who watched the show. But then, while at work one day, I happened to hear two of my coworkers talking about traveling to Thailand for two weeks. After sliding into the conversation, I mentioned that I just watched the Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Thailand episode and that they should give it a watch. My coworker laughed and said, “dude…I’ve seen every episode, multiple times.”
That same coworker mentioned that Anthony Bourdain was coming out with a new, bigger, better show that was going to premiere on CNN — Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Alas, I told him I was a cord-cutter so I’d have to wait to watch it. But then, to my delight, my coworker followed up with an invite to his place, that coming Sunday, to watch the series premiere with a group of other Bourdainians.
When I got to my coworkers house that Sunday, for the series premiere, I was overjoyed and overwhelmed to find a group of people who shared the same affection, passion, and enthusiasm for everything Anthony Bourdain. We laughed, we told stories, we shared our future travel plans, and we gave each other advice that was primarily informed by information we gained by reading/watching Anthony Bourdain. As you can imagine, all of this roaring conversation was washed down with a smorgasbord of food and drinks. Each of us had a specific thing we were into: we had the cheese guy, the cured meats guy, the pickled vegetable guy, the craft beer guy, and the wine guy. It was the perfect appetizer for the main course: Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Never in a million years did I think there needed to be any added education, material, or perspective to No Reservations, but, after watching the series premiere for Parts Unknown, I was transported into another Bourdanian dimension that I didn’t know existed. CNN—with its rare and exclusive accessibility to other countries, thanks to its clout as a gigantic news network—would go on to be the perfect landing spot for Bourdain; it kicked his enthusiasm and creativity into another, unimaginable gear.
To sit alone or with a few friends, half-drunk under a full moon, you just understand how lucky you are; it’s a story you can’t tell. It’s a story you almost by definition, can’t share. I’ve learned in real time to look at those things and realize: I just had a really good moment. - Anthony Bourdain
As former President Barack Obama once said, “he taught us about food—but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown.”
I was hooked. I handed in my one-way ticket to Bourdain Land, and I now had a crew of people to share my newfound passion with. It wouldn’t take long for me to realize how many Bourdanians there really were out there; he had one of the most unique followings a person-of-interest could have.
When somebody’s offering you food, they’re telling you a story. They’re telling you what they like, who they are. Presumably, it’s a proud reflection of their culture, their history, often a very tough history. You turn your nose up at the important moment, the whole relationship changes, and it will never be the same. - Anthony Bourdain
Between A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations, The Layover, and Parts Unknown, Bourdain helped create 301 episodes of unforgettable television. We all have our favorite episodes, and, sometimes, we get to live out those episodes we have seen, over and over, in real time.
One of my personal favorites was Parts Unknown S07 E09 when Bourdain finally visited the country of Oman. Sitting on the southeastern shore of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. As tony put it, “Oman is one of the most beautiful, friendly, generous, hospitable places I have ever been.”
When I was 19 years old, I had the rare opportunity to visit the UAE over Thanksgiving break. We left Dubai and drove across the border to Oman for a little Thanksgiving break getaway. We hired a boat for two days, that took us out and around the Gulf of Oman, where the local crew made us an "authentic" Thanksgiving meal. As you can imagine, it wasn't anywhere close to an American Thanksgiving meal, and it was for all the better. Leading up to the trip naive friends and family said things like "it's dangerous over there...", "are you crazy...", "we're in the middle of a war with the Middle East...”
To this day, I don't know if l've traveled to a more peaceful and relaxing place than Oman. The people were kind and welcoming, language barrier aside, and they constantly asked if they could get me something to eat, drink, or if I wanted a puff of shisha (hookah as we call it). The scenery was unlike anything I've seen to this day; a vast gravel desert plain covers most of central Oman, with mountains along the North and Southeast, while part of the coast spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The food was outstanding. Rukhal bread (a thin round bread baked over a fire from palm leaves) with Omani honey and homemade yogurt was the first thing I had to eat every single day. Simple, yet so delicious.
Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind. - Anthony Bourdain
Some of my favorite travel memories have been when I was somewhere exotic and I tried something new to eat; specifically, something that is a bit out of the norm. Haggis in Ireland, chapulines in Mexico City, tripe soup in Romania, anchovies in Amalfi, Italy, jareesh in the UAE, to name a few. One of Bourdain’s rules was that he always tried everything that was put in front of him. Always. He didn’t necessarily finish the meal, but he certainly tried every single thing that someone from another country prepared for him. Although Namibian warthog rectum ranked up there with one of the worst things he ever tasted, there was only one, clear winner for the worst food Bourdain ever ate: fermented shark from Iceland. As Bourdain said, “…that is unspeakably nasty. This is probably the single worst thing I have ever put in my mouth.”
If you follow Tony’s guidelines on what NOT to eat, always remember to avoid: airplane food, McDonald’s chicken nuggets, brunch, gluten-free items, beef well done, ranch dressing, and never…ever…order fish from a restaurant on Monday.
For a moment, or a second, the punched expressions of the cynical, world-weary, throat-cutting, miserable bastards we’ve all had to become disappears when we’re confronted with something as simple as a plate of food. - Anthony Bourdain
There isn’t a place I travel that I don’t first research if Tony has been there (which he probably has), because I always try and visit as many of his past experiences as I can. Tony has left a mark on all of the curious individuals looking to explore and experience new things in the world; he has a legion of fans who would argue they feel more like family. This is the type of reach Tony had — it was unlike anything we have seen, and it still holds as strong as ever.
Anthony Bourdain passed away on June 8th, 2018 — two weeks before his 62nd birthday.
6 years gone…
Although the shows are all over and his physical presence is forever gone, Tony, with all of his flaws, has left an undeniable mark on the way we see the world. His curiosity and enthusiasm for life, outside of his own, shines through every second he had on television; it bleeds through every word he has ever written.
It’s an irritation reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affiar you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what’s happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there — with your eyes open — and lived to see it. - Anthony Bourdain
It’s famously said that you should never meet your heroes. Maybe that’s true. Maybe it was best that I never had a chance to meet Uncle Tony. At the end of the day, I don’t really care, either way, because Tony lives in my life whether he wants to or not. He is the guide. He is the teacher. He is the cynic. He is the prophet. He is the recovering addict. He is the critic. He is the friend. He is the explorer. He is the man.
I’ll end this, as I should, with some classic Bourdainian wisdom, said by the man himself, below.
Life is precious.
Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself.
Enjoy the ride.
I really enjoyed that article. Am a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. I don't always agree with him but I love his style, sense of adventure and slightly jaded optimism.
Love this ❤️