- SHOW INFO
- Home
- TV Schedule
- About the Show
- Meet Tony
- Travel Guides
- FEATURES
- Tony's Blog
- Crew Blog
- Meet the Crew
- Recipes
- PHOTOS
- Photo Journal
- VIDEO
- Missing Scenes
- Show Highlights
- Tony and Friends
- INTERACT
- Message Board
- Mobile Alerts Club
- MySpace
- YouTube
- iGoogle
- Snap My Life
- RELATED
- Bizare Foods
- Food and Wine
- Man v. Food
- SHOP
- Bourdain Fan Gear
- Travel Channel
Hiccups + Hygiene
By No Reservations Crew on February 19, 2009 4:27 PM | Permalink | 26 Comments
By Jared Andrukanis, Segment Producer
It is the night of our arrival in Manila, and usually on the day we arrive and before we begin principal photography, I spend my first few hours meeting with our fixer to discuss any changes or adjustments to our shooting schedule.
After that, I reach out to tomorrow's locations to touch base and remind them of the times that we are coming to film with them.
Finally, I head up to my hotel room and make sure the mini-fridge in my hotel room is functioning properly by testing the coldness of a beer before I go to sleep. It sometimes takes two beers to be certain, but up to this point I have not found a broken mini-fridge.
That is a normal arrival day.
My first night in the Philippines is not a normal arrival day.
It's nearing midnight, and I am riding in an ordinary looking white van through the hectic streets of Metro Manila. There are people everywhere I look, all doing their usual night time routine ...the city feels alive with energy, and it is all moving past me in a blur as I scan the storefronts of the many bodegas that line the crowded sidewalks. I am looking for something vital for our upcoming shoot days. Something that, quite frankly, we need badly seeing as the temperature here doesn't seem to ever go below eighty degrees and it's humid.
I am on a desperate mission to find a drugstore that is open at this late hour to buy some deodorant.
Yep ...that's right. Deodorant.
We (the crew) are in desperate need of toiletries, and I am trying to find the one item that quite possibly has changed the face of the modern world. I keep reminding myself it is a noble quest as we pass more and more closed drugstores. Reminding myself to keep my eye on the prize.
Why, you may ask, is there such an urgent need for this solo excursion into the streets of Manila at this time of night after nearly 20 hours of flying with so many other things to do before cameras go live tomorrow morning?
I will explain -
As any traveler knows, there are apt to be some hiccups in the great world of trains, planes, and automobiles. Mostly those hiccups take place on the planes ...not so much in the air, but the process of getting them in the air on time. Delays, cancellations and missed connections ...these things happen - and since the travel situation on this show is more akin to "planes, planes, and more planes" it is surprising that things do not go awry more often.
We hit a triple hiccup (delayed, cancelled, missed connection) on the way to the Philippines, and as to not bore you with the exact airport logistics, I will simply say that it was not our day at JFK. Certain things occurred at the airport that caused us to arrive in Manila 12 hours later than planned, and with only our carry-on luggage and three cameras.
No personal checked bags (Including toiletries, socks, underwear, outerwear).
No additional film equipment (Including many items that are vital for our shoot, items that are hard to replace while on the road).
And most disturbing, perhaps...
No way to tell when any of it would arrive (Including me figuring out how to purchase everything we may need to properly shoot this show. It's a long list without having to buy us all clothes for the week. So now it's a longer list).
Granted, we always carry-on the cameras and sound kits for our shoots, so we have what we need to start filming the episode tomorrow morning, but no matter how much you rub a Sony-V1U on your underarm you wont get all day wetness protection coupled with a pleasant scent.
You will most likely get a rash, almost definitely have someone give you a nervous glance and quite possibly be arrested.
It is close to midnight when I find some, and I feel about ten pounds lighter as I hop back into the van to head back to the hotel to start my usual arrival day work.
--
Our missing bags arrive at the hotel the next morning, and I end up leaving five travel sticks of varying brands of deodorant behind on my hotel sink when I leave Manila at the end of the shoot.
The housekeeping crew must have thought I was a little strange.
JA
26 Comments
- Double Dutch
- A Not So Normal Day in Chile
- You Just Can't Rent These Moments
- Behind-the-scenes with the ABNR PA: Burning Questions edition
- Is Dat an Island?
- Me and The Big Guy
- On Wheeled Meat Dispensers…and other things that don’t seem right but...
- Switching the Gear
- Oryza Sativa per Bubalus Bubalis
- No Reservations: Sri Lanka
- Hiccups + Hygiene
- Tony Eats It
- Hanging Out With Anthony Bourdain
- A Self-Evident Truth
- Venice
Anthony Bourdain Social
Follow Anthony on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
- ValeryMef: Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium? Help, please. All recommend this program to...
- Shanta Sunderdas: AB I am a huge fan! I am Sri Lankan living now in Chicago, where there is no Sri Lankan...
- lilo: I really enjoyed this episode!
- Jason Morgan: The name of the indigenous Uruguayan wine is tannat. However, it's originally a French...
- Fx15: Thank you for an unbiased attitude. I taught in Saudi Arabia in the women's medical college and...
Jared: Kudos to you and the staff for the research you did on choosing the local hosts. They were the best choices for the places you featured. Thanks for a great show.
You are lucky! Most times here in Asia you can't even find deodorant or a very limited selection.
Another excellent blog entry. I like the way you take one key moment from a shoot and flesh it out.
Great Job. The crew's blog is a super addition to the No Reservation page. You made the picture of the pressure you are under clear and funny at the same time. Thanks
awesome show, i must say. Did you guys work some more after the press dinner or was is prep time (sleep) for the feast that was cebu? hope YOU, and not just tony, had a good time here. come back for more-there are a few other things you have to try. :)
does tony need a deodorant too? :D :D :D hehehhehe..
nice blog.. short, entertaining and gives us an idea what "mundane" things u have to do to get a shoot done :D
thanks. hope u enjoyed ur lechon feast in cebu! :) come back anytime the deodorant will be on me! :D
TO THE ANTHONY AND THE NO RESERVATIONS CREW:
This is just a small suggestion :)
Last fall I saw the show anthony did in Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of the credits, I really thought that the discretion statement from English to Arabic gave me a sense that this show was not just offering food to its viewers, but was also connecting each person to the culture and language of that region.
I think that having this translation at the beginning of every show would be a great tool to catch viewers, but to also open the minds of others.
I guess this is my International Affairs background speaking, but I thought it was such a cool graphic!
LOVE THE SHOW!!!
Martell
New York City
I was wondering if you could tell me what the music was that was played on the Laos episode. It was both haunting & meditative. Great shows! My husband and I watch all the time.
Thank you in advance for your time.
Linda
Glad to hear that you survive the jungle of my hometown. It was a great show and the lechon make me freaking hungry.
hi people, maybe this is not a place to write, but well i a Big fan (like all) and a professional photographer from colombia but i´m living in santiago de chile now, and i wondering if when you (Anthony Bourdain) come to chile, Can i take a portrait of you, just for my personal portfolio,?
Yeah, I've had trips like that. In fact, every time I go somewhere, something important either gets left behind or disappears completely- usually to show up again in plain sight after it's no longer needed.
Show in Philippines is nice but I was expecting more. The country has many regions and many diverse cuisine with chinese, Spanish and Malay influence. These influences on the food should have been emphasized more. Another thing, the ordinary everyday food of the common people should have been shown, i.e. breakfast - garlic fried rice with fried dried fish and a fried egg.. lunch- something simply fried or broiled, be it fish or meat and a salsa like combination of tomatoes, green onions and salty fish sauce... and more that would have shown what the majority of the ordinary people eat. Where is the merienda? or snack of "goto"or the desserts that Pampanga is known for? There is much more of the Philippines that should have been shown and explored.
I am a former Marine and have been in the phillipines. I know I was in Northern Phillipines most of the time and found that there was a lot different cuisine there than in the show. It would have been neat to see Tony where I once was. I was also in Japan so that was cool to see. I know Tony has been to Japan but never Okinawa. I think that would be a great place to travel to, it is alot different than main land Japan. Street food there is a must with all of the U.S. Military swarming around but they still keep their culture. You will not find one Servicemember that has served in okinawa that doesn't know about Taco Rice and Cheese. Everyone tries to duplicate it and it is never the same, one thing everyone misses when they leave Okinawa. Kind of went off subject but I would love to see Tony go there. It was a highlight of my Military career and I miss the food and culture very much.
thanks for going to the Philippines
I love how you guys featured our food especially the tp die for sizzling sisig and LECHON! You can never go wrong with that. I wish you could have featured more about the islands and the beaches. When I brought my American husband there, he just fell in love with it that he wants to retire there. One adventure of a lifetime he will never forget is when we climb up to Taal Volcano, its one of the most breath taking view you can ever have! We have to ride a boat to get to the volcano island then ride a horse up to the ridge. I just wish the show could have featured some of that kind of adventure you can get by visiting Philippines. Still a great job though guys!
come back to the philippines....come and see camiguin island..
tnx...i love your show..
I wish I could have been there to watch the production and offer you some American and Filipino Hospitality.
For anyone looking to move to the local area in The Philippine Islands, they may want to read the book "Living in The Philippines" by Philip Eano. It's very informative... and it discusses where to find a great selection of good food.
Take care and safe Travels
The book listed above can be found on Amazon.com
"Living in the Philippines" by Philip Eano
just a little suggestion for when you have a problems like this. A lemon works as good as most deodorants. and is not a urban legend i have used it (long story in a far away country) and it works!
We have certainly had trips like that where Murphy was continually lurking around the corner. I was feeling sorry for you leaving the deodorant behind, until of course I realized you had just had two frosty beers --surely that makes up for it... Thanks for your vivid portrayal of Manilla at midnight...memories...memories
Waaaaaahhhh.....when will I get to see the Philippines "The Hierarchy of Pork" episode? Oh my....and reading Anthony's and the crew's blogs only made me realized how stupid I am for not knowing that you guys are coming here in Manila. I may not be your number one fan but I do know the show and read this.....avid fan of Tony.
I hope you guys will come again here in Manila because there is no shortage of culinary surprises here!!! ANd I'm truly glad that Tony liked our lechon Cebu (simply the best). Coming from him, it was truly an honor. =)
I have 2 of his books, "Nasty Bits" and "A Cook's Tour".....and had I known that he will come here, I would probably be the first one to welcome you in the airport guys and have him sign the books for me. And of course, pose for some pictures with you guys.
I'm glad that you guys had fun while you're here in the Philippines. Next time, be sure to visit the other islands....go to Boracay (the beaches are far better than Bali and Phuket), to Palawan (the Philippines last frontier), visit the Visayas islands, and go to Davao.
Jared, please tell Tony I would be delighted if he could send me an autographed picture. =) (Well, dreaming is free.....=)
Have fun guys!!!! Kudos to the No Reservations team.
lea dalawis
MeadJohnson Nutrition
2309 Chino ROces Avenue,
Makati City, Philippines
Such an unforgettable experience. At least you already knew the pros and cons of traveling without your "good-hygiene paraphernalia" (lol)
Thank you for coming here in the Philipines, Tony you did a good job, yu know alot of the young generation here dont know their own identity, but if u dig deeper we are proud people. Thank you for giving me my pride as a filipino! Cheers!
It is really very important to practice proper and correct hygiene at all times: wherever you go, whatever you're doing, you will never go wrong if you practice staying fit and healthy through good hygiene.
You made the picture of the pressure you are under clear and funny at the same time. Thanks
Thank you to everyone at ZPZ for featuring the Philippines. Great Job! All of you should come back for a leisurely visit. Just tell your Filipino fans in advance so we can all get our chance to welcome you once again (deodorants in hand :D) to our beautiful country. Oh, and thank you, Tony, for agreeing with the entire Philippines that our Lechon is the best damn Roast Suckling Pig in the world.