What's Cookin' discussion

What did people think of Anthony Bourdain? As I think I said on another board, I have a total man crush on him, and I'm a vegetarian, so he would probably call me names and kick me out of Les Halles.

If you don't know who Anthony Bourdain is...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_...

I have a huge crush too. I stayed at a friend's who had a copy of Kitchen Confidential and read through half of it years ago. Recently I finished Devil In The Kitchen--Marco Pierre White's book about being the youngest and first British chef to win 3 michelin stars and it inspired me to pick up Kitchen Confidential again. Bourdain's book is so much better. He's a talented writer and overall bad-ass.
I know his super-sized ego can be off putting, but I think he's got the goods to back it up.
I also love his show No Reservations. My favorite episode is where he goes to Cleveland and visits a chef buddy and Harvey Pekar.

Yeah, that scene in the restaurant in Cleveland, when Bourdain's friend Ruhlman swears...and Pekar freaks...priceless.

I've read "Kitchen Confidential" and "Nasty Bits." I bet you'd like that one too, Shelly. Check it out.

I will! Thanks!

I'll have to check out Kitchen Confidential and No Reservations. I have to (embarrassedly) admit that my only experience with Anthony Bourdain has been from seeing him on Top Chef, which I like and seems to draw a lot of amazing chefs as guest judges.

This will just go to prove that I spend too much time on GoodReads, but when I clicked on Randomanthony's Wikipedia link to Bourdain, his photo reminded me of someone:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Except, Kirk, of course, is much more handsome.

I'm going to go to sleep now, and hope I can show my face here tomorrow :)

Val--I'm a fan of Top Chef too. Although I don't have cable anymore so I'm missing it this season. In any event, Bourdain always had the best blogs about the shows on Bravo's website so if your still watching you should check it out.

what about this photo Val?
http://schmeeve.com/img/nearnudebourd...

Oh, my. That's a side of Mr. Bourdain I've never seen before. Ahem.

Loved Kitchen Confidential, and love the show, despite my own vegetarian leanings. He's made me feel less guilty about my occasional pork cravings.

I'm glad he survived the New Zealand episode.

Yay! Me and a bunch of women chatting and checking out near-naked pictures of Bourdain. Is that what the gay friend you always see women with in romantic comedies feels like?

I watched the "Las Vegas" and part of the Mexico/Texas episode this weekend. Oh, did people see the one a couple weeks ago where he returns for a shift at Les Halles? I think reading at least Kitchen Confidential helps you get what's going on in the show...although you can watch the show without it, of course, and still like it.

After seeing that Bourdain photo (thanks, Shelly!) I'm going to put his show on my Tivo right away.

Another cooking-related book I read and like a lot was Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, which was about when she was the NY Times' Restaurant Critic.

The other was Heat, by Mario Batali. I have to admit that I only read half (and then it went back to the library) but now I'm inspired to go get it back out. Also, I recently (briefly) met a chef that worked in Batali's kitchen at Babbo, so my interest has sort of been re-sparked.

I'm still reeling from that photo a bit - in a good way. I think :)

I was so attracted to Anthony Bourdain, but that picture kind of skeeved me out a bit. He is way too skinny.
The first Bourdain book I read was Kitchen Confidential. It turned me off. Bourdain came across as a pompous arrogant jerk. I loved the book just not him. And then I started watching his sow and he is still all of those things as well as smart, witty, funny, dead pan, and an overall bad ass. So, now I am a huge fan!
However, as a result of the book Kitchen Confidential I will NEVER eat mussels ever again.
His other books are just as good.

Heat was not written by Batali was it?

Jo (and everyone): I misspoke/mistyped... Heat wasn't written by Mario Batali. It was written by Bill Buford, but is about Batali and the time Buford spent working in his kitchen at Babbo. Sorry about that.

If you click on the link below, and read the book description for Heat, it was written (funnily enough) by Anthony Bourdain:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...

OK, I don't want to know, but I do: why shouldn't I eat mussels anymore???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN78BW...

Only somewhat related, but I couldn't resist. Bourdain is strangely attractive, in a way that I'm not happy to admit. But Mike Rowe. Oh. My. God. I can think up several dirty jobs I wouldn't mind watching him do...

well, how they are "stored" leaves much to be desired. Something about a plastic bucket and their (the mussels) urine. If you would like I could refer back to the book to make sure I am accurate on his nasty description. There some other things that made me a little cautious about what and where I ate. But the only thing that stands out are the mussels. And I eat anything and everything!

I was truly saddened to learn that Bourdain had quit smoking. Charitably (she smiles) I can understand that with a newborn some things must be abandoned. I don't know if I find myself carnally inclined towards him, but the idea of eating a huge meal lubed up with fantastic amounts of wine and then, I don't know, hitting a real sleazy strip club with him sounds like one hell of a time - and I'm not a strip club kinda gal.

His Paris episode was quite entertaining and I liked how he was, to all outward appearances, the anti-French, but how closely his worldview hewed to that of the purported average Frenchman.

So here it is my first comment on Goodreads..ok at first I couldn't stand Anthony Bourdain when I saw him on TV. The smoking and the attitude. But gradually I think I warmed up to him and now love watching his tv show. I love how he tries to fit in with the locals by slurping and smacking. It just cracks me up.
I have read that he has a book Kitchen Confidential...I must read this...however I love mussels and am now very afraid to read this...

I just saw my first episode of No Reservations last night (the Southern Florida episode) and I liked it. I've got a few more racked up on my Tivo, and I'm looking forward to watching them.

I didn't find him to be anywhere near as arrogant as I was expecting him to be. Also, thanks to Shelly, I was picturing his scrawny naked body for practically the whole show :)

Welcome to the party, Crysti!

I watched some of the Ghana episode while I was working out...the part with the wild elephants was hilarious. Mr. B. and his crew don't know how to act around the animals and get in trouble with the game wardens. Great scene.

Yeah, I had repressed that picture, thanks, Valerie...remind me NOT to show that picture to my wife...she already digs Bourdain enough.:)

I think I have the Ghana episode Tivoed... it sounds interesting - I'll check it out next. And yes, RA, a man that can cook delicious food and isn't too hard on the eyes - oh my. We're heading into fantasy man territory here. I wonder if he'll be heading to WI anytime soon?

Ha! Somehow I just can't imagine that he's really that into bratwurst.

Val, Bourdain mentions both Milwaukee and Madison in an essay in "Nasty Bits." He mentions how big the portions are around here but says, if I remember correctly, there are some good chefs in the midwest trying to change food culture. What, you didn't run into him in Madison?:)

Yes, there are chefs here that are trying to change the typical Midwestern fare, but unfortunately Bourdain isn't one of them... and I haven't run into him (weeps openly).

At least I'll always think of him when I'm shopping in the meat department :)

I've been working my way through episodes of Bourdain's No Reservations. Last night I watched the New York episode. Can someone please explain to me how Tony doesn't weigh about four hundred pounds? Because I'd swear he eats about twice his body weight per show...

I've thought about the same thing, Val. I'm jealous as hell. Which is hard when I kind of admire someone like I do Mr. Bourdain.

I watched the Tuscany episode this week...some very funny parts about comparing his Tuscany visit with other food/travel shows' visits to Tuscany. I'm watching Greece now, which is surprisingly boring, I must admit. But maybe that's my jealousy talking.

OK, I'll watch Tuscany next. The funniest part of the NY episode was when he went on the trapeze, and he actually wore tights... then he was up there swinging that skinny bod of his, trying to get his legs up over the trapeze bar. It didn't really seem very "Bourdain", but it sure did make me laugh!

I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm in the process of reading "Kitchen Confidential" (which I like, in a kind of crude, trashy way :) and I ended up at back at the Wikipedia page that RA posted in the first post of this thread. Anyway, this made me laugh:

Known for consuming exotic and daring ethnic dishes, Bourdain is famous for eating sheep testicles in Morocco, ant eggs in Puebla, Mexico, a raw seal eyeball as part of a traditional Inuit seal hunt, and a whole cobra — beating heart, blood, bile, and meat — in Vietnam. According to Bourdain, the most disgusting thing he has ever eaten is a Chicken McNugget, though he did declare the warthog rectum he ate in Namibia and the fermented shark he ate in Iceland as among 'the worst meals of his life.'

Yep, McDonald's is probably the one thing I can't imagine him eating without retching.

I've still occasionally been watching No Reservations, but I haven't seen this episode yet (after reading this, I'm going to check and see if I can find this specific show):

In July 2006 Bourdain was in Beirut filming an episode of No Reservations when the Israel-Lebanon conflict broke out. Bourdain and his crew were evacuated with other American citizens on the morning of July 20 by the U.S. Marines. Despite having filmed only one restaurant before fighting began, Bourdain's producers compiled the Beirut footage into a No Reservations episode which aired on August 21, 2006. Uncharacteristically, the episode included footage of both Bourdain and his production staff, and included not only their initial attempts to film the episode, but also their firsthand encounters with Hezbollah supporters, their days of waiting for news with other expatriates in a Beirut hotel, and their eventual escape aided by a "cleaner" (unseen in the footage) who Bourdain dubbed "Mister Wolfe". The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2007.

Bourdain's new season has been decent (esp. the Saudi Arabia episode) but he seems to be running out of steam. I don't blame him...he's getting close to the sixty show mark. Anyway, this Monday's episode is set in Spain...only the 2nd time he's been to Spain for the show, and it looks good. Check it out:)

I saw the Saudi Arabia episode and thought it was really good, but that's the only episode from this season that I've seen. I did think it was a little weird that the woman that was his host kept bringing him to try all this food that she'd never even tasted before, though.

I think it's almost more interesting sometimes just to get an insider's view of the country that he's visiting than the food. Watching it definitely makes me want to travel. I'm way too chicken to go to Saudi Arabia, though.

Yeah, that whole "I've never eaten this before either" running joke was great in the Saudi Arabia episode, Val. That fast food restaurant with the private booths was interesting as well.

I saw the American Southwest, Tokyo, and...another one...I can't remember...the Tokyo one was decent although he's done Japan about a million times.