No Reservations with Bourdain

Cafe Society
41

I have read Kitchen Confidential * and A Cook’s Tour*, and I’m currently reading The Nasty Bits right now. I love Bourdain as a writer and TV personality. I was first introduced to him on late-night Food Network reruns of A Cook’s Tour, and now I watch No Reservations whenever I can. I admit I preferred the half-hour format with him, though.

I also like Andrew Zimmern, the “doughy” guy on Travel Channel’s Weird Foods. He is just so jolly and good-natured, so he is fun to watch as a counterpoint to Bourdain’s dry, sarcastic wit.

42

I am a food network fanatic and that is where I was first introduced to Bourdain on a Cook’s Tour. I have also seen him on Bravo’s Top chef too. I actually enjoy both show on the The Travel Channel. I have to say though I think that Bourdains wit is fun and very entertaining and one that most people can enjoy. Bourdain seems to have so much knowledge on food since he has had so much experience in life and in food! No Reservations is great.

43

I recently read his book on Typhoid Mary, and I was pretty irritated by it. I like history with a smidge of speculation, but this was speculation with a smidge of history. Except for the chapters of the book that consisted almost entirely of long passages excerpted from real books, interspersed with his pitiful snarky commentary on those passages. He spent a long time analyzing the character flaws of an historical figure based solely on a single photograph of the person. And in the end of the book he admits that he didn’t visit one of the most important sites in the Typhoid Mary saga, not because it was off-limits, but because he was too lazy a researcher to be arsed with going there.

Maybe his other books are better. I was disappointed.

Daniel

44

I’ve seen it, and though I like the places he goes, etc., I think he’s just a needlessly rude a-hole. I won’t watch him anymore.

45

I think Bourdain is an incredibly interesting a truly fascinating man. I have not read any of his books but a friend of mine has and she agrees too. From what I know about the man he has been through a lot, and those things (to me) make his show no reservations that much more interesting. I think his sarcasm and wit is funny and the people there don’t mind it either.

46

New season starts tomorrow!!! Just a little friendly reminder:) Just saw the commercial for new episode:)

47

Man, I wish I still had cable. Tony Bourdain, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, South Park, and Food Network are the things I miss the most.

48

I love Bourdain’s show. He travels the way I like to travel - off-the-beaten-path and into the local markets, staying in local hotels/pensions, meeting up with locals.

I also like that he smokes and drinks and cusses and doesn’t take himself all that seriously. As if to say “this is a great gig, but if it ends, I am still gonna keep traveling like this 'cause it’s fun.”

I started to watch Andrew Zimmern, but watching what he eats makes me ill. Plus, I am not a thin guy, but watching a fat guy eat and smack his lips after every bite makes me even more nauseous. I know eating bizarre foods is the premise of the show - but both he and the food are very unappetizing, to say the least.

49

[QUOTE=Lil’ Mahoney]
I’ve seen the show a few times and enjoyed it, but my problem with Bourdain is that even though he goes on about trying the native food and seeing the real city or whatever, he never tries (not that I’ve seen, at least) the local beers. Whenever they show him, he’s always drinking a Heineken. A Heineken! Come on, there are a lot better beers than that!

So I looked it up on Google and read an interview where he was asked what beer he would drink if he could only drink one for the rest of his life. And what was his answer? Guinness. But he said it was too heavy for breakfast so he’d be happy with a lifetime supply of Heineken.

Sorry. I enjoy the show, but he lost a lot of points with me for being so skeptical of microbreweries and for not trying other (better) beers.
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The Travel Channel has been showing a bunch of No Reservations, in preparation for the new show. Bourdain has been drinking several beers other than Heineken. In fact, I don’t remember seeing him drink one.

In Ireland, he was pretty faithful to the Guinness.

50

[QUOTE=Idlewild]
I gotta go with this. I hadn’t seen him on tv or been aware of him until someone bought me the Les Halles cookbook. His pure sex persona shone through on every page. Then I saw the man talk (on the telly, not in person, more’s the pity), and rawr.
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This. I wasn’t aware of him until I read Kitchen Confidential. I’ve tried to explain the attraction to Mr. Greywolf but it’s hard to do. It’s not that I find him all that attractive, it’s just that he’s just…sex. That’s the best I can come up with.

I don’t care for little doughy guy Zimmerman but Mr. Greywolf thinks he’s great. He can’t explain that attraction either so I guess we’re even. :smiley:

Now, if Mike Rowe would replace Zimmerman on his show I think the universe would implode from sheer awesomeness. I also have a huge thing for Mike Rowe but Mr. Greywolf understands that one completely. It’s somehow manly to have a man-crush on Rowe, I guess.

51

Actually, on the show he portrays himself as a big dumb goob, ala Howard Stern.

52

[QUOTE=Wee Bairn]
I’m a fan, but my problem with Bourdain is the uncalled for mean-spiritedness. What’s the point in pointing to a horse and saying “look its Sarah Jessica Parker”?
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I also have a man-crush on Bourdain. I love his show and I love his acid tongue. I, for one, think that his gratuitous attacks against people like Sarah Jessica Parker are just fine, mostly because, hey she’s a rich, famous actress and nothing Bourdain says can hurt her in any way. Ultimately, it’s entirely harmless and I’m sure if he met her face-to-face, he would apologize.

He’s also made some what I’d consider insensitive remarks about fat people, but I don’t think he means it personally.

I like his honest snarks against people like Rachel Ray and Emeril Lagasse.

But I love his full-blown broadsides against the raw food people and Woody Harrelson whose opinions on food should be stamped far into the ground lest they actually have any influence on anyone. Bleagh. Food is Culture. Culture is Humanity. Let’s not blandify ourselves with this raw salads-only crap.

But mostly, it’s great just because he has no compunction against offering his honest opinion and he usually states it in an entertaining manner.

The one show that kind of bored me was the recent Russia one, which spent too much time fantasizing about revenge on his buddy for a long-ago deadly massage, and far too little time on food.

[QUOTE=Lil’ Mahoney]
I’ve seen the show a few times and enjoyed it, but my problem with Bourdain is that even though he goes on about trying the native food and seeing the real city or whatever, he never tries (not that I’ve seen, at least) the local beers.
[/quote]

Meh. He’s a food guy. So maybe he’s not a beer guy. You can’t have everything. But you have to give him the credit for drinking nearly anything he’s handed. He’s downed a lot of homebrew on that show, just not what you’d consider microbrewery beer, I guess.

[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness]
And in the end of the book he admits that he didn’t visit one of the most important sites in the Typhoid Mary saga, not because it was off-limits, but because he was too lazy a researcher to be arsed with going there.
[/QUOTE]

He’s not a researcher and I think he’d be surprised that you would judge him by those standards. He’s a colorful commentator.

53

[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
I’d fuck him senseless if given the chance.

And I love the show.
[/QUOTE]

/signed

54

Yeah, he’s basically the House, M.D. of food.

55

[QUOTE=GingerOfTheNorth]
I could have written this, but I do not remind anyone of him nor do I have a man-crush on him and Mike Rowe. I’m a girl, so I have regular old crushes on them.
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Mike Rowe was a fixture on QVC back in 1992.

56

[QUOTE=Ferret Herder]
I’m one of those vegetarians who he loathes (though I cook meat happily and don’t proselytize), and I think he’s hysterically funny. I even seriously considered buying his Les Halles cookbook even though I probably wouldn’t be able to eat much from it.
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I hope you saw the show where he praise vegetarians in India who know how to cook kick ass veggie meals.!! :stuck_out_tongue:

57

[QUOTE=DMark]
I love Bourdain’s show. He travels the way I like to travel - off-the-beaten-path and into the local markets, staying in local hotels/pensions, meeting up with locals.

I also like that he smokes and drinks and cusses and doesn’t take himself all that seriously. As if to say “this is a great gig, but if it ends, I am still gonna keep traveling like this 'cause it’s fun.”

[/QUOTE]

That is why this show is so great he is so real and can connect with people, all kinds of people making the show more entertaining to watch. I think his interactions with the locals pulls you in to the show. I know for me after watching this show when I travel it makes me want to check out the local stuff and see what I can discover!

Did you check it out last night?

58

Next week he and Zimmern play host each other to see who can out gross each other. :stuck_out_tongue:

59

[QUOTE=ouryL]
Next week he and Zimmern play host each other to see who can out gross each other. :stuck_out_tongue:
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Are you serious? I need someone to tape this for me! (No cable anymore.)

60

[QUOTE=ouryL]
Next week he and Zimmern play host each other to see who can out gross each other. :stuck_out_tongue:
[/QUOTE]

This is going to kick major ass.
I can’t believe that I am this excited about a travel show…