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Anthony Bourdain, Food and Chris Wilson
By No Reservations Crew on October 20, 2008 6:04 PM | Permalink | 20 Comments
By Chris Wilson
I first met Tony Bourdain in the old Siberia, a wonderfully disgusting dive bar which at the time was buried near the entrance to the 1 and 9 subway station at the 50th and Broadway. It was sometime in late 2000, and I had just been hired as a reporter for the New York Post's Page Six gossip column, primarily because I was the kind of guy who happily drank up everything that New York nightlife had to offer, from bending elbows with my fellow degenerates at foul-smelling dive bars to awkwardly hitting on Eastern European models at all those overpriced bottle service swilleries that were popping up all over town. Tony was already a semi-famous author, thanks to Kitchen Confidential, but he shared my boozy bloodlust for Siberia's nocturnal allure, as well as an appreciation for a decent jukebox that played the Dead Boys. Now that he's a full-on TV star who spends most of the year traveling to exotic locales, I rarely run into him anymore (the fact that Siberia closed has cut down on our hang time considerably) so I was pleasantly surprised when one of his producers emailed me to ask if I wanted to be on No Reservations to talk about, you know, food and travel and stuff.
Sure, why not? I hadn't seen Bourdain in eons and a free, 14-course meal at a fancy place like WD-50 was a no-brainer. No Reservations was even good enough to loan me a video camera to take on my already-scheduled trip to New Orleans, which I somehow managed not to lose during epic eating and drinking binges around the French Quarter. By the way, cooks in New Orleans idolize Bourdain. Whenever I was filming in a restaurant and explained that I was shooting for his show, I was ushered into the kitchen, where the cook would invariably stuff some morsel of fried food in my mouth. At Guy's Po Boys on Magazine street, I choked down a foot and a half of delicious sandwich, so insistent was the guy making them that I try every kind of po boy he had. I felt like a human woodchipper being fed log after log until the machine fell apart. Or a foie gras goose whose stomach was being pumped until it burst. But hey, I'm a man of large appetites, and they all tasted pretty damn good.
So it was with clogged colon and wounded liver that I returned to NYC after four days in NoLa. I was the first to arrive for the dinner at WD-50 the afternoon after I got back. Tony immediately offered me a beer, which definitely helped matters. Then my old friend Amy Sacco turned up. Next it was former Queer Eye guy Ted Allen (who, incidentally, was wearing the exact same black leather Converse Jack Purcells that I was), and finally came the New Yorker's Bill Buford, whose books Heat and Among the Thugs are both amazing. At first I was pretty quiet, but by about the fifth wine course I was giving shout-outs to the comfort food of my Pennsylvania youth, namely my mom's Shake and Bake pork chops drenched in A1 sauce and her famous brussel sprouts, bacon bits and mayonnaise mash-up. Yes, the good old days. While I was intrigued and sometimes even thrilled by chef Wylie Dufrene's experimental cuisine (I distinctly remember enjoying what appeared to be Corn Pops filled with Eggs Benedict), I'm basically a comfort food freak. Give me some ribs, barbecued chicken, a good steak, some fresh soft shell crabs, and I'm a happy dude. Still it was great to raise a glass (or eleven) with Bourdain and co., and the driver of the Town Car hired by the Travel Channel was kind enough to drop me off at my next destination (a ventriloquists convention in Atlantic City, if you must know.)
So Tony, if you need a wingman the next time you eat your way through Spain, gimme a holler and I'm on a plane. I mean it. No, seriously, call me. Are you calling yet?
20 Comments
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To Anthony:
I am a student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, an amateur chef, world traveler, and a fan of your shows and ideas. I have lived in Japan, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Israel; I have been all over Europe and South America. I love food and let my gastronomical instincts guide me on my travels. I was watching your show “At The Table” and I felt that an element missing from the conversation was that of the culinary un-elite. I don’t consider my self an expert or even enthusiast of culinary philosophy but I felt that many of the questions and answers of both you and your guests could have been explored more deeply and in different directions to appeal to the average travel/food television watcher. You might want to consider having one guest that can represent more of the non-professional attitude towards food and philosophy. I feel that (not me specifically) but they could help open the show up to a wider audience range and invite more controversial and pragmatic conversation.
Tell your crap to someone who isn't being filmed.
Will that famous brussel sprouts, bacon bits and mayonnaise mash-up recipe be available online?
Yes, PLEASE.... the recipe for Brussel Sprouts, Bacon and Mayo!!!
I have to say I was intrigued and eager to watch Anthony Bourdain's new show. I like his travel shows (mostly) and he has an earthy, narravtive style that pulls you in. Until now. Tony, cut your losses and run. This show sucked!! Trying to make you conspicuous, over-the-top comsumption justifiable by spouting inane drivel about pseudo guilt is just plain boring and self-serving. And from now on - please keep your pruerile "what's the worst thing..." type comments to yourself - unless of course you want to talk about how many health violations (rats) YOUR restaurants have recently had. Now THAT might be of value - we would know not to eat there!!! And one last thing - what IS it about Rachel Ray that bothers you SO much??? The woman is someone who has made it on her own, which is commendable. And her cooking comes from all the things that you mouth on about whenever you are in some foreign toilet, far from the country that made you a millionaire - the poor, ethnic, family oriented blah, blah, blah. I am not really a Rachel fan, and I rarely watch her show - her cooking is not what appeals to me, but YOU should be last person to criticize someone who worked their way from the bottom up. So Tony, do what you do best - wander the globe, cigarette in hand, half in the bag and take nice pictures of the scenery while you savor the local roasted warthog anus.
I also enjoy No Reservations so eagerly tuned into At the Table. What a disappointment. This show showcases the worst of New Yorkers and elitist dining. While it dabbles in the ethics of haute cusine (is there something wrong with eating a $1,800 dinner when so many are struggling? Certainly a question worth asking) it quickly forgoes true intellectual consideration and moves to a chance for the participants to talk about their privilege and cool-food club chops. The conversation was just as self-absorbed as the participants, all of them waiting for their chance to talk about how qualified they are to be eating a $1,800 dinner and how well traveled they are. Picking cacao beans in Brazil? Then talking about filthy bathrooms? Unfunny, uninteresting and smacks of insecurity and false bravado. It's unclear who they are trying harder to impress, each other or the audience. I've only heard of Bill Buford because I read the New Yorker, and he isn't one of the best minds they have. Amy Sacco owns Bungalow 8? She's the perfect host for the desperate-for-attention celebrities who go there, hoping that someone is looking at them.
Experimental food seems much like experimental poetry, more posturing and proving your brilliance and sneering at what the normal people think is good or interesting ("I hate eggs Benedict" or "I haven't eaten street food since I was a kid") and the comments about Rachel Ray fit right into this genre. While I am no Rachel Ray fan, it said a lot more about the guests than it did about the you-too-can-cook oeuvre. Sure this is banal, but the simpering masses who want to watch and learn to cook are in large part the same audience who tunes into food shows on the Travel channel and watches the shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy who made one of the guests semi-recognizable. Those who have achieved true fame don't bite the hand that tunes into their show. These guests are all "F" list spokespeople at best telling us how hip they were before hip was cool: regular at a bar so cool it's no longer there? Check. Fan of a band before it was cool to be into them? Check. Already been everywhere people have heard of (and probably lived there before it was cool to do so) so now you've moved onto the "undiscovered" places? Check. It must be exhausting to be you.
The entire show is this: it's totally boring, quibbling, insecure and self-absorbed. It's like listening to ivy league frat boys reminisce too loudly about their college days. Ugh! I hope this was a one time show and not a pilot. I agree with Lisa, Bourdain should stick to what he's good at: going to out of the way places, smoking and drinking and learning show after show in an only slightly meta critical musing, that people are the same everywhere: they eat, they celebrate, they share with friends and families. Keep this heinous brand of New Yorkers in the city that deserves them, the agony of listening to each other whine and posture should be punishment enough.
at Mhammet: your comments might be too long
I also enjoy No Reservations so eagerly tuned into At the Table. What a disappointment. This show showcases the worst of New Yorkers and elitist dining. While it dabbles in the ethics of haute cusine (is there something wrong with eating a $1,800 dinner when so many are struggling? Certainly a question worth asking) it quickly forgoes true intellectual consideration and moves to a chance for the participants to talk about their privilege and cool-food club chops. The conversation was just as self-absorbed as the participants, all of them waiting for their chance to talk about how qualified they are to be eating a $1,800 dinner and how well traveled they are. Picking cacao beans in Brazil? Then talking about filthy bathrooms? Unfunny, uninteresting and smacks of insecurity and false bravado. It's unclear who they are trying harder to impress, each other or the audience. I've only heard of Bill Buford because I read the New Yorker, and he isn't one of the best minds they have. Amy Sacco owns Bungalow 8? She's the perfect host for the desperate-for-attention celebrities who go there, hoping that someone is looking at them.
The entire show is this: it's totally boring, quibbling, insecure and self-absorbed. It's like listening to ivy league frat boys reminisce too loudly about their college days. Ugh! I hope this was a one time show and not a pilot. I agree with Lisa, Bourdain should stick to what he's good at: going to out of the way places, smoking and drinking and learning show after show in an only slightly meta critical musing, that people are the same everywhere: they eat, they celebrate, they share with friends and families. Keep this heinous brand of New Yorkers in the city that deserves them, the agony of listening to each other whine and posture should be punishment enough.
Wow Tony, ummm I agree with Lisa. Watching you thumb your semi-high society nose while "slumming" with your buddy's is just insulting. I am sad to see how these food elites really see the unwashed masses... Were the worst customers (Well make us feel welcome in your elitist eatery, were poor remember and we only get to go once)... Our kids eat crappy food because were just too tired (sorry we have jobs). I am sorry man I really like your show but this was just an exercise in how poorly NYC elites relate with anybody outside of their social circle. I was impressed with the voice over in the beginning. I had my hopes up that the show would be able to relate to the middle class foodie who dreams about cooking with one tenth of some of the ingredients you consume nearly daily (or so it would seem after watching this show). Yet alas I am disappointed. I really do wish I could comment differently.
I've already commented on how awful the show was - but just had to add, I'm not sure how being an editor at Maxim qualified this guy to be on the panel. He's been comped countless meals and so is now a food expert? It didn't help that he had very little to offer the conversation and in fact had this look on his face like, "I sure don't know why I'm here....."
I finally watched this on the DVR last night and I have to say, I thought the conversation was a bit disappointing. Some of Tony's questions were good, but the dinner guests didn't give very interesting answers. And when the conversation seemed to get good, the topic would change.
Also, Amy Sacco is insufferable. Please don't have her on again. I could get a better opinion by asking a 4 year old what they think. What a dolt.
Hey Dandys girl don't you think one entry of your comments was enough and how long did it take you to go through your thesaurus for all those big words, wow I am so impressed. Why can't you just say the show sucked.What were you thinking Tony? Your guests were idiots but even if they were entertaining or interesting the format of the show still sucked. Please don't do that again stick to what you do best, introduce Americans to hidden undiscovered cuisines and please stay out of the USA there is nothing interesting about our food, its mostly deep-fried crap wanna-be European food.
If anyone complains about someone eating a $1800 meal is just jealous its a capitalist society, love it or leave it. Wah there are starving people in the world if you feel so strongly about it send your money to them go to their country and feed them. Its not our fault starving people have 5x as many kids as people that are not starving. They are overpopulating themselves. If one has the money to spend on food it trickles down to the restaurant owner, his staff and purveyors so therefore the money is taken from the rich and given to the poor.
Chris,
Sorry for those who didn't realize this was your blog entry and not Tony's. Good blog entry, thought the show was okay, decent 1st effort. I too want the recipe posted here. Glad to see a fellow foodie representing PA. Foodies for Obama. Dailykos.com
What kind of sunglasses is Anthony wearing in the Saudi Arabia episode? thanks.
sounds like a wonderful dinner ... i'll bet you'll make the extra efforts the next times as well!
keep on Truckin',
mtw
Geez Tony, I missed the show but after seeing all of this I don't think I missed a thing. No matter what everyone said we all do watch No Reservations and that's a good thing. Keep up the work on your No Reservations and skip the rest.
peace my friend
It's easy to proclaim availability to be Tony's sidekick on his sojourns. Let's not let nepotism and cronyism reign supreme by choosing only known personalities. Let Tony mix it up until he finds a sidekick to his benefit.
Why can't you just say the show sucked.What were you thinking Tony? Your guests were idiots but even if they were entertaining or interesting the format of the show still sucked.