Foodie Crumble: Anthony Bourdain’s Blog

I’ve been obsessively watching No Reservations on the Travel Channel for about a year, and Labor Day was truly a holiday for me as an (almost) free of work day spread the bounties of 20 or so episodes. They called it a marathon, and it was awesome. What I love about Bourdain is the fact that he’s truly passionate about where food comes from, what its trek has been over time, and how different people in different parts of the world use it, love it, share it. For those of you who have never seen the show, Bourdain’s charm and dry wit (together with his chain smoking and propensity to drink heavily) make his travels addictive to watch. His simple interest in whatever he’s faced with food-wise relieves him of the typical tv food show bullshit where, in order to find out what’s for dinner, viewers have to suffer through some douchebag’s patronizing demeanor towards his or her guests. Anyway, I love him. And this morning I found out he has a blog, which I also highly recommend. Follow the jump to read an excerpt and watch a video, which will give you as good an idea as any of what to expect from Tony Bourdain.

“Look,” said Ali, an Egyptian/American chef, pointing at a plateful of traditional Alexandrian food in his Queens restaurant. “The history of the world.”

He had just put in extraordinarily succinct terms what any well traveled eater, student of ethnic or national food ways — or serious food nerd has come to know: that what is on your plate, the choice or selection, or preferences — or ingredients — almost any place you are eating, are the end result of movements of people and resources, the punch line of a story usually involving (at some point in history), deprivation, starvation, colonialism, slavery, greed, and warfare. No need for us to get all depressed about that.

Anthony nursing a hangover in Brazil:

I’m also a Bourdain junkie. His perspective is so fresh and the show so unique. Can’t help but love it.

Have you read Kitchen Confidential? It’s a great read and very telling.

I will second the recommendation for Kitchen Confidential. I love love love that book.

I third the Kitchen Confidential recommendation — as well as his two quite violent but extremely funny crime novels. And, needless to say, TheWife and I are right there with you as No Reservations aficionados… I have no idea when it’s actually supposed to be on, so we’re always hopefully surfing over to the Travel Channel at night, hoping to find one we haven’t seen before.