# Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations



## GB (May 1, 2006)

Have you seen this show? It is on The Travel Channel. This is a great show. It is the antithesis of Rachael Rays $40 a day show. 

He goes to exotic places and eats amazing food. Sometimes it looks delicious and other times it makes your stomach turn. It is always interesting though. His descriptions are extremely poetic while being crass and vulgar at the same time.

If you have not seen this show yet, try to catch it sometime. It is better than anything of FoodTV right now as far as I am concerned.


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## Aurora (May 1, 2006)

Anthony Bourdain is not someone whose opinion about food I value.  I don't believe that a chain smoker is qualified to judge flavors or quality of foods.


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## htc (May 2, 2006)

GB, I have seen this show and really enjoy it. Your description of the host is pretty much right on. I always get a kick out of where he goes and what he eats.


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## Shaheen (May 2, 2006)

Its good fun to watch! I've seen the show, and looking him eat the different things makes me feel that I should experiment with new stuff a little more.


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## cats (May 2, 2006)

I have seen this show many times. We had it set up on our TIVO unit. I think the guy is SO full of himself and absolutely could not stand his style. We took it off TIVO.


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## GB (May 2, 2006)

cats said:
			
		

> I think the guy is SO full of himself


Yep no doubt about that lol!


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## Robo410 (May 2, 2006)

I like the show.  I prefer his books where he is more himself and less TVized.  He is the Rant King CHef.  I've eaten at Les Halles in NYC where he was Executuve Chef, and is still Consultant etc.  Excellent resaurant.  I very much like his cookbook.  His no fear approach is refreshing.

I used to smoke, and still miss it, and always will, but I won't smoke again.  It affects smell and taste quite differently from person to person.  My oral health improved when I quit, but I noticed no great change in taste...I've always been a very sensitive taster...


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## buckytom (May 2, 2006)

i absolutely love the show. like gb said, it is the complete opposite of the perky verbal vomit that comes out of rr's show in $40 semolians a day.
if he likes something, he says so. if he thinks it's disgusting, he'll still try it, but then holds nothing back on his comments about the dish, and then makes wry and often humorous remarks about a culture that would eat that slime, all the while being a gracious traveler, not a tourist. 

his sense of humor and delivery is a little crass or vulgar, but it doesn't bother me in the least. i think the show is very interesting, and very funny at times.
 in fact, he reminds me of a lot of guys i grew up with. i think he's originally from leonia, nj, a town about 10 minutes from where i was raised.

just rootin' for a local boy done good, i guess.


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## abjcooking (May 2, 2006)

The show is on Monday's at 10 ET correct?  I have caught it several times and really enjoyed it.


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## GB (May 2, 2006)

abjcooking said:
			
		

> The show is on Monday's at 10 ET correct?


Thats right.


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 29, 2006)

I just recently "discovered" this show on The Travel Channel & LOVE it!!!

Tonight's episode was a repeat, but with a new introductory opening by Mr. Bourdain citing it as one of his favorites.  It was his visit to Malaysia - & was FABULOUS!!!  I was particularly interested as my husband gave me a cookbook on Malaysian cooking for Xmas.

And for anyone interested, the new (3rd) series of "No Reservations" starts this coming Monday (New Year's Day) at 10 p.m.


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## Flourgirl (Dec 30, 2006)

I think the show is strangely fascinating. I have learned a lot about many cultures that I will probably never visit. His manner is both gruff and gracious at the same time and his narration is candid. I don't make it a point to watch the show, but if I'm flipping channels and see it on, I will sit and watch the whole episode.


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## GB (Dec 30, 2006)

I don't know how many people here have seen them, but this show reminds me of the Warren Miller Ski movies for some reason.


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## TATTRAT (Dec 30, 2006)

I LOVE the show.

New episodes start on New Years Day!


and Warren Miller films, FTW! We watched Snowriders lastnight actually.


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## Nicholas Mosher (Dec 31, 2006)

My three favorite celebrity cooks who couldn't be more different from one another are Anthony Bourdain, Alton Brown, and Thomas Keller (not really a big TV star, but famous nonetheless).  Each has a different attitude and approach to the pursuit of food nirvana.

Anthony is open, honest, and himself... which I appreciate.  I've seen a few episodes of his show (despite the fact that I don't have TV/Cable) and I've read Kitchen Confidential which was fantastic - sort of an autobiography of his younger years in and around the kitchen.


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## Claire (Dec 31, 2006)

I think to really "get" his TV persona you need to read _Kitchen Confidential _and learn about his addictions, his childhood, and what his wife has lived with.  As for the smokes?  It's a better addiction than his previous one!  I, too, agree with all that it is good to see someone who seems real on the tube.


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## SueBear (Jan 1, 2007)

buckytom said:
			
		

> i absolutely love the show. like gb said, it is the complete opposite of the perky verbal vomit that comes out of rr's show in $40 semolians a day. if he likes something, he says so. if he thinks it's disgusting, he'll still try it, but then holds nothing back on his comments about the dish, and then makes wry and often humorous remarks about a culture that would eat that slime, all the while being a gracious traveler, not a tourist. his sense of humor and delivery is a little crass or vulgar, but it doesn't bother me in the least. i think the show is very interesting, and very funny at times.



I couldn't agree more by 110%! I personally think the show is quite refreshing to see someone who has more of a smart a$$ and is actually honest about how he feels whether it be good or bad. RR is so scripted it's enough to make you gag. I still have yet to understand how she got her position on the network since she's got no experience other than a counter girl at a dept store.  Sorry to be a little sarcastic there but you know, there's a big difference between being perky and over doing it than actually being yourself and making a point on your views. 

I remember the first time when I'd seen Anthony's show, it caught me off guard a little by the way he carried himself but at the same time it was quite intriguing due to how willing he was to try anything new within the different cultures - that's what makes the show refreshing and exciting to watch; there's never a dull moment whether it be through his little quirky comments or the different places he goes. I suppose it's the eccentricity that could be a large factor to his viewing audience. 

In my opinion, he does quite well. I like watching the show and his adventures across the globe.


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## D_Blackwell (Jan 1, 2007)

I agree that he seem to be real, which is too rare a thing, but think that a big part of his reality is being outrageously, and not necessarily justifiably, full of himself.

I've worked with/for some really awesome chefs (not necessarily famous) that I could never equal professionally - but many just aren't worth it.  The food is not 'everything'.

RR is, simply put, a pop star.  Not a one of her shows does a thing for me.  Smokin' hot though)

I really like Alton Brown.

I really want to like Emeril more than I do - but don't think fame has helped in presenting what he has to offer.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 1, 2007)

Oh - & for you "night owls" out there, The Travel Channel is currently showing a marathon of his shows.  I don't know exactly when they started, but I've been watching since 9 p.m. & the shows are running until 3 a.m.!!!!

If I manage to keep my eyes propped open I'm going to be one tired cookie tomorrow - lol!!!!


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## SueBear (Jan 2, 2007)

D_Blackwell said:
			
		

> I really like Alton Brown. I really want to like Emeril more than I do - but don't think fame has helped in presenting what he has to offer.



Alton is good. The few times I've watched, it's interesting how the explination of ingredients between using and origination is learning with the spice of comedy. I think that's what makes the show personally. Emeril has his moments but the "bam" and "take it up a notch" I can tolerate only so much of after awhile. 

The chef I tend to favor is Mario Bartoli. I watch him and how he makes his dishes. My great grandmother was from Sicilly and my great grandfather from Naples. I learned both styles of traditional cooking when I was a child as she had me in the kitchen at the age of 13 to learn family dishes. Through his cooking I look for new ways add twist to an old tradition


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## TATTRAT (Jan 2, 2007)

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> Oh - & for you "night owls" out there, The Travel Channel is currently showing a marathon of his shows.  I don't know exactly when they started, but I've been watching since 9 p.m. & the shows are running until 3 a.m.!!!!
> 
> If I manage to keep my eyes propped open I'm going to be one tired cookie tomorrow - lol!!!!




and they are all new. I am drawn to them like a moth to the fire, that is why I am still up watching them though the alarm time gets closer and closer. This Iceland show is Awesome!


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 2, 2007)

Well - I hope they repeat it, because of course I fell asleep before the Iceland show & wanted to see that one. Figures.

But I did enjoy the other ones immensely - especially Ireland, since I'm a big Guinness fan - lol!!


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## Toots (Jan 2, 2007)

I saw part of Tony's marathon yesterday.  I saw it from 8 - 11 pm.  The Ireland show is new.  Even my husband who is not a foodie, loves Tony Bourdain.


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## JDP (Jan 2, 2007)

I love the show. I watched the Iceland show last night and it was great. I'm not sure if I would have tried the rotted shark chunks though.

JDP


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 2, 2007)

All in all - getting the issue of "smoking" out of the way (good grief - "get a room" or start another topic please - lol!!) - after reading his books & watching the show, I do again reiterate that Anthony Bourdain is not only a good chef, but a true "foodie".

I really feel that there are a lot of "chefs" out there who, while they may make terrific meals, aren't nearly as interested in "food" & culture as Mr. Bourdain is. His show is, truly, one of a kind.


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## GB (Jan 2, 2007)

You are right BC. My apologies for getting off topic. I have removed all the smoking posts and created a new thread for those to reside in. It can be found here.

I agree with you. AB is a real foodie. He is in it for the food, not the fame, money, or anything else. I am reading his book, Kitchen Confidential, right now and the things he describes are horrifying. Why anyone would would want to do things like that for a living is beyond me. yet at the same time, even though the things he describes are horrible, it makes me wish I was doing them. He has true passion for food and it really shows.


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## ronjohn55 (Jan 2, 2007)

GB said:
			
		

> I agree with you. *AB is a real foodie*. He is in it for the food, not the fame, money, or anything else. I am reading his book, Kitchen Confidential, right now and the things he describes are horrifying. Why anyone would would want to do things like that for a living is beyond me. yet at the same time, even though the things he describes are horrible, it makes me wish I was doing them. He has true passion for food and it really shows.


 
I'm guessing that is *A*nthony *B*ourdain, and not *A*lton *B*rown, right GB?  

Thanks,
John


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## GB (Jan 2, 2007)

Yes John, you guessed right. I was wondering how long it would be before I had to clarify myself on that one. I thought about typing his name out, but alas, laziness won out.


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## DampCharcoal (Jan 2, 2007)

I'm a fan. I was a bit unsure about Bourdain until I saw the Beirut episode. Kinda opened a new dimension about his attitude. That and I swear like a sailor as well! Feels like I know the guy.


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## GB (Jan 2, 2007)

Hey DC, welcome back!


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## DampCharcoal (Jan 2, 2007)

Thanks, GB! Glad to be back!


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## Nicholas Mosher (Jan 3, 2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5mMisjkRV0

Anthony reading at a Barnes & Noble from his latest book.
Funny as heck! 

(There is some "language", so please don't view if offended by literary profanity.)


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## suzyQ3 (Jan 3, 2007)

Nicholas Mosher said:
			
		

> YouTube - Anthony Bourdain @ Barnes and Noble, June 18, 2006
> 
> Anthony reading at a Barnes & Noble from his latest book.
> Funny as heck!
> ...


Oh, my lordie, that is funny, "literary profanity" and all. 

"Cruelty-free noisettes of pork"?


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## ronjohn55 (Jan 3, 2007)

I REALLY can't wait for that book to show up!

Hopefully it shows up before the Christmas holiday!  

John


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 9, 2007)

I could KICK myself!!!  Fell asleep last night waiting for his show.  Arrggh.  Hope they repeat them.


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## GB (Jan 9, 2007)

I am sure they will. It was a good one last night, but when isn't it? He was not his usual nasty self though and even made a comment about it. He said it is just too hard not to be happy and in a good mood there. 

Everywhere he goes it makes me what to travel there too.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 9, 2007)

So where was the show based last night?


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## GB (Jan 9, 2007)

Last night he was in the African country of Ghana.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 9, 2007)

Darn.  Oh well - at least African cuisine isn't one of my favorites - only because they seem to use a lot of what I consider "sweet" spices like cinnamon, cloves, etc., in their cooking.  But I still would have like to have seen it.

I was in bed reading one of the cookbooks husband gave me for Xmas - the "Greece" volume of the Culinaria series - all set waiting for the program to start.  Next thing I know it's 5 a.m. - lol!!!


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## GB (Jan 9, 2007)

Sweet spices were not mentioned from what I remember. Everything he ate seemed to be cooked with hot peppers. He mentioned a number of times that everything had a kick, but not a burn your mouth out type of kick. The food looked amazing, but not AS amazing as some of the other places he has been.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 9, 2007)

Thanks.  Now I'm REALLY mad I missed it - lol!!!!!!!


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## GB (Jan 9, 2007)

Oh what I meant to say was...

It was an awful episode and you didn't miss a thing


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## Toots (Jan 9, 2007)

I liked the show on Ghana better than I thought I would.  But did you notice how hot and sweaty Tony looked the entire time?  He looked really uncomfortable (physically) but he seemed to enjoy his trip very much.


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## mudbug (Jan 9, 2007)

a hot and sweaty Tony and I MISSED IT????!!!
dang..........


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## TATTRAT (Jan 9, 2007)

I think that being hot and sweaty is a prerequisite to being in west coast Africa. I liked that they ate barracuda, it is a great eating fish that NEVER gets noticed. The market where he ate all that pork and spinach and stuff had me drooling. Looked GREAT! I would love to have his job.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 9, 2007)

Well, I'm not so sure I'd want to have his job when he was eating raw seal liver, meat, & blubber in one of his last shows.  While I do love sushi, that was definitely a turnoff for me.


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## Yakuta (Jan 9, 2007)

Has anyone watched  his show on Morocco.  That was an awesome one.  I was really amazed when he went off far into the desert and stayed in a tent with a local goat or sheep herder family and savored a simple meal and was polite at all times.  

He truly is a foodie.  I also remember an episode which he did in South America where he tried an iguana.  He truly was turned off.  He still tried it but he said it was the worst thing he had ever had.  It was like rubber.  Now you gotta be extremely adventurous to try eating that. 

I do get hooked when I start watching his shows.  I like to watch real tv rather than the dolled up celebrity chefs (Giada, Racheal and Sandra Le being some of them) that Food T.V. showcases.  To me the glam sham and shows related to their getaways/roadtrips are absolutely lackluster.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 10, 2007)

Amen, Yakuta. I absolutely HATE all the new Food Network shows with everyone suddenly "on the road". The shows are staged up the wazoo & positively ridiculous. The entire Food Network has virtually turned into the Rachel Ray/Emeril/PaulaDeen/Giada channel. Nine times out of 10 when you switch that channel on, one of them is on. Too sad.


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## Toots (Jan 10, 2007)

Count me in as another ex-viewer of the Food Network.  I rarely watch it anymore because its all the same crap or crap you don't give two rips about.  I watch some of the cooking shows on PBS.  
And oh yeah, I watch Tony on Monday nights!


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## BreezyCooking (Feb 19, 2007)

*ATTENTION "No Reservations" Fans!!*

This morning (Monday, 2/19) at 9 a.m. EST (about 2 minutes from now), The Travel Channel is running a "No Reservations" marathon that runs until 8 p.m. tonight!!!!

Guess I won't be getting too much done around here today - lol!!!


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## mudbug (Feb 19, 2007)

oh, crap, I forgot about that, Breezy!  Now...how to take over the TV from HH and the SciFi channel?


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## BreezyCooking (Feb 19, 2007)

Mudbug - you need to do what I did:  get yourself your own tv & satellite box in another room.

Husband is currently downstairs enjoying his hockey game, while I'm up here enjoying Tony Bourdain.


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## GB (Feb 19, 2007)

Or get a DVR so you can record all these episodes.

The one in Japan was my favorite. Osaka looks like an amazing place for foodies!!!


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## TATTRAT (Feb 19, 2007)

DVR for the win!

I really liked the one he did in Malaysia, looks incredible. I need to check and see if tonights is a re-run...


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## Claire (Feb 20, 2007)

I, too, have gotten fed up with the food network.  As a person who has lived a huge part of my life "on the road" I find those shows very fake -- not just staged, but also exaggerated and way too in-your-face loud.  The shows are less and less about food, almost never about cooking, and more about personalities.  I don't watch these shows to have someone yell and whoop, and I certainly don't want fashion models posing behind pots that are wider than their hips.


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## BreezyCooking (Feb 20, 2007)

I enjoyed the "Japan" show too, but also really enjoyed the one on "New Jersey" since, as a native New Yorker, I had friends & relatives from there.  It was VERY funny - particularly the "Godfather" ending with Mario Batali.


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## buckytom (Feb 20, 2007)

i caught a few minutes of the las vegas show. it was funny how being a new yorker, the "new york city" in vegas kind of annoyed him. it was too clean, like a disney version. no rats, litter, or fear for your life.

i also saw a few minutes of another show. it looked like he was in the west indies or the caribbean, and he was eating (and actually enjoying) a giant bowl of a pot au feu. it had whole crabs, hard boiled eggs, meat, and a bunch of other stuff in a spicey stew. anyone see that episode? what country was it?


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## GB (Feb 20, 2007)

Could that have been Inodonesia or Malasia bucky?


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## buckytom (Feb 20, 2007)

the locals were of african descent, gb. they didn't look polynesian or asian.


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## BreezyCooking (Feb 20, 2007)

There's a Vietnamese dish for a Pork Stew With Tofu & Hard-Boiled Eggs, so I'm thinking it must have been the Indonesian/Malaysian episodes.  I do remember him eating the dish; just can't recall which episode it was since I sinfully behaved like a couch potato yesterday & watched all of them - lol!!


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## BreezyCooking (Feb 20, 2007)

Buckytom - the 10 p.m. show was in Ghana.  Could that be the one?


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## buckytom (Feb 20, 2007)

not sure, but it may have been, breezy, thanks. i only caught a few minutes, and the audio was very low.


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## shannon in KS (Feb 20, 2007)

so excited to see this thread! I rarely watch TV, and it so happened I found the no reservations marathon- it was meant to be!!! I was GLUED to the tv for hours. LOVE THIS SHOW! Livin' here in boring Kansas, I get so tired of the normal foods blah blah blah. I absolutely love learning about foods and people from other cultures. I am not anti-american by any means, but seeing them live off the land, carry on traditions, and their heritage, "eat local", strange as some of it may seem, was a breath of fresh air to me. That is a part of my life I truly miss living in the city now after growing up on a farm. ok, I will stop rambling, I gotta go check the tv listings. I may have to check out that "scheduling life around the tv" thing so many people swear by..... but I am going to go hunt down some new cookbooks first though! I am sure I will have wonderful luck finding all these exotic ingredients at my local, friendly Kansas Wal-mart- NOT


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## BreezyCooking (Feb 20, 2007)

Shannon - Tony Bourdain's show is shown every Monday night at 10 p.m. on The Travel Channel - which I assume you get since you caught the marathon.

His books (cookbooks, memoirs, & fiction) are just as wonderful as the tv shows. He's truly a "food" rennassiance man. (And yes I know that I'm probably misspelling things here - lol).

Oh - and don't automatically click off your local WalMart.  I usually find my freshest produce & "weirdest" ingredients in the one we have here in Culpeper, Virginia.


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## Michael in FtW (Feb 20, 2007)

I like Anthony Bourdain for a couple of reasons - he actually tries the local cuisine of every culture he visits ... and he's not going for the "tourist" food - he's delving into the real stuff. It might be gross, it might make him ill, it might require the consumption of mass quantities of the local alcoholoc beverage or a pack of cigs to remove the taste from his mouth ... but his crude, rude and often needs to have explatives deleted impression is refreshing compared to the over exposure of Ray-Ray saying, "How Yummy is that!" to everything she sees on a menu.

Another guy I like is Pete Luckett - "The Food Hunter" aka the "International Greengrocer" ... unlike Bourdain he limits his explorations to fruits and vegetables (no worms or bugs on his menu) ... but, he is also willing to try everything and give his honest opinion. I'll never forget the episode when he was in Thailand and tried fresh durian ... he hurled right there on camera!


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## stargazer021 (Feb 20, 2007)

Not sure who he is, but now my curiosity is up.  I will be looking for the show.


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