Anthony Bourdain’s new Travel Channel show “The Layover” is nearing its debut, and with it the outspoken chef/writer/food and travel expert/raconteur is doing a round of interviews. In particular, his interview with Playboy (SFW) is worth 20 minutes of your time, but in the interest of time I’m going to cherry-pick two quotes from a brief Q&A with the Mercury News, with another shot at Paula Deen and an honest appraisal of “The Chew.”
On the politics of fast food versus healthy food:
The notion that the only affordable option for hardworking people with little time to cook is or should be unhealthy fast food — or freakish novelty food from no tradition other than marketing a business — is (expletive). It’s a lie. If you look at the history of gastronomy, it’s hardworking farmers taking what little they have and finding a way to make it reasonably tender, nutritious and delicious. This notion that there’s red state food and blue state food, or rich food and poor food is offensive and elitist in ways I could never be.
On “The Chew”:
(Heavy sigh) I’m really shaken. Honestly, I don’t know what to believe anymore. Mario Batali is a better chef than I am, a better businessman. And Michael Symon! I can’t tell you how much I like and respect those guys. They’re the smartest, funniest, best since Julia Child. They had to know what they were getting into. I’m not trying to be funny or snarky — I’m really shaken. I feel like I’ve left the mountains, and found all my comrades had joined the Interior Ministry. The whole world has tilted in a way I don’t understand. I feel like I’m a million years old and very naive. I just don’t know who the fool is. I suspect it’s me.
I just love this dude so much. He spent twenty years working in kitchens and jamming drugs into his body, then he ran restaurants because he was good at it, then he wrote an awesome book about it, and now he travels the world eating awesome food in the coolest places and speaks his mind because he absolutely does not give a f**k what anyone thinks. He’s just out to enjoy his life, and he’s honest about whatever vanity and privilege that entails. I want to murder him and steal his life.
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Can’t wait for Bourdain’s new show- reading that article makes me wish they’d base another scripted show on him but on an edgier network like FX or HBO/Showtime.
The Kitchen Confidential TV adaptation was 5 years too early. If that show came out now it fucking kills (granted they probably couldn’t land Bradley Cooper for Bordain character). I know they had to back off the drug use but it was wildly underappreciated and is still worth banging throught the 13 episodes on netflix or hulu.
Tony Bourdain is the silver lining of the modern American culinary zeitgeist. He walks hand in hand with Jose Andres as they take in a Spanish market searching for the freshest fish you’ve never heard of, while at the same time stretching his hand out on a wood table while Chef Boyardee takes bets as he slams his knife downward in between his fingers. TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP
So “The Chew” is some kind of roundtable chat show with chefs like “The View”?
I’d like him to take up the challenge of opening up a chain of restaurants that are an alternative to the current fast food restaurants. There are so many times I don’t have access to a kitchen and I need something quick and relatively cheap and can’t find anything except the most unhealthy stuff. Also, it has to taste good.
Bourdain is what happens when you teach Hunter S. Thompson about cooking.
Bourdain has one of the best narratives for shows of his kind. His voice, cadence and improvisation are spectacular. Plus he makes really funny jokes and never hesitates to cross a line. And his wife is pretty hot.
@Otto: Yep. Check out the ads. Mario Batali’s cargo shorts and orange Crocs are front and center.
@Taco_Jones: Where do you live? There’s got to be something wherever you are (is it Kansas? If that’s the case, nevermind)–check the yuppier parts of town and do some online research. If it’s Houston, I can recommend a ton of great places.
If you look up awesome in the thesaurus…you’ll find that picture right there.
This dude is awesome. Love his writing and TV work. Got tickets to see him when he comes to San Diego.
@Taco_Jones: @AnthonyTX has great advice and along with the yuppier parts of town check out the areas that have some identity with an ethnic group. Mexican food that is scratch made is relatively inexpensive and good. Some Asian places can be inexpensive. For example I can go to McD (love me some QPC) and get a combo with an additional item for around $12-14 depending on the added item. The Mexican place I go to down the block you can get a large carne asada burrito for $3.50 and a taco for $1.79 that is scratch made ($5.29). Also, check out Yelp. Going to areas you’ve never been to can be confusing, Yelpers at least can give you some info on where to go.
The Chew is just atrocious TV. Like Tony, I respect some of the folks involved (Mario- say what you will about his choice of footwear, but they guy has great restaurants and knows Italian) so it’s bewildering to watch that cluster fuck.
Tony’s a stud. My love of Pho, nasty bits, and authentic cuisine stems from his guidance. No reservations at it’s best is just fun TV and it excels because Tony has the ability to never take himself too seriously, even when eating warthog asshole in Africa.
I wonder which haunts him more- Sandra Lee, igauna tamales, or those warthog rectums?
@MisterTwister: Agreed. And I just wish Crocs would pay me what they’re likely paying Batali to wear those things. I’d wear the shit out of ‘em and not care when people from Texas made fun of me in TV blog comment sections.
And it’s gotta be the rectums, right?
@MisterTwister: I’d have to say Sandra Lee. Yes, he said the warthog rectum was the worst food he’s ever eaten (there was dirt and shit everywhere) but he at least won’t be running into warthog rectum at big media and food events unlike Sandra Lee.
Sandra Lee’s tits make her cooking almost worth watching. Almost.
Mario Batali’s cargo shorts and orange Crocs are front and center.
Wow. Sounds incredibly appetizing.