06-27-2015, 02:54 PM
Not only does he get to travel to the most exotic, diverse, and interesting countries on earth, but as soon as he get there he hooks up with cool locals who turn him on to the best food and party spots.
He is a famous chef, but his current show "Parts Unknown" is more about people, history, and culture than just food. And he handles it very well. He discusses the political history without taking sides. His main point seems to be to show how people everywhere are pretty much the same once you get down to the basics. The best example I can give is the episode where he went to Israel. It is hard to discuss the problems in Israel with out taking a stand on one side or the other, but Bourdain spent time with Jew who basically said "I love to have good times with my friends and family; I love to eat this type of food; and the situation here is all messed up." Then he spent time with a Palestinian who basically said "I love to have good times with my friends and family: I love to eat this type of food; and the situation here is all messed up".
Another thing I like about his show is that he puts a lot of emphasis on what the common man eats in these countries. He spends a lot more time eating "street food" than food from top restaurants. And he always treats the poor people and their food with as much respect as anyone else. He doesn't concentrate on how miserable their lives are. Instead he shows them having fun and enjoying food with their friends and family.
And the guy LOVES to drink and party. He constantly jokes about how much he drinks. One episode he was in Hawaii at a huge house party being thrown by Shep Gordon (arguably the coolest guy on earth), and he talked about how as the evening progressed "attitudes were adjusted by means indigenous to the Island".
I highly recommend everyone check out his show on CNN. It is always fun, but at the same time educational about history and different cultures. He is cool and very smart without being preachy.
And, of course, he also talks a lot about food.
He is a famous chef, but his current show "Parts Unknown" is more about people, history, and culture than just food. And he handles it very well. He discusses the political history without taking sides. His main point seems to be to show how people everywhere are pretty much the same once you get down to the basics. The best example I can give is the episode where he went to Israel. It is hard to discuss the problems in Israel with out taking a stand on one side or the other, but Bourdain spent time with Jew who basically said "I love to have good times with my friends and family; I love to eat this type of food; and the situation here is all messed up." Then he spent time with a Palestinian who basically said "I love to have good times with my friends and family: I love to eat this type of food; and the situation here is all messed up".
Another thing I like about his show is that he puts a lot of emphasis on what the common man eats in these countries. He spends a lot more time eating "street food" than food from top restaurants. And he always treats the poor people and their food with as much respect as anyone else. He doesn't concentrate on how miserable their lives are. Instead he shows them having fun and enjoying food with their friends and family.
And the guy LOVES to drink and party. He constantly jokes about how much he drinks. One episode he was in Hawaii at a huge house party being thrown by Shep Gordon (arguably the coolest guy on earth), and he talked about how as the evening progressed "attitudes were adjusted by means indigenous to the Island".
I highly recommend everyone check out his show on CNN. It is always fun, but at the same time educational about history and different cultures. He is cool and very smart without being preachy.
And, of course, he also talks a lot about food.
