279 Comments

1. 1

   smokey - July 30 2008 @ 1:29 pm I can not wait, please Monday hurry. Why? Because when Tony is happy, we know we will be happy!
2. 2

   victoria - July 30 2008 @ 1:32 pm antony, I love your traveling live but...please stop to be less gringo...shame on you
3. 3

   caligal - July 30 2008 @ 1:40 pm Tony: Did you know both Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent are long-time professing Christians? Look up their websites - it's true! A lot of people think Christians don't know how to enjoy life and have fun. Nothing could be further from the truth! Looking forward to watching the show!
4. 4

   Camusman - July 30 2008 @ 1:46 pm I hosteled through 13 European countries in 1990, and Switzerland was right at the bottom of my list. Pay no attention to the incoming from the Swiss, Bourdain.
5. 5

   scott - July 30 2008 @ 1:56 pm love to see in colorado (durango) the true feel of the southwest.sorry but my restaurant bruned down so on good places to eat? sorry seasons rotisserie&grill. make you some bacon when your in town? chefscott
6. 6

   elizabeth - July 30 2008 @ 2:15 pm Hi Anthony, I wanted to let you know that my husband and I love,love.love your show. We look forward to Monday night now! Our daughter thinks she is part of an army ranger insertion mission when we are getting her to brush teeth and go to bed so we do not miss any of your show. Keep up the cool travel! elizabeth in texas
7. 7

   Misselle - July 30 2008 @ 2:32 pm Looking forward to Monday, as always. It will be interesting to see what "Uncle Ted" is up to.
8. 8

   kcray - July 30 2008 @ 2:34 pm Anthony and The Nuge together in one place? Now that's a killer combo. Wish I'd been there, but at least I'll get to watch the show. Please keep making great TV!
9. 9

   Deb on the Rocks - July 30 2008 @ 2:49 pm The Nuge and the Bourd. Rocking!
10. 10

    Miss Tayva - July 30 2008 @ 3:13 pm Alice Cooper, you say? Really looking forward to this episode. I can remember growing up, hearing all the controversy surrounding Mr. Cooper and his strange stage acts. It chuffs me a bit how all of that has changed. He's a fantastic guy and is loved by all in Arizona. It's so funny to see him all spiffed up in golf plaids, mucking about the local fairway. I admire him a lot for his charity work, and willingness to interact with the residents of Arizona, especially those that are less fortunate. (Can't say the same for a lot of the local celebrities). Cooperstown, although I'm not a sports fan in the least bit, is one of my favourite places to relax while I'm in Phoenix. So happy to see Arizona on the roster of places to visit. I'm sure there's some superbly interesting spots that were overlooked... but we shall see when the episode airs. I suppose then I can make my comments!
11. 11

    Ursula - July 30 2008 @ 3:18 pm Dude! You text Mario? I'm so jealous!
12. 12

    Melanie - July 30 2008 @ 3:20 pm I can't wait to see you attack a 72 ounce steak... This season just keep getting better.
13. 13

    Jim - July 30 2008 @ 3:20 pm So, let me get this straight, Ted Nugent "summons" you and you jump like a chigger on a hot skillet? Hmm. I was hoping you were going to say you gave him a ten second head start then opened fire on him with some of his own ballistics. What other ego-maniacal, opinionated, right wing twits are you hanging out with, Tony? Honestly..."The Noodge" needs to be made into a wallet.
14. 14

    Chris - July 30 2008 @ 3:23 pm Tony and Ted. Too much ROCK! for just one hand. mm/
15. 15

    Steven - July 30 2008 @ 3:42 pm You must be a very old & ignornant man if you think Switzerland is about "Lederhosen, Alpine hats, cuckoo clocks, St Bernards, cross country skiers and the Sound of Music". Try techno music, snowboarding, cool fashions and great food. Honestly, you're just another flake.
16. 16

    Chantix - July 30 2008 @ 3:43 pm I cant wait either!
17. 17

    christine - July 30 2008 @ 3:44 pm I'm so excited I could just piddle. I know that all of us Southwesterners will be writing with "why didn't you go here? why didn't you see that?" but I know you can only cover so much ground, and it's a lot of ground to cover. One nice thing about wide open spaces, you don't even have to go below 80 mph to appreciate them. Oh, and the neighbors don't mind when you decide to fire off a few rounds.
18. 18

    Bev - July 30 2008 @ 3:52 pm Really looking forward to this episode! I saw you speak in Seattle recently and when you mentioned that Alice Cooper was normal and had a sports bar in Phoenix, I knew that might well become a favorite episode! Love the blog!
19. 19

    Robert - July 30 2008 @ 4:08 pm Tony, A visit to the Southwest with out a stop in El Paso Texas, which is on the border of Mexico and New Mexico is insane. The diverse culture and melting pot of native indian, spanish, and mexican heritage should have not been forgotten. Please come through again. We are the Southwest.
20. 20

    joelfinkle - July 30 2008 @ 4:29 pm To add to your Road Trip Mix: "Reckless Driver" and "Rev. Jack and his Roamin' Cadillac Church" both from the album Eden Alley. Their version of "Born to be Wild," on the EP Looks Like Dark to Me is pretty good, although more of a laid back depravity than Steppenwolf's anthem.
21. 21

    JennieTikka - July 30 2008 @ 4:54 pm Yup, its true what Caligal says. I know for a fact which church Alice goes to (because I used to go there myself) and its a very big megachurch type place. He's been golfing with the senior pastor for many years now. Pat Boone also goes to the same church, as do a lot of other celebrities.
22. 22

    Jasmurph - July 30 2008 @ 4:55 pm Lederhosen = Bavaria Cross County Skiing = Scandinavia and eastern Europe Sound of Music = Austria ANthony Bourdain = surprisingly ignorant about geography for a guy on the Travel Channel
23. 23

    Kate in the NW - July 30 2008 @ 5:26 pm Hey - aren't Alice Cooper and Pat Boone headlining in Zach Zamboni's new movie "Naughty Buttmasters #7" ? I think it's a Disney release. So to speak. A-HEM...down to business... 1) You know we're all dying for you to throw a personal favorites iMix up on iTunes. Just curious. 2) You don't need an expensive vehicle, though of course you should absolutely avail yourself of the opportunity to drive one. (I guess we should all enjoy our guilty pleasures while we can...I wish like h*ll for the switchover to electric cars, but nothing beats the roar of internal combustion!) We lived in Albuquerque for about a year, way back when. On occasion we'd load up our old beater with pistaschios and Coke and head south on Rt.25 toward Juarez (where we'd load up on pistaschios and...never mind). Once we were about a half-hour outside of town we'd just hit the accelerator and keep it pinned until the frame threatened to detonate. It was just an old Civic, but it was all we could afford, and DANG, it was fun. Back then, you could stop and (literally) have a picnic in the middle of the laser-straight, dead-flat highway out there about an hour northeast of Las Cruces (near White Sands, which is a great place to partake of recreational substances and go box-sledding round about sunset, if you've got a mind to. The colors are amazing). We also spent half a trippy day in our flipflops, scrambling around the lava flows, all unaware of the thousands of rattlesnakes in perpetual residence there. We were bound and determined to collect agave leaves and make our own tequila (NOT a good idea, by the way). Hey - if all those Beat and Zen guys liked it so much, and if it inspires someone like Cormac McCarthy, it can't be all bad. Like Seattle, it's loaded with weird, unexpected, strange, and wonderful people with surprising histories and intrigueingly contradictory interests. Glad you took a look. I can't wait to see your take on it all.
24. 24

    Ladymissgailo - July 30 2008 @ 5:55 pm LOVE.....IT!
25. 25

    Di Hunter - July 30 2008 @ 6:35 pm Always an excellent and occasionally erudite blog, too bad the comments are so banal (yes, including this)
26. 26

    Renee' - July 30 2008 @ 6:42 pm I recently found Anthony's show and am totally hooked I lived off of I-40 for 12 years and recently moved to tx. I understand the thrill of the high speeds I was a member of the 100 plus mph club myself. My other half still wants to see my pilots licsence. A recent trip through pa had me laughing at the speeds around the turns. I do suggest though you keep it with in 10 of posted limit because if your not used to it can get very hairy. A point to ponder before putting the petal to the metal is you will be 2 to 4 hours away from the nearest hospital with a trama center. So please BE SAFE!
27. 27

    Jo Lynne Lockley - July 30 2008 @ 7:40 pm Where to begin. First, remember me? Scooter? Book signing? Reservation for Gary D's, and then the foie T Shirt, which I promised to provide when you got here..but that's another matter. (I am coming to NY, so if you are there around Star Chefs and email me a size, one could probably still be arranged..save soy, eat foie. So that should speak to credibility. Being Swiss more or less by accident, let me put in a good word. Switzerland and you would get along famously, believe it or not. Helmut probably got ridden out of the country on a rail, but they are a generally wild bunch with tame demeanor; still waters etc. Some of them, back on the alps, hang and eat dog. Aside from that and fondue, there is some great food, apart from something called leberkaese - unpleasantly similar to spam. Think buendnerfleisch, glarner schabziger and kirsch in kuchen and everything esle. Stories I could tell like stealing the Postal Sleigh and careening down alpine roads in the back country of St Moritz at 2:00 in the morning and 10 below 0. The military butcher in the next village coming to pick up the venison you just mowed downm butchering it over his bath tub and sharing it (so there's no fine). Driving Mrs Schoeneberger's pig's head, feet, tail and other sutff you can't cook over the Laufen P&%$ to a butcher for head cheese, blood and liver sausage. You'd find some stuff you liked there. In a land where the shape, size and tidiness of your manure pile contributes to your social ranking, every farmer has a right to brew his own burns with a pure blue flame lightning tax free to put on the cows' udders. Sure they do. It's a violent liquid best drunk in bunkers built in WWII along the Jura front. What's not to like? It was and is an open secret that Switzerland, neutral and armed to the teeth, had DR Strangelove style bunkers bored deep into the Alps you so detest. Had the Russians really got past Tiefencastel (or the Italians or the Germans), a chosen few would have had food and wine for decades waiting for them. They had really, really good wine. I bet our bunkers have Coors. If that. You should definitely rethink the Swiss thing. It's not about fondue (but sitting on a rock and roasting the side off half a wheel of mountain cheese on a flat stone isn't half bad.) Buy me a drink. I'll tell you more.
28. 28

    Jo Lynne Lockley - July 30 2008 @ 7:43 pm I have to add. If weapons get you going, there's narry a basement in Switzerland without an automatic weapon and a few old carbines, maybe a grenade or two. Really, you'd like it.
29. 29

    MessyONE - July 30 2008 @ 8:27 pm Ah, nostalgia.... During The Feral Years, doing stupid things in cars was my livelihood and my only escape. There's something immensely powerful about going too fast in a good car. It's like flying. A sort of adrenaline high that involves more risk than just about anything else in the world. It's a kind of Zen head space with danger added, if you will, a pocket of eerie calm where concentration is at a pinpoint and nothing matters but the road. There's nothing quite like it. It never goes away, either. As you get older, you can just afford better cars, and in Texas, the speed limit is just a guideline, really. That and a good sound track will get you anywhere. Try ZZ Top's "One Foot in the Blues" album. Good driving music.
30. 30

    Nickole - July 30 2008 @ 8:39 pm The best! LOVE it! Can't wait to see the show. Sounds like nothing but fun.
31. 31

    Eric - July 30 2008 @ 8:42 pm Tony, I'm pretty bummed that you are including that right wing nutbag, Ted Nugent, in this episode. I would have figured that you would have grabbed one of the guns he has the "right" to own, and opened fire on his ignorant #@%. For once, Tony, I will not be watching, and it's the first time in years.
32. 32

    Stephanie Eden - July 30 2008 @ 9:48 pm Hah. I love you. Just fantastic.
33. 33

    Mary - July 30 2008 @ 11:45 pm I've often travelled to the southwest, but my greatest food memories are from the late 70's when I was working at the Grand Canyon. The mainstay of our diet was monterey jack cheese (was it invented in the 70s?), avocados, sprouts, this gross stale grainy wheat bread, and chablis. And beer and cigs, of course. We didn't have a refrigerator in our humble cabin, so we used a cheap styrofoam cooler for months at a time. Love your show (and your books, too.) I read on Jaunted that your blog was worth a look. It is! Isn't Alice a Tigers fan? We took a trip up to the old Tiger Stadium several years ago and my son and I were wandering the park in search of the Tiger mascot when I literally ran into Alice Cooper. He was there to sing the National Anthem. However, my son spent several years as a huge Randy Johnson fan and even a few years as a Yankee fan (not the greatest thing to be in Cleveland.)
34. 34

    SHERRY - July 30 2008 @ 11:57 pm I HAVE BEEN WATCH YOUR SHOW SINCE I WAS 13 ( 1 YEAR AGO ) I AM JUST ADDICTED TO YOUR SHOW, TONY YOU ROCK !!!!!! YOU'RE VERY REAL, YOU DON'T ACT FAKE , I JUST LOVE THAT , YOU ARE JUST THE BEST, KEEP UP THE NICE WORK.
35. 35

    Alexandra Olivas - July 31 2008 @ 12:46 am HOla Antonio love your travels!!!! how lucky you are listen, when are you going to NICARAGUA?????great discover for you! WE are waiting!!
36. 36

    Golden - July 31 2008 @ 1:00 am Why haven't I heard any Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, Food Network flames lately? I miss them.
37. 37

    june-baby - July 31 2008 @ 3:15 am Ah, Tony so you put the pedal to the metal cool. Monday night can not get here soon enough. A 72 oz steak you say did you win a prize after you wolfed it all down LOL. Shame on Mario Batali not believeing you were shooting off rounds with The Nuge, Tony you will just have to sit Mario down Monday night and prove it (that is if you are at home in NYC). Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper in the same episode of NR should be very interesting. Yeah Jerry and Tracey are coming back I missed seeing their names scroll across the screen at the end of each episode of NR. Tony, thanks for letting us NR fans know they are back and will be part of the ZPZ Family again.
38. 38

    Christina Dietz - July 31 2008 @ 3:46 am German cheese hardly sucks! All those things that make you ill, I get it -ok! It's all somewhat validated by your sob childhood memoir but the cheese? Come on man, that is a low blow. I glow at the utter thought of Frischkäse with some fruit... C'mon Bourdain, I love you man but you MUST know better then to attack the cheese. Christina ps. Mom called, she said she is disappointed in your arrogant opinion of Germany- she also mentioned"Deutschland uber alas"
39. 39

    James Leone - July 31 2008 @ 4:16 am Dear Chef Bourdain... If last names were granted through mothers, mine would be Bourdain. My great grandmother came to the United States from Blois, France. I have a very old picture of a building with a large picture of a man on the building and below it - it reads "A Denis Papin" To the left above one of two sets of windows, it reads "Bourdain" above one and Rouennerie on the other. Below "A Denis Papin" it reads: "Tissus en tous Genres" "Toiles Cirers" "Tapis" "Linoleum" I will send you a scan of the picture if you like.
40. 40

    Geoff LOUDLY - July 31 2008 @ 4:23 am You enjoyed the misuse of a great car, so you must know of Top Gear BBC, and that TG USA finally started shooting this month. You would be a GREAT first season guest. I can give you all the details, but surely you have people for that. They won't put you in a four-wheeler on the sand, so no worries about rolling over on yourself. ha! ball-busting fun. Your show does rock. Geoff
41. 41

    Gaby Fenne - July 31 2008 @ 5:24 am Hi Anthony what you did with the swiss was a absolute need. everthing sucks there. l love still your kitchen confidential. cheers Gaby
42. 42

    srh - July 31 2008 @ 8:06 am You just lost a true fan Tony, you're arrogance is way too much for me now. Your head has swelled so that you can't even hear yourself talk. Give it (and us) a rest.
43. 43

    Tommy Salami - July 31 2008 @ 12:35 pm Politics aside, the Nuge is a decent enough guy, raising money for kids and stuff. Plays a good rocking tune, and defends hunting, which is the only way to taste what real meat is like. I've got a freezer full of venison and nothing is better! It tastes as rich as good lamb with practically no fat. I can't wait to see you tear on the highway in a Teutonic terror machine. You should definitely show up on Top Gear and try to beat Gordon Ramsay's race time. P.S. the blood sausage at Downtown les Halles is awesome. I'll be back there for more soon. You need more craft beers on tap, though!
44. 44

    Feisty Bourbon Girl - July 31 2008 @ 1:36 pm High-sterical. LOLOL! You know who else is sick of the Swiss, Tony? The Kids in the Hall.......(click on my name to see video of the funniest KITH sketch evah!) Your post reminded me so much of this sketch that the whole time I was reading it, I was thinking, "Sick of the Swiss! Hate the Swiss!" :) :) :)
45. 45

    Annonymous - July 31 2008 @ 1:47 pm Oh dear god! Tony & The Nuge? Either the best Children's Morning Show ever.... or a sign of the apocalypse.... either way... I'm watching.
46. 46

    jerseycorn - July 31 2008 @ 2:27 pm I finally saw the Laos episode the other day and it was truly moving -- one of the best episodes you have ever produced. Providing viewers with a history lesson about the secret U.S. bombing raids in the 60s and early 70s and showing the continued devastation that resulted from that covert action was a gutsy move on your part . . . Which is why I have to admit that I too am puzzled by the decision to feature Ted Nugent on the upcoming episode of No Reservations. He is the kind of jingoistic, right wing, racist nut that probably has no reservations about the suffering inflicted upon the people of Laos as a result of misguided U.S. policies. He is the kind of person that favors a "security wall" between the U.S. and Mexico and wants to keep Mexican immigrants out of our country (to reference another terrific episode from last season that also featured some thought-provoking political subtext). I thought the Korea episode with Nari was the bottom of the barrel -- but this? I think I'll skip next week's show, as well.
47. 47

    Kaytie - July 31 2008 @ 6:21 pm Love reading your blog! Love your show! Thanks for everything, Tony!
48. 48

    Jason - July 31 2008 @ 9:05 pm Love this show, I cannot get enough. I always dream that I am along side Tony during his travels and always try to do it the way he does when I do travel abroad which has included many parts of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico adn Ireland. Anyway I dont have a suggestion for the next car to misuse but I do have a music suggestion. The kind of desert road rock you were looking for on this trip is just the kind of music I play in my band 5th Gear. Tony, you must check it out! 5thgearmusic.com and myspace.com/5thgear ZZ Top and a lot of other bands laid the groundwork and those are our inspirations. I think you will love the guitar work on Long Day that remiscent of ZZ and Skynyrd as well as the lyrics which are about the struggles of the working man! No Reservation is my favorite show on TV right now! Keep up the hard work there Tony Jason
49. 49

    Camusman - July 31 2008 @ 9:59 pm And Tony, don't forget Michael Moore's take on the Swiss. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgQNP4O6Z4E&NR=1
50. 50

    Cathy - July 31 2008 @ 10:51 pm Just watched your Uruguay episode and looked on this site for a way to suggest another travel idea/location--namely, El Salvador, my mother's country. Why? Well, as you know, El Salvador, that tiny little Central-American country, is intimately connected with the U.S. due to the U.S.-backed, 11-year civil war and a small thing called the Iran-Contra Affair. Before that, many people may not recall, it was a favorite tropical honeymoon spot for Americans. The civil war is long over and the state-backed police and "death" squads are apparently no more, but where and in what woodwork did they fade? If I believe my cousins and extended family in that country, they still carry arms, but now most likely highjack wayward travelers and/or run drugs. My mother grew up (1929 -) in a small town in the countryside called Suchitoto. Her father, Hector Vaquero (yes, it means "cowboy"--he died when she was 5) was what would be the equivalent of a senator or congressman in America. Perhaps another reason this would be a good destination for No Reservations is that curiously, my mother's family was very European in terms of epicureanism. My grandmother would send snacks of French baguettes and butter to her children at school and this was the favored bread even over tortillas. In fact, our family shares a geneaological link with the surname Duprey, but the family history has my great grandfather adopting his wife's last name in order to hide the "French Connection." ;D
51. 51

    Trash&Vaudeville - August 01 2008 @ 12:19 am Glad Mario wasn't close enough to be invited over to shoot with Uncle Ted; I have a feeling those orange clogs would be reminding you of that sucky cheese in under a minute. Monday's gonna rock. Thank you!
52. 52

    caligal - August 01 2008 @ 1:31 am What gives....no Grateful Dead on the ol' ipod?
53. 53

    Jenks - August 01 2008 @ 2:07 am Damn, you have one hell of a life there. ...guess this is playtime after a life of hard work. Ride it out. J
54. 54

    scott acorn - August 01 2008 @ 3:20 am m/m/
55. 55

    Ellen - August 01 2008 @ 11:06 am Hey! I really think you should do a NY cavalcade of food. Travel down the line from Buffalo to Syracuse (salt potatoes, dinosaur bbq, utica greens, turkey joints, coleman's irish food and more!). This would be a great program to showcase the vast differences of food up here in the cold. ALSO NY vineyards are HUGE! Geneva and the fingerlakes--tons of vino. You would have a great NY show. Ellen
56. 56

    Diane - August 01 2008 @ 11:30 am Enjoying your blog, and your shows. Thanks. Now, if I could only find your book at the thrift store or a yard sale ((I NEVER pay retail for books ... so it may be years before I find one, but I shall! Hopefully, before I lose my teeth to old age and turn to Gerber for dinner.
57. 57

    Jen - August 01 2008 @ 12:27 pm Diane, you should check your local library. if they don't have it, put in a request! Hey Mr. Fancypants, Just had to comment to say I finished reading The Nasty Bits and admire your writing style. I'm planning to gift the book to a good friend that works as a sous chef.
58. 58

    Devon - August 01 2008 @ 3:36 pm So, this is just a random comment, but I had a dream about you a few weeks ago where you were my step-father. You and my mom left my cousins and I out in front of a, I don't know, city aquarium, for about 45 minutes while you bought tickets. And when you guys came back out, I marched up and got in your face about leaving us out there for so long, and you know what? I don't remember what you said exactly, but you were COOL. AS. HELL. You just...said what you needed to say, remained calm, and even in my dream I was like, hell yeah, Anthony Bourdain rocks. =) So, here's my shout-out from one nice, normal almost-30 chick from Denver to you, awesome-stud-even-in-a-random-dream: HOLLA! =) lol Have a fabulous August, dude. Love your shows, love your blog. Peace.
59. 59

    schmutzie - August 01 2008 @ 3:46 pm You are being featured on Five Star Friday: http://www.fivestarfriday.com/2008/08/five-star-friday-edition-17.html
60. 60

    Annonymous - August 01 2008 @ 4:30 pm Nice blog. I just watched the interview with Cooper and Nugent. I'm looking forward to this episode very much and have added links to my own blog. Timothy Braun
61. 61

    The Truth - August 01 2008 @ 8:18 pm I love you, Tony. But I'll take a p&%$ on this upcoming show. The last thing I need is 60 minutes of watching Ted Nugent—a brain-dead, washed-out, county-fair-playing loser.
62. 62

    Erick - August 02 2008 @ 3:55 am Tony you rock man!! When will you plan a trip to my country El Salvador? After the civil war ended, El Salvador has turned into a tourist destination for it's beaches, volcanoes, the FOOD and it's welcoming people. Hell, I'll take you there!
63. 63

    Megan - August 02 2008 @ 9:33 am Dude. Love the Gang of Four reference in the title. I hope there was some of that in your iPod. You are wonderful. Your show is great.. I love watching how you/your perspective on the world and food has evolved over the years. I feel like I should toast you with some super strong cocktail, but alas... it it morning, and I'm drinking my first coffee.
64. 64

    Cheri - August 02 2008 @ 1:23 pm Awwww Tony! you broke my husband and my heart when you said you would never would come to Denver. We only wanted you to come hang out and have a couple beers and go to Domo. check out the website http://www.domorestaurant.com/ awsome food!
65. 65

    Fiona - August 02 2008 @ 2:22 pm You would think the travel chanel would have better things to think of than AB travels. No one else wants him I guess.Lack immagination, o well that's life.
66. 66

    Sha-King - August 02 2008 @ 6:06 pm TONY! If you are going to the U.S. Southwest, you should make a show of Pittsburgh, PA. Heavy Eastern European immigrant pop- pierogies, homemade kielbasa, alcohol (southside and strip district), Original's Hotdog stand, the land of Isley's ice cream and Heinz ketchup, Kennywood park funnel cakes....a drinkin' town with a football problem....and aside from Eastern European foods...we have other culinary hotspots jumping off....come through. Peace and blessings!
67. 67

    I'd Rather Not Say - August 02 2008 @ 9:46 pm I'll definitely be watching this episode. Watching Ted on TV for me is like p&%$ing an accident scene on the highway. You can't help but look at the carnage. Too bad he's such a $%#@ in person. I cringe at the thought that he's distant family by marriage. I will give him his music though. It rocks.
68. 68

    Fromm - August 02 2008 @ 11:03 pm I wish I could be in your shoes. The places and things you see must be GREAT! Not to mention all the tastey dishes you get your hands in. Unfortunetly the extent of getting to try any exotic foods in "Oklahoma" are very slim. haha. At only 24 years old, hopefully I can change that in the future. I could definetly get used to some of the places I've seen you in. Anyway, keep the show going as long as you can!
69. 69

    suenewjersey - August 03 2008 @ 12:05 am Can't wait for the show! Tony in Tedland! %$#@ Yeah!
70. 70

    Fitzy831 - August 03 2008 @ 12:11 am Tony, Just saw the short of you & The Nuge...I couldn't agree more!! I can't wait for Monday night's show. Regarding the previous poster's comments, I lived in Denver and there's no "local" cuisine, which is what the show is about. Denver's food is all from somewhere else, not that it's not good.
71. 71

    sharyn gaffney - August 03 2008 @ 7:50 am BRAVO ma, sto aspettando qualcosa di meglio! Quando verrà in Italia? I am an Australian native, resident of Sanremo and world traveller 'chef-ess' who appreciates lucid exchanges on the Art of Eating. Sharyn
72. 72

    MARTIN OSETE - August 03 2008 @ 4:39 pm ANTONIO, LET ME SHOW YOU THE REAL MEXICO. YOU LAST TRIP WAS SUPERFICIAL....I INDULGE YOU TO COME AND VISIT THE TEQUILA REGION. I CAN ALSO BE YOUR GUIDE AND INTERPRETER...THE REAL DEAL....SALUDOS AND KEEP DOING SUCH A FUN JOB...
73. 73

    Sean - August 03 2008 @ 5:29 pm I feel like every year there are a few softball "local" episodes... like LA, Vegas, New Jersey. I hope this one isn't the same. God knows we have enough "diners, drive-ins, and dives" on the other channel. Btw Uruguay was great.
74. 74

    No longer a viewer - August 03 2008 @ 5:59 pm Just saw the trailer for mondays show and I was disgusted. Be sure to text your friend Mario so he can tune in and see what you really think of him.
75. 75

    Al - August 03 2008 @ 6:06 pm Enjoy all your shows. I subscribe via iTunes. I saw the free video podcasts with Alice and Ted Nugent... waste of time... a lot of hot air and complaining. Portends to a very bad show that only old $#@% can enjoy.
76. 76

    Kim - August 03 2008 @ 6:07 pm Wow, I want to tell everyone at work they have got to watch No Reservations tomorrow night, but if I clued them in that Bourdain makes what I consider to be one of the few watchable shows on non-pay channels now, it would give the lie to the stolid middle-cl&%$ upright demeanor I maintain for convenience here in the Bible Belt. Mr. Bourdain and I are the same age, and like him I have a past that involved rock and roll and adventures in biochemistry, but to admit now that I adore No Reservations would be to call into question that Clark Kent soccer-mom with a twist of Jesus Saves persona that smooths the way here in Appalachia. But wait! Ted Nugent! Guns, more guns, and bringing down your dinner on the hoof will, I &%$ume, be featured. I'm safe, I can recommend the show now! The second amendment gets tossed into a cultural blender here with the Gospels so that you end up with weapon shop signs that read: "Guns, bows, archery equipment. Jesus Saves." (I swear this is real). By the way, Mr. Bourdain, have you ever seen a hanging deer being skinned with hooks and a tractor? Now, that's a television moment. In the wealthiest nation on the planet people in West Virginia, a backwater state that most people don't even realize attained a separate status from Virginia at the time of the Civil War, create some decent meals out of the "making do" that Mr. Bourdain extols in third world nations. I live in the state's capitol city, but I can drive 20 miles out up a hollow and eat the way people did centuries ago when the land was wild. Wild game, vegetables grown in the field behind the house, an incredible freshness of ingredients in season. Poor people know how to do beans well, of course, and breads. When you get a non-chain restaurant with a West Virginia grandma cooking, the cornbread, biscuits, beans, and pies with fresh berries or peaches are amazing. Real gravy made by them is a wonderful sauce. But what I love best are the grandma's pickles. Home grown cucumbers and dill or other spices, home preserved. I'd never tasted a pickle worth its name until I moved to West Virginia. But the Grandmas are dying out. The young people leave, preferring a job in Ohio or North Carolina in the Piedmont to toughing it out on the land the way their ancestors have for centuries. Globalization took away the wage the factories paid that people would drive thirty to fifty miles to in order to survive on the family farm. If Mr. Bourdain wants to show yet again what wonderful things people can do with food when they have to, perhaps he should consider a visit to Appalachia before all the grandmas are gone. But he'd better hurry. Hey, he hunted in his London show, and sounds as though he's going to do it again. And I don't think I've ever met a vegan here.
77. 77

    enigma4ever - August 03 2008 @ 7:04 pm I love this post...have not seen the Southwest Episode yet, am looking forward to it tomorrow night, I did post the clip on my Blog, http://watergatesummer.blogspot.com/, and the part with Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper looks to be a hoot....( gosh I hope you and Ted don't end up eating Road Kill...but I will watch anyway ;-) This show really is one of the best on Cable- and the CHINA episode was on this weekend and was definitely one of the best on the travel channel as they gear up for China Week and the Olympics.....
78. 78

    Linda - August 03 2008 @ 10:48 pm So, Tony, I just drove I-20 from Birmingham, Alabama to Eastland, Texas. I totally get the "bug-on-the-windshield thing", but what I don't get is that I looked on your home page and saw you stated your age as 28. Am I missing something or have I called your bluff? Well, (tomorrow) I will be twenty eight years of age and I only hope I could be as accomplished as you. In college, I majored in journalism and worked in restaurants. So for twenty-eight, your doing damn good - since I am only working at a Chicken Express and ONLY writing a traveling journalist. Keep up the good work and keep my unbridled dreams alive in all you do,,,, Sincerely, Linda
79. 79

    Elisabeth deBeus - August 04 2008 @ 1:41 am Mr. Bourdain, Chances are you probably don't read the comments left to you on this blog. If you do, pay attention. I am an avid fan of yours. I think your books and shows have broadened the culinary minds of so many. Your devil-may-care, bad&%$ attitude make your work easy to listen to or read, so that people don't actually realize they're learning. Not to mention, you're pretty %$#@ing hilarious. To me, you are like the Tucker Max of the culinary world. (If you don't know who Tucker Max is, look him up and use your celebrity status to meet him. I can almost guarantee you two will get a long splendidly). At this point, my compliments towards you will cease. As a fellow New Jersey import to the City, I was totally excited to find out there was a New Jersey episode in Season 1 of No Reservations. I should have been less excited. It %$#@ing sucked. You had the opportunity to show the world all Jersey has to offer and stop the taunts once and for all. But you blew it! It was the first and last time I've been disappointed in you, but it irks me to this day. I thought No Reservations was about visiting a place to see, smell, and eat as the locals do. No self respecting New Jerseyan would ever be caught dead on the Soprano's Tour Bus, at some strip club eating a crappy sub, or at a Howard Johnson's most forget exists in the dead of winter. How could you miss out on Corrados Italian Market? Or Jersey Freeze, Springsteen's favorite ice cream place? Jenkinson's Boardwalk? Oh gosh, I could go on and on. Of course, I realize that you could not possibly visit every place in New Jersey, but you should at least have tried to visit places people in New Jersey actually go to. When you want to go back and actually experience Jersey, you let me know. You'd be in for a helluva time. Have fun and travel safe, Elisabeth
80. 80

    Lorelei - August 04 2008 @ 2:11 am Hi Tony, I really enjoy reading your blog. Usually I have nothing to say and unlike Warhol, think its probably best kept to myself. This time however your testosterone fuelled rant (which oddly made me think of a toddler that had got hold of a tube of toothpaste, especially the bits about the car) made me want to share. So here it is: about 2 months ago I went on an RV trip from SF to NY. Our RV was pretty much the smallest one you could hire, although by Oz standards the truck was still m&%$ive, so we didn't get that swing with the back thing. The descent into Death Valley did manage to scare the crap out of us though. All those odd dips in the road made the RV start lurching and jumping like a dying rabbit, I mean the damn thing was getting air and what, it's gotta be at least 2 tonnes of shaking metal? Not good. When we stopped half way down we noticed the trail of black smoke coming off the brakes. Anyway, there's plenty more where that came from but it's going into a book I'm working on. Not a conventional one, as I'm an artist (yes, I know, stay with me) so it's going to be an artists' book. More pictures, less words. There's an artists' bookstore in NY called printed matter, bought an awesome book there which gave me the idea, Graeme Walker's drift book. I think it's traditional to end these things with a plug for your country, SO when are you coming back to Oz? You need to see Qld (we're all honorary Texans now - onya Kev) Ask your mate Neil Perry about it he did a whole series up here. And while your at it ask him wtf he thought those mummified lentils were a good idea as snackfood on Qantas flights. I mean sure peanuts are unimaginative but at least you don't feel like you've tried to lick your way across the Gobi desert by the end of the packet. Cheers!
81. 81

    gina - August 04 2008 @ 3:26 am Indiana resturant Can't wait for the Phoenix show to come out. Iwaited on a man that look like him. I even say you sound like Anthony Bourdain he just laught and left a good tip Didn't think to check the name on the card Gina
82. 82

    apo - August 04 2008 @ 4:11 am I just about lost it when I saw there was going to be a SW episode. As a lifelong AZ/NM dual-citizen, I've always loved the amazing myriad cultures interacting here, and I can honestly say I'm proud of where I live, which is something I'd never imagined possible. The Nuge does make me a little nervous, since he's pretty much a punchline in himself, but I have faith it'll work. If nothing else, it promises some good ammunition (literally). I'm praying against all hope that Tucson is included in this episode, since I think it's one of the regions great overlooked cities (where else can you get Afghani, Indian, Authentic Mexican, French, and Italian food all within a couple blocks in Arizona?)
83. 83

    Vijay - August 04 2008 @ 12:09 pm Tony, just try to remain alive longer by being a little careful about health, so that I can enjoy your programs till I live.I was happy to see you not smoking on your program as you sampled the typical English and Scottish foods. We get to see you on the Discovery's Travel and Living in India. Wish you would reply in your characteristic nonchalance.
84. 84

    BITTER - August 04 2008 @ 2:00 pm Tony, how could you? Alice Cooper is one thing, but the grizzled, racist, bigoted alpha male blob that is Ted Nugent. I never thought I'd say this about your show, but I think I'll p&%$ on that episode. Nuge is a major pig.
85. 85

    thesuperbongo - August 04 2008 @ 4:27 pm This, this post, is why I love tony. And a Fin I know says "swedes are %$#@"
86. 86

    rrsucks - August 04 2008 @ 5:56 pm Love your show, Tony. Been watching since the 'other network' days. Anxiously awaiting tonight's episode - hoping you ate here in Tucson. I'm a former Angelino who can't believe how wonderful the food is here. If you didn't, come on down, I'll buy you a Sammy Dog at El Guero Canelo.
87. 87

    Maggie - August 04 2008 @ 6:02 pm I'm really looking forward to tonight's show. Nugent, Alice Cooper and Bourdain together, can't wait for the mayhem to ensue! No Reservations is by far the best travel show on TV, keep up the good work! Maggie
88. 88

    Ladymissgailo - August 04 2008 @ 6:03 pm I just want you to know that I am leaving in an hour and going home to heat up a can of tomate soup,and then crunch a handful of crackers on them. Then I will eat it and crash. Hungry?
89. 89

    Scott Ash, MN1, USNR - August 04 2008 @ 11:30 pm Greetings from Kuwait, Tony! Having just received the third DVD collection of "No Reservations," I have to thank you for the hours of entertainment you've provided me and my comrades here at Camp Arifjan. After enduring the meals in the base's dining facility (where the Army adage of "If it's worth being done, it's worth being overdone" is taken to heart by the contracted cooks), it's been a real pleasure to see great meals in spectacular settings. We've enjoyed episides from both the second and third DVD sets as reminders that "outside the wire" can be found strange and amazing places (such as New York City) and provides us the chance to, in a gastronomic sense, violate the anti-pornography provisions of General Order One-Bravo. I look forward to seeing what's not yet available on DVD when we return stateside; oddly enough, including the Saudi Arabia episode. Thank you! MN1 Scott Ash, EO1 Kenneth Cain, and PS1 Kevin Clarke NAVELSG Forward HOTEL HQ/TOC Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
90. 90

    Carolee - August 05 2008 @ 12:06 am Just saw the show, and I'm amazed by how much I actually LIKED Ted Nugent. With politics more or less similar to yours, I expected to find him pretty much despicable. But he seemed almost ... likable. Yet another lesson in not judging a book by its color (or NRA membership).
91. 91

    Joe From Texas - August 05 2008 @ 12:19 am Hoe did you like our Shiner Bock? Hopefully you tried it the way it was intended to be; WARM. Nothing like German Bock beer from a Czech family that emigrated to Texas in the early part of this century... Wait a minute, That is an American melting pot. Isn't it?
92. 92

    asktunes - August 05 2008 @ 12:20 am Been a long time since I dropped by & said hi. So...hi! Tony, I still think you should come to Charlottesville, VA. It's making the lists of many foodies. But ignore all the fru-fru chi-chi hoidy toidy joints & head straight for the mom & pops. You will not be displeased. Hell, I'll have my hubby whip you up a great meal...he's cousins with both that Zagat guy & the Schwartz who ate NY!
93. 93

    JennieTikka - August 05 2008 @ 12:20 am Tony - Just saw the show and have to saw I really loved it! Oh sure, a lot of that had to do with you going to places in the California desert that I'm achingly familiar with (it is literally my back yard), and your inclusion of people like Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent and an honorary mention of Denis Leary (all hail), all of which I'm prejudiced towards - but I seriously did get a kick out of you in this epi. Oh, and kudos by the way for the use of the words "disaster" and catastrophe" - I took notice :) By the way, the residents of Bombay Beach have another ominous reason to be worried. Bombay Beach is the exact area where California's next "Big One" is supposed to originate from. That beach you were standing on will shift by about 30 feet some time in the next 10 years and the shaking will go on for 3 to 4 minutes, all the way up to Bakersfield. Indio's right on the fault line, too. Thanks, Tony!
94. 94

    M. Cook - August 05 2008 @ 12:27 am I'm a big fan, but my comment here is especially about your wonderful diplomacy. Yes, yes I've read your books, blah blah, but especially in this southwest episode, I have much more respect for you. You know that you'll probably have nothing in common with "The Nuge" yet I never saw anything that was disrespectful of his views, nothing contrary. Something that has been lost lately about respecting other peoples views and almost seems wonderfully quaint, and refreshing. I'm sure you bit your tongue many times, not many people would do that, again thank you not only showing other points of view. Not judging them on air. I'm sure you were itching to, it's only human. salute, and thanks again. unbiased opinion is scant these days.
95. 95

    Jay - August 05 2008 @ 12:36 am Hey man, I wanted you to come to New Mexico. I live only about 40 miles from Hatch. Believe me we could have had a great time. Theres alot of things to see here. You missd the petroglyphs while you were here. Such a shame. You should be here for the Chile Festival and the Enchilada festival. We also have Duck Races here in Deming. Really for a desert you'd be surprised what we do for fun. Blessings and I love your shows.
96. 96

    Liberal with a Pistol - August 05 2008 @ 12:47 am Tony Bourdain, the man that goes around the world showing us sheltered, TGIF loving Americans that there is more to the world than the compelling tourist trap that takes our money and makes us feel semi safe while keeping the fence around t. I have always been a fan of your show for this exact reason, we need to explore and understand cultures both in our country and out of it, what better way than food? I always claimed I would never be that &%$hole that writes a comment that most likely will never be read, about how irritated I am that this wasn't shown or that one awesome local spot that all of us locals go to was left out. This one I could not let go, your representation of the southwest was a little off kilter, maybe downright %#@$, first off I didn't see one representation of native culture, I mean how much more local can you get? But instead I had to endure some closed minded maniacal open pocket for the wrong cause, Texan getting his word out on your show. Good job Tony, way to show the true nature of the southwest, the free spirited, private land owning, Mexican hating, scared of gay dudes rockstar. Very impressive, I hope this brief stint of fame has not gotten to your head. I mean showing us the tourist trap, Amarillo steak eating place that we locals all drive right past at 90+ to get the hell away from the giant crosses and possible cult leaders lurking around every exit. This is a place Rachel Ray would pull right into. I do admit it is impressive that you can lay down some lead with the Nuge and share fries with a rock legend at some burger joint making a buck on %$#@ty food and gold records on the wall. I am usually impressed with the work your team does to find the amazing places and people you document on your show. I have an idea for your next show, do another New York show, first start at the Statue of Liberty, get a hot dog at the food court. Head to The Empire State, eat some great food at the brewery below and end the show at Dave & Buster’s in Times Square. Keep eating big units and providing great tv that shows the real cultures of America and abroad.
97. 97

    JMB in Ft Collins Co - August 05 2008 @ 12:54 am Brevity required, Denver is a great place for pretention and pseudo sensational food. On that note, Cheri is right re: Domo. It's the bomb for Japanese farmhouse food. But that's the problem...it's Japanese food in Denver. Which is great for those Denverites, but meaningless for the food savy of the parentheses of the USA. Tony it's great to the Southwest on your show. As a SW USA native (of 5th generation heritage), it would be nice to see more food, and less BS. There is much to see, and many of "destined to fail a health inspection" joints to load up on the foods that inspire two memories per meal experiences. Green or Red. If it doesnt't fry your %#$ it's not Southwest. Native? We're all native. We've hardened our digestional abilitites on the bile inflaming, sphincter frying, culinary gem of the chilie pepper. From AZ, to NM, to the panhandle of TX and beyond. Our claim to reality is shut up, sit down, be real, and don't bring your opinions to the table because we can see right through it. Love the show. Next time you're in the region hit Bisbee, Tubac, and Globe. Don't forget the fry bread of the Navajo tribe. It will please the palate, especialy in the middle winter. Keep it real.
98. 98

    Phil - August 05 2008 @ 1:23 am Hey Tony, be honest - how was that agent orange flavored grilled leg of lamb? You poured enough lighter fluid on those briquettes to fuel a small car. I could smell it from here.
99. 99

    Josh - August 05 2008 @ 2:36 am Apparently no one really reads or perhaps understands your blog. So in the interest of speaking for all car nuts alike, if you get the chance (or the go ahead), have some fun with the new Dodge Challenger.
100. 100

     Cyndi - August 05 2008 @ 2:51 am Wow, color me underwhelmed. I know that in this format, there is only a short time for each segment, but I think Phoenix has something more to offer than a cut-rate Hard Rock Cafe owned by a celebrity. Please do the domestic destinations as much justice as you do the foreign ones, and leave the fanwank to VH1.
101. 101

     june-baby - August 05 2008 @ 3:37 am As I posted in a previous post, Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper in the same episode of NR it should be very interesting. Great episode Monday night. Loved the BMW, so Tony did you get to keep the car after the shoot. I was happy to see Jerry again in the SW episode glad he's back with the ZPZ family again. Hope Jerry got a doggie bag for his left over 72 oz steak, LOL. Job well done Tony and The NR Crew. Looking forward to next week's episode. Tony now that you did a river raft scene you can now go to the Czesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic and do some river rafting there. BTW the Czesky Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's about 3 hours from Prague.
102. 102

     MitchHellman - August 05 2008 @ 3:46 am Tony, I can't believe that until this episode you were a patty melt virgin. Few things in this life or the next go together as well as a sleazy-greasy patty melt and a skull-busting hangover. As a matter of fact, here in Silver City, NM (about 100 miles away from your visit to Hatch... so only about 15 minutes drive in that Bavarian rocket you were piloting), the local dive makes a patty melt with two additional ingredients seldom found on this sandwich: thick-sliced bacon, and chopped green chiles. What a wonderful way to punish yourself for the sins of the night before, whatever they may have been and regardless of whether you remember them well enough to be ashamed.
103. 103

     Rick Cooke - August 05 2008 @ 3:50 am Dear God Bourdain, I can't wait to see you in Tokyo! It looks hilarious, as are all your other shows. Getting to jam and shoot with Nugent tho? Your my idol man. 100% I look up to you more than any other human being to ever exist. I can relate to your life story and right now I'm in the beggining of where you were back around the V&%$ar times, or more closely to where you were when you were working in M&%$. Keep living and inspiring!
104. 104

     Kevin Bacon's Haircut Circa 1987 - August 05 2008 @ 4:59 am Those enchiladas looked absolutely delicious!!
105. 105

     Susan Hire - August 05 2008 @ 7:50 am I saw the show with Ted, it was awesome!
106. 106

     TRredux - August 05 2008 @ 11:55 am Well, I saw the episode last night. It was great. Those lefty losers who bashed it in the comments missed a great show. BTW, I just love the "sensitivity" and "understanding" in their loving coments about Ted Nugent. Shows their hypocrisy. Have a nice day and keep up the great work, Tony!
107. 107

     Florida - August 05 2008 @ 12:02 pm Funny how the "Nuge" supports the military now, but his chicken hawk %%& couldn't muster the guts to fight in Vietnam. Just leave it to the rest of the country to get our limbs blown off and you'll get a cook out from Nugent to say thanks. And really Tony, nothing represents the American SouthWest like grilled raddichio and endive with shaved parmesean.
108. 108

     Disappointed - August 05 2008 @ 12:38 pm I've never felt compelled to comment on any of your shows, but last night's episode was a huge disappointment. The photography was uncharacteristically shoddy. What do a couple of rock stars have to do with the culture of the Southwest? This episode did not in any way represent the Southwest and it was one disappointing gimmick after the other. The Hispanic and Native American culture was pretty much ignored. Very very disappointing. Liberal with a Pistol stated it best
109. 109

     Buzzbomb - August 05 2008 @ 12:39 pm Great episode Tony. Nuge is still the idiot I thought he was. "This is only the third beer i've ever drank." yeah right! Can't wait for the Tokyo show.
110. 110

     Paul - August 05 2008 @ 1:11 pm I enjoyed this episode. Didn't know about the Salton Sea, and I've always wondered what Tony would do if he were given control of a nuclear weapon (though I would have guessed Rachael Ray's $#& would have topped Switzerland on the target list). And though I personally don't agree with Ted Nugent's politics or his Texas-size ego, it was fun watching Tony play with the weapons. I think he's got Patty Hearst potential. I know you've covered this area before with the U.S.-Mexico border episode, but I'd enjoy another show from the Southwest.
111. 111

     Peter - August 05 2008 @ 1:26 pm I can't say I loved the U.S. southwest episode. Oh, it was entertaining enough, and had some great lines ("Debbie Does Durian"). But I'm not sure what the point of it was. Road trip? Or Southwest? How could you go to the southwest and not touch upon the Latino, Native American, and New Age communities? Instead, it seemed to be a litany of barbecues and rednecks. It certainly didn't make me want to visit the southwest! Not sure what the whole point of the Alice Cooper segment was, except to say "Randy Johnson's Big Unit" a dozen times. And as much as you tried to make Nugent seem like a lovable eccentric, he frankly came across as a deranged gun freak to me. Even you looked a little scared in a few segments. The gun segment you looked like Patty Hearst, kidnapped by a bunch of nuts. Oh well. They can't all be winners, and I think the Tokyo episode is gonna be a home run. Asia always brings the best out of you.
112. 112

     caligal - August 05 2008 @ 1:33 pm Disappointed, remember this is Tony's show. National Geographic it is not, but it is entertaining and fun to watch. I'm Hispanic and I wasn't disapponted at all. I learned about the community around the Salton Sea, a place close to my home (L.A.) but light years away in so many ways. And it covered "the Southwest". He could hardly have showcased it all in one hour. Maybe on a specific show featuring Arizona or New Mexico, but I think he did a good job hitting on some out of the way places maybe no one would visit. I, for one, will be asking my husband to go over to Cooperstown just for the heck of it next time we are in that area. I think the whole vibe of this episode could be summed up "Why in the heck not?" And man, that roasted leg of lamb....I was drooling. If I could cook like that my family might actually get me to go out in an RV!
113. 113

     Teacher in Texas - August 05 2008 @ 1:34 pm Tony, Thanks for the visit to Waco. The other bloggers not withstanding I loved the way you showed the SW is not always what you think! And I can't believe the other bloggers who dissed the Nuge without the slightest idea of how hypocritical they were being. And why not stop for the 72 oz. steak? Anybody with any brains knows its going to be a god-awful steak. Its the schtick! Think of it as the beating, bleeding cobra heart of the Panhandle! Thoroughly enjoyed your visit with Ted. Know matter where he is or what he does he always stirs up something. He writes a weekly column for the local paper and I don't always agree with all his comments, BUT, he is a decidedly refreshing voice among all the jaded journalism we get here. Glad you deigned to try the local 'que. Hope it was satisfactory. As you or Ted said, if you don't like that particular joint there are 50 more just down the road. So hope you enjoyed your visit. Welcome to our wonderful world (despite the odd press we get from the locals or the transplanted Presidents)! Our family gathers each Monday night to enjoy your entertainment, education and fun. Looking forward to the rest of the season...
114. 114

     Pet420Monkey - August 05 2008 @ 1:37 pm Best episode of the season so far. nobody blamed you for blowing off their limbs or anything! and that camera guy ate an impressive chunk of meat there. mmmmm....grease.
115. 115

     Annonymous - August 05 2008 @ 1:44 pm I love the show. Tony holds nothing back and is afraid of no food. He inspires me to try new things and places. Thanks Tony.
116. 116

     TR - August 05 2008 @ 1:47 pm What's with the Beamer? I know BMW is a sponsor, but if you are going to end an American episode with the Star Spangled Banner, you should start it with a good 'ole American muscle car (the Charger and Challenger are making a big comeback). Other than that, and the fact I had to watch Johnson's Big Unit, we enjoyed the show as always.
117. 117

     Jenn - August 05 2008 @ 1:59 pm You have a great show, but what's up with the picking on fatties with Ted Nugent? Seriously? Look, hang out with folks who claim that the only thing we did wrong in Iraq is not to "Nagasaki them," that's your choice. But to engage in this rant about obese people? Maybe when you quit smoking you can lecture people about that.
118. 118

     Duke - August 05 2008 @ 2:35 pm What a flop of a show, I had seen your Uruguay espisode earlier and thought, wow, I've got to see the new American Southwest episode, boy, what a dissappointment. Just like a good evening meal at a restaurant, they can never be duplicated, either something is wrong with the service, food or atomsphere the next visit. I could do a better show just profiling Southwest Oklahoma with it's Native Americans, Meers Store, BBQ and the preparation of meals for the crews of the Air Force's C-5 at Altus AFB, not counting the hundreds of little town cafes. When you realize the amount of content in our Southwest that is available for filming and see this show, you would wonder what the rest of the world thinks of such a place, maybe Siberia come to their minds.
119. 119

     Nick - August 05 2008 @ 2:59 pm That was the funniest episode of your show I have ever seen. Ted Nuget is a %$#@ing maniac.
120. 120

     spasticnapjerk - August 05 2008 @ 3:10 pm What a tool. Anthony...you gave that waste of space Ted Nugent airtime to spew his ignorant rantings? That was a mistake. Anyone paying attention could see what you had to put up with the entire shoot, and thank goodness we only got a few seconds of Ted's tired rants. I just want to know who thought that was a good idea. Politics aside, there couldn't be two people further apart than Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent. One of them is highly intelligent, reasonable, and very talented. The other is...an idiot. I lived in Waco for a bit. Many people there make it a point of pride to be as un-educated and b&%$-ackwards as they possibly can. Ted Nugent fits right in, as does another very famous person that owns a ranch nearby. We see and hear ugly stuff like this at every White House press conference...why do you need to promote it also? Normally, you take us places that we'll never be able to see ourselves, and give us the story of place through the food you eat. That - not hobnobbing with idiots - is what makes your show great, Anthony. Please don't do that again.
121. 121

     LDA - August 05 2008 @ 3:11 pm Your show is basically the only program on television my Dad watches. He's a criminal defense attorney turned chocolate maker and while he often travels the world looking for the best cacao beans, I'm pretty sure he sometimes wishes he had you guys to travel along with him! However I must say, what intrigues him the most about your show is your sungl&%$es! I have spent countless hours trying to find them but my efforts are fruitless. If I only knew the brand, perhaps I could buy them for him and he could finally have a piece of Anthony Bourdain... but not in a weird way. If anyone else has any suggestions, please help!
122. 122

     rick lupi - August 05 2008 @ 3:15 pm great show om the southwest, one of your best
123. 123

     Carlos - August 05 2008 @ 3:31 pm Tony, Next time drive the Aston Martin Vanquish. Trust me. Try prepping some bbq in the back seat of this baby!
124. 124

     Annonymous - August 05 2008 @ 3:57 pm Tony, I was a huge fan until I saw the short with you and Nugent spouting off about obesity and diabetes. Do some research. There are diseases out there that cause obesity and diabetes, not to mention genetics. For most people it is not a choice of lifestyles, but a viscious circle of a disease causing weight gain, which in turn, causes more disease. Have you lived with a loved on who is going through cogestive heart failure, renal disease,strokes and diabetes? Have you watched people trying to cope with a very low sodium, low sugar, low pottasium,low phosphate diet? Had you had to scour the internet for stores that would have these products and have to pay an arm and a leg for them? You think someone would choose that lifestyle? That was the most vile, dispicable thing I have ever seen. I wouldn't walk across the street to see you. That is the kind of crap I would have expected from Nugent because he is a vile, dispicable man. After what he did to get out of fighting for this country, he doesn't even deserve to live here.
125. 125

     Bex - August 05 2008 @ 4:09 pm Tony, I love your irreverent ways. I love how you’re looking at life and food and the world. There has been nothing about your cynicism and your eye-openings that I hadn’t enjoyed and mostly agreed with. I come from a similar, if a few years later, punk based background and I love to cook and wish I could travel like you do. And then came the Ted Nuggent episode. Now, I don’t care what Ted had to say. He lost my respect way back before he started doing hunting shows and ranting about good “gut piles�. But your “fat tax�? Joke or not, it’s probably one of the poorest taste things you’ve said. I mean c’mon! You love foie gras! You dive into meals that are just soaked in anything greasy or buttery or fat-laden with glee. And guess what? People gain weight on them. We've even watched you go from an angry, whip-cord thin guy to an angry middle-aged spread guy. Do I want people to be gasping and sweating and ready to keel over if they had to get corpulent &%$es off the couch? Do I want to help pay the bills of someone who thinks the world owes them support because the Golden Arches made them fat? Hell no! But I am a fatty myself (shocked? Probably not) and I am offended. I take responsibility for my size and who I am. But %$#@ you if you think I should have to pay a tax for my weight. I pay enough of those %$#@ things, thank you very much. I do not take up more than my seat on the airplane. I do not ooze over on subway seats. I haul my fat &%$ out of bed everyday and do my damn job. I even eat. And healthy sometimes too. I enjoy life. I embrace it. I just wish I had the gumption and talent your friend Mario Batali had. Hmm… he’s fat, ain’t he?
126. 126

     Ron - August 05 2008 @ 4:10 pm Tony, Love the show man, but frankly, desert-dwelling freak Caucasians and their cuisine hold neither culinary nor anthropological interest for me - the open-spaces-guns-RV's-huntin'-barbecue thing seemed a bit too self-consciously Hunter S. Thompson last night. And why ingratiate yourself to a right-wing clown like Ted Nugent, who is a complete buffoon? Seriously, the guy's like some kind of rental-conservative / postmodern-village-idiot who makes a living off of "reality" TV by shooting captive game at close range with his bow-and-arrow, and lecturing weak, pasty, city-slickers on survivalism. This is not to say that he didn't rock back in the day. I can only imagine the reaction if some "lefty" gun nut said that a Republican administration provides a "target rich environment" as "the Nuge" said regarding possible Democratic wins in November on last night's show. If I'm not mistaken, he even began to make something of a racist "towel-head" reference to some people in Kuwait. I know that being a gracious host is very important, but so is having some dignity. Right-wing fools seem to think that they can spout off their neanderthal stupidity whenever and to whomever they wish because progressive people, being somewhat less ape-like, are too concerned with being "nice" and "respecting other points of view" to return the favor. Giving too much attention and apparent respect to those who don't merit it, like "the Nuge", is at the end of the day just free publicity for him and his fellow embiciles, and a rather unfortunate stamp of approval by someone people tend to respect much more than him - yourself.
127. 127

     spasticnapjerk - August 05 2008 @ 4:45 pm Ron, I think Ted's comment was "someone who wears their clothing on their heads." That's ironic - he was wearing a cap. That and the quote about target-rich environment is pretty much what nut-jobs consider to be normal day-to-day speech these days, and you can bet that Ted spewed forth every moment the camera was on him. This blog entry of Anthony's shouldn't become a political debate - but we aren't the ones that think Ted Nugent is "TV Gold" so I have to comment!
128. 128

     Lil - August 05 2008 @ 4:50 pm %$#@ YOU, BOURDAIN. Seriously. You know what? I have been watching your show - rather faithfully, I might add - for the better part of two years, now. I had no idea who you were but watching your show gave me the opportunity to see things that - for economical reasons - I just cannot see on my own at this point in my life. Yeah, I’m a fat girl, have been one for my entire life and I don’t block the %$#@ exit door on the plane, thank you very much. When I first started watching your program, yeah, you seemed to be pretty brash but at the same time you had personality and it was nice to see someone who smokes and drinks and doesn’t apologize for it - because, in case you hadn’t noticed, those things are *also* looked down upon these days just as much as having a big %$#@. And I grew to genuinely appreciate you as a host and look forward to new episodes to see where you’d go and what new adventures you would have. As someone who’s always had (I feel) a very healthy relationship with food, I found it incredibly fun to learn about the different cultures and the way these peoples’ feelings and beliefs about it were interwoven into their daily lives and history. Very interesting stuff. I used to love watching your show, but I think it’s safe to say that by running your mouth and agreeing with that homophobic right-wing prick of a buddy of yours, you have LOST me as a faithful viewer. Do you not realize that you’re insulting a lot of fellow chefs/cooks with the ignorant %$#@ you were nodding along to and espousing yourself? Like your friend Andrew Zimmern, for example, with whom I know you’ve co-hosted a couple of episodes of each of your respective shows. I can’t help but wonder if HE won’t tell you to go sit on a beehive, his own self. I hope he does. ‘Cause you’re all sorts of a hypocritical prick. It’s easy to run your mouth on and on about the ‘epidemic’ when you’re shoving Korean street junk-food in your gob day in and day out and drinking and smoking like it’s going out of style. But I guess it’s okay, because you’re a chef and you get paid for it, whereas I’m just a fat bitch who needs to go hop on a treadmill. For some reason, this whole thing really GOT to me. I usually don't pay the slightest bit of attention to what people on tv have to say about me and my body, but let me tell you something: this really hurt me as a person. Yeah, you hurt my feelings, Tony. I am a member of that faceless 'epidemic' you two were yakking about as though you're some kind of experts. Only I'm not faceless. I'm an actual person and I'm telling you straight, right now: as a fan, you have hurt me, and it really, really sucks. From what I hear, the clip of you and Nugent going on and on about how awful it is that fat chicks have to breathe your air wasn't included in the episode and it's a shame - because it's keeping a lot of the fans from seeing what you really think of some of your viewing audience. I only watched about the first minute and a half of the clip but that was all I needed to see. I’m seriously not trying to be on a high horse here or say the way I live is any better than anybody else, but %$#@, why’d you have to go and DO that, Tony? Seriously. Jerk.
129. 129

     Ken - August 05 2008 @ 4:58 pm In light of the racial slurs Nugent made towards blacks and Asians on a live radio show in 2003, I hoped this episode would make me see the "human" part of him -- but he came off even more nuts that I imagined...
130. 130

     Rosane Serro - August 05 2008 @ 5:02 pm Dearest Tony: Regards from Rio de Janeiro! I´ve just stop by to say how much I adore you shows, although they just began in brazilian Cable (can you believe? The Discovery Travel and Living channel is showing your 2006 trips!) I have been a big fan of yours since I´ve read your books. It´s delicious to watch all the places, foods and societies that you taste. I have to say it would be a dream job for me (as a journalist who spend 75% a day in an office/jail) so it´s funny when we notice you feel bored about all the thing. Well, just p&%$ to say nice to meet you! When will you come to Rio? If you come, do write me. I have many tips of popular, wonderful, hidden and unforgettable places you gotta see(the fancy ones you must know already ;o) Take care! Rosane Serro
131. 131

     Ken - August 05 2008 @ 5:13 pm In light of Nugent’s slurs towards blacks and Asians on live radio in 2003, I hoped this episode would show his “human� side –- but sadly just the opposite. The guy came off crazier than I expected...
132. 132

     eloika - August 05 2008 @ 5:17 pm i like to watch you...all laid back...
133. 133

     eloika - August 05 2008 @ 5:21 pm i like to watch you, all laid back n all, you fo real.
134. 134

     beafink - August 05 2008 @ 5:37 pm It's a sad situation when a washed out used up druggie like Ted Nugent gets attention dictating how society should treat people based on how people "look." He should be ashamed, as he puts people down. Perhaps a glance in the mirror would give him an accurate reflection on how people should not cast stones. I don't understand the concept of a "fat tax." Certainly there isn't an "ugly" tax, and overweight people can always lose weight. Get real.
135. 135

     Annonymous - August 05 2008 @ 5:43 pm Nugent for President Alice for VP Thanks Tony, Great Show
136. 136

     Rob - August 05 2008 @ 5:50 pm Tony, great episode! I only wished it lasted an hour longer! I really enjoy your episodes from spots in the USA, and was glad/sad to learn about the Salton Sea, which I had never heard of. However the surprise of seeing Alice Cooper was cool, and the fun on Nugent's ranch was awesome, even if I don't agree with all of the politics, that is what our country is founded upon, civil discourse! I saw the Nuge live in concert in '79 or so and am still a fan. I finished reading "Kitchen Confidential" recently, as did my wife, and we are bigger fans now than we were before, and will be buying my new Global knives very soon! Come to N.C. for an episode...will be glad to show you around!
137. 137

     Jim - August 05 2008 @ 6:08 pm That seals it, the "noodge" is an absolute twink. I loved the shot of his wife...how unhappy she looked. Imagine having to put up with that guys crap every day. That poor poor woman...
138. 138

     soccermom - August 05 2008 @ 6:13 pm Tony You want a fat tax. How about a tax for a holes?
139. 139

     samantha - August 05 2008 @ 7:36 pm well, the travel channel blog site hates when i write good comments and decides to delete them. thank youuuu. while i adore your show (even moreso when i have lived all summer without a tv and my heart grows fonder from the absence of it... that is, your show) i might adore your blog even more... fantastic writing, hilarious. keep it up
140. 140

     Scott - August 05 2008 @ 7:52 pm Hi Anthony, Where did you find that cowboy boot paradise? May I please have an address, a website or anything?.. Thank you!!
141. 141

     PJ - August 05 2008 @ 8:22 pm Anthony, OK...I love your show...there I admitted it. However, I really hate that you are doing what everyone else does. Why do we give a crap what rockers and other misc. famous people care about. I am sick to death of hearing these people spout their opinions on just about anything that crosses their puny brains...and we listen just because they are famous. They are not experts in the fields they choose to discuss and generally know nothing about the subjects they choose to spout on and on about. I did not see the show this Monday but I will probably watch it at some point. I don't really want to hear about what Ted Nugent thinks about "fat" people...or guns...or food...or anything else for that matter. There are a lot more people who are an embar&%$ment to our country...just by opening their ignorant mouths...
142. 142

     Elise - August 05 2008 @ 8:47 pm It blows my mind to see how many people are willing to boycott your show because you dared to talk to Ted Nugent, but thought that visiting Saudi Arabia was enlightening. It's just mind boggling how shallow some people can be.
143. 143

     Barbara - August 05 2008 @ 8:48 pm Anthony, I don't think you can keep up with the Swiss Misses though! LOL
144. 144

     Holly Varjak - August 05 2008 @ 8:53 pm Ugh. Disappointing.
145. 145

     Emilia - August 05 2008 @ 9:22 pm Tony--a great episode! I totally agree with you on Switzerland. I'm skeptical of any place/person that declares permanent neutrality. And hey, ignore all the narrow-minded people flipping out over your visit with Nugent.
146. 146

     Tommy Salami - August 05 2008 @ 9:40 pm The show was great! My only complaint was the "German terror machine" was ... an SUV. Are you getting old? You should have made them give you an M5 or a Z4M! I'm glad you had the balls to say you disagree with practically everything Nugent says. Next time I get some venison backstrap I'm gonna wrap them in bacon like you guys did! The final meal you guys had could teach us all a lot; same as your trip to Saudi Arabia. When it comes down to it, if you can sit down and have a meal with people, you get along enough. And we should concentrate on fighting the people who'd rather kill each other than share a rack of ribs over the fire.
147. 147

     Kristen - August 05 2008 @ 9:45 pm Dear God in Heaven. Could it get any better than Anthony Bourdain, Ted Nugent, and Alice Cooper all in one show? I don't think so.
148. 148

     Rightwingsnarkle - August 05 2008 @ 11:42 pm I think you phoned this one in, Tony. The folks still living on the edge of the Salton Sea? I can dig it. But Ted Nugent? Naw. %$#@ him. I hope you decide to make an effort on the next episode. Any more like this, and you might want to think about moving on. Always go out on top, man.
149. 149

     Bass Reynolds - August 06 2008 @ 1:55 am When I moved from Rhode Island in 1998 to finally explore the west, I landed in a little town in northern California named Nevada City. The house I rented was three doors up the road from a red house set back on a hill. On their mailbox was the name "The Nugents". Shortly thereafter as I understand, they sold that red house. Never met Ted, but would have liked to have met the old fart. Thanks for the kick $#% episode Anthony...I too have nodded my head in agreement with many a westerner on a rant. Better than arguing with them. After all, history out here wasn't so recently written...Peace, and happy eating bro!
150. 150

     Mark Figone - August 06 2008 @ 2:00 am Tony, I was out of town for a week and just watched a couple episodes that I recorded on my DVR. Uruguay... Un believeable, I'd give my eye teeth to have been with you on that trip. And whack 'em and stack 'em Ted Nugent. How good does it get. I like Ted's politics alot better than yours, but the food transcends all the other BS. You have the best job on the face of the earth. Congrats sir! You're an amazing talent. Real food for real people. Keep on truckin,.
151. 151

     Chef Scott Wallett, Jr - August 06 2008 @ 2:28 am Hello Chef, i liked the episode, but to me it seams you really strayed away from the food.
152. 152

     Oldskool - August 06 2008 @ 3:36 am Tony, you seem to have some interest in Detroit.. any chance of you doing a show there?
153. 153

     jasonL - August 06 2008 @ 4:59 am Tony, I only wish I had known that you were doing this episode. I literally live like 4 minutes away from the Shield's Date gardens that you went to. I love that Date shake. I could have taken you to some kick #@$ dive bars in town. (I might have even drank you under the table, maybe!) The date gardens store has some cool and interesting things in it. Ah well. Maybe another time. Love the show and all that you do. How do I get a gig like yours?
154. 154

     NSN - August 06 2008 @ 7:38 am Tony, I'm 25 and you are a hero of mine. I think you've been everywhere I ever possibly could want. I just wanted to say that you're great and keep up a great work . We really appreciate you and your writings!
155. 155

     Ladymissgailo - August 06 2008 @ 11:26 am I want some Fries
156. 156

     nicolja - August 06 2008 @ 12:08 pm Tony, I’m sure you’ve dismissed the comments on this blog by people ranting about your encounter with Ted Nugent. The fact is that at least half this country agrees with much of what Ted believes. For the hypocrites that will immediately characterize this segment of the population as backwards or rednecks, I’ll remind you that your intolerance is equally as ignorant. Hopefully Tony will share a meal with someone like Noam Chomsky or Sean Penn and if so, you will not find me posting some rant about how he betrayed his viewers. Get a life people. Act like a progressive’s and be more tolerant.
157. 157

     Petah - August 06 2008 @ 12:17 pm nicolja. you are right on.
158. 158

     the sound and the fury - August 06 2008 @ 12:38 pm Lord, I love it when "open minded" leftists engage in a self congratulatory two minute hate because Tony spends some time with a guy who believes in such CRAZY – oh so CRAZY things - like: individual gun rights; individual ownership of property; our right to control immigration and our borders; and that an agressive stance toward militant islamists (despite the costs) will keep us far safer in the the long run than all the dane geld and self flagelating mea culpas will. And funny how you loose all "respect" for Tony because he had a conversation with a man who was willing to openly share his views that, as has been noted, are shared by a great number of your fellow Americans. Far easy to dismiss them out of hand, I suppose. It would seem to me that you (collectively) had very little respect or understanding to loose in the first place. However, you Will gain social capital as you jockey for status with all your lefty buddies when you stand on your soapbox denounce old Ted as "deranged" and "right wing." 'Cuz you're so enlightened. Also - Fat people - get over it. And yes - I'm pretty fat myself. Lately I started to exercise regularly, reduce calories, and eat better (veggies and fruits, and lost weight. How weird is that. But really, it was not my fault I was/am fat it was the agri-fastfood-cartels and the photos of skinny good looking people in magazines that made fat (and Halliburton). Call the government and the trial lawyers - for they shall save us! I would gradually give up the freedom of my fellow citizens to solve this horrible, horrible, epidemic.
159. 159

     m - August 06 2008 @ 1:30 pm I heard about Ted Nugent and Tony venting their views about overweight people on the upcoming show. When they probably should've just kept it to themselves. I actually liked Bourdain until now. I'll never watch another one of his shows and I urge you to do the same. I've even started a boycott on his show on MySpace. The man obviously doesn't need the ratings if he thinks the people who watch his show are useless because I'm sure overweight people do watch his show, too. I would've thought two rich, rake thin guys would have something else to talk about on a food show, like um, I don't know, maybe, FOOD. And I was shocked to find out Nugent was still alive. And believe it or not overweight people are human beings and share the same rights and feelings as everyone else. Sounds to me like Bourdain and Nugent are nothing more than two bitter men with nothing else better to do than pick on people they don't even know and probably haven't even tried to get to know. I pity them. I really do. Narrow minded, bigoted men. These guys are proof of what's actually wrong in the world. Anthony Bourdain can't really talk, either. He once was guilty of overindulgence in drugs and alcohol. If that's not dangerous to oneself and others I don't know what is. And who's to say all overweight people are overindulgent? Some people actually have health problems. And we all make poor choices in our lives at one point or another. That's what makes us human. No one is perfect. If everyone felt like Nugent and Tony, the world would be a boring and even more sad place.
160. 160

     Annonymous - August 06 2008 @ 2:04 pm There are no words for my love for you... <3
161. 161

     Earl - August 06 2008 @ 2:22 pm Liked the show Tony. For those who state that they will walk away from the show because AB talked with TN, don't let the door hit your $%# on the way out. Long live ABNR, the second amendment and freedom of speech.
162. 162

     Pacific NW Steph - August 06 2008 @ 2:59 pm Tony! Great Show! Really, all of it! Do I smell a gun control letter writing campaign on your blog? (sniff, sniff...) Yup! Smells like one to me! Dang folks eat too much fiber - probably vegetarians.... They can always sit and enjoy the lovely Rachael Ray if they want to watch something they never disagree with. KEEP PUSHING THE LINE - ROCK ON TONY!!
163. 163

     Relax People - August 06 2008 @ 3:06 pm Tony. I am reading your book KC.. Love it so far. The show is fantastic. My wife and I are thinking about going to Iceland (I am watching a repeat of your show in it NOW). We were in Tibet and all over China (Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, etc) last October. Loved the experience. Loved your shows on China. Keep up the great work. Now, to all of you whiners: "Why didn't you come here!?" "Why didn't you go there!?" "How could you do a show with Nuge!?" GROW UP!! I can't help wonder what Tony thinks of all this whining and moaning... A. It's a TV show. B. He can't go everywhere and DO everything to please you people so CHILL OUT! Tony made it clear he is far left of the Nuge but that's still not enough to please you left wingers??? My God man... let it go. The show is great... period. Now go have an 'adult' beverage and put your feet up. Life's too short to whine about a TV show you are not forced to watch. For the others.. great comments.
164. 164

     ThaiBoxer - August 06 2008 @ 3:08 pm Ha ha, Some people are so touchy. Every episode of NR, someone gets up in arms about something. Right now it's Tony's rant against fat people and his expreiences with Ted Nugent, before it was "why didn't he show that Saudi's were a bunch of women-hating terrorists" or "why doesn't he see that immigrants are invading our land, and putting up a wall is the solution", "why does he kill that poor little animal and eat it on live TV! What an $%#@!", "I love the show but get rid of Nari or I will never watch again!", "You should have told that Laotian gentleman with no arms, that America rules and we were fighting commies!". This show has been attacked by some wack job on every side of the political and social spectrum. Listen people, Tony's show has disclaimer at the beginning for a reason. He says what he thinks, when he thinks it. It isn't always going to be consistent, (although maybe his hate for Rachel Ray and Billy Joel may be), but you can be damn sure that he is being honest, and it may cause controversy. Im a progressive liberal, but in a lot of things I see myself as standing in the middle. There are a lot of "liberal" ideas I find ridiculous. As well, there are alot of "conservative" ideas I find incredibly ignorant. As a liberal in favor of gun control, and against using any sort of racial slurs, I thought "The Nuge" was pretty entertaining. Crazy? yes. Offensive? sometimes. But if he invited me over to his house to shoot off some M-16 rounds at a Suburban full of hand grenades, and then eat some quality beef brisket, I'm so in. I would listen to him, probably tell him he is crazy, but I think I would have fun. Thats why I like Tony, he does what he wants, when he wants. He never says he is this or that, he sees stuff and thinks about, and sometimes reactes on the fly. And the fat jokes, seriously people, get over it? If you have a medical condition thats cause you to be overweight or not be able to exercise, that's understandable. But if you constantly engorge yourself with milkshakes and cheez whiz sandwiches, complain about people calling you fat, then im sorry, but you had it coming. And I am not small guy by any means. As they say "If you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen". Tony is a chef, NR is his kitchen, you get the idea.
165. 165

     TO A PERSON CALLED 'M' - August 06 2008 @ 3:16 pm Excuse me Mr or Ms M, Relax. Firstly, by the tone of your comment I am guessing you have weight issues? Obesity is a HUGE (pun intended) problem in America! It's nothing personal against people who are overweight. It's about choices and it's about CHEAP food made with horrible ingredients (read High Fructose Corn Syrup, et al). We have a major problem here and we need to wake up to the obesity problem this country has. People make fun of us because of our 'fatness'. There are lots of health issues &%$ociated with obesity and it's high time people got a clue and stopped being so 'Emo'. back in 'The Day' people were teased a lot for being overweight. It's 'wrong' on the most basic level but I'll tell you what. The ridicule works and gets people to FINALLY make a change in their bad habits. We live in a sissyfied, touchy-feely country and we are having our BUTTS handed to us by countries like China where teasing fat kids is ok. How many obese Chinese (that live IN china) do you know? That's what I thought... Now, put down the twinkie and stop whining "I am not watching Tony any more.. boo hoo!"
166. 166

     Dan Tirtawinata - August 06 2008 @ 4:53 pm Dude, I like the suggestion of the Dodge Challenger, but what you really need is the gearhead equivalent of a Mac Knife. You should hit up Nissan for the loan of a GT-R. 500 bhp. Twin Turbos. 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. And comfortable too...
167. 167

     Branden - August 06 2008 @ 5:26 pm What a joy it is to read the comments of ignorant, childish people. People who would rather spend their time complaining when someone offends them. Attempting to spread some fascist, ego-centric, stubborn and hypocritical insecurities, while insulting someone who simply enjoys their RIGHT of FREE SPEECH and RIGHT to BEAR ARMS! Some of these commenters need to get a clue about American freedom, and take a damn jog before boo-hooing about what people say about obesity. Obesity from disease? Yeah, the disease is called LAZINESS and LACK OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SELF-RESPECT. And these socialist, gun-hating bed-wetters who dare talk &%$# in regards to Uncle Ted, and especially guns, should change their goddamn bed sheets and maybe grow some *&%$ing balls. Military service is voluntary in this country, $%#hats. I certainly doubt even half of you ever stepped foot on Vietnam soil, and I almost wish you have, so perhaps you wouldn't be here to spread your fascism. Anyways, I love your show. Ignore the cry-babies.
168. 168

     Jordan - August 06 2008 @ 8:57 pm Product placements - you have to love them. The hard part is that the vehicle has to be something that your audience - or at least the most affluent part of your audience - can afford. The nice German car was a good start. I imagine there are some people who would cross over into cheaper versions too. Still, I think it may be difficult to convince Lamborghini to let you play rough with a brand new Reventón. There are many options however that I believe would fit right into your niche. Porche for instance is a cl&%$ car for men having their midlife crisis. Not that you are in this situation of course - I think only of your audience. I'd go with a Porche 911 GT2 for a little fun going 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. Small cars are a problem with your height, but I'd seriously consider trying to get Tesla to lend you a Roadster - after all they are really pushing them for the Green crowd. The top speed isn't super impressive, but the electric motor in it will let you accelerate like nothing else. Now why stop at cars? After all, you've been on several boats, but I feel like you were given the short end of the stick. A lot of high end charter companies would probably let you out on one of their ships that didn't require a full crew to run, but was still a serious ship anyway. That rules out everything over probably 75 feet, but I promise a 72 foot Oyster or one of the many yachts in this category will be comfortable. Maybe sail around Tonga, the Philippines or Malaysia. They are after all, best visited by boat. Of course you can pick up a 130 ft sailboat as it is a bit hard to figure out how big it is from far enough away. Sort of. Just stay away from the giant motorboats. Those things look more like you're on a cruise ship than a yacht. And catamarans - though admittedly very comfortable - are the minivan of the boat world meant only to haul m&%$ive numbers of children around with you. Maybe a motorcycle or two? I'm not sure how the camera work would work out. Alton seemed to do ok with them. Alas I don't know much about them. Oh and because we're all going super Green everywhere, I'm sure you could get setup with a nice Italian or French bicycle. Did I just lose you? I admit Tony and bicycle are two words that I don't &%$ociate with each other. And it would have to be a really big bicycle. It would be entertaining though. Maybe you could tool around the countryside with a baguette strapped to your back. Good luck with your next product placement. Next time though, can you maybe do a little flurry hand gesture to demonstrate the product? Thanks.
169. 169

     shesgotways - August 06 2008 @ 9:29 pm I pray to the gods of rock that you had Trampled Underfoot on your iPod too . . .
170. 170

     Loretta Darrillo - August 06 2008 @ 10:15 pm You are the most self-centered $%#@ on television and I absolutely can't stop watching.
171. 171

     Rightwingsnarkle - August 06 2008 @ 10:18 pm So, does Tony actually wade through any of this stuff? And if he does, does he care what any of us say? Who knows. But in any event... To elaborate on my brief post upthread, and to put a few more words on the general dissatisfaction that some of us have expressed about including the over-the-hill and mediocre rock "star" Ted Nugent on what was, to me, a pretty crappy episode - Ted Nugent crossed the line from standard rightwing shill when Tony asked Ted about his potential response to a likely Democratic electoral victory in the House, Senate, and for the White House. Nugent responded that he was looking forward to "a target-rich environment." Let's break this down - it isn't difficult. Ted Nugent said, very plainly, that elected officials would be the targets of his gun lust, that he would shoot at them simply because they're Democrats. That's crazy talk. That's twisted and demented and loathsome, and it's the kind of talk that Nugent should be condemned and called to task for. The guy threatened to shoot elected officials, including the President. And Tony Bourdain let him get away with that. Tony failed to call him on such blatant bull. It's not new, and it's not a surprise. This is the kind of hate-filled and violent language that people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, Glen Beck, Bill O'Reilley, and loads of other 3rd and 4th tier talk radio and cable TV blowhards get away with every day. And if any of you want to just chuckle and shrug it off and say, "Well, c'mon, he's just kidding. Can't you take a joke?" I have to ask you - what's so funny about threatening to kill somebody, no matter how coy or obliquely that sentiment is expressed? If you want to get mixed up in this kind of stuff, Tony, you gotta be better prepared to take a stand. Otherwise, you're just part of the problem.
172. 172

     Stephan Secaira - August 07 2008 @ 12:06 am Travelling in the us is ok and all but u havent lived till u lived guatemalan style. belive me u have no idiea what ur missing, the food the smells the sounds and the people in this small centralamerican contry are among the best in the world, and i speek from a long life as a fellow traveler. stop making cliche shows about the us and come try a real adventure here in this beatiful contry where its spring all year round.
173. 173

     Sherry - August 07 2008 @ 12:58 am First of all I love the show, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the Southwest show. C'mon Ted Nugent? He's such a tool! I was a little frustrated seeing you fishing in the stereotype stream. Seriously, we are not a bunch of gun toting inbred rednecks in Texas. That image has been perpetuated for the past 8 years by the "Chimpy McFlight Suit" we have in office. Geez are we ever going to live down that image. That faux cowboy isn't even from Texas! He's from Kennebunkport Maine. Next time you're in Texas, give Austin a try! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Walking down 6th street you can hear anything from Rockabilly to post punk and everything in between. I'll stop whining now! Still love ya man! And the show is wonderful! much success to you! Sherry
174. 174

     Tony Granato - August 07 2008 @ 7:01 am Bro, I brought you a luke warm Tennant's at the Cook's Tour signing (Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ) in 2002. You signed my much cherished and abused copy of Kitchen Confidential. Joined the suits and am now managing a joint featuring mediocre sushi prepared by "persons of questionable Japaneese parantage". Sounds like you are in my neck of the woods. Care for another round?
175. 175

     G - August 07 2008 @ 11:21 am Unsubscribing.. Fat hate is ugly, dude.
176. 176

     the sound and the fury - August 07 2008 @ 11:51 am Rightwingsnarkle: Yes. Yes. That's right. Ted Nugent is going to wage a one man war against democratic elected officials. Thanks for clearing that up. Tony should have stopped filming and called the Secret Service right then and there. Could it be he was using humor to make a point, maybe expressing some frustration, or just talking out his &%$? Tasteless, perhaps. But such "hate filled and violent" invective that he should be silenced - along with Limbaugh, Hannity - and all the other people who don't goose-step along whilst you trip the fascist light fandango? Eh, probably not. But that's just me. When you listen to the radio is it like: "Must place hands over ears - must not listen - so much hate – oh, the hate. Must read the New York Times . . . post on Daily Kos ... watch Daily Show . . . and other such bastions of even hand reporting that only bring sweetness and light into the world. Oh, Walter Duranty, where have you gone, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you." Ok - time to turn of snark...oh *&%$..can't stop...out of control... Sherry: And, yes. Austin is sooo cool. Everyone outside is just a bunch of gun toting - what's the word you used? "Inbred" hicks. No inner lives. No dreams. No struggle to survive and do one’s best in a godless universe. Why, they are barely human. Hicks, I tell you! I heard some even shop at Walmart and eat fast food. Now, let's go drink PBR and listen to some hip rockabilly, which, as everyone knows, was a form of music pioneered by art students from the Rhode Island School of Design.
177. 177

     Melissa W - August 07 2008 @ 1:43 pm I was enjoying this blog post, the hilarious text message from Mario, the Taj Mahal shout out... but then the Switzerland bashing. I'm about to move to Zurich for one year and I was already worried enough about the food. This doesn't bode well! Well, I guess we'll see what this California girl can manage to eat in the land of meat and potatoes.
178. 178

     ericka - August 07 2008 @ 2:56 pm first - obviously I love your show. Though i am sure you have done this in the past (i didn't notice) i have to say i was very distracted by all the product placement in this particular episode. the BMW being the most obvious, followed by kingsford and tecate i think. it conflicts with your outlaw image to shill for these companies so obviously. I am not against product placement - it is necessary to keep a show like your's afloat these days but i am sure your producers can come up with a far more creative and unobtrusive way to do it. when it is that obvoius it doesn't even work for your sponsor because it comes off as so contrived - and not as something natural to you. ideas: 1)have a friend challenge you to a race - eat track food - don't have so many obvious shots of the car in ever shot. 2)join in one of those cross country European rallies like the gumball rally- drive the bmw. feature the food along the route. 3)do a show on drive in diners/theaters - a dying breed. 4)tailgating! 5) in essence WORK THE CAR IN TO YOUR STORY LINE! don't feature it so overtly. simply drive it give it a small amount more airtime then the cars you usually use. this episode seemed extremely scripted and unnatural during those segments. if you hadn't done such an obvious plug for BMW i never would have noticed the other placements. ps. big whining - i know. just love your show - want to see it continue and not be ruined by sponsorship which could be so easily better disguised. also PPS - please please do The Palio di Siena - those local parties are off the chain.
179. 179

     Amanda - August 07 2008 @ 6:01 pm Tony, I must agree with Sherry's comment from yesterday. Texans are as diverse a people as you could imagine. We do not all walk around in cowboy hats ranting about right-wing politics. I am disappointed in the most recent show through the SW; you usually refute the myths and platitudes of the places you visit, but you didn't do justice to the great state of TEXAS. I recommend Austin or even Dallas. There is an abundance of culture to explore that does not involve BBQ or country music. One thing Texans do share is pride – we love our state and you should see it from our perspective!
180. 180

     DS - August 07 2008 @ 6:21 pm I usually enjoy your show Tony, but you need to go back to NM/AZ and do a better job. Not a single Native American pueblo visit? C'mon, you missed alot of good stuff. You gave way too much screen time to Nugent, but I guess guns are too "sexy" to not include. Give me a break.
181. 181

     ty - August 07 2008 @ 6:41 pm Too bad Bourdain wasted his trip to Amarillo on a token Travel Channel visit to The Big Texan. We've got some great Mexican and Southeast Asian hole-in-the-walls. We even have a decent sushi bar. The owner wears a cowboy hat and yells at you when you walk through the door. Would've been good T.V...
182. 182

     Keely St. Holmes Grimm - August 07 2008 @ 6:53 pm I can only imagine the conversation between Bourdain and Uncle Teddy. I know quite well of The Nuge's antics, as I am the daughter of Derek St. Holmes, the former lead singer of the Ted Nugent Band. In a fight? I'd still say that Anthony would win.
183. 183

     Kelly Rowe - August 08 2008 @ 6:51 pm Tony: Heck with that German stuff. Cruising through the south is about road trips, food and old movies with great cars. Next time, abuse some good American muscle, like a Mustang GT500 (Gone in 60 Seconds) or a Challenger RT Hemi (Vanishing Point).
184. 184

     Sherry - August 08 2008 @ 8:51 pm Hey sound and the fury, Obviously you missed the whole point of my post. I'll let you read it again and you can try to figure it out! " First of all I love the show, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the Southwest show. C'mon Ted Nugent? He's such a tool! I was a little frustrated seeing you fishing in the stereotype stream. Seriously, we are not a bunch of gun toting inbred rednecks in Texas. That image has been perpetuated for the past 8 years by the "Chimpy McFlight Suit" we have in office. Geez are we ever going to live down that image. That faux cowboy isn't even from Texas! He's from Kennebunkport Maine. Next time you're in Texas, give Austin a try! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Walking down 6th street you can hear anything from Rockabilly to post punk and everything in between. I'll stop whining now! Still love ya man! And the show is wonderful! much success to you!" Sherry
185. 185

     Anne Boulley - August 08 2008 @ 10:44 pm Damn, the show just gets better and better. I actually got excited about guns watching you have fun with Ted. I can't wait till monday!
186. 186

     Jesse - August 08 2008 @ 11:07 pm Oh, man you have got to come to Kentucky. We've got your guns and pork, plus bourbon. Ever been on the Bourbon Trail? I'd be happy to show you around.
187. 187

     Alan T. - August 09 2008 @ 4:00 am Tony, I've been watching and reading everything Bourdain for years and yes, I really love what you do and share many of your views. But honestly... Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent?! They're just a couple of right wing, bible-bangin', Bush campaignin' has-beens in my book. Oooh, let's shoot a deer and make jerky... What a rebel. He's about as rock'n'roll as the Golden Girls (thought admittedly, Bea Arthur may have rocked at some point.) You really shouldn't have wasted your time with these self-promoting tools. Oh, and what the f**k is wrong with Switzerland? Sure they're super-annoyingly neutral, but what gives? Cheers and keep up the good work, Alan
188. 188

     Joseph - August 09 2008 @ 1:32 pm Tony, You drive across the American southwest in a Nazimobile? What the F#@%*?What's the matter ? no corvette,camaro or mustang ?I hope the next time your "tooling" around Europe it's in a Corvair! Tony,your show is cool. How about a kosher tour?I know leaving behind your swine would be difficult...butt I'm sur you could do it.
189. 189

     Alex X. - August 10 2008 @ 12:45 am Yooooooooooo Tony! Keepin' it real with the $nark?
190. 190

     kalyan - August 10 2008 @ 12:50 pm Hi there Tony. I caught your episode on Greece last night on Discovery Travel & Living. It was mind blowing. I was making my holiday plans for October. Greece leads now. It will me beyond the budget but after the awesome lamb, spleen, fried cheese puff, octopus, I think I'll die a happy man and needn't worry about my retirement funds. On a more sobre note, I caught your episode on New Orleans a few nights back. It was really moving. You brought the pathos of New Orleans straight into our lving rooms. It was quite humbling. made you realise that sometimes it s doesn't matter if the coffee one has ordered is a tad lukewarm
191. 191

     Ciara - August 10 2008 @ 2:24 pm I love ya Tony, I really do, and I loved this episode and no I don't care that you had Ted Nugent on I really don't, in fact I thought it was entertaining. Just because you don't agree with someone on, well anything, doesn't mean you can't enjoy a meal with them. I did catch the excerpt on obesity/excess you two had and while I agree with most of it (except for the fat tax bit, really Tony? C'mon), all I really want to say about it is I thought it was funny that Nugent was carrying on and on about abusive excess (drinking, smoking, eating) while you were just nodding your head. Has the Nuge SEEN your show? You know, when you're smoking your 10th pack of the day, drinking to blackout, and stuffing your face gratuitously with more greasy meat than the average person would care to stomach? I just have to say I laughed when it was obvious he was ragging on you whether you two knew it or not.
192. 192

     Allagash - August 10 2008 @ 3:18 pm I would have used some of that ubiquitous star power to convince the powers that be to comp me that car! For keeps! Sweet ride.
193. 193

     Dolores - August 10 2008 @ 7:36 pm Hello Anthony, I like very much your work, from the north of Argentina we'll be waiting for you to come here and we could show you the very singular gastronomy here. This is an invitation! Congratulations for the tv programme
194. 194

     Pamela - August 10 2008 @ 10:50 pm After reading all the comments about the Southwest show, most of the very favorable. I myself loved it, found it very entertaing and found out a lot about certain things and areas that I was not aware of. On the other hand some people seemed perturbed by it, get a life people, ITS THE FREAKIN TRAVEL CHANNEL!!!, not Face the Nation or Bill O'Reilly. Thats what this country is about, freedom of choice. If Mr. Bourdian and Ted Nugent want to grill meat and shoot guns have at it. It's their choice, don't like what you're seeing change the freakin channel.
195. 195

     Your show ROCKS! - August 11 2008 @ 6:54 am Great show and great episode! My two favorite TV guys, you and Ted on the toob at the same time. Good stuff. Almost as good as reading some of the melt downs here about Nugent. I am, however, sorry I have to stop watching your show since you have a few too many liberal, anti-hunting, Ted hating, socialist fans... NOT. Since I'm not retarded and not offended by you and Tedly pointing out that being obese and irresponsible are bad things I'll still watch every episode. Keep up the good work, keep pissing people off by being yourself, NOT what they think you are or want you to be. You have the best travel and "food" show going. Rock on, travel on and dont be afraid to use your middle finger more. Shalom.
196. 196

     Oliver - August 11 2008 @ 6:58 am Last i saw your show "timetravel to the past" - great story. Greets from Austria
197. 197

     Plantation Caribbean Restaurant - August 11 2008 @ 7:19 pm Food porn? I must admit I never knew that there was a connection between these two concepts. Reading your blog, I stand corrected..
198. 198

     Nico - August 12 2008 @ 12:42 am Tony I love your show, but the comments about my home country were disappointing. Maybe you just never had the right guide to actually experience the real "CH". And, the stereotypes you used are mostly from other countries; maybe you should brush up on some of your "cultures and nationalities knowledge" or get a different writer for your scripts.....Just a suggestion. N.
199. 199

     V - August 12 2008 @ 2:27 am The "Nuge". Why did you do a show with an admitted draft dodger? Really now? The Nuge admits the following... "(Nugent claims) that 30 days before his Draft Board Physical, he stopped all forms of personal hygiene. The last 10 days he ingested nothing but junk food and Pepsi, and a week before his physical, he stopped using the bathroom altogether, virtually living inside his pants caked with excrement and urine. That spectacle won Nugent a deferment." The man is a sham, not a hero, and the only good thing he ever wrote for guitar "Journey to the Center of the Mind" Was ripped off from The DEL-VETTS "Last Time Around". He loves to tell his story about how Jimi Hendrix offered him a joint, and how when he turned it down Jimi turned his nose up at him. He loves to point out how he is alive and Jimi died, but theres one truth he can't deal with in that story. Even DEAD, Jimi Hendrix kicks his $#@ on the guitar! Hendrix as a corpse has more talent in his rotting pinky finger than the "Nuge" ever hoped to have. A washed up draft dodger who tries to cover up his guilt about not serving his country, with false bravado, loud words, and a penchant for running around in tights with a racoon tail hanging from his &%$ is about the last person you should ever heed any "summoning" from. Really Anthony, you have more talent that this hack. A low point that you should have never had...
200. 200

     Hussie - August 12 2008 @ 2:15 pm Isn't the show called "No Reservations"?...Why should Tony have to bow down to please anyone if he lives by the shows monikor?...He isn't pretentious enough to ignore that there are other mindsets in America, other than the Obama sheeple who support their candidate because he's "different"... Those same folks who bag on Ted Nugent will be invading the streets of Denver in support of a "Presumptive" Nominee who has proven ties to racist scum, eliteist drones, and DOMESTIC TERRORISTS... Like it or not, the show isn't about "Politics"...It's about food... If you are so phuqing angry over who Tony chooses to break bread with, then you should change the channel...
201. 201

     Bass Reynolds - August 13 2008 @ 1:36 am Had to look in here again. Holy crap! People are strange...Can't believe the banter that has developed in this thread. Some folks are taking it all way too seriously. It's just entertainment...right? And Rock & Roll baby!! Don't let those bad boys scare you! :)
202. 202

     rle - August 13 2008 @ 3:44 am Great show. You should have gone south a little bit more. There are plenty of great places to eat and I bet the best enchiladas are here in Southern Cal.
203. 203

     Mohan - August 14 2008 @ 1:35 am why don't you go cross country...they are more adventurous places
204. 204

     Bob - August 14 2008 @ 6:54 pm The Southwest really doesn't include California, which is usually considered the Far West. The same really goes with Waco, which isn't really the Southwest, either. Almost all guidebooks and books on the subject of the Southwest include Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah and southwestern Colorado. I love the show, but the places visited were greatly disappointing. The part about hatch was the highlight because the essence of many Southwestern dishes stems from the New Mexican chile.
205. 205

     asktunes - August 14 2008 @ 10:33 pm All righty, I've just watched the Southwest episode & have a couple of not-so-objective comments. Firstly, I spent most of my childhood summers in a little town called Ranchita (pop.oh, maybe, 200),which is a high desert town located near the entrance of Anza Borrego Springs ( not far from Bombay Beach). Shows & articles over the course of my lifetime have always sought to glamorize the Hemmingway-esque decay & toughness of Bombay Beach, which is but a smidgen of all that that the area has to offer. Firstly, I'll say that this isnt the premier destination of the foodie. UNLESS, you're into desert flora/fauna & seeing what you can make off the land. Otherwise, big occasions out when I've stayed there have consisted of forays into Borrego Springs (a little shopping, a very little eating. Chinese take-out anyone?). The point is, is this is an environment for the tough of spirit and heart. And if you're one of those kind, you'll be well rewarded with ethereal vistas & peace like you've never known. It's a damn incredible, unearthly place, that I'll always be proud to remember as part of my childhood.
206. 206

     Sikora Johnston - August 16 2008 @ 8:46 pm Hi Mr. B. Might I suggest Michigan for a stop? We've got a great history. A huge cultural melting pot, fierce pride (in spite of Detroit's Mayor McCheese) and eastern market on Saturdays to die for!
207. 207

     Ryan - August 18 2008 @ 6:53 am Apparently, anyone that thinks Ted Nugent is a jack-*** is automatically a socialist. "How dare you censor his right to free speech! How dare you insult him! Now I'm going to insult you and tell you to leave so you don't say anymore! Oh, wait a minute..." I'm sure the people making those claims would be singing a different tune if you had Michael Moore or some lefty pundit on the show. Maybe some people just have common sense? Maybe? Seriously, his music isn't even that good. I think people forget that whole thing about becoming a girl's guardian to have sex with her, too. At any rate, there's a big difference between making claims that America needs to take responsibility for the obesity problem and claiming that fat people should be taxed. I think you're forgetting about the system that's in place: the more you buy, the more you're taxed. People that eat more buy more, and thus they pay more in sales tax. Ta-da! Go Capitalism! Simple fact of it is, having a fat tax would be overkill. How about we tax SUV drivers for wasting all of my gasoline? How about we tax alcoholics for drinking all of my beer? So, it's not even practical, let alone funny. I'll keep watching, whether you or anyone else here cares, but being a sarcastic ***** doesn't mean you have to be cl&%$less, too.
208. 208

     Simon Fellows PhD. - August 20 2008 @ 10:17 pm What a pitiful oik you are. Any man of your age with a silly-arse earing and having skulls tattoed and who wears a thumb ring has as bizarre an identity as its likely possible to have. And i'm not a fatty either. Interview Gary Taubes not some nutter like Nugent who &%$uredly needs to pull his pud a tadge more to cool his fevered brow.
209. 209

     Mario B - August 21 2008 @ 3:00 am Where the hell is my post from the other day? I ought to come over and smash your punk faces in. Bash your heads in with my clogs. Tell Bourdain to call me TODAY buttwipes. TODAY. MB
210. 210

     sohbet - August 31 2008 @ 8:12 am thank you
211. 211

     David B - August 31 2008 @ 7:08 pm Tony, This and the Saudi Arabia episodes were by FAR your best ones yet. I am a person who deeply, deeply enjoys meeting and hanging out with people who share different ideologies/beliefs than me. These two shows were cl&%$ic in the sense that it wasn't "us against them" in some stupid war on culture. I've followed Ted Nugent for awhile and think he makes a lot more sense than people want to give him credit for. They just want to put people in boxes and give them labels. It's a cheesey saying but I always say labels are for clothes, not people. Ignore the haters who are intolerant. I mean if you're only tolerant of people you agree with you're not really tolerant after all. Plus the editing and direction on both shows were really, really good. Peace, David B Keep it up.
212. 212

     Sk - September 01 2008 @ 1:03 am i was in indio myself this year and tried the date shake. everyone i was with made fun of my enthusiasm for dates. i now feel vindicated.
213. 213

     Rob - September 03 2008 @ 9:29 pm Tony, remember a magazine called Heavy Metal? There was a charecter in there who always wore a shirt saying "Nuke the Swiss and steal their Gold". LOL P.S. How many belts and takes did it take for you to hold that -60 steady? Rob
214. 214

     Miles - September 04 2008 @ 9:49 am So many of the far left robots in here totally reveal yourselves as the supremely arrogant and intolerant lot you are. Your comments about Nugent and Tony "shooting" him, are all we need to know about YOUR definition of "tolerance." Your solipsism is revolting, frankly. Anyone free of you and not fitting into your SELF APPOINTED role as THOUGHT POLICE, is demonized as retrograde. Oh, how "enlightened" of you. Ted and Tony had no problems being friends even though they knew who each other were. The only discomfort I noted from Tony was his thought of all the grief he'd be getting from you intolerant, extremist lot and he as much inferred it in the show. Thankfully his quote was "Ahh, screw 'um." Well said and let me add my Screw you!
215. 215

     scott freerking - September 04 2008 @ 1:24 pm Thanks Tony for your wonderful piece on Hatch Chiles, I Did not think anyone in your line of work really knew just how wonderful these Chiles are .I was not surprised that it was you who would truely express how special they are!! Thanks , Scott freerking
216. 216

     David Tanton - September 05 2008 @ 8:26 pm I've been watching since the beginning of Chef's Tour, and have been a fan (with reservations) giving consideration to your political inclinations. I just caught the Southwest episode of "No Reservations". The interchange with Ted Nugent was reasonable, thoughtful and respectful. Just shows that everybody can find common ground, eh? You have my respect for giving "The Nuge" your respect.
217. 217

     Kerry McCollough - September 06 2008 @ 10:13 pm Was browsing through your blog entries, absorbing your reflections on tuna and jamon. Hope you reconsider red and green chile at some point...they approach a similar reality for the variety of peoples and places across New Mexico. You might encounter a red chile/elk tamal at Zuni Pueblo during a winter feast day. Probably have to leave the camera in the car, though...
218. 218

     Chris C. - September 11 2008 @ 12:59 pm Tony, You must try a Dodge Charger SRT-8 or if at all possible, get your hands on the new Corvette ZR-1.
219. 219

     sohbet - September 15 2008 @ 11:48 am thank you mucx :)
220. 220

     Roberto - September 18 2008 @ 8:32 pm I love guns, and a Merc too, way too much fun goin on in one hour, you should be shot. If I gather you and Ted got along well enough, just tell me he's not insane god the stuff flying out of him just g&%$ed me baby. Good show, no great actually, if you can get in a Lamborghini Testarossa, you'll be stealing the foodies from 'Top Gear' ooh yeah, do it baby.
221. 221

     Pardon "My" Burp - September 21 2008 @ 4:06 pm Hey Tony! Dude! I am just one of the worms in yer gut...just frolicking about and eating lamb membranes, Balut,Durian, bull arse...whateva.. Just wanted to thank you for the faboo feasts and for being such a sponsor of my kind.. You may never have seen us but, I know that you have felt our presence. We'll all wave motive hellos when we reach your nostrils just to eliminate all doubt. Maybe it will be while you are taping a live show. Ciao!!
222. 222

     arkadas - October 01 2008 @ 8:08 pm

     thanks

223. 223

     sohbet - October 01 2008 @ 8:09 pm

     thank you wery much

224. 224

     Ping - October 20 2008 @ 10:41 pm

     Providing Ted Nugent a venue on his erotic facination with killing animals was a pathetic choice for the show.

225. 225

     narangkar - October 28 2008 @ 5:42 pm

     As a native New Mexican, I wanted to quickly point out that you called the green chile "sauce" on your enchiladas "salsa verde" - it's not salsa verde. salsa verde is made from tomatillos and jalapeños. Also I thought it was wierd when those chile growers said that they had trouble finding workers to pick their crops and we were supposed to empathize. Could it just be that they just don't want to pay a decent wage to workers who may or may not be migrants? I doubt there is a shortage of people who need work. If they give up growing chile, it's their mistake.

     Also, Ted Nugent owning miles of property and breeding exotic and non-native animals to hunt and kill does not make him an environmentalist by any stretch of the imagination. If it's private property, he could decide tomorrow he wants to raze it and build a coal plant and no one could stop him. My point is that it's not truly protected land, and therefore he's no conservationist. I have just as much respect for draft-dodgers as anyone, but when he touts guns and military might, pro-war, pro bush - it makes him look like a pretty big hypocrite for avoiding the vietnam war. Plus, if he's in such good shape, why not join the army now to fight the good fight, right?

226. 226

     Pam - October 29 2008 @ 2:22 pm

     The only time I have turned off No Reservations was the show with Captain *****, Ted Nugent. I even endured Tony's trip to Romania... Which pretty much sucked. But if Bourdain was trying to thin out the herd, he pretty much lost a lot of his audience when he decided to include Nugent and a bunch of illiterate rednecks in a bar in Texas.

     Tony's trip to Vietnam was pure poetry. In fact, I scan The Travel Channel weekly for my favorite No Reservations - just to watch them again.

     Please Tony... Leave Nugent out of your next trip to the border.

227. 227

     Not A Nugent Fan - October 29 2008 @ 2:35 pm

     The southwest would be far better off without Ted Nugent shooting semi automatic weapons and hugging his pal W. Anthony says if Ted Nugent says jump, you ask how high? Really? I would think that Tony would be a little more discriminating about who he takes orders from. How about not including a racist, loser when you visit such a terrific part of the country? The only No Reservations I ever turned off and refused to finish watching.

228. 228

     Mark Blei - October 31 2008 @ 10:04 pm

     You know what was the thing about your visit with Nugent and your subsequent pod-cast.

     I expected Ted Nugent to be Ted Nugent I did not expect Tony Bourdain to be Ted Nugent.

229. 229

     OK - November 12 2008 @ 8:53 pm

     The dish (Ted Nugent) was larded with pretension and self importance as if attempting to compensate for erectile dysfunction. Ultimately the dish was devoid of substance, balance and authenticity. The dish left a putrid, foul aftertaste from its necrotic marinade.

     Negative star rating

230. 230

     AndyF - November 13 2008 @ 10:26 am

     The Ted Nugent segment was a production brain fart. I'd tune into Rush Limbaugh if I wanted to listen to a blustering self righteous ****. I live in the southwest and his brand of weapon brandishing and 'hunting' is not representative. His thrill of killing is more indicative of someone who is desperate for a sense of virility and power. That Tony happily went along with it all, terminated my interest in further viewing of 'No Reservations'.

     The shows lenghty segments praising the pleasures of eating animal parts has always been a bit tiring...to that I say 'happy heart attack'. But after being fed such a load on the Nuguent segment, I'll say 'adios' to it all.

231. 231

     chat - November 18 2008 @ 8:20 pm

     thanks

232. 232

     John - November 23 2008 @ 5:16 pm

     Tony, love the show with Ted. However, there is something called the H2B program and that is what they need to petition there Congressman for on acquiring more immigrant help. God Bless the Republic of Texas!

233. 233

     Motosiklet - November 30 2008 @ 4:47 pm

     Good Site Thanks You

234. 234

     Hikaye - November 30 2008 @ 4:47 pm

     The shows lenghty segments praising the pleasures of eating animal parts has always been a bit tiring...to that I say 'happy heart attack'. But after being fed such a load on the Nuguent segment, I'll say 'adios' to it all.

235. 235

     islami sohbet - November 30 2008 @ 4:48 pm

     Did you know both Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent are long-time professing Christians? Look up their websites - it's true! A lot of people think Christians don't know how to enjoy life and have fun. Nothing could be further from the truth! Looking forward to watching the show!

236. 236

     Reliable Cheap Airsoft Guns Online - December 09 2008 @ 10:53 pm

     Very nice done. Anthony and The Nuge together was a blast.

237. 237

     hikayeler - December 22 2008 @ 6:48 am

     Yes Thats is a good idea. thanks a lot

238. 238

     film izle - December 26 2008 @ 4:46 pm

     sharing for thanks. a lot nice writing.

239. 239

     güzel sözler - December 27 2008 @ 4:20 am

     thanks

240. 240

     karınca yumurtası, karınca yağı, karınca yumurtası yağı - January 02 2009 @ 8:21 pm

     good
     karınca yumurtası, tala, tala yağı, karınca yumurtası satış

241. 241

     heather - January 05 2009 @ 2:17 am

     Good episode, but no Tucson or Santa Fe? Shame on your culinary ***, Tony. El Charro carne seca in Tuscon turned this veggie gal into a carnivore in seconds flat and their garlicy salsa has no parallel. Santa Fe is a culinary capital of the good ol US of A, and the green chili at The Shed will make you weep. Forget about the spoapillas- they can make you beg for more. I demand a re-visit!

242. 242

     kelebek mirc indir - January 07 2009 @ 8:03 am

     thanks you.AnarChy

243. 243

     key ödemeleri - January 12 2009 @ 7:28 pm

     Very nice done. Anthony and The Nuge together was a blast.

244. 244

     müzik dinle - January 12 2009 @ 7:29 pm

     Providing Ted Nugent a venue on his erotic facination with killing animals was a pathetic choice for the show.

245. 245

     Chat - January 13 2009 @ 1:39 pm

     Thanks!

246. 246

     Chat - January 15 2009 @ 10:59 am

     Thanks!!

247. 247

     hosting - January 17 2009 @ 10:32 am

     thank you very much

248. 248

     David - January 28 2009 @ 4:50 pm

     Ahh, the eastcoast non-driver screams out of you. Driving is the path to enlightenment. It is the key to the American mind. The endless renewal, the endless road, the ocean with unlimited possibilities.

249. 249

     sex - February 13 2009 @ 10:15 am

     Yes Thats is a good idea. Thanks a lot

250. 250

     d3dx9_35.dll - February 16 2009 @ 10:26 pm

     good points, you're talent.

251. 251

     Delbert - February 24 2009 @ 9:59 pm

     Bourdain shows are off the charts the crazyer the better go for it.

252. 252

     Web Hosting - March 13 2009 @ 3:03 am

     very good nice web page

253. 253

     cinsel sohbet - March 18 2009 @ 6:08 pm

     they are more adventurous places

254. 254

     key ödemeleri - March 18 2009 @ 6:09 pm

     Thank you...

255. 255

     araç sorgulama - March 18 2009 @ 6:09 pm

     Thx.

256. 256

     Araç Sorgulama - March 18 2009 @ 6:10 pm

     Thanks...

257. 257

     toki - March 18 2009 @ 6:10 pm

     they are more adventurous places

258. 258

     hikaye - April 02 2009 @ 5:40 am

     Yes Thats is a good idea. Thanks a lot

259. 259

     sikis - April 02 2009 @ 5:42 am

     thank you very much

260. 260

     Ez - April 03 2009 @ 6:27 am

     I should try your iPod playlist!

261. 261

     seks - April 21 2009 @ 9:57 am

     Thank you...

262. 262

     hikayeleri - April 21 2009 @ 10:00 am

     Thanks...

263. 263

     Chat odaları - May 01 2009 @ 4:12 pm

     Thanks BoyS See you Soon

264. 264

     chat sitesi - May 01 2009 @ 4:14 pm

     thanks for admin

265. 265

     sharon - May 03 2009 @ 3:13 pm

     Hello No Rez
     Did I see right? Was Ted Nugent using his own brand of Ted Nugent Knives?
     I must have one or the set.
     Does anyone know where to get these?
     Many Thanx

266. 266

     Dekor - May 07 2009 @ 9:42 am

     Hello No Rez
     Did I see right? Was Ted Nugent using his own brand of Ted Nugent Knives?
     I must have one or the set.
     Does anyone know where to get these?
     Many Thanx

267. 267

     Eric - May 26 2009 @ 5:07 pm

     Tony! I have been a big fan of yours for about 3 or 4 years now and the fact that you were out here in my neck of the woods and didnt make a stop here in El Paso is a major bummer. I hope you consider the idea of dedicating an entire episode to this area. We have amazing Menudo, excellent German food (German air force), a great nightlife with bars, clubs and pubs, hidding gems and dives and of course Chicos Tacos a unique culinary departure only found here in El Paso. Hit me up Tony I'll be happy to show you around!

268. 268

     uisce - May 28 2009 @ 5:39 pm

     Tony I enjoy you and your show [although we're total political opposites], you have gusto.
     I've eaten in that restaraunt in Hatch and it is superb.
     Just thinking of their chile rellanos makes me want to leave Vegas now.
     Keep the fun going.
     slainte

269. 269

     telefon dinleme - June 08 2009 @ 8:50 am

     casus telefon telefon dinleme dinleme cihazı dedektif telefon dinleme cihazı gizli kamera ortam dinleme cep telefonu dinleme dinleme cihazları özel dedektif dedektif dedektiflik telefon dinleme programı casus telefon yazılımı

270. 270

     travesti - August 15 2009 @ 5:08 pm

     Every once in a while, somebody would pull up alongside like they wanted to play. I'd tap the gas and leave them like they were standing still, find myself doing a rock solid 140 with plenty to spare. Back down to 80 when I'd see the bulls and it felt like 20.

271. 271

     muhabbet - August 17 2009 @ 6:19 pm

     thank you admin

272. 272

     SEM - August 23 2009 @ 3:06 am

     it is necessary to keep a show like your's afloat these days but i am sure your producers can come up with a far more creative and unobtrusive way to do it. when it is that obvoius it doesn't even work for your sponsor because it comes off as so contrived - and not as something natural to you.

273. 273

     Bill - August 24 2009 @ 3:35 pm

     Loved your episode with Ted Nugent; interesting how you expected to be "scorned" or "shunned" [I forget which] when you return to New York after playing with Ted's fully automatic weapons. It seems that sort is always whining about "diversity this and diversity that" and when they get real "diversity" they don't like it! "Oh, I meant 'diversity' that fits my agenda Tony!" Keep it up--I like your show even more now [and I liked a LOT even before the episode]!

274. 274

     zayiflama - August 27 2009 @ 5:42 pm

     Good episode, but no Tucson or Santa Fe? Shame on your culinary ***, Tony. El Charro carne seca in Tuscon turned this veggie gal into a carnivore in seconds flat and their garlicy salsa has no parallel. Santa Fe is a culinary capital of the good ol US of A, and the green chili at The Shed will make you weep. Forget about the spoapillas- they can make you beg for more. I demand a re-visit!
     ezel izle
     ezel izle

275. 275

     Edebiyat - August 30 2009 @ 3:37 pm

     Edeb-i-yat

276. 276

     masal - August 30 2009 @ 3:38 pm

     masallar diyari..

277. 277

     mirc - August 30 2009 @ 3:44 pm

     mirc indirin http://www.dostyakasi.net

278. 278

     c felton - September 17 2009 @ 2:56 pm

     I recently saw your Ted Nugent episode in reruns. I was very shocked and disappointed to see you hanging with that disgusting bigot. I thought you had more class. I will still watch your show, but I have lost a considerable amount of respect for you and your advice and opinions.

279. 279

     free online games - October 14 2009 @ 7:47 am

     Is there any where I can purchase a t-shirt with your "cook free or die" logo on it? Love your show!