RIP Anthony Bourdain

[javadog]

I'm sitting in a Vietnamese restaurant, and eating a bowl of noodles and thinking about Tony. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he's gone...

[KFC911]

^^^ I feel bad for you guys that are taking this news hard. It just strikes me how different we all are, despite the common denominator we all share here....

[RANDY P]

I liked his show because it's the only one on TV that talks about culture, and the guy just seemed genuinely cool, not tarted up and fake like all the other hosts. His episodes are about people, not just food.

So who do we have left? Guy Fieri and his Camaro? He's kind of a bro-douche. I'm sure now CNN will see a visible dip in viewership without AB.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

I liked his show because it's the only one on TV that talks about culture, and the guy just seemed genuinely cool, not tarted up and fake like all the other hosts. His episodes are about people, not just food.

So who do we have left? Guy Fieri and his Camaro? He's kind of a bro-douche. I'm sure now CNN will see a visible dip in viewership without AB.

^^This. I think the reason so many are taking his death hard is that he made it feel like you knew him just by watching him. I'm sure it was a bit of himself and a bit of a character he created but it felt like you could talk to the guy for hours even if you didn't have a single thing in common with him. He was personable. And that's something that's hard enough to find in real life, let alone manage to find someone talented enough to convey through a tv. I mean could you imagine trying to have a conversation with Guy Fieri in a bar? Or Gordon Ramsey? It just ain't gonna happen. Because no one can relate to those guys. We can all relate to AB. Especially any of us that have ever worked in a restaurant.

[legion]

Originally Posted by astrochex

Just don’t get the place of humor in a topic about a suicide.

Yeah, definitely not something anyone should ever joke about.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by KC911

^^^ I feel bad for you guys that are taking this news hard. It just strikes me how different we all are, despite the common denominator we all share here....

I agree. A great group of guys here and all different.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by KC911

^^^ I feel bad for you guys that are taking this news hard. It just strikes me how different we all are, despite the common denominator we all share here....

I don't necessarily feed bad but it does seem strange.

Sure Mr Bourdain was smart, funny, and very interesting. Many of us lived vicariously through his wild adventures.

Some of you had the luck to meet him for a few minutes... but by in large most of us only knew his 'in front of the camera' persona... much like Robin Williams... a guy the appeared to have the world on a string but obviously he had a dark side.

But in the end he was just another human being, very sad that he chose to take his own life. However how many of us know people at work that we see every day, maybe chat with them in the hall or the lunchroom... then they die and we don't think anything of it.

P.S. I hope no one thought me quoting the song was supposed to be funny... more just relevant to what he himself said in the interview.

[AFC-911]

Originally Posted by javadog

I'm sitting in a Vietnamese restaurant, and eating a bowl of noodles and thinking about Tony. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he's gone...

That sounds yummy.

[RANDY P]

Got the Ethiopia episode fired up on the TV. I missed this one. Telling us about the history of Ethiopia and his guest is a guy born there, adopted by a Swedish family, married an Ethiopian model and became a big successful restaurant owner in NY.

Nothing else like this- it's like actually watchable National Geographic.

rjp

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by drkshdw

^^This. I think the reason so many are taking his death hard is that he made it feel like you knew him just by watching him. I'm sure it was a bit of himself and a bit of a character he created but it felt like you could talk to the guy for hours even if you didn't have a single thing in common with him. He was personable. And that's something that's hard enough to find in real life, let alone manage to find someone talented enough to convey through a tv. I mean could you imagine trying to have a conversation with Guy Fieri in a bar? Or Gordon Ramsey? It just ain't gonna happen. Because no one can relate to those guys. We can all relate to AB. Especially any of us that have ever worked in a restaurant.

Exactly. I relate because AB did what I could only wish I could do- paid to travel, food, learn- the perfect job. I could only hope to live as well as that someday.

rjp

[Evans, Marv]

Yes, his job was a perfect job. But constant traveling, being away from home, not feeling like you have a place to anchor, & even maybe even feeling trapped in the situation can no doubt, wear on most people. My best friend was a cop in the late '60s. Went to school while working, had a wife & family and got his degree. After he graduated, he applied to the Secret Service and later ended up on Nixon & Ford's protective details. Of course he was excited about it. But after a few years of constant travel, he decided to give it up. He really didn't like always traveling and being away from home. Could be AB felt like he was on a treadmill he couldn't get off of.

[Don Ro]

CNN is apparently having a mini Parts Unknown marathon at this time.

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

Got the Ethiopia episode fired up on the TV. I missed this one. Telling us about the history of Ethiopia and his guest is a guy born there, adopted by a Swedish family, married an Ethiopian model and became a big successful restaurant owner in NY.

Nothing else like this- it's like actually watchable National Geographic.

rjp

Marcus Samuelson. Very interesting story about him and his mother fleeing Ethiopia. She ended up dying of TB and he was adopted young and grew up Swedish. He has a good cookbook that I have.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I guess I fall into "one of those more affected by his death."

Earlier in the week, Kate Spade died. Other than seeing her name in some outlet malls on overpriced handbags, I had no connection to her. I'd rather have a rusted out 911 part than some Kate Spade stuff. A coworker of mine (female) commented on how sad her death was.

She was bummed.
I was not.

Honestly, I had no connection to her, so I understand people having no connection to AB.

AB was accessible, and even as I will say I can down a bottle of wine as easily as I can down a 12 once soda- it hurt my head to think of how much he drank on these shows. It hurt me to even think of the hangovers- but....

for me, it was THIS episode. My wife loves NYC. I had fun visiting. This episode covers NYC, and specifically a bar with artwork from the writer (Bemelman) who wrote/ illustrated "Madeline."

At the time, we were reading this exact book to our daughter, and the pictures were a familiar night time ritual. You can almost hear Anthony bemoan and simultaneously treasure the "burden/gift" of reading to a daughter every night.

At the time, it made me swear I would take my wife there.
Tonight, in the context of his death, it makes me reaffirm I not only owe my wife a trip to NYC, I need to take care of myself for my daughter's sake.

I certainly cannot afford it now, timewise or moneywise, but I will make it happen. Somehow.

ps- this episode also gave me an idea for my wife's christmas present of a few years back (she's a foodie/ likes to cook) - I bought her the Bemelman's cooking book mentioned in this episode.

Edit- at 13 seconds in, there is a glimpse of a "good restaraunt"- Omo peche? Daniels? It's like an insider easter egg hint. Is anyone familiar with it? Would like to go there.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sXSEcOGPsU

[RANDY P]

Unpretentious. That's the word.

Thailand episode coming up.

rjp

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Marcus Samuelson. Very interesting story about him and his mother fleeing Ethiopia. She ended up dying of TB and he was adopted young and grew up Swedish. He has a good cookbook that I have.

A 75 mile walk carrying two infants while having TB? Jeezus Mom. Wow.

rjp

[Shaun @ Tru6]

As someone who once cooked professionally in at least one restaurant Anthony Bourdain would have appreciated combined with my passion for travel and adventure, I loved Mr. Bourdain for everything he represented, most especially how curious and open-minded and expressive he was. It made him genuine. I think this fall I will go to Chez Robert et Louise, the restaurant in episode 1 of No Reservations, the time I saw Bourdaine, an instant love affair. The episode itself, defines life.

Jump to 31 minutes for Chez Robert et Louise





I mourn his death and the incredible light that shined so brightly in him, as do so many others. But I find it disturbing that 20 veterans commit suicide every day and no one knows or cares.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

--snip--But I find it disturbing that 20 veterans commit suicide every day and no one knows or cares.

Thank you for bringing this to light here, Shaun.

I bet many didn't realize the rate was that high.

I too will mourn the loss of Mr. Bourdain & the special qualities he brought to us.

Sometimes the candle burns a bit too brightly for it's own good.

[Baz]

From Mike Rowe's FB page:

“Hello Darkness, My Old Friend”

On a hot night in 2005, after a long day of spelunking through the septic tanks of Wisconsin, I retired to my suite at the Motel 6, to wallow in the perks of my chosen profession.

First, there was the tepid shower, followed by another. Then, there was the tepid beer, followed by another. Then, I logged into the Dirty Jobs Mudroom, where I planned to chat with fans of my show while watching myself on television, (a narcissistic but mostly harmless habit that eventually got out of control and turned into this Facebook page.) But that’s another story.

On this particular evening, stretched out on a suspicious comforter held together with the DNA of previous guests, I stumbled across a smart-aleck on The Travel Channel eating fermented shark meat in Iceland, and telling his producer he’d be dead by morning. I had to laugh. Just a few hours earlier, I had been eating a fermented hoagie in an open sewer, and lodging a similar prediction with my own producer.

Naturally, I was intrigued by what appeared to be a kindred spirit, Forrest-Gumping his way around the world, pushing the bounds of non-fiction television. The show was called “No Reservations,” and no – I didn’t think it was better than Dirty Jobs. But I did think it was every bit as good, and the more I watched, the more I grew to appreciate this subversive chef’s naked contempt for all the fakery of traditional production. I loved the way he went out of his way be seen as a “traveler,” not a tourist. It reminded me of my own attempts to be seen as a “guest,” and not a host.

From that moment, I was a fan. I read his books, and enjoyed them all. But what I enjoyed even more was the way Tony pushed The Travel Channel into some very uncomfortable territory. It’s not that I think bad language and drinking on camera are cool or edgy; I don’t. But I loved the fact that Tony pushed the network to let the show evolve around his point of view, and his personality. In those days, that almost never happened. It’s still very rare, mostly because the shows are the property of the network, and the network almost always has an opinion about how their hosts should and shouldn’t behave. But Bourdain was his own man – a man on a mission to produce a show that was authentic to him. I admired that. I also admired the way he pushed back when his name and likeness were used to sell Cadillacs without his permission. https://bit.ly/2Jt0EWB He had integrity, and was unafraid to walk away from a steady gig when he believed he was in the right.

I think my favorite thing he ever did was an episode for Parts Unknown. Tony goes scuba diving for octopi in Sicily, with the help of a local producer. But when there are no octopi to be found on the sea floor, the producer starts dropping them off the side of the boat.

Imagine the scene. Bourdain is twenty feet down with his cameraman, when store-bought, frozen octopi begin to float slowly by. It’s absurd, but precisely what a typical producer in my industry would do to do “salvage” a scene. Bourdain however, is appalled, and does the only sensible thing he can - he drinks through the rest of the episode, heavily. Later, in voiceover, he reveals the botched attempt to fool the viewer by airing the raw footage. It's the most honest thing I’ve ever seen, in a genre that stages 95% of what it presents as real.

Full disclosure - I don’t know Tony well enough to eulogize him. We met a few times, here and there, shared a few drinks, and complemented each other on our respective careers. We disagreed on plenty, but we approached non-fiction television the same way. We both looked askance at rehearsals, scripts, executive oversight, and most of all, second takes. And we both tried to use our platforms to do more than entertain.

A few years ago, at an event in New York, we traded war stories over some better than average bourbon. I asked Tony about the warthog anus he ate in Namibia, and whether or not the subsequent antibiotics did the trick.

“Hard to know,” he said. “By then, I’d developed a kind of natural immunity. What about you? Still keeping the Hep-A at bay?”

“So far so good,” I said. “My problems these days are mostly with PETA.”

Tony laughed. “Don’t get me started. They’ve got a file on me the size of a phone book.”

We talked about the importance of showing people where their food comes from. He told me about the petition against CNN that arose when he removed the beating heart from a snake. I told him about the boycott against Discovery when I shot a cow and butchered it on camera. We talked about the difficulty of producing a truly authentic show with sponsors and advertisers and millions of viewers with competing agendas, and how grateful he was for the chance to deliver the show he wanted to deliver. I told him about the night I saw him choking down the fermented shark in Iceland, back in 2005, and asked him if he ever imagined a scene like that would lead to a Peabody Award. He told me that awards were nice, but never part of the plan.

“I was mostly trying to amuse myself,” he said. “I just wanted to do a show that I could be proud of.”

Yesterday, when I heard he’d hung himself, I thought about the first time I saw "No Reservations," while I was stretched out on that suspicious comforter in a Motel 6 outside Madison. I just found the clip on You Tube, and watched it again - this time from the comfort of a leather sofa, where the only DNA present was my own. I couldn’t help but notice the title of the episode - “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend.”

Old friends, it seems, have a way of reuniting.
Tragically, in this case.

My sympathies to his loved ones, and to his millions of fans trying to make sense of the inexplicable. His was a truly unique voice, and I'll be among those who miss it.

Mike

[drkshdw]

"The Critic Whose Olive Garden Review Went Viral Remembers How Anthony Bourdain Spoke Up For Her"

In 2012, then–88-year-old Marilyn Hagerty of Grand Forks, North Dakota, wrote arguably the most viral restaurant review ever written. It was for Olive Garden.

Hagerty, a food columnist for the local Grand Forks Herald, dubbed it "the largest and most beautiful restaurant now operating in Grand Forks."

"The chicken Alfredo ($10.95) was warm and comforting on a cold day. The portion was generous. My server was ready with Parmesan cheese," she wrote.

It was an instant viral sensation, with tons of people cracking sarcastic jokes about the octogenarian's earnest review. It even got a write-up on Gawker.

Despite the roasting, the review found her at least one big fan: Anthony Bourdain.

Bourdain defended Hagerty, celebrating her "triumph over the snarkologists" when the review went viral.

"Marilyn Hagerty's years of reviews to be a history of dining in the America too few of us from the coasts have seen. We need to see," he tweeted.

As a result of her online fame, Hagerty wound up flying to New York to do the media rounds, including a hot dog review for the New York Times.

While there, she and Bourdain met for coffee — and she wound up getting a book deal because of it.

The following year, Hagerty published a book of her reviews. Bourdain edited it and even wrote the foreword.

In the foreword, Bourdain praised Hagerty as a hard-working, quick-witted food writer with deep knowledge of her community.

"She is never mean — even when circumstances would clearly excuse a sharp elbow, a cruel remark," he wrote. "In fact, watching Marilyn struggle to find something nice to say about a place she clearly loathes is part of the fun. She is, unfailingly, a good neighbor and good citizen first — and entertainer second."

Bourdain added that the book "kills snark dead."

"This is a straightforward account of what people have been eating — still ARE eating — in much of America," he wrote. "As related by a kind, good-hearted reporter looking to pass along as much useful information as she can — while hurting no one."

In an interview with BuzzFeed News on Friday, Hagerty remembered how Bourdain celebrated her work, rather than mock it.

She said she heard about Bourdain's death Friday morning when her son sent her an article about it. She called it "sad, shocking news."

"Anthony Bourdain spoke up for me at a time when people all over the country were making great fun of the column I write," Hagerty told BuzzFeed News. "To have a man of his stature rise up and befriend me, it meant a lot to me."

Bourdain had also laughed when he first read the review, but dropped the snark when he realized how her columns represented her community, she said.

"He told me he felt the same way when he first read it, but that he changed his way of thinking," she said. "He decided I was writing about food in America and the way people eat in the middle of the country."

Their coffee meeting in New York was the only time they ever met, and Hagerty said she still thinks about it fondly.

"You know, sometimes you go through life and...you think about all the wonderful things that happened to you," she said. "And one of the wonderful things that happened to me was when Anthony Bourdain spoke up for me and wanted to publish my columns in a book."