WEST BLOOMFIELD (MI) -- Here’s the thing about Anthony Bourdain: like many of the foods he sampled in his worldwide travels, Bourdain was himself, an acquired taste. He wore an almost constant goofy smirk that initially made one’s douche meter start to register, but then he gradually pulled you in. His TV efforts in their various iterations on
Food Network,
Travel Channel and finally
CNN were not food shows per se; nor were they travel programs and they certainly were never intended to be news broadcasts, either. They were a little bit of all three. The thing that sucked you in, that kept you coming back for what became appointment television for many, was Tony’s insatiable curiosity.
I did not know the man, but like many of you, it felt like I did. For me the most powerful episode of
Parts Unknown was the one he did on Western
Massachusetts, chronicling the heroin epidemic raging in former mill towns like Turners Falls, Shelburne Falls and Greenfield not far from where I grew up. He could talk with authority about being a heroin addict because
he was one starting in his wilder young days spent in kitchens in Provincetown, the bohemian outpost at the very end of Cape Cod. This, most definitely, was not your normal, everyday travel or cooking show.
Those that did know Bourdain are devastated; those who did not, equally so. Here are some of their thoughts:
Absolutely stunned. Bourdain you mother*cker. You giant. You friend. You writer. You most loyal to all around you. God, I’m so sad. Oh, this world. We’ve lost a hero.
Michael Ruhlman
Bourdain showed us so many corners of the world through food - a nearly universal pleasure that connects us socially, provides an outlet for creativity, and touches our deepest needs to be nurtured. He was the rare traveler who was curious & respectful but never condescending.
Jill Filipovic
“Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.” This is how I’ll remember Tony. He taught us about food — but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him.
Barack Obama
Man. I’m not sure anyone has changed the way I look at the world — or made me want to see MORE of the world — than him over the last 10-15 years.
Bill Connelly
Anthony was my best friend. An exceptional human being, so inspiring & generous. One of the great storytellers who connected w so many. I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my heart. My love & prayers are also w his family, friends and loved ones.
Eric Ripert
And here are a few quotes from Bourdain himself:
Here is a link to
The New Yorker piece that eventually led to Bourdain’s best-selling book
Kitchen Confidential back in 1999:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1...e-reading-this
And another
New Yorker piece from last year on Bourdain’s burgeoning celebrityhood:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...moveable-feast
And finally,
The New Yorker’s memorial for Anthony:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/an...ling-the-truth
CNN’s remembrance page for Anthony Bourdain:
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018...tml?slack=true
Here are a few stories that illustrate the kind of guy Anthony Bourdain was that never got any PR:
-- A woman who was mocked for reviewing Olive Garden had coffee with Bourdain and he ended up publishing a book of her columns:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...&ICID=ref_fark
-- Bourdain and Make-A-Wish helped send a 13-year-old fan of his to Spain for a trip of a lifetime:
https://twitter.com/EvanBenn/status/1005070320401821696
Anthony made a cameo appearance in the film adaptation of Michael Lewis’ financial expose
The Big Short:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrv9odqUvlw
Another favorite episode of
Parts Unknown: his $6 noodles and beer dinner in Hanoi with then-President Barack Obama:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/travel/20...-best-moments/
Here are six things you probably didn’t know about that meal:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36365988
The small Vietnamese restaurant that hosted Obama and Bourdain was so proud that they stopped in their place that they put their chairs and table in a display case:
https://imgur.com/XuFIaDi
Anthony’s favorite restaurant in LA? In-and-Out Burger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4J1seTHAMU
One badass chef meets another: a very young Anthony Bourdain hangs with Gordon Ramsay in the UK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmOO...ature=youtu.be
Anthony never made it to Dayton but he did do a show on Cleveland:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=9axN9w1n2Z8
Bourdain discovers Waffle House for the very first time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX_k...ature=youtu.be
Some background on that Waffle House visit:
https://www.everydayshouldbesaturday...41342/bourdain
Anthony also produced a film entitled
The Last Magnificent on Chef Jeremiah Tower:
http://jeremiahtower.film/
The residents of Kaysersberg, the small village in the Alsace region of France where Bourdain committed suicide are baffled as to why he chose their town in which to waste himself:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/0...de-france.html
Bottom line: There is no pretty way to position this or to put it in a positive light -- Anthony Bourdain killed himself. Those who have never been there have no idea what motivates an individual to do so. Maybe this piece from
Scientific American will help explain it:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com...kill-yourself/
R.I.P. Anthony Bourdain.
That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at:
swampy@udpride.com