Bourdain, from kitchen assistant to successful chef and food critic

WNYC New York Public Radio. Cropped and edited by Daniel Case
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Unfortunately, my first article on the BLOG is to remember Anthony Bourdain, a character who really left his mark on me, amused me, and delighted me. I want to dedicate a few lines to him because ever since I discovered his work I couldn’t stop following his career. Everything he did interested me and I learned a lot from his programs. The first and most important thing is that you have to let go of your prejudices and open your mind to everything that is foreign to you. This is the way to learn and move forward, to feel fulfilled and to improve day by day. Last Friday, June 8th, the news of Anthony Bourdain‘s death surprised us all. The chef and food critic was found hanged in the hotel room where he was staying in France, where he was filming new episodes of the CNN series Parts Unknown, which was currently airing in the US. I would have much rather dedicated an entry to him commenting on his latest book or his latest program, his public appearances, or talking about his clear position in favor of the “Me Too” movement, but that will no longer be possible. Bourdain is gone. Luckily, he left us a broad legacy as a chef, writer, food critic, presenter and public figure, a repertoire of opinions, advice and ideas that are difficult to surpass. He did not hide his particular vision of life and his love for the authentic, his direct and irreverent style was very engaging. There are not many public figures who get involved when it comes to expressing their opinions like he did.

Anna Hanks Anthony Bourdain interviewed by Nathan Thornburgh, SXSW 2016, Austin, Texas 2016 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

His professional career began at a very young age, working as a waiter in a seafood restaurant while studying. He dropped out of college and enrolled in culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America. After finishing his studies, he began working in different restaurants until he became chef at the Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan. In the mid-90s, he wrote two fiction books, but what made him popular was his article in The New Yorker entitled “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” later included in his autobiography Confessions of a Chef, published in Spain by RBA Bolsillo. A must-read for every cook and anyone interested in the world of cooking, Bourdain, without mincing words, reveals his own experiences that will make you flip out, later he launched a second book Raw: The Hidden Side of the World of Gastronomy (2010) that will not leave you indifferent either. On television he presented different highly successful programs, the first was A Cook’s Tour, (on Food Network), then he was hired by Travel Channel, to present Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, a travel and gastronomy program that lasted 7 seasons in which he traveled around the planet showing the world the gastronomy of the different places he visited, with his direct and casual style he did not skimp on adjectives when it came to evaluating what he ate and the customs of the place, perhaps that is what that captivated so many people, his personal charisma and the fact that he didn’t mince his words when it came to evaluating and describing everything he came across. Another successful program was The Layover, where Bourdain urged people to visit a city in 48 hours, a very dynamic and fun program, it was a series of short episodes in which he appeared visiting restaurants and cafes of all kinds, some of them remote and strange places, others common among the local population, giving travelers alternatives that suited all budgets, an episode of this series that I fondly remember is this one in which he visits The Tonga Room in San Francisco, a crazy space with a decoration of dubious taste that leaves no one indifferent, a very crazy place to spend a different night, the best thing is his comments and see how he has a good time, when I saw the program I got a crazy desire to go and I hope to do it.

What I liked most aboutHe was fleeing elitism and entering very popular culinary environments, in love with Vietnamese street food, in this episode of Parts Unknown, he teaches us that to eat well you only need good food, that’s all. Parts Unknown is the latest of his programs, it has been broadcast on CNN since 2012 and as its name indicates, Bourdain showed unknown places, traveling around the world, beyond the famous restaurants, he delved into the local customs, the most native gastronomy and the most traditional dishes. He managed to take Obama to eat noodles in Vietnam and taught him how to slurp them, you can watch the video here. After his death, Obama himself posted a tweet with an image remembering that moment and showing his affection for the chef. Read here the news.

By Neeta Lind (IMG_0517) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

In addition, his advice was always welcome, thanks to him I tried this hamburger chain on my next trip to California, and it did not disappoint, nothing like what we know, thanks Anthony! If it weren’t for you I would never have stopped at an In-N-Out, now it is the wild card that never fails when there is no time or when you simply do not feel like eating much, if you omit the potatoes, it is not a bad option, a hamburger made with quality meat is appreciated.

Whenever I travel to a new city I look for gastronomic information, where eat, where to dine, where to sleep, and if I’m lucky and find a Bourdain clip on the subject, I listen to him, it always works. It’s a shame there won’t be any more programs, books, or articles. I’ll stick with everything he’s already taught us, everything he’s conveyed to us, and his unique vision of the world and gastronomy.

“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 can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody.
Open your mind, get off the couch, move.” Anthony Bourdain.

“If I’m a defender of anything, it’s the fact of moving. As far as you can, as much as you can. Cross the ocean or simply cross the river. To the extent that you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes or at least try their food, it’s a plus for anyone. Open your mind, get off the couch, move.” Anthony Bourdain.

This quote sums up his career very well. The best thing is that, as far as possible, we listen to him, try what’s not yours, forget our prejudices. We can only take good things with us, of that I’m sure.

A hug to everyone.