Anthony Bourdain is to the food world what Kathy Griffin is to Hollywood: A lovable D-lister with a backstage pass and the nuggets to expose the circus for what it is. And for that we adore him.
Speaking to a house packed with restaurant industry “family” (as Bourdain calls them), the No Reservations host, author and tell-all chef performed an uproarious two-hour riff on his gripes, passion and, well, more gripes about everything from nemesis Sandra Lee, Ronald McDonald and the meat industry to why American tourists are so hated around the world. (Hint: Ordering spaghetti Bolognese in Jakarta and Daisy Duke shorts.)
A Few Highlights:
- A recap of Sandra Lee doing grab hands on him while making it clear she’s top dog (Lee: “You’ve been a bad boy.”) And here’s the link to the Kwanza Cake video.
- Dissing on Guy: You’re 40, take the f-ing sunglasses off the back of your head.
- Giving props to Guy: “Guy has to be nice to people. No one expects me to be nice.“
- On fat people: “I don’t want you clogging my exit chute (on the plane). If it takes you 20 minutes to get out of your car, that’s not a lifestyle choice.”
- Chefs he actually likes: Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentis (though he calls her a bobblehead), Tom Colicchio and Top Chef.
- The “Grama Rule” wherein when you’re visiting someone’s home, you eat what is served no matter what. Just like you did at grama’s house at Thanksgiving.
- On PETA: “We have something in common. I want to treat animals better because that way they’ll be tastier”
- On scary hamburger meat: My hamburger shouldn’t have to be treated like medical waste.
- On the movie Julie/Julia: “That was half of a great movie.”
And a lowlight:
- Did anyone else find it really hypocritical of Tony Bourdain to diss a show on Wine Country as boring and then go on and on about eating local food and not have a meal in WIne Country (I’ll be lucky to have Pringles in the minibar)? What’s that about?
If you missed the show, don’t worry. He’s said most of the stuff before (check out this interview from last spring) and will likely say it all again when he comes through in June for the release of his new book, Medium Raw. But trust me, this stuff never gets old. Or less true.
What was your take?
Our take on not doing a wine country show was the same as Dave’s: that he misinterpreted the question. He didn’t even talk about eating but went on about how boring it is to watch people drinking wine. In short; he didn’t answer the question that was asked.
That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if he DID mean it. Sonoma/Napa counties are destinations for rich tourists (and not much else) which is not generally the premise of his show.
Our take on not doing a wine country show was the same as Dave’s: that he misinterpreted the question. He didn’t even talk about eating but went on about how boring it is to watch people drinking wine. In short; he didn’t answer the question that was asked.
That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if he DID mean it. Sonoma/Napa counties are destinations for rich tourists (and not much else) which is not exactly the premise of his show.
Heather-
It seemed to me that he misunderstood the question about “doing a show about Wine Country” and he thought that the woman asked about “doing a show about wine.” I wasn’t insulted. Maybe I’m wrong. But whatever…I haven’t laughed so hard in years. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. His advice about being a gracious guest in other lands and his mockery of poseurs, foodie fetishists and “Kulinary Gangstas” was spot-on.
Wish we could have been there! Love Anthony Bourdain’s sense of humor and his “No Reservations” tv show on the Travel Channel. He has paid his dues in the restaurant world, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. So what if he makes fun of people – that’s part of his “un-PC” charm, and he is one of the few people that can get away with it!
ArtsySF, a San Francisco “foodie”
It was from Bovolo.
I thought the show was great and it felt so good to laugh.The other thing to think about was a lot of restaurants did a great business that night. I spoke to people that were hard pressed getting reservations and walking into Zazus and seeing that crowd on a wednesday night felt like old times.Speaking of Zazus,Anthony said he got some salumi and a cool tee shirt. Was that from Bovolo?
Yeah, i’m not so sure how I like the “kinder, gentler” tony who doesn’t smoke anymore. It was kind of part of the mystique. I loved his quip about how Andrew Zimmern had to sign a contract not to drink and he didn’t.
Back in the late 80′s and living above The Black Magic Bar at Van Ness and Lombard I got drunk with Tony in that 10 chair bar and then we walked down to Danny’s on Chestnut st for more of the same. Being a filthy drunk back then I don’t remember much about that night other than Tony never mentioned why he was there which I assumed had to do with cooking or meetings and he must have been staying at a Lombard St motel while in SF. I just thought he was a regular guy from back east, hicup.
Yes AB is entertaining to watch or rather listen to, but no one— man or woman gets my respect after eating boar’s ass on national TV for gratuitous attention!!! His snobby -sarcastic -hypocritical, I’m better than thou clown routine has gone past its expiration date.
It was a great show!!! He hit the target on a lot of subjects that others would not touch out of PC! His comment on making sure kids can read over giving them an organic lunch (Alice Watters) was a true nugget. His sensibilities and self criticism earn him our respect!
He is a voice that truly deserves to be heard. We’ll be there in June!
Love the guy, but Heather’s spot-on about his hypocrisy. His SF special proved that (and kinda’ changed how we feel about his show). Did you see where he ate in SF? Certainly not where locals eat. The Wharf? WTH Tony?
I did find it a little insulting that he was so clueless about Wine Country and said he’d never do a wine country show because showing people drinking wine is boring. Um…okay.
I get that he’s a world traveler and all, but to go on and on about eating the local foods when you’re in a place and then not eating any of ours “I’ll be lucky to have some Pringles from the minibar” is a little hypocritical.
I find food snobbery of any sort ridiculous. And for being such a cool cat he is the biggest snob of all. He has put down northern California cooking styles for years now. I find his tv show somewhat entertaining, but like other New Yorkers, he can’t stand the fact that nor cal cuisine has the audacity not to care about what New Yorkers think of it. he’s a blowhard and not “Cathy Griffenesque”
It was a funny and thoughtful evening. I love that at 44 (before Kitchen Confidential came out) he thought he’d never get the chance to see the amazing places he’s been. If you’ve watched his show and read his books, you heard a lot of it before – but I don’t think you can say enough about being a gracious guest and being curious about the world.
Plus, that Kwanzaa monstrosity that Sandra Lee put together deserves mocking for eternity. C’mon, she garnished the cake with Corn Nuts.
We loved it – LOVED IT! The bit on Sandra Lee was hysterical. Some of it I had heard before, but whatever – it’s Tony Bourdain! Really enjoyed the Q&A with the audience after the show. Everything he said about traveling and being a good guest is absolutely true. It was a wonderful evening.
Anthony “Tony” Bourdain has been cooking for 28 years and to be overseeing the kitchen for that long deserves praise. Not only was he the chef he was the plumber, the electrician, the accountant, the psychologist, parent and guardian of his entire fleet. As he said last night, it’s for the young. My interest to see him was definitely verified with great pleasure when he talks about respecting other people’s food in a foreign land and don’t be the “Ugly American” (hint: Daisy Duke) when you travel. Food is supposed to nurture and welcome the unwelcoming. It’s supposed to be different and taste like nothing you’ve ever experience (even if its squeezel). I for one shall keep an open eye for the latest dirtiest taco bus, the grimiest bathroom with mold on the side at a diner, the chef with no teeth but has a long line of customers. I will be one of those customers yearning to get a glimpse of reality.