Anthony Bourdain's Blog

Notes From the Road ... The Home Edition

By Anthony Bourdain on January 11, 2008 1:49 PM | Permalink | 318 Comments

It's possible to hurt my feelings. For instance:
I admit I'm genuinely annoyed by the occasional internet poster who suggests that whatever I might have to say about food, about travel--about anything--is somehow gravely diminished by the fact that I'm no longer working in a professional kitchen. That proximity to the line, the actual job of cooking dinner for the public enhances one's powers of perception, focuses the mind and builds vocabulary and that "keeping it real" necessitates dying behind the stove, a broken, broken kneed and broke-ass geezer in his mid-fifties, long past it as a cook - finally succumbed to stroke or liver disease. It's a point of view popular among internet nerds and cubicle geeks who've never done a minute's physical labor in their lives, the same people who take photographs of every course at their favorite restaurants, convinced that it's Jean Georges himself in there, personally boning out their squab.

My instinctive reaction to this kind of inverse snobbery is normally a raised middle finger and a "I had twenty-eight years of standing behind a stove - while you were arguing over bundt cake recipes in a chat room, motherfucker! Now, kiss my ass!!"

But the fact is, there's a little voice in my head that completely agrees with their point of view.All those years hanging out with no one but professional cooks, looking out at the world through the narrow tunnel vision of the kitchen - it alters, irrevocably, one's value system and ties one's sense of self worth inseparably and inversely to how bad, physically, you feel at the end of the day when you roll into bed. While I may want to reach through the computer screen and across the ether to strangle some snarky Comic Book Guy who's basically sayin' I'm a pussy, there IS that subconscious connection in my mind between flopping half-drunk on top of the covers, my back, knees and feet throbbing painfully, smelling like Charlie the Tuna after a hard day's work - and the sense that I have completed a day of honest, virtuous toil.

Writing and making television DOES feel easier, less useful and frankly less worthwhile than cooking for a living. Maybe these budding snarkologists have a point; I mean ... who really gives a fuck what a career "television personality" has to say? I mean, MY knee jerk reaction, every time I see Ryan Seacrest, for instance, is to wish him a forced march off to a collective farm/reeducation camp. Surely that would be better for everybody; Ryan - and society as a whole. Wouldn't it?

So, with this in mind, and in the grip of a particularly powerful wave of self-loathing, I got the bright idea to return to Les Halles, the restaurant where I spent all my waking hours before the writing and the TV thing took over. I thought to myself: "There's an idea for a special episode! I'll go back to the same restaurant kitchen and challenge myself to work the same station as I used to six and a half years ago. In fact; I'll go back and work my old Tuesday double shift - where I'd work the very busy, very difficult saute station both lunch and dinner. Start prep and set-up at eight AM. Twelve noon to twelve midnight service. Let's see if the Old Guy can still do it after all these years - even at 51 years old. Even though I was beginning to lose it BEFORE "Kitchen Confidential" hit and I got my ticket out. Even though Les Halles has expanded since I left - nearly DOUBLING in size and seating ... And I'll do this smack in the middle of the Christmas season! The busiest time of the year!! THAT sounds like a great idea - in a self-validating, quasi-delusional, I've-Still-Got-It, last gasp kindofa way!

And it'll make good television!"

As the date grew close, it began to dawn on me that I was not so sure I could actually do what I'd hoped to do - that I was physically (or mentally, for that matter) up to the challenge. Carlos, my one time protege - and now the executive chef, had serious concerns. He pointed out, among other things, that the menu has changed - a LOT - since 2001. And that the busiest night I'd ever worked the line at Les Halles, we'd done 365 covers. That NOW they regularly did as many as 650 - with the same number of cooks!! And that I was suspiciously old - and out of practice - and couldn't possibly be serious about this whole enterprise anyway. This was a worrying vote of no-confidence, particularly since my crew would be filming the whole thing. Come victory or total humiliation - the unblinking eyes of three cameras would be upon me the whole day and night.

So I invited a friend along--to share the pain.

Eric Ripert is the chef of the three Michelin starred Le Bernardin in New York City. It's easily and inarguably one of the best restaurants in America - if not the world. Eric is also a good friend, prone to making rash decisions when drinking expensive tequila. So I fed him a couple of shots, told him of my plan - and double-dared him to join me.

"C'mon, fish boy ... Let's see if you can work the busiest, most thankless, turn- and- burn grill station in New York. Do you even know how to cook meat? Have you EVER worked a place as busy as Les Halles? Have you ever worked a place where you don't even wipe the rim of the plates? Can you handle that?"

Eric's words were. " It sounds like fun." (Add French accent here)

So, that's how it went down, friends. Unwitting customers who showed up for their reservations at Les Halles on December 18th (2007) had their gaze wandered over to the grease smeared kitchen window - would have seen an unlikely combo of rookie cooks preparing their steak frites and their pork mignons, struggling and sweating in our jailhouse "vato loco" kerchief headgear (obligatory since a recent Health Dept. pinch, says Carlos).

How did it work out? How did we do? Did we bring honor to our clan? Could Ripert restrain himself from wiping each plate and fiddling with garnishes? Did he manage to keep his hands off the tequila? Did the enraged regular line cooks of Les Halles, frustrated by the visiting team of dilletantes, shank the gabachos like jailhouse punks? Did I go under like a drowning man- - swamped by a torrent of orders? Or did I simply decide to screw the pooch, drop my apron and swan around the dining room for the duration?

You'll just have to tune in.

 

Tags: les , halles , chef , new , york , city , anthony , bourdain , blog , travel , channel , tv , show , no , reservations

318 Comments

  1. 1
    Padma Garvey - January 11 2008 @ 11:56 am I wouldn't worry about those comments. I thoroughly enjoy your show. You are so receptive to new foods, new things. It is really refreshing. I wish I had the ability and the opportunity to travel the world as you do and savor what it has to offer. As a person who has grown up in two extremely different cultures, I value open-mindedness and acceptance of other cultures. Keep doing what you are doing!
  2. 2
    Garry - January 11 2008 @ 12:10 pm I admire your guts A-man, although that last one where you ate something about 5 inches from some animal's dung made me shiver. However in those circumstances you managed to man-up and eat. (I knew that food made you gag.) My only question is was there ever a time when you thought the natives were pulling your leg? You know, "let's see if the white man will eat this." Anyway, I still love the show.
  3. 3
    Caroline - January 11 2008 @ 12:11 pm I agree with the above comment 100%. I've just recently been able to start watching your show(s) (better late than never) and I'm hooked! I love travel and I love the places you've shared with us, the experiences at each destination, and also the food. As for any negative comments, unfortunately people always have an opinion, even when they don't know anything about what they're complaining about, so hopefully you can ignore them and feel happiness from the people who really enjoy what you do. Thanks for all your hard work and I look forward to seeing more adventures.
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    joelfinkle - January 11 2008 @ 12:17 pm I've eaten at Babbo, at Morimoto in Philly, and yeah, sure it's a disappointment not to see the marquee name working that day, but all I'd expect from them would be, say, for Mario to nod his head over a plate and drop a sprig of rosemary, or for the prize of having Morimoto slice some perfect otoro. On the other hand, dude, you have gone soft: some of your recent episodes have been almost snark free; there's been suspiciously little public humiliation; you've got a baby for chrissakes -- the day she demands McNuggets is going to be golden. So hell yeah, I'm tuning in to see you get seriously caught in the weeds. Keep up the good work, I just wish I had your friends in foreign lands to get even half the experience. JF
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    Matt - January 11 2008 @ 12:20 pm Tony, Whether you write another book, make another TV show, or cook another meal, it doesn't matter. Do what you want. You owe no one. Thanks for the honest writing and TV! Matt
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    Adrien - January 11 2008 @ 12:20 pm *rubs hands in anticipatory glee* Shanked Gabacho sounds like a great name for a fancy entree (to be served to those rare (or not so rare) customers unfamiliar with Mexican slang). Shanked gabacho with a duxelle of zapato-grown mushrooms and a touch of guero culo foam. Rich folks'll eat just about anything if it sounds fancy and foreign, yeah?
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    Phil - January 11 2008 @ 12:23 pm To Hell with them, Tony. Unfortunately, it's the price you have pay for being as open and approachable as you are, and for sharing as much as you do. But the fact is, you're right. And it's commonplace in this day and age for %#@%s like that to say whatever they feel like saying, all the while hiding behind their keyboards in utter anonymity. Can't wait for this episode. I have faith that it went well. You can take the man out of the kitchen, but you can never . . . eh, you know how it goes.
  8. 8
    Lewis - January 11 2008 @ 12:24 pm Hmmmm, now we are responding to internet threats. Hmmmm, how to use this, how...to...use...this.... Hey Tony! Tony! OVER HERE!!! I think after all of that time in a kitchen and on television there's absolutely no way your puny @#% could ever whip out a pastry or a loaf of bread worthy of a king!!!! Tony! TONY! YOU LISTENING?!? Hee, hee, hee, now maybe we pastry lovers will get some love over the steak fries :) ~http://tablebread.blogspot.com
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    Dan - January 11 2008 @ 12:30 pm That actually sounds like it could be worth a watch. A lot has changed, you know. Kitchens actually have electricity and appliances these days, Tony, and no one stands around banging rocks together to make fire anymore. However, unfortunately, Mastodon has been taken off the menu. You may have lost a step or two like Dan Marino, who, toward the end of his career, pretty much got his !$#@ handed to him by every sweaty, head-hunting, drooling, twenty-something linebacker in the NFL, but he still managed to do well, and, let's face it, you're still infinitely more qualified than most to wander and rattle on about the eats and actions of this planet's cultures. You know food and drink and people. It's what you do. If some snarky little prat thinks you're unqualified, well... !$#@. Not many people really are for your job. But, you did pay your dues in the kitchen, and I don't think anyone should question that.
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    Dom - January 11 2008 @ 12:33 pm Vic, I know the feeling of working the Tuesday double, sure not at Les Halles but I spent a couple years as the head cook at a college sports bar that was standing room only on homecoming and game days and know the pain. I wish you nothing but the best in your return. I took a few months off one time to start a catering thing and when I got back behind the stove in a restuarant I was rusty. I can only imagine a 6 year break. Keep up the good work love the show, LOVED Kitchen Confidential and Nasty Bits, reading A Cook's Tour right now. You're the best. Dom
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    Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah - January 11 2008 @ 12:39 pm I'll be watching. Don't let the bastatds gring you down. You'll always be a better cook than me.
  12. 12
    Andrea Lin - January 11 2008 @ 12:53 pm Hear hear, both on the confessional post and the audacity to attempt the double-shift of your past. Cooking is likely one of the more agressively potent forms of hard-knocks training, perhaps only rivaled by certain subsets of the military. But your guilt can hold true for many skill sets, once practiced/perfected for years and then set aside in pursuit of something on the margins. Take, for example, a competitive athlete - the hard hours, the camaraderie, the ever-persistent urgency of each and every match. . . it is both exhausting and exhilarating. But that athlete, once they've switched to a less intensive sport, or started competing as a "master" (read: old person), or they've just become a commentator on the profession, will always feel the pang and longing for days past when they were really part of it instead of on the periphery. Keep on, work hard, and be the absolute best in what you're doing now, until the next phase comes along and you again start anew with your pursuits - and it will be appreciated. It already is. Take care.
  13. 13
    Sue - January 11 2008 @ 12:53 pm Anyone who has ever worked in the trenches behind the scene of any so called Foo foo establishment whether it be Restaurants, Fashion or even TV could surely tell some stories of the way things really are from the inside out. I am loooking forward to seeing you back in the hot seat. As for the McNuggets... I would be more concerned about the fries than the nuggets. In any case, feed your daughter those frites you make and she'll never look at another fry again.. Just remember, first impressions are everything to a child, so get there first with the food. McDonalds is nice once in a while though.
  14. 14
    BS - January 11 2008 @ 12:55 pm Just for the record Tony, not all bloggers are here to talk smack about you...Endless Simmer readers recently voted you Eater of the Year.
  15. 15
    Eric - January 11 2008 @ 1:04 pm "Jean Georges himself in there, personally boning out their squab." At first I read that ias "JG Personally boning their squab." Which can take on an entirely different meaning, and really puts a new spin on "haute cuisine." I admit to being one of those guys who takes pictures of every course. Not because I have any illusions that it's Charlie Trotter or Grant Achatz himself in the next room, but I do like to remember the presentation before I hungrily demolish it - and it makes a better blog post.
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    Tracy Wood - January 11 2008 @ 1:04 pm I love your show tony and who cares what other a*&%@! say anyway right? You are hilarious and even though you have a tough exterior, I see a very tender heart. Your love of the places that you visit and your passion with food makes a wonderul show!
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    Sues - January 11 2008 @ 1:33 pm Tony, you're awesome and everyone knows it. Anyone who says otherwise is just jealous. And are you serious that John Georges didn't bone out my squab?? *goes off to destroy photos* Sues www.wearenotmartha.com
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    Marc - January 11 2008 @ 2:04 pm CHEF Bourdain...not to sound like a "groupie" or anything like that (I'm a 33 year old man...too old for that sh*t), but you have taught me more about the appreciation of world cultures than I learned in college studying political science. You have also taught me more about culinary, than I would get in culinary school. All I can say is "Thank You", keep doing what you're doing, I'm sure you haven't "lost it", and to Hell with all of the haters out there.
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    Melanie - January 11 2008 @ 2:55 pm Oh, Anthony Bourdain, don't listen to those silly a$@ hats. You make my heart melt.
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    Kyle Landry - January 11 2008 @ 3:11 pm "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" I hope you burn yourself, drop a near plated dish, and run out of mise right at the peak of service! THAT would be good television! It would also serve as a reminder to the half-retarded culinary school kids thinking being a cook is some sort of glamorous profession.
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    Joe Corey - January 11 2008 @ 3:16 pm I thought you'd go to Provincetown and work in a fried fish joint to see if you could still hack it by the grease. Whether you work at the place or not doesn't quite manner, but it does make us not sense that you're on an intense vacation.
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    Helen - January 11 2008 @ 3:52 pm The difference that I see between *insert generic TV personality here* and Tony Bourdain? Pretty much that Tony is funny as hell, but more than that, is(sorry, guy) an educator and a good role model for travelers. I guess the thing I would tell that little voice in the back of your head is: I can make meals for people to enjoy, or I can change the way more people think about world cultures and their relationships with food, something they'll remember for a long time to come. The seal eyeball thing? Totally creepy in another situation, but as you said in that episode, weirdly heartwarming to see how reverently they treated the seal and the guest. There are critics everywhere. When something they say resonates with you, learn what you can from them, and then ignore them as they vulgarly, publicly stroke their own egos. /end mini-rant
  23. 23
    Eric - January 11 2008 @ 4:00 pm I'll pretend like I read your post... like I’ll pretend that you read my comment… Okay, let's be partners...I'll give you an irreligious man a Jewish comparison... King Solomon... it’s a hands-on-world for both of you…and a world of experience… Frankly, I want to be apart of that... I'll bring pizzazz to the table... You’ll be Fred Flintstone and I’ll be Barney Rubble…. Or if you prefer we can be Batman and Robin…Salt-n-Pepper is not just a crappy band… it is us… I have ideas for the show… Email me if you’re interested… ericallen83@gmail.com
  24. 24
    Damon - January 11 2008 @ 4:07 pm Tony, you make us laugh, you make us hungry, and you make us want to see the world. I can't wait to see your show with Eric.
  25. 25
    Jaxie Waxie Woo - January 11 2008 @ 4:28 pm Sounds like we fans are in for more than a few moments of great TV -- at your expense, of course. Thanks for the sacrifice. Fahgeddabout the Foodafia, your so-called snarkologists. Whether or not it's a different army now, you earned your stripes while on active duty. 'Nuff said.
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    ntsc - January 11 2008 @ 4:29 pm "It's a point of view popular among internet nerds and cubicle geeks who've never done a minute's physical labor in their lives, the same people who take photographs of every course at their favorite restaurants, convinced that it's Jean Georges himself in there, personally boning out their squab." The second time I ate at Le Bec Fin, Georges Perrier was busing tables. That was more than a little startling. Don't know why and from the look on his face I wasn't about to ask. I know somebody who was in Les Halles that night, when that table spotted you they all ordered from your station, so if you had more than you expected they and others like her may be the reason why,
  27. 27
    Andrea Lazo - January 11 2008 @ 4:32 pm Dear Anthony: You will always have someone saying how good or bad you are in what you do, no matters who you are, I write in Spanish for a music web site and apart from being a fan of music I don't have much experience, I am not a musician and not a journalist, I am just me : ) and I write because I like it, so who cares if you spend your whole life in a kitchen or half of it, what it counts is that a bunch of people like us LOVEE your show and that you enjoy what you do! I can watch the re runs many times and i won't get bored, I always feel that I am there when you travel and show those amazing places,and let me tell you to eat what you sometimes try i am in awe,I guess i am not that kind of person that try new things,I am from Chile and I don't like seafood, yes that long coast and I don't like it hahaha Plus you are HOT! If someday someone decides to send you to CHILE please think about me as your companion ; ) maybe you'll change my mind about seafood : ) Tons of love and keep it up! Andrea www.satelitemusical.net/andrea_lazo.html
  28. 28
    VENICE - January 11 2008 @ 5:03 pm HATS OFF TO YOU TONY.....WOW I LOVE YOUR SHOW EVEN THOUGH AT TIMES IT GROSS ME OUT. SEE I DONT THINK I COULD DO YOUR JOB, IT SEEMS FUN BUT TO EAT ALL THAT %$#@ MAN I DONT ENVEN EAT STREET FOOD AND I LIVE IN NYC.......LOVE THE SHOW ANYWAY....
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    Constance - January 11 2008 @ 5:10 pm I absolutely love your show. It will be interesting to see you throw down in the kitchen, but I love the traveling. You get to travel to places most of us only dream about. I think your show is brilliant and you and your writing are engaging. Being stuck in a kitchen could not make up for everything you get to experience out in the world. Thank-you for sharing it all with us. Constance
  30. 30
    David J Rust - January 11 2008 @ 5:16 pm Anthony, Anyone who has seen how you behave in either print or on camera would never think you a "shrinking violet". Nor would I presume to offer "warm fuzzies" to someone I do not know in person except as a reflex action to hearing about behavior (and the consequences of it) that makes me cringe sympathetically. Self-deprecating caveats aside, if you ever need it consider these words: your gut reaction is correct. Not the self-destructive part (although it's always good to keep a critical eye on yourself) but the part that holds in disdain the judgments of those %#@%s who think with their assumptions and not with their knowledge. I am a "Comic Book Geek". Always have been. The first thing I remember reading for myself was a Superman comic book while sitting on my Mother's lap. I've collected the things ever since. At age 40, I still play "Dungeons & Dragons", too. You have created more than one legend and no matter what armchair chefs may say, that can never be removed. What you have done, the people you have inspired, are -in many ways- who you are. It's who we all are. I will often disparage my fellow gamers for their stereotypical behavior (never being kissed, never showering, living in parents' basement) but I'll always remember that I've moved on from that. Past being a geek, I've been a journalist, an activist, and the sort of person who tries to live a happy and good life. The criticisms I get from those who find my interests interesting can be valid at times but often don't rise to any level of understanding the individual who I am. No matter what anyone says, you have one hell of a legacy. And as annoying as the mindless fawning can be -rivaling, I should think, the mindless critiques- you have earned more respect by your deeds, past and present, than most human beings. So, yes, this note has ended up being a comment of support. It's probably not needed. That said, it's still freely offered. Be well, take care, and cook free. Yours, Dave
  31. 31
    Renee - January 11 2008 @ 5:16 pm Tony, Have been hooked since the first show!! Have turned on many friends to you and none of us can get enough! I think I enjoy reading your cookbook as much as I did reading Kitchen Confidential!! Keep on doing it just as you have been ~ We love you!!
  32. 32
    JT - January 11 2008 @ 5:40 pm Subject: Tsingtao Beer in San Francisco!! My fiancé DM and I are the couple who have handed you a cold Tsingtao Beer in San Francisco on 2 prior occasion when you had appeared at the Herbst Theatre and a book signing at Sur La Table at the Ferry Plaza. We had just returned from a near perfect month in Vietnam! Imagine my surprise and disappointment to find out we had missed your recent November visit to SF, and thus missing the opportunity to continue our tradition of handing you the Tsigntao!! We’ll be sure to be there on your next return visit to our lovely city. BTW, Vietnam was mostly great and we took your advice (asked of you during the Herbst Theatre Q&A) and dove into the street food with gusto! Thank you!
  33. 33
    JT - January 11 2008 @ 5:42 pm Subject: Tsingtao Beer in San Francisco!! Dear Tony: My fiancé DM and I are the couple who have handed you a cold Tsingtao Beer in San Francisco on 2 prior occasion when you had appeared at the Herbst Theatre and a book signing at Sur La Table at the Ferry Plaza. We had just returned from a near perfect month in Vietnam! Imagine my surprise and disappointment to find out we had missed your recent November visit to SF, and thus missing the opportunity to continue our tradition of handing you the Tsigntao!! We’ll be sure to be there on your next return visit to our lovely city. BTW, Vietnam was mostly great and we took your advice (asked of you during the Herbst Theatre Q&A) and dove into the street food with gusto! Thank you!
  34. 34
    Aaron - January 11 2008 @ 5:49 pm Tony, I think it's fantastic that, even though temporary, you traded your keyboard and pen for a cutting board and chef knife...thus PROVING that the pen IS mightier than the sword UNLESS your sword happens to be an 8-inch chef knife! I, too, miss the old days of 110 degree kitchens, starched chef coats and chili-pepper pants. Finishing the day and trotting over to the bar to meet the other chefs for a few beers and shots. I often wonder how I would do if I were to go back into the trenches. I can't wait to see the episode if they air it! I live vicariously through you, Tony! You are doing us proud, brutha! Keep on slingin', cuz we are catching it all!
  35. 35
    Dominique - January 11 2008 @ 5:53 pm Hi Tony - Greetings from Ottawa, Canada! I have been addicted to your show since visiting Australia last year - where I was cooped up in my hotel room for 3 days, recovering from a strained rib (yeah - I know...I'll think up a better injury). I also thoroughly enjoyed your books, especially Kitchen Confidential! Anyways, anyone who hurts your feelings is clearly an idiot. You have the most riveting show on food on tv. Stay cool, Dominique
  36. 36
    Ernesto - January 11 2008 @ 6:50 pm I watch your show consistently & even more recently since it has been on daily. I love it! You obviously have paid your dues & have found a way to entertain in a way less boring than the food channel. You are definitely the kind of real person that makes people want to sit down and have a beer/shot & some food with. What more could you ask for?
  37. 37
    Nicole M - January 11 2008 @ 7:31 pm Hey Tony- I have to disagree with you because as a television host you affect many more people. For instance, I live in West Texas (land of the crappy chain restaurant) and while my husband and I both spent many, many years in the fine dining restaurant scene in Toledo (husband is still cooking professionally) we never really expanded our horizons beyond what we knew. Having watched your show we are cooking better and more adventurous things at home, and taking the time to seek out the fine dining hotspots when we travel. Hell, because of your show my seven year old daughter even eats sushi! Do you have any idea what a feat it is to get a child to try sushi?? Don't sell yourself short. You are the best.
  38. 38
    jdenver - January 11 2008 @ 8:07 pm Now THAT sounds like good television. I completely understand your doubts in your ability to jump back on the line vs. your desire to see if you still have it.

    Back in the day, I fancied myself a pretty good high-volume bartender, before I grew soft on the management end of the business. Part of me thinks that jumping back behind the bar on a balls-to-the-walls Friday night would be like riding a bike. The other part of me thinks I'd go down in flames with a couple of young pretty boy punks kicking tufts of Maker's in my face.

    Here's hoping you got on that bike and flew. For your sake, and the customers'.
  39. 39
    Anne - January 11 2008 @ 9:34 pm Tony, Wow. You've done it all. And you know what? Just imagining you back sweating it at Les Halles, makes me a very happy woman indeed. You could have messed up, (I doubt you did) but you know what? If so, that would make me love you even more. You've earned every right to mess up in my book. And don't let folks who don't even come close to measuring up get you down. xo anne http://www.annebocci.com
  40. 40
    june-baby - January 11 2008 @ 11:03 pm I'am looking forward to this special NR with Tony and Eric. I bet Tony and Eric kicked butt at the stations they worked at and never went into the weeds. Tony just keep sticking up your middle finger to all the knukleheads who have hurt your feelings and tell them to KISS YOUR A$$. And keep doing what you love to do.
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    whatsername - January 11 2008 @ 11:36 pm Awwww! You have to update us too, we don't have tv anymore!!!
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    karla - January 11 2008 @ 11:41 pm tony i love you !!! please come to mexico !!!! i like your tv program !!!!!! you are the best chef in the world !!!
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    rat-terrier - January 12 2008 @ 12:59 am Pepin didn't work in professional kitchens nearly as long you did -- probably never put out anywhere near as many plates as you did on your best night. Julia Child never did it at all. Tell the little voice to give you a %$#@ing break. Pepin did a Lit degree after he couldn't work full-time in the kitchen, and you make some interesting, frequently original television. From here it looks like a natural, credible development.
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    Tampa Girl - January 12 2008 @ 1:55 am While I stoop in the wonder, I still can not believe that you would feel the need to prove others wrong. Tony, you have encompassed many of worlds. Hold strong, you're the man. F#%k everyone else!!!! See ya Monday! Tpa Girl
  45. 45
    bethany - January 12 2008 @ 2:11 am please comment on Ruhlman's latest blog. I purchased the book out of duty. I felt like I had to. Felt like I was doing everything wrong. After seeing his latest tribute, I'm completely confused. Do we believe in the real food of the cultures we've grown up with, or do we adore them for placating to the foodies? Need help Bourdain!
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    Annette - January 12 2008 @ 6:08 am fair enoug i look forward to dees episode
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    eferin - January 12 2008 @ 6:59 am Your program and books are my souls comfort food. Keep up the wire ear cleanings, atv rolls, cliff dives, smoking related lung ripping exercises or just any smoking scene, gulping nasty local brews plus, dancing scenes, etc. Love to see you pained and tortured! Thanks for a wonderful guided trip around the world. YOU being YOU and a CHEF mother%$#@er make this kick***show worth watching! I only hope you do not burn out any time soon.
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    Annette - January 12 2008 @ 7:38 am that was "fair enough". not my saying, but what my look-up-to-person says all the time. i'll escribe soon
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    Annette - January 12 2008 @ 7:49 am fair enough, that is "dees"= purposely
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    Ingrid LatinaQT Miami - January 12 2008 @ 11:34 am You don't have to be a star to have others talking sh!t about you. We'll always have those haters who make us that much better because we always prove them wrong. Your show rocks! You're hot!.....I DO! (did i say that out loud?) Food and travel, is there anything better?
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    marieta - January 12 2008 @ 1:45 pm don't be upset about those mean comments! you and your crew gave me a great show and amazing cuisine. in return, i would like to entartain you with two old romanian (yes, i'm from romania) folkloric songs. here we call them "cantece de petrecere" (it means party songs). this kind of music goes perfectly with a lot of food and drinks. here are the links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYneyue08so&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOJu8k68cew tell me if you like these songs (i have more :))
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    Reiko - January 12 2008 @ 4:23 pm Tony, You go down to the street levels of societies in the places that you visit. What an original idea. And you do it with honest flair. Great job. Also take pride in your writings. They're great reads. This is not an easy thing to do. (I've been trying my hand at writing for some time) Are you planning to write more fiction in the future? -RE
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    Jeana - January 12 2008 @ 4:26 pm Screw them, Tony. I just said to my husband last night, as we were watching another NR episode, how lucky you are. You seem to have found your calling, twice. First as a chef, and then as a writer. Here you were, 20+ years cooking your heart out in kitchens (and doing a %#@! good job at it) when all along such a great voice and wit were inside of you. You decided to share it with others - as far as I'm concerned, TV is just another medium for your writing and vision - and it is a gift. I live vicariously through you everywhere you go, and with every morsel you eat, jealous that I cannot do the same. I don't care if you never set foot in a professional kitchen again. You've earned your stripes - keep doing what you love and allowing the rest of us to peer into your adventures and your stomach (metaphorically, of course.)
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    amber - January 12 2008 @ 4:43 pm i just found your blog and my first thought was "good, it's about time!" i found kitchen confidential a few years after you wrote it and have been hooked on your writing and shows ever since. love your humor and outlook on life. if you're ever in the LA area, i know a whole gaggle of LA and OC gals that would love to take you out drinking. :) keep up the great work and please know that you in no way shape or form should ever be compared to seacrest. ever. no really, like ever.
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    Pat McC. - January 12 2008 @ 4:54 pm Tony, don't let those dimwits get to you. You wanted to know if you could still do the job, and I bet you rocked the house at LesHalles that night. I only wish I could have been there! (I wish you'd been there the afternoon of the book signing in TriBeca! My pork mignons were fantastic!) And thanks for the recommendations you gave for places to eat in NYC-- I went back last weekend and had brunch at Barney Greengrass, and dinner at Bar Masa! WOW!
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    Anne - January 12 2008 @ 6:08 pm Back-breaking work, for sure, but so very worth it. I've always felt that a person hasn't truly lived until they've worn a pair of black Die Hard oxfords and lifted a full 20 gallon stock pot. I think you've earned that break from the daily grind - even if it's for another kind of grind. You know, as hard as it is, as much as it beats a body, there is no other art that affords it's artist the luxury of seeing a work come to fruition so quickly. Each plate is a masterpiece; an instant gratification. Whatever work you do, you do it beautifully and the world is most definitely a richer place for it.
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    howard pratschler - January 12 2008 @ 8:12 pm just one comment...how could you, a joisey boy, eat deep fried hot dogs anywhere in joisey, and NOT go to Rutts Hutt in Clifton. the dogs are better there, and there's the onion rings, and best of all...the cheese burgers-dipped! yeah, dippied in the grease from the grill, oosing down your arm, onto your pants, and forever enbedded in your steering wheel, because you eat it in your CAR! not inside with the annoying waitresses that have been there since my father frequented the joint. and to not speak of the onion rings, that have been a right of p%#@age for every joisey couple since the dawn of time. to sit in the car, to start out on opposite ends of an onion ring and to meet in the middle, in a kiss straight out of a Disney movie,overlooking the semi-liquid P%#@aic river. those onion rings have been responsible for more off-spring of dubious DNA than the chemical plants.
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    kanani - January 12 2008 @ 8:51 pm Trenchwork. There's a time for it, and I'd say you did enough. If you didn't have anything to take away from those years, no wisdom to impart, no way of expressing yourself, then all those years would have been (to use a cliché) for naught. I don't know why foodies say such things. Is it jealousy? I think so. You had a p%#@ion and you went with it and you achieved success. Lady luck was with you when you started getting old and presented you with another interest --writing, which you also cultivated with flair and let's face it... writing also involves trenchwork of its own. You're just in a different trench, maybe. It's pretty rare and you're lucky. And maybe that's what they don't like. And remember what Richard Feynman always held to: What do you care what other people think? And with this in mind, he went onto win the Nobel Prize. Keep writing. Your voice is so natural and has a great rhythm.
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    kanani - January 12 2008 @ 8:58 pm Almost forgot: One person's broken, broken kneed, broke-%#@ geezer is another's person's delight. And with this, I'm going to go check-in online for this crazy cruise I've signed up for.
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    Tripp - January 12 2008 @ 11:21 pm ahhh Mr.Tony-no disparaging comments from me-im just thrilled that youre doing what youre doing, by letting us with smaller wallets (aka no sponsorship) live vicariously through you. im no food guru-my biggest claim to fame is that 'i aint scared of trying something at least once-%#@holes or no', but i so appreciate what youre doing. thanks for finally giving me something real to watch. by real i mean something with smoking and drinking and eating all in one 30 minute show. you rock, my friend. (ok youre not really my friend obviously, but you know what i mean. not in that creepy stalker way-just in that u have given us late 30 somethings something thats real to watch again). peace
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    Victori - January 13 2008 @ 3:34 am Love you, love the show, love the locals and destinations, love the food. In that order. Your "hippie days" references really slay me. I have been a fan since jump street. Your guest appearances on Top Chef are outasight, man. I keep you on my DVR at all times, and, thankfully, my husband hasn't caught on to us, yet! I, too, am hungry for more...keep it coming!
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    JessicaTexas - January 13 2008 @ 4:09 am I cannot wait for the new season to begin because I enjoy a show that centers on two great things: culture and cuisine. I really love your wit and sarcasm. The hell with all of those idiots who criticize what you do now. As long as you are happy, then you should do whatever you want to. By the way, I'm a vegan, but I think your anti-vegetarian jokes are cool. Heehee...and Top Chef is better with you in it. Thanks for the great shows!
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    mallory elise - January 13 2008 @ 5:05 am You tell those bastards! But im sick of paying for your show--there isn't a bloody channel in France that will pick it up! itunes monthly bill it is then. Hey can you go to Brazil next?
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    Varun Patil - January 13 2008 @ 8:21 am Hmmmm see now that happens when you are too long on the road...so long that people start accusing you of s@#$!! An old man I knew once said - LET THEM DOGS BARK...THAT IS WHAT THEY DO. YOU DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. Anyways there are already a 50 comments in support(what support! U dnt need to justify anything to anyone) of you Tony...i really dont feel like writing any more abt it cause frankly my comment would be a mixture of all of them. I have only one question to ask: How can I be part of what you do? Even if that includes the tube experience! No nO nO... I dont want to be on your show for say one episode and get my 15 seconds of fame. I am talking about a career. A career where I can travel. I know lots of people who dream the same and say they wish they could. I may seem to be one of them and you might not even hear from me after this but one thing is for sure that: Travel is what i WANT to do. I don't know if you even read the comments or not. But I just put up this question to you cause i believe you do. And by the way...how much did you bribe the Bus conductor in Rajasthan. We pleaded and pleaded the bus conductor in Jodhpur to let us sit atop the bus but they told us that travelling atop the bus is strictly prohibited!!
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    Dale - January 13 2008 @ 9:49 am Tony i will watch No Reservations, A Cook's Tour repeats or whatever else tv throws up, till it ceases to throw it up. Once i start i just can't stop, you inspired me to start reading again *i still don't know how i feel about that* so, thank you? maybe, i dunno. The Les Halles episode could/should/might be an emmy hopeful, perhaps, why not, who else is going to win.
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    Jazmin - January 13 2008 @ 12:11 pm I've been watching your show for two years (and bought your books abroad), and I relish witnessing your honesty, p%#@ion, sarcasm, sense of humor, and affection for anything traditional. I respect the hard work you've put in as a professional chef and to be still doing something that is connected to food is truly great, you should be proud of that! There are simply just too many people these days who want to express themselves ... what a relief that you actually have something real and original to say. The Philippines should be your next stop.
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    Kit - January 13 2008 @ 12:32 pm well bud, can't say i feel sorry for ya, all i can do is chuckle when I think of all the pot shots you've taken at the fuzzy little ewok. It's just your turn for people to talk crap about, best to just flip um the bird and carry on.
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    Gary Snow - January 13 2008 @ 3:21 pm Tony, I thank you for your show. Your not afriad to try anything or eat anything. You open my eyes to places and things I have never seen before and cannot experience myself. I watch your show everyday before i got to work and it always gives me something to look forward to when i get up in the morning.
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    econnofoot - January 13 2008 @ 3:35 pm Haven't seen all of the NR episodes but a fair amount of the first 2 seasons, and I love it. Went and finally purchased 'Kitchen Confidential' and 'Nasty Bits' read both in single sittings chuckling like I haven't done since reading 'Fear and Loathing' in Las Vegas, or PJ O'Rourkes ' Holidays in Hell.' It's good stuff and has given me a twisted insight on somethings I really enjoy that being food and travel. I'm even inspired to look more into French food now through reading your books, and I hated France. But through your writing and even through the show, my eyes have opened to some things in a cool way I'm thankful for. As for all the naysayers and haters, meh you must be doing something right if you are upsetting people I always think. o/' Cheers!
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    LucyD - January 13 2008 @ 5:06 pm My friend Patrick and I fancy ourselves chefs. 10 years ago we worked on the saute` line serving 350 covers a night, just so when we got home our bodies could have the awesome feeling of being the Velveeta cheese sauce melting into the hot broccoli like in the commercials. One day Patrick brought over "Kitchen Confidential" and I just could not get over your drill down to the unexplainable tunnel vision a person can contract working 14 hrs. a day, 6 days a week. I used to read chapters to my son on road trips, and he really began to wonder if "mom was losing it" because I could hardly read it aloud without collapsing into belly laughs, snorting uncontrollably, and wiping away the tears. I gave my copy to a fireman who also fancies himself a chef (to his brigade). He said thanks, but he doesn't read. "You'll read THIS" I said. "Don't even start at the beginning, just start anywhere" I said, ..because I knew he would start at the Food is Sex chapter because, well, he's a guy. A year or so later I saw him crossing the street and he stopped and gave me the weirdest smile. In my imagination I can still rock out the line, but -- seriously -- never in real life, anymore. You, however, are a wild and crazy guy, and I'll be rooting for you to go the distance. Did they make you squeegee the floor?
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    Ann - January 13 2008 @ 6:32 pm Tony, you have said some of the kindest things to cooks around the world, eaten some unmentionably vile 'food' and maintained both your dignity and humor under really funky conditions. Your unfailing comp%#@ion for each and every culture you visit (even Cleveland!) is truly inspiring. Don't listen to the geeks who have nothing better to do than criticize what they know knothing about; they can suck (rotten) eggs! Keep cooking, keep writing, keep joking and loving life. I will never stop watching your TV shows, and reading your books. Thanks.
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    Karin, 24, Sweden - January 13 2008 @ 7:15 pm I simply think that you're hot stuff, and will have to remind myself to ask you out for a proper dining and red wine haze if I ever catch you i Sweden. Yep, seriously.
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    Lee - January 13 2008 @ 7:49 pm YOU are certainly no "geezer." we think that you are the most interesting, attractive dude on the tube. we are looking forward to seeing on the cooking channel too! let me know if you need a spiritual adviser on the road with you and your crew. keep up the GREAT work. Love, Lee
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    Sarah - January 13 2008 @ 8:02 pm Hi Tony! I just wanted to let you know, which you probably already do, that those people are full of !@#&. Because of your show I have become very interested in different types of food and almost never back down when something new is presented. You're show is amazing in that it shows what other cultures eat, and how processed and bland the American palate has become. Thank you so much for giving me the world through food. Sarah
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    Rachel - January 13 2008 @ 8:08 pm I started watching your show in season one just for the laughs. And because, lets face it, you have a great #&%. I had no idea about your background, or that you had actually cooked (professionally). I worked for several years as a prep cook, not near your level, but I remember the nights coming home green from scoring cucumbers with all my limbs aching. So I have respect for the fact you really know what your talking about. But where you really earned my respect was the Namibia episode. You actually backed up your words of always trying what the locals were eating. Amazing. Anyway, I think going back to the kitchen after all these years to double your last plates is, well, stupid. But brave in a too many beers kinda way. I can't wait to see how it works out. And are you going to Hong Kong? I loved Singapore and Japan, and am dying to see Hong Kong. And China again. Rachel
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    Dan - January 13 2008 @ 8:22 pm Hey man, don't let these internet trolls get you down, anyone who can roll an ATV down a slope in New Zealand and walk away more or less is not a wimp in my book. Hell anyone who can drink Guinness for breakfast is not a wimp in my book either, I prefer a good Franzikaner Hefewiesen.
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    Jill - January 13 2008 @ 8:23 pm We all evolve as we age, albeit a little more intense for the type-A, testosterone-laden man such as yourself Tony. Regardless, change is constant and change is good. Do whatever comes your way baby.
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    MYKEALA - January 13 2008 @ 9:37 pm YO I LIKE GERMANY THAT IS FUN
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    Leslee - January 13 2008 @ 9:54 pm Hi Tony, I don't think you saw enough of Australia. You should come back and experience it again. Booking at Tetsuya's in September. Be there.
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    Patricia - January 14 2008 @ 12:32 am Tony : you are certainly a formidable communicator.Keep on doing your thing it is fun , it is elegant, it is to transmit culture to a world that sorely needs it ! But I suspect you already know that... one example your formidable show on Beirut..I told my daughter (a journalism student that is now traveling in India ) -Learn my dear, it cannot be done better than that...-uff! the scene on the ship was superb...man, if there is a Pulitzer of TV cooks..you won it right there... Any tips for the India traveller? P
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    Stacey - January 14 2008 @ 12:58 am Whether you choose to berate yourself or not, you have an exceptional gift. I am one among many very thankful for the fact that you share it. Some can cook delightful food. Some can appreciate delightful food. Few can enter into a culture and choose to submerse themselves in the decadent indulgences of a foreign people. I have yet to see you divulge an ounce of condescension. I thoroughly enjoy the sarcasm and the pure sensual delight plainly displayed over good food. Perhaps in some strange parallel universe someone could accomplish all of this. How many could do it on cue? You are unique. And I, the humble viewer, greatly appreciate your efforts. More subtle than spices are the wiles of the viewing public. Young lions sweat in the kitchen, old dragons sit and pontificate.
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    Ribsy - January 14 2008 @ 9:20 am I'm a former bartender/waitress and a long-time vegetarian. And while you may hold a degree of disdain for my food choices, I find you fascinating for your sheer honesty and willingness to not only take life as it comes, but to meet it head on. The only real way to do things. Any of that expensive tequila left? Yeah...I thought not.
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    connie - January 14 2008 @ 10:31 am Tony- I watch your show All the time. I love your honesty and bravery! Keep eating funky stuff you earned it! Love Ya!! Connie
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    Emilie - January 14 2008 @ 10:55 am Ignore that little voice that tells you those "critics" are right. They're not-- they just want rules and conformity to tell them what is good and what is not, as they've never tapped into their own tastes or opened themselves to experiences that allow them to decide for themselves what to like or dislike, what to appreciate or not. Screw the so-called rules. You're the best thing going on television. I have lived and worked in West Africa, Southern and Central and East Africa, Haiti, South America and Central America, and South/Southeast Asia-- I have been working in human rights,sustainable development and humanitarian programming for 17 years, but I must admit the big attraction for me has been the meeting of other worlds and perspectives, cultures and relating to each other-- and a large part of that has centered around food. Food has so much significance to a culture and community, history and traditions, decisions made by individuals and groups, survival techniques and ways of celebrating and honoring what people value most in their worlds. You asked a family at a dinner in Japan (honoring their dead ancestors) what, if this were to be their last meal ever, would they want to eat? I thought this was a fabulous question, and each person's answer reflected their own histories, age, and ways of relating to the world. Not to mention, some of the best %#@!ed food is not usually found in the shiny restaurants in big cities, but in the hole-in-the-walls and rural villages miles from anywhere. I am stuck in Kalamazoo, Michigan for a short while, as my husband finishes his PhD, and your programs have been a lifeline to me, visiting old haunts and homes, reminding me of the flavors of this planet. Thank you!
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    Emilie - January 14 2008 @ 10:57 am Ignore that little voice that tells you those "critics" are right. They're not-- they just want rules and conformity to tell them what is good and what is not, as they've never tapped into their own tastes or opened themselves to experiences that allow them to decide for themselves what to like or dislike, what to appreciate or not. Screw the so-called rules. You're the best thing going on television. I have lived and worked in West Africa, Southern and Central and East Africa, Haiti, South America and Central America, and South/Southeast Asia-- I have been working in human rights,sustainable development and humanitarian programming for 17 years, but I must admit the big attraction for me has been the meeting of other worlds and perspectives, cultures and relating to each other-- and a large part of that has centered around food. Food has so much significance to a culture and community, history and traditions, decisions made by individuals and groups, survival techniques and ways of celebrating and honoring what people value most in their worlds. You asked a family at a dinner in Japan (honoring their dead ancestors) what, if this were to be their last meal ever, would they want to eat? I thought this was a fabulous question, and each person's answer reflected their own histories, age, and ways of relating to the world. Not to mention, some of the best %#@!ed food is not usually found in the shiny restaurants in big cities, but in the hole-in-the-walls and rural villages miles from anywhere. I am stuck in Kalamazoo, Michigan for a short while, as my husband finishes his PhD, and your programs have been a lifeline to me, visiting old haunts and homes, reminding me of the flavors of this planet. Thank you!
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    Ashley - January 14 2008 @ 12:23 pm Tony-I have a great idea in the neighborhood of showing off your kitchen prowess... http://ratspit.blogspot.com/
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    asktunes - January 14 2008 @ 1:00 pm Tony, You don't got to prove yourself to nobody. You've paid your dues & now you're reaping the rewards of a lifetime of hard, honest work. You deserve this. On another note, I'd love to see you take on my town of Charlottesville, Virginia. This lively college town of 40,000 has a RIDICULOUS number of restaurants, many French high-end, many mom & pop joints. Restaurants here number in the hundreds! It's madness, I tell you. A delicious madness... angel
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    John - January 14 2008 @ 2:56 pm Tony, No worries mate. If a geezer like Vinnie Testaverde can scrape it back together for a couple of games I'm sure you can too old man...
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    Bob Adelman - January 14 2008 @ 3:40 pm Dear Tony. I love your shows. They are so informative and interesting, I have never seen a show i did not love. I enjoyed the Singapore show. The Dimsun part was very interesting. I hope to take a cruise in 09 for my Wife's 50th annv. I drool when watching your shows. Keep up the excellent work. Bob
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    Joe Cirone - January 14 2008 @ 4:40 pm Tony, Dont worry about the %#@%s who think time off the line somehow diminishes your abilities. Fortunately or unfortunately talented folks tend to move up. And in the case of cooks, it usually means off the line, clipboard in hand, trying to devine the same sense of quality/urgency from a bunch of goons. Your success off the line is only fodder for a bunch of pricks who insist on wearing their chef jackets to bars after work so they get "noticed" - and their jealousy is a testament to your talent as a chef and writer. Good for you. As I write this, I cant help but think of two chefs for whom Ive toiled that had no business being on the line. Both are published, well-regarded food network denizens and neither could handle service on an average night. It usually occured when close friends would say "we want YOU to prepare our food". To which they'd don their neatly tailored chef jackets and proceed to piss into wind for 40 minutes behind the line. Some need to stay out. We're busy back here.
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    Fitzy831 - January 14 2008 @ 5:11 pm Ooooo, I can't wait to see this one. Tony, don't let the sqawkers get you down. You'e earned your stripes several times over, not to mention that you can recite several titles to my one! Chef, TV personality, Professional Traveler, Author...and you do each VERY well. You can also add Role-Model (sorry, man) since you inspired me to finally quit smoking.
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    Devilvet - January 14 2008 @ 5:40 pm You're show is one of the few reasons I keep my cable on. You and the White Sox. Just found the blog today. Very cool!!! You should do a show on Chicago!!!
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    Mike Rosenberg - January 14 2008 @ 6:35 pm As a snark, sarcastic, and completely unexperienced internet junkie and geek, even I'd have to say that someone finding a problem with you not working in a kitchen now that you're doing your show and throw themselves in front of a bus. They just don't know that when they see a good thing on television, they should enjoy it rather than try to lessen the experience. Keep it up man, as I've loved practically every episode of No Reservations so far. Three years ago I watched the Travel Channel for the World Poker Tour because I was a gaming nut. Now, I watch to see what culture Bourdain is exploring or what bizarre food Zimmerman is eating. It's amazing television. :)
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    dksbook - January 14 2008 @ 8:05 pm Tony, this is what you have brought to the table (so to speak) in the Food World - and it is no mean thing. You have brought the reality of the plain-@!% physical demands of the craft - whether Les Halles, Spago, the local hash house, or our own imperfect kitchens presided over by our own imperfect selves. Cooking is hard #@!&% work, whether you are a line chef, a kid slingin' burgers, or, like me, a grandmother matriarch puttin' on all the family dinners. Our hands are scarred, we sweat, we smell like onions or less lovely things, and our feet hurt. Feeding folks is not for sissies.
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    David - January 14 2008 @ 8:36 pm Chef , My grandmother use to tell me. "Do what you want, say how you feel. Because people who mind dont matter, and people who matter dont mind". Awsome show.When are you visiting Brooklyn?
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    Robyn Francis - January 14 2008 @ 9:26 pm I've just started watching your show and I love it. Don't let other people get to you. I think you're cool and very sexy. Look me up when you come down to Florida!
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    Naila - January 14 2008 @ 10:28 pm such a tease! I can't wait to see what happened. My guess is that you did it with a couple of shots of tequila. rock on.
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    Rachael - January 14 2008 @ 10:40 pm Oh, yeah! A blog! And so well-written, just like your books. You are a welcome addition to blogland. I personally believe, and it's of no value really, to anyone but myself, I'm sure, that you were meant to write, and the cooking just got you there. Thank god. And thank you.
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    David - January 14 2008 @ 10:42 pm As a former Culinary School grad and foodservice professional turned insurance agent screw those comments. A man has gotta do what a man has to do....unless of course you're a woman but, in our specific cases we're both men so....anyway, great show. Visiualize Whirled Peas.
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    randy - January 14 2008 @ 11:41 pm Can you comment on your guest appearence on mario's show from many years ago where you dressed up as woman? I'm sure I'm not the only person to remember, I'm sure you do, I'm willing to bet the network did not know, that was before you were well known , but that was the funniest thing I ever saw on the food network. I have been a fan of your work ever since.
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    Annonymous - January 14 2008 @ 11:45 pm I think your doing a amazing job your a humble person. Maybe you should try going to Laos that would be a great show!
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    Aussie Jamie - January 15 2008 @ 12:00 am Tony, The berlin Show was totally brilliant. I lived in eastern europe an ou captures the whole thing wonderfully! Aussie Jamie Virginia
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    Janelle - January 15 2008 @ 12:07 am Tony: All you need to know is this: you are, in my book, the sexiest man alive. In addition to your rougishly charming looks, you do all the things I love in life: cooking, writing, and traveling. And you do them well. Except you do them all in a manner 100 times more bad%#@ than I ever will...but still, thanks for the inspiration. I love your show. --Janelle
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    Annonymous - January 15 2008 @ 12:19 am tony your nothing more than a drunk its not a food show its just a job so you can stuff your face with alcohol another thing them dumb%#@ flip-flop you where are rediculous you dont where them walking through the woods moron you suck
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    phos - January 15 2008 @ 12:24 am I think you're great. You tell people how it is regardless of their feelings. You enjoy simple food as well as complex dishes. You're my ideal man =)
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    Rose - January 15 2008 @ 12:49 am I love watching your show and seeing the places you get to travel to and the food you try. I would probably never get half of it past my lips, but I have fun watching you do it. I love to travel, but would never get to the places you get to see. It`s great to see all the places you go and how the people live. The one about the war lord or what ever he was, is a favorite one. Do you really get lit when drinking whatever your hosts drink?? Thanks for some great viewing.
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    Victoria - January 15 2008 @ 12:50 am haha. fans are awesome. How can your feelings be hurt when people are telling you you have a tender heart and complementing you because you're an @#!*&? People slap me around for acting like you and sometimes I wind up in jail. Speaking of jail, that'd be a great episode. "These swiss rolls...these are just...I have no words. The imitation meat chunks and floppy noodles? I can't believe it's not butter. Then, to wash it all down with this fantastic, bitter, watery tea? What a privilege" Not to worry, though, you have a tender heart.
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    pete reynolds - January 15 2008 @ 1:06 am Tony first off, your the man. Yo im a fellow new yorker and i can enjoy what your show brings to the travel channel. Its nice to see people be themselves and not follow a script, exp when you drink and have a dry wit about you. well pimpin keep up the good work.
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    Dotty - January 15 2008 @ 1:08 am Darling Tony. All the losers who have the audacity to question your credentials as a writer/chef/bon vivant and omnivore are simply jealous and desperately wish they could earn a living doing exactly what you do. I for one love you truly, madly and deeply. I also get a tremendous amount of pleasure watching you eat your way around the world. You know how to live baby!!! Now if you will excuse me I need to watch the rest of your Vegas show.
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    SpenDoc - January 15 2008 @ 2:18 am Tony I believe your show is AWESOME. I discovered you and your humor from Top Chef..which I am currently boycotting. Your unique sense-ability, humor & cutting wit is enjoyable plus, travel & culinary dishes make watching a special treat. Seems like now soo many other chefs are jumping on the band wagon, which would be better left to U. Keep taking us on fun journeys.
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    Dan "The Navy Man" - January 15 2008 @ 2:30 am Dear Anthony. Forget what others are saying! Sure you are no longer a professional chef. But, you have been one long enough to have the right to say what is good and not good. You are doing an awesome job! Giving america a heads up on what is going on around the world, and what is available out there, outside the U.S. (Americans are too sheltered, they are afraid to try new things.) You make it possible with your show. Special props on the oriental segments! Brilliant! I envy you sooo much! I was born in the philippenes (American cause my parents where military) But, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to remember what it was like over there. I can't wait to get out of the military and move over there! Awesome job anthony, keep up the good work! By the way... how do you keep soo fit after eating all that food on your journeys!?!? Thanks again!
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    Linda Park - January 15 2008 @ 3:08 am Dear Anthony, I am a new viewer of your show and I am hooked!! It is hugely entertaining, funny and unlike any other travel show on TV. And those comments from the snobsters... I wouldn't pay any attention to them. They are just jealous they don't have your amazing job. Besides, who would do your show if you had to slave away behind a kitchen stove every night of the week?!? Please keep doing what you are doing and I will keep watching!!! Thank you. p.s. When did you get married?? I noticed the ring on the Berlin episode.... lucky woman whoever she is.
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    curtis - January 15 2008 @ 3:21 am show them the finger tony!!! those wantabe's can suck your big toe, you have smelled and seen things, that those small minded %$#@ headed burned out office jockeys could not possably imagine. as a fellow chef and scocal observer I recognize the shine of your productions and writting. there is no way to make the those who have never tasted the bitter sweet hell of "the line" at dinner rush, understand the pain and art of "back of the house" keep you head up and give them the finger. p.s.make it to Akron O.H. aka "the little sister" it's what makes Cleveland look like the cultural dead zone that it is...look me up
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    damnpunk - January 15 2008 @ 5:30 am Anthony, I hate to sound like a broken record, but I love your show. Anyone who makes adverse comments about where you are in your career, hasn't the slightest clue, apparently. This year i am going to be leaving for Vietnam, for a year, I plan on trying to see some of the places you visited( none of that stick dancing crap though). Please keep giving us the great information and entertainment, that we love. Safe travels Brother.
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    Jo March - January 15 2008 @ 9:14 am Tony, you're the best! I love your shows; but I just read your blog for the first time(dated Jan. 11, 2008) and it was like listening to you talk - not scripted. I find you very realistic and interesting. Can't wait to the Les Halles show. Any time you want to eat in Central New York, you come on up and visit us! I'll treat you to my home made venison chorizo ("range free" vension, i.e. from our backyard). Jo (Joanne) and Rick
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    Pivo Bud - January 15 2008 @ 9:21 am Hi Tony, Can't get your program in Prague, but can get your books which are great. Just wondering if your travels will ever get you to the Czech Republic as the beer's fantastic, the food's 'improving' and with local traditions of pig killings and while drinking homemade slivovice you'd probably enjoy it. There are some food/beer blogs out there and this entry from one, Czech Please, has a lsit of them. http://czechoutchannel.blogspot.com/2008/01/prague-food-drink-blogs.html Hope you and the crew can make it out here some time. Keep up the good work.
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    rerelewis - January 15 2008 @ 10:07 am Absolutely love your show! Do whatever you want to do, say whatever you want to say... You are just so natural!
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    iris - January 15 2008 @ 12:33 pm Dear Anthony, i watched yesterday your trip to germany and i was kind of exited because i am from germany living in the US ....lol well is always good to see what others think about your country. I have to say i am from Bavaria and as with so many other countrys you travel the country but here you just stayed in Berlin. WHY??? You want good food why not go to the Nordsee where the fish can not be fresher and go to bavaria to eat homemade knoedel and Schweinehaxen and then the history, why only focus on the war and the wall? AND i have to say no we not all freaks...the place you stayed in wahhhhhhh and all the wall stuff. Why not look at the normal german and other history, like the nice buildings.....come back and have a real view of germany not the freaky side ( lol thought everybody knew that Berlin is like New York City) So Tony, for the sake of my country make it right and travel Germany and see the real sites and the good food that we have thanks
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    Carey - January 15 2008 @ 2:11 pm Hey Tony, I love your show man! It's really opened me up to trying different kinds of culturaly influenced food. It looked like you were really enojoying yourself in what looked to be what we know as a food court (somewhere i'm sure you don't go to often lol). I've actually been trying to search out in where i live (Long Island) to find some Osaka food, but i've yet to find anything that looks remotely close to what you ate. Where can i get some bone marrow and a straw around here?!?!? I guess i just hafta make the trip. I Wish i could do what you do man! I'm actually focusing my studies on Journalism right now(mostly music) but you've inspired me to consider Travel Journalism. Like you say in the beginning of your show, I travel, I write, I eat, and i'm Hungry for More (i hope that's not trademarked lol) Keep doing what you're doing bro!
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    Shawnaree - January 15 2008 @ 2:22 pm Soooo Tony, Are we really to believe that you take the time to read and (gasps)care about our blog posts sent out into the ether??? I could imagine a fair amount of morbid curiosity on your part when you know, you just KNOW that somewhere out there SOMEONE is talking smack on you! Regardless, if you or one of you minions actually read these posts, I wanted to share a "news of the weird" from here in the heartland. A local paper in Oklahoma reported an attempted murder, and the weapon was (drumroll here....) A pork-chop bone!!! I instantly thought of you and your love of all things porky, and would suggest this as a weapon for "shanking gabachos" that even YOU may not have yet thought of. heehee
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    Jaxie Waxie Woo - January 15 2008 @ 2:57 pm Kudos to the No Reservations online marketing strategists. If I am your targeted demographic -- you poor man, if so! -- they've done a great job figuring out where to buy banner ads. This morning I went to Gawker... there you were. Went to Frommers... there you were. Went to Gothamist... there you were. Ya really gotta stop stalking me, Tony.
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    mirinblue - January 15 2008 @ 3:47 pm Well! I must say, Tony, that I saw many pictures and heard a bite-by-byte replay of your night in the kitchen with Eric and it sure looked like you were holding your own. I was wondering about the little black skullies, health dept, huh? And we just thought they were there for the fa-fa-fashionistas out here. I heard that the food was delicious! So not to worry about holding your own...the old geezers never have anything to prove to the brash, young, irreverant snarkateers in cyber world! Rock on Brother...
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    Matt Schantz - January 15 2008 @ 4:50 pm Tony: As a cook who has just begun his journey in the world of professional kitchens, I join you in the extension of a middle digit to any who say that your opinions are somehow diminished by your retirement after 28 long and weird years from the world of the professional cook. There are those who say, and those who do, and for those who talk about what we do to not at least extend the tiniest measure of respect to us for the work we put in. Matt
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    Brittney Mims - January 15 2008 @ 5:19 pm Just a test
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    madukes - January 15 2008 @ 5:24 pm Tony, Tony, Tony: You have already been awarded a chef's greatest honor. Gordon Ramsay named one of his turkeys after you; then he roasted it and served it in one of his restaurants. There is a metaphor here. With fame and privilege comes the fire. madukes
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    Josh - January 15 2008 @ 5:24 pm Tony, that sounds like a thoroughly excellent episode and I'm looking forward to it. Your willingness to put yourself (or allow your producers to put you) in uncomfortable situations is just another reason why your show is one of the best on TV right now. (Plus after all the globetrotting, it's nice to see you back on the home front every now and then.) -Josh Brooklyn, NY
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    Dragun - January 15 2008 @ 5:39 pm You've taught me much through your show, to see the world with larger eyes. Don't listen to the Comic Book Guys of the world, they probably have Cheeto-stained fingers anyway...
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    Christa - January 15 2008 @ 6:15 pm Hello! I just got done reading your book, Kitchen Confidential and really enjoyed it. You should be very, very proud of yourself for so many things, but the one that stands out to me is the fact that you stopped your various addictions. (Well, not cigarettes, Guinness and booze, but that's okay). I've never been a drug addict but I can tell you that I volunteered at a needle exchange program in a large city and learned a great deal about heroin addiction. I have also had family members who were addicted as well. (Well, I did smoke cigarettes a long time ago, for 17 years, but quit and took up other addictions: running marathons and now, Tae Kwon Do). This impresses me the most about you! I just stumbled upon your show. The first one I've watched you traveled around Ireland. I went to Belfast and Dublin two years ago with my best friend, Sarina and loved the food. My relatives are Irish. This is probably silly to write you, but I was so impressed I just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed your book and I am really enjoying your television show! I wouldn't concern yourself with what other people are saying about you. With success comes jealousy always, and I think that you have already paid your dues! Look forward to seeing the rest of your shows!
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    diana - January 15 2008 @ 7:27 pm Tony? Your show's the best on the network! I absolutely love both you and the show! Keep up the good work! Oh! I wanna come too!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha.
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    Bill - January 15 2008 @ 9:18 pm How about Cook Free or Die t-shirts for sale? Or are they only for pros and not home cooks? On the Bon App podcast some jerk was badmouthing foodies. I notice you use the term a lot, care to comment? To me it was a like a baseball player bad mouthing his fans because they play in a park & rec softball league. Your show is great but in my book you lose credibility with the beer you drink. Your beer education is seriously lacking. Some of the slop you drink with really good food is just appalling. Would you drink Thunderbird at The French Laundry? Bill
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    angie - January 15 2008 @ 11:33 pm I love traveling and found your show on the travel channel while looking for something that would show me real people and how they really live. You have taken me to places I will never be able to visit and introduced me to cultures I could never hope to experience. Your show is so refreshing and real I am in the process of tracking down all the rerun episodes I can and watching them over and over. Thank you and please don't listen to the nah sayers they don't know what the hell they are talking about.
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    Lib - January 16 2008 @ 12:51 am Doesn't matter to me where you go next I just want to go with you. You start my week off on the right foot!! If you need a smoking and drinking buddy let me know.
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    Jeremy - January 16 2008 @ 1:38 am Hey man, I just returned from a long stint in central Asia, i read your books while i was there and am now hooked on the show. it's nice to see a real person who isn't afraid of culture on TV. By the way, your recommendations in Hong Kong were great, but as you know it's easy to find good food there. I look forward to the new season, take it easy.
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    Josemari - January 16 2008 @ 11:14 am Estoy leyendo tu libro "Confidencias de un Chef" "Kitchen Confidential", es genial, me está encantando. Leí una recomendación del chef Abraham García y le hice caso. Saludos
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    Camusman - January 16 2008 @ 12:55 pm Tony-- Love your show; love your writing even more. The Berlin show was good. But Dude, the Travel Channel needs to hook you up with a researcher. The reason for the close tie between Germans and Turks is that they were allies in World War One. Those were German-trained Turkish machine gunners who mowed down the Australians at Gallipoli.
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    Leandro Caffarena - January 16 2008 @ 2:55 pm Tony, in one of your books you wrote about these things telling that it's necessary to move on because otherwise how's going to feel the sous chef if he cannot be promoted just because you don't want to be moved from your kitchen. Same for saucier or poissonier til the commis. Don't worry. Things do not last forever and is the way that life is. Regards
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    Ressa - January 16 2008 @ 2:55 pm Tony you are hot still and you are loved and cherished. Don't be offended by people that might give you crap. So what you haven't cooked, your job is to explore the world, and that is exactly what you've been doing. Again, you are still hot!!! Lusted after etc. Love, Ressa
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    Matt Schantz - January 16 2008 @ 2:56 pm My original post got cut off - anyhow, just wanted to say, enjoy the TV stuff, old man - you've earned it.
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    Donna - January 16 2008 @ 4:43 pm Tony, I recently picked up the book "Last Dinners". All I can say is I liked your boner. Mmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmm you are one fine arse looking man.
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    Ian - January 16 2008 @ 5:39 pm Hey Tony, You make a good point but you also gotta consider that most of us who do work as craftsmen, (I'm a muralist/specialty painter)don't want to do it forever. Certainly when I'm up a 14 foot foyer with a brush on a ladder I am thankful every time I don't break my face. Much less the people i meet who get into this line-of-work later in life and are in their late 40s and 50s! The only ladder I want to be up when I'm 50 is a stepladder! Oh and don't people criticize the crap out of Gordon Ramsay? Since he doesn't work 24/7 as a chef? Just because you're not sweating behind the grill for a long 10 hour shift doesn't mean you've lost all ability to contribute to society! BTW I'd love to hear more Chef Gossip in your new books. I love hearing all the Ewok comments in your KC book. Some Rachel Ray or Paula Deen Bashing would be great!
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    Andrea - January 16 2008 @ 5:42 pm Tony, My husband and I are hooked on your show. Your exploration of a culture and its food is completely unique and extremely entertaining. Plus, you have the most wonderful sense of humor (completely twisted) and manage to crack us up at least once an episode. Keep up the good work!
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    Mark - January 16 2008 @ 6:18 pm I was practically raised in my mothers commercial kitchen - she catered international food & I was scullery help & third cook from an early age. I laugh out loud at any one who thinks they would enjoy opening their own place. Particularly if they are over 40. Its %#@! hard work & while I miss it you couldn't pay me enough to do it again. I was particularly moved by your NR episode with the bushmen. What you said about people offering you their food was exactly what my mother taught me. Because of her business I learned how to cook and appreciate foods from every corner of the world & often was reminded how important it was to those who called it their own. I'd kill to travel with you for a season!
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    Sol - January 16 2008 @ 7:57 pm Tony, The freaks over at the Nood Fetwork have your old bio up, complete with expired nuptial info. Who are these people and what are they thinking?
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    Sophia - January 16 2008 @ 8:25 pm Tony, If anyone talks crap about you it's really because they're jealous and realize you have the best job in the world. You have been a great inspiration for me to learn how to cook. I have become more open minded as an eater and when I travel I plan to take your advice to heart. Thank you for all you do.
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    pchak - January 16 2008 @ 9:47 pm Tony, I think that there would be some truth to those comments, if you were simply "talent" conjured up by some network exec (yum-o). You have a body of work that speaks for itself. With your kind of cred, you can say anything that you want, when it comes to the biz. That's what makes it so %#@! enjoyable. Thanks to Ruhlman for posting a link to your blog (yes, another food-p%#@ionate Clevelander). Cheers!
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    OT - January 17 2008 @ 12:27 am Hey Tony, I love the show and your commentary, but my impressions are that the locations are quite boring. I know about NYC, Cleveland, LA, Russia and so on....who CARES! I think that you should continue to do shows on the less "popular" locations as Namibia, Rajasthan, India and so on. There is this country off the west coast of Africa called CAPE VERDE...beautiful place and EXCELLENT seafood! If you haven't heard of this island do some research, it will be well worth your while. Hopefully you will devote one episode to this country. Thanks
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    OT - January 17 2008 @ 12:29 am Hey Tony, I love the show and your commentary, but my impressions are that the locations are quite boring. I know about NYC, Cleveland, LA, Russia and so on....who CARES! I think that you should continue to do shows on the less "popular" locations as Namibia, Rajasthan, India and so on. There is this country off the west coast of Africa called CAPE VERDE...beautiful place and EXCELLENT seafood! If you haven't heard of this island do some research, it will be well worth your while. Hopefully you will devote one episode to this country. Thanks
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    ebmfck - January 17 2008 @ 12:50 am I still think the reason S-H shut down the Food Network's boards was that we were having too much fun. I would have loved to do the tour that Singapore Sling was planning (I've seen the pictures). Having you as a guide to Saigon would have been perfect (actually a show of it's own). It was always interesting to hear your take on various comments. You and Mario were the only ones to ever get on the boards and comment. I've also seen your stuff on e-Gullet and you can get away with a lot more there!
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    Owen - January 17 2008 @ 2:14 am Tony, Look at all the above comments with nothing but love for you. You know thats how the majority feel. Forget those who criticize what you're doing. You've paid your dues. Just enjoy
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    cleo.ashby - January 17 2008 @ 3:13 pm
    the other night, while on stage in my anthony bourdain shirt, several people from the audience started shouting your name and praising you. after the show, they came up and asked where they could get one and were dissapointed when i told them i made it myself and it was a one-of-a kind. i think i might wear it everynight for the rest of tour!
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    redshoesangel - January 17 2008 @ 4:16 pm I had never heard of Anthony Bourdain until I moved to the USA last Ocober. I have spent 3 months DYING of boredom here with only the TV for company (husband relocated job here, I had to leave my job, friends, family etc...) I'm a cook too, and was a traveller once. Seeing Mr Bourdain's show has woken me up, made me think about food, life and people again - and forced me off the couch! I'm going to volunteer to cook for the homeless mission tomorrow, then next week help build some homes for them too. Thanks Anthony.
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    Jessica C. - January 17 2008 @ 5:04 pm I cannot wait to see this episode, even if it was inspired by a jack%#@. Your show and books are a large reason why I'm in love with the cooking industry and all it involves. It works for a sarcastic, dry-humored, yet mega multi-tasking chic like myself. If ticket sales say anything about what people think of you (not that you give a %$#@ anyway) two of the three events featuring you at the Florida Film Festival sold out in less than a day....Good thing I bought mine an hour after they went on sale. See ya March 29th!
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    Jean Paetkau - January 17 2008 @ 5:27 pm I am writing from the CBC in Vancouver. We are hoping to find out about your trip to Vancouver. Can you write to me as soon as possible. Thanks Jean
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    Carol - January 17 2008 @ 7:10 pm Hi Tony, I thoroughly enjoy your show and empathize when shots are shown of you working in a kitchen ... it's %#@! hard work ... I never worked in a kitchen, but have worked as a waitress in the long ago past ... a job I'm glad I don't do any longer. As a smoker myself, I'm also glad to see you lighting up during your show. You would think all the anti-smoking people would hope they can (and are trying to) enforce another prohibition only against smoking this time. Hooray for you to have the courage to smoke and let everyone see it.
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    Uncle Mike - January 17 2008 @ 7:15 pm Nothing nicer than seeing the embroidered name soaked with sweat and the smell of burning %$#@fingers on the line. tvshmeevee it takes balls to put it on the line in front of the camera regardless of age (old, I might add, is a state of mind and has ZERO to do with how long you've been breathing the air on the planet!!!) No way I could do 675 a nite! I'da been in the deep weeds by 250. The internet is nice but if you haven't done it STFU you have no clue what it's like. If you're a recent culinary school graduate hotshot you still have no clue. Tony I wish we could have cooked, drunk, spent time together. Lucky you to have avoided that. Unlucky me. It's a GIFT to be able to turn out the same %$#@ 600 times over in one nite - with EXCELLENCE! I don't think you learn that. You either have it or you don't. So %$#@all...let the geeks piss and bitch. They couldn't do it if their lives depended on it.
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    muriel - January 17 2008 @ 8:46 pm love you so much as a french expat,keep on going,i wish i could travel with you....with my jack russel..
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    Jack Straw - January 17 2008 @ 10:43 pm Too bad the Grateful Dead aren't around any longer. What a good episode that would have been for the show. Traveling city-to-city, country-to-country and trading scotch tape and a pack of smokes for corn dogs and beer. Talk about meeting interesting folks! Keep up the good work Tony.
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    stickybun - January 17 2008 @ 11:33 pm As a new restaurant owner (former FOH girl- who thought she could cook ?!) who has been inducted to the trial by fire-literally- of back breaking,mind altering,life sucking,16 hours a day of a restaurant kitchen, I can only say.... thank you. I respect and appreciate your insight with regard to being a chef and being a cook. There *are* differences. Both have huge merit and neither is pretty, really. I've only been behind the stove for a couple of years now but the thought of 23 years of it makes my knees and mind ache even more than they already do. All that being said, I think I've grown exponentially, as both a leader and a technician, not to mention a person. I hear echo's of this in your work. You are culminating a lot of freakin' years of hard%#@ work. Live it, love it, when you're 90 you won't look back and say *I wish I would have* Cheers!
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    Erin Marie - January 18 2008 @ 12:36 am Witty, intelligent, s%#@y, cultured, hard working, and down right good looking. Only but a few words I can use to explain you from what I see daily on my TV. Coming from a family of chefs, sauciers, and professional food lovers I say to you, “Cooking for the public, just loved ones, or friends it shouldn’t matter. Its your p%#@ion, gift, and one true love.” So why should it both you what people say about you missing that part of your life. I’m stating the obvious we all know this, and of course this is just my excuse to write to you and proclaim how you have my DREAM job. Traveling can be a pain in the %#@ as well but to open your eyes daily to new worlds and people trumps it all, and is so %$#@ing wonderful. You can cook anywhere you have the ability to have the best of both my favorite worlds. Not to mention as I go back to my first sentence seem like a %#@! fine human being on top of it. We see the smart %#@ here and there as well, which makes it even better. Your real, you’re known for your amazing food, and everything I’ve stated above. So now I’m just babbling, baby on my lap, it happens…and if you ever need a hot blonde to take over let me know haha.
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    caramac - January 18 2008 @ 1:38 pm "It's possible to hurt my feelings." Rubbish. Your delicate little feelings must be so utterly boosted by all the adoring fans who post snogs on every blog that bears you name that they must have by now become totally un%#@ailable, steroid-laden, drool-soaked hulks of feelings. No, I am NOT jealous.
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    Liz - January 18 2008 @ 2:59 pm You know what annoys me? When people come to DC and eat at Les Halles because it's "your restaurant". In the interest of full disclosure, I have yet to eat at Les Halles, mostly because there are enough quality indpendant bistros in the area to satisfy me. Why can't people try local flavor (Central? Br%#@erie Beck?) instead of a chain based on a TV personality?
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    Jenna - January 18 2008 @ 3:05 pm Tony, I really enjoy watching your show, I look forward to it every week. Your incredible culinary knowledge mixed with your dark humor is awesome. Honestly, I would probably watch you interview a hot dog vendor or even cook poop stew b/c as all of my friends and I agree, You're SO HOT.
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    Brandy Fox - January 18 2008 @ 3:21 pm I'm absolutely in love with you - If you're ever in Memphis look me up - we'll have a blast! I'll cook you up some good old turnip greens (with lots of bacon grease and sugar), fried pork chops, blackeyed peas and corn bread. We'll drive on over to Elvis's place and hang out in the Jungle Room.
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    Amy Thurlo - January 18 2008 @ 4:46 pm Hey,there are lots of things to keep in mind, here. First, doing a televsion show doesn't negate all the years you spent toiling in the kitchen--come on, even the president gets to take vacations. This job is different, but no less impactful on a daily basis; for example because of the show, I learned a whole lot about Beirut I never would have known, rounding the corners of my squared personality that much more. I've never watched a show that makes me want to go DO STUFF and learn things like yours does. Second, if No Reservations didn't exist, where would your crew find such gainful employment? The Food Network? Third, your show makes people happy. Which is what you were doing in the kitchen, just in a different way. Life can get pretty boring repeating endless versions of the same day, and that makes people boring and crabby. And nobody likes a crab.
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    Denyse - January 18 2008 @ 5:13 pm I wouldn't place that much importance on what people are saying about you not being the kitchen. Everyone brings with them in the here and now and in the future their past experiences. You have been fortunate enough to be a chef and all the skills that one needs to become a chef are now being utilized to expand the minds to embrace different cultures, politics (Beirut episode -was eye opening), and food in learning what our global world is about. I am a foodie, I am a traveler and I embrace what you are doing to bring into our living rooms and challenge us to look at the world beyond the 4/5 star hotels and resturants. It's a nice balance - so thank you!
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    Monica Cavanaugh - January 18 2008 @ 6:14 pm Tony, Puuuuh-leeeeze. You're fantastic. Cooking isn't a matter of standing serenely in your pretty white shirts, putting sprigs of things on other things, daintily pinching salt and spritzing things with lemons. We all know that. It's demanding work, and you played your cards well to find a way to move on and still dally in the life when you want to. In the words of the band 311, f*@& the nay-sayers cuz they don't mean a thing. Also, as a newbie writer, I really take to heart your apparent lack of fear when it comes to telling the truth. I've been told more than once by those who have written my few published bits that perhaps I'm putting too much out there - that my opinions are too harsh, or not politically correct or democratic or whatever else. But your honesty is what I aspire to, and I look forward to it with each new read. Now, having taken lots of bits of wisdom from your various books, I have a pretty random and somewhat embarr%#@ing request that I'm only forced to post here because hours of searching for a private way to message you have proven fruitless: I need some relationship advice from you!! (Oh yeah, have your laugh. I know you will.) Having wrangled my very own chef, I've come to realize that you may actually be the best person to ask my very unique-to-dating-a-chef questions. Ohhhhhhhhh it hurts to write this at all, to have to say "sooo, you know, if you felt like e-mailing me, that would be, like, pretty cool and helpful!" But I must. And I know you're busy with travel and baby and life, so I expect nothing at all and will still squeal with delight when your shows come on. But you know....if you felt like e-mailing me, that would, like, be pretty cool and helpful ;) You're awesome. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Monica
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    Adam Wright - January 18 2008 @ 6:40 pm Actually I could care less if you were a famous cook or not. That is not what the show is about. It is about a decently cool individual with a good sense of humor and a great appetite checking out the world. I dig it! JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD AJW
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    Wilmita - January 18 2008 @ 8:21 pm I totally understand where you're coming from. Restaurant cooks are a closed society as strong as the police or teachers. Once you cross those borders we are afraid, (like the song "Toyland"), you can never return again. That voice in our heads never ceases because we believe with our whole body, soul and everything we have in what we do. It seems impossible, since we are still believers, to leave those who are still in the trenches carrying on our life's work for REAL. The worse thing is to have someone who hasn't cooked, taught or walked a beat for a few years dictating what we should do. I saw that glint in your eye in Philadelphia on December 1st. It didn't surprise me how you've longed to go back and prove your 'kitchen cred', with none other than Eric Ripert. I'm sure it felt GOOD! You still got it! Regards, Wilmita
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    Lady Isabeaux - January 19 2008 @ 12:07 am Whether you're cooking in a kitchen or traveling the world tasting the oddest of cuisine, I find you captivating on many levels Tony. I find myself wishing I could reach thru the TV screen and give you some "love and lady kisses!." Keep on keepin' on!
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    Sue Ellen - January 19 2008 @ 1:41 am Dear Anthony, You are only but human! It is absolutely normal to get irritated or hurt by the criticism of the jealous looser that cries green with envy watching your success! Apparently, there’s no dimension to the person diminishing you because you are not behind a stove cooking for the m%#@es. It must be sad to be blinded in such way. How can someone separate the ecstasies in the kitchen from culture? They are imperative to one another. And your show brings them to us (viewers) together. You have an amazing talent. You are so %$#@ing intelligent! Can someone please tell me of a chef that writes in an entertaining and eloquent way? A chef that actually knows Timbuktu is a city and not a “mythical timeless land?” Please find me a chef that can babble about food, religion, politics, culture and customs successfully and spontaneously? I am sure there I have seen a few that are fabricated. But, you Tony, you are a natural. Thus the reason you are the best! Thank you! Thank you for the entertainment and education you give me. I simply love you! ---A big fan
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    GoddessIrena1 - January 19 2008 @ 11:19 am Hello Tony..Looking forward to seeing all your earlier shows on the other network on Tuesday nights. as, you heard from all your fans they are exciting and informative,just as your new blog here. I especially enjoyed your India trip. Thursday night .(I had seen it prior and glad to see it again.)It is a very mello and colorful place.And of course glad to see you as "Vegetarian!"(Hope I didnt hurt your feelings.) However I do hope you are over your "Accomodation" in Namibia.and your "remedY' of snakein Viet Nam, I am sure you wish to live in a civilized order. Thanks for your great excursions! Goddess Irena1 http://www.biznet1.com/goddessirena1/gallery/index12.html
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    GoddessIrena1 - January 19 2008 @ 11:28 am Hello Tony..Looking forward to seeing all your earlier shows on the other network on Tuesday nights. as, you heard from all your fans they are exciting and informative,just as your new blog here. I especially enjoyed your India trip. Thursday night .(I had seen it prior and glad to see it again.)It is a very mello and colorful place.And of course glad to see you as "Vegetarian!"(Hope I didnt hurt your feelings.) However I do hope you are over your "Accomodation" in Namibia.and your "remedY' of snakein Viet Nam, I am sure you wish to live in a civilized order. Thanks for your great excursions! Goddess Irena1 http://www.biznet1.com/goddessirena1/gallery/index12.html
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    Patti Duke - January 19 2008 @ 12:56 pm Tony, you are a freakin' riot and screw the nay sayers, we can nay say much better than the jealous people, anyway! Anyway, we look forward to going to your restaurant in Miami this year and we love taking trips with you around the world. You make us laugh out loud, the hell with the disclaimer, my 12 year old loves your show, ah but alas, not as much as his dart gun. Hey, there is a lot of love on this blog, how do you feel about being "hot" man, that's cool! Maybe you'll be in People this year as one of the hottest 50, or 100 or whatever they do, in the world...hmmm, now there's a goal! Stay hot, have fun and rock on!
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    Stephanie - January 19 2008 @ 12:56 pm Chef Bourdain, this is a (soon to be 18 yrs old) Singaporean here. Just to echo what other people from all around the globe are saying: Do not let the haters have the satisfaction of knowing they have hurt you. There will always be a price for fame, for that is the way the world works but that fame has led to beautiful things too. Watching you embrace my culture (even though Malaysians are from Malaysia, not Singapore) and other cultures has been an entertaining, educational and meaningful ride. So thank you for it and please stay strong.
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    cmechriss - January 19 2008 @ 1:45 pm I see it this way, I am a woman in my mid to late 40's and not to slam those who give us ideas on how to cook on the Food Network. However, I already cook and know how to cook and albeit I get some great ideas I am at the point in my life that I want to view food from a different perspective. I have forced people to sit and watch an episode of No Reservations who walked away from the experience learning that this is much better than measuring and waiting for something to finish cooking.
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    Jann - January 19 2008 @ 4:42 pm Snow - lots of it - and I'm searching for a recipe based on bourbon - lots of it. Ended up on your site and, uncharacteristically, decided to comment. I know almost nothing about Food (capitalization intended)but am trying to learn a little about life. Who gives a %#@! about your age? Do what you love and continue to defy the expected.
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    Rebecca - January 19 2008 @ 8:37 pm Tony, My daughter and I are completely hooked on your show. We love your brazen NY attitude, sense of humor, guts, and of course respect total respect for other’s culture and beliefs. It would be an honor to meet you one day. How true, you are the rock star of the food world!!! The travel channel is a much more exciting place with you in it!
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    Rebecca - January 19 2008 @ 8:40 pm Tony, My daughter and I are completely hooked on your show. We love your brazen NY attitude, sense of humor, guts, and of course your total respect for other’s culture and beliefs. It would be an honor to meet you one day. How true, you are the rock star of the food world!!! The travel channel is a much more exciting place with you in it!
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    Danielle - January 19 2008 @ 9:40 pm Tony, I'll admit I'm not an avid watcher, and don't tune into the travel channel every Monday night. When I do catch myself on the travel channel I'm always tuned into your witty and sarcastic comments, which leave me confident in personalities like yours and mine. I'm graduating college this May, and am extremely anxious for what life has in store for me. I admire your life's work and want to have a traveling career much like your own, any suggestions how to obtain a travel show for a nobody? If not, are you hiring?
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    Oswald Chong - January 20 2008 @ 2:07 am I remember you used a spoon to eat durian in Indonesia and that makes me worship you as a "Food God"! Then you went to Namibia to put that nasty cow brain and bug in your mouth! You're "Food Devil"! Go on, I won't be worried about what others say. Just be yourself! You're the God and the Devil! You're the Buddha and the Satan of Food!
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    Adam C - January 20 2008 @ 4:06 am There seems to be a bunch of people kissing your %#@. I am wrong, there are alot of people kissing your %#@. Good for you. You are an example of true honesty. True inner reflection. Hunter S would be proud and I hope he was a fan when he was alive. By the way that some of your fans respond I now know what the writers in the writers strike do at night. Not a jab. Just a reflection on how smart your fans are.
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    Richard - January 20 2008 @ 9:15 am Your sense of humor and erudite writing makes you my FAVORITE TV star. Regards Richard, the English Ph.D.
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    vashtheredwolf - January 20 2008 @ 2:04 pm write how you would talk, not how you would read see ya space cowboys........
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    Linda - January 20 2008 @ 4:18 pm Frankly I don't care if you are full of %$#@. You are the greatest thing since chopped liver. I just recently started watching your show, and now I am totally addicted. I have to have my "Tony" fix. I just think New Yorkers are the smartest people in the world. I grew up there but have been in Phoenix for 7 years. My heart and soul will always be in New York. I just think you are a breath of fresh air in this phony, yes-man, game-playing world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing so much joy and laughter into my life. I would be curious as to which is your favorite show of the ones you have taped. Any chance you will be coming to Phoenix? There must be good food here somewhere.
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    Celeste - January 20 2008 @ 8:50 pm I recall a similiar situation when as a caterer, my ability to deliver was questioned because I didn't own my very own restaurant. When meeting with people to discuss a menu, I would come up against folks who wanted a four star dinner at fast food prices simply because my name wasn't over the door of any restaurant. I wanted to sound off like Anthony but confess to never having the guts. Your show is phenomenal as it mixes two of my most favorite things, three actually when you throw in a great chef with a lot of personality.
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    k - January 20 2008 @ 10:54 pm Tony- read your blog...interesting,if nothing else. Is this you, or is this just another network pushing someone for more ratings? Do you really believe this %$#@? Who are you impressing, or better yet what are you trying to prove? You get your feelings hurt because someone insults your inability to fight it out in the kitchen (anymore). It sounds like you went through all this to prove things to yourself, more than anything. And perhaps, you miss being in the kitchen as well. Change is inevitable. Growing old is inevitable. Taking other people's %$#@ is optional.
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    Susan - January 20 2008 @ 11:26 pm The show is a reflection of the originality of its host--entertaining, knowledgeable and real. Can't wait for the new season! Delighted you had the opportunity to grab the Br%#@ Ring with your TV career. No apologies or self recrimination necessary. What could be better? Well, maybe...YOU boning out my squab.
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    Stephany Folsom - January 21 2008 @ 1:25 am I'm a huge fan of your writing and NO RESERVATIONS. People's careers morph into exciting new directions and it doesn't change where you are going and where you have come from, so keep going forward. In fact, your work inspired me to start an interesting way of sharing food with my friends. I've started THE LAST SUPPER CLUB. At the Last Supper Club we dine on the famous (and infamous) last suppers of the rich, the famous and generally odd mishaps that cause other to shuffle off this mortal coil. Check out what we are doing at http://folsomprison.wordpress.com I'm not sure if you even read these comments, but just in case - thanks for expanding our ideas about food.
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    Mike - January 21 2008 @ 2:07 am Your show is still the best thing on tv--really, the only thing my wife and I watch. I think I enjoyed the Osaka and Ireland episodes most. Though, the Beirut episode gave me pause. A very different show, I think. The dinner table may still be the "great leveller." I don't think I buy that "crushed beneath the same terrible wheel" business. There are too many good things in life for that.
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    Alicia - January 21 2008 @ 3:34 am Tony, I bet you 100% that those who are trying to put you down for not being in the kitchen anymore have never stepped one foot in a professional kitchen before (and maybe not even in a home kitchen), and never will. So, to all those who dare criticize, after you've already paid your dues for 28 years, tell them just to kiss your @#%, really. I dare them to do it even for 3 months, and see what they say after that (that is, if they survive)! Please just keep what you've been doing. They envy you because, unlike the majority of the population, you have found your calling and have not one, not two, but THREE successful careers. How many people can say that at 51??....heck, even at 71!!! I admire you (and envy you...in a good way) for that! And not only that but, like someone already commented on another post, you also overcame addiction. Dang! You are one of a kind!! Keep changing, but in the way you have been doing it so far...by exploring and learning and sharing it with the rest of the world. Alicia
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    Jen Whitten - January 21 2008 @ 10:14 am I'm equally impressed whether you are slaving in the kitchen or traveling the world.
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    Ron - January 21 2008 @ 12:51 pm I enjoy "No Reservations" whenever I watch it. However, I WAS troubled by something that I heard Anthony say on the show when in Mexico. He used the term "Viva La Rasa." Do you not know that La Rasa is one of those radical leftist groups that believe that parts of the sw United States was stolen from Mexico, by treaty, and they have every intention of taking these lands back. This seems to me to be a rather un-American point of view in supporting these radical leftists.
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    Marty - January 21 2008 @ 1:53 pm Tony, Forget what I said about your gnarly feet (episode?). The Beirut episode was rivetting and it was real, in all respects. Marty
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    Paul Garneau - January 21 2008 @ 2:21 pm William Sonoma is marketing a pan with seven rounded pockets in it. You are supposed to make small round pancakes in it. It looks like you could also make those Japanese goodies in it that Chef Bourdain ate when he was touring a Japanese city with two %$#@-faced vaudville-like commedians. Egg batter. Various ingredients. You cook them yourself turning them over with chop sticks. Are there recipes out there for these things? Or do we just try to catch the show again and then improvise? Someone please email me at paul@warmingsun.com
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    Ulla - January 21 2008 @ 11:21 pm I watched your new Zealand show today and I feel a better person for it. Your show is so much more than food, it is about people, and you are so eloquent about what you see, and then taste. Thank you!
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    Robert - January 21 2008 @ 11:47 pm Tony, You are the antidote I look forward to every Monday after a week of crap on TV. Full stop. Thanks for being you. Robert
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    Matt - January 21 2008 @ 11:49 pm I was just watching your Vancouver show and you were giving advice to not get into the chef business if they are over 25 years old. I have to say your dead wrong and should not give career advice. I have been a F&B Director for over 20 years and the best chefs I have found are 40 to 50 years old and have traveled throughout the world and worked there way up from Sous. So don't get discouraged if your 45 and love to cook and would like to get involved in food service.
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    Christine - January 21 2008 @ 11:56 pm Through your dialogue and ability to keep it all real, you make me want to go wherever you've been. Thanks for opening the door to worlds I might otherwise find unattainable.
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    Mandy - January 22 2008 @ 12:15 pm Hey Tony, Although I'm not what I'd call a snarky foodie, I am a foodie none the less. Straight out of college, I read Kitchen Confidential, and decided that (although I was a four-year English major) that working in a professional kitchen was my true calling. My sorry, exhausted, unabashedly weeping %!$ lasted exactly two and a half days in a restaurant that only seats 40 on a busy day! All the !&@#! making comments need to actually work in a kitchen for a few hours in July or August. I have no freaking idea how you lasted over 20 years in a professional kitchen, but you clearly earned your new gig. Best of luck, we're all huge fans of the show!
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    Philip - January 22 2008 @ 2:28 pm You have grown from, and out of the times in the kitchen. You are doing the same basic things, when it comes to the, or anything remotely close to the important stuff. The stuff like keeping it real with the people. You are doing that, but in a quite frankly more personal way. To add you are doing it with many different nationalities, and dialects to boot. I have to say you have done nothing but broaden your entire professional standing as a chef. You then go on to add comedy, suspense, and beauty. You wrap this up so wonderfully, in a package of the most splendid television viewing. And you also, as the cherry on the top, honestly, humanely, with such natural flowing composition add the word &^%!. Bravo. Forget what those people say. See the jealous as jelious, not rebellious, and the threat will be not there, as it truly never was. Oh yeah, as for cutting it physically. So the &^%! what if you're in your 50s and get more exhausted than when you were in your prime. Though from me to you, I have on more than one occasion seen you chug up a hill. So could I suggest a B-complex vitamin ( one without all the added crap ) a few times a day, and perhaps get a testosterone level check, and some T-Rub ordered up if need be. I'm not a health nut, but have found both helped me.
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    Tommy Naples - January 22 2008 @ 2:41 pm Tony!!! You are a beacon of light in the culinary darkness of what has become a elaborate sideshow of celebrity faces in chef’s clothing. Rachel Rays come and go according to ratings and Wheat Thin sales, but Tony Bourdain, you are anchored, bro. You are one of a very small minority that have pulled back the curtain to reveal the wizards for the charlatans that they are. I find your commentary refreshingly honest, peppered with the type of sarcasm I can truly appreciate. You have been to the very place that these other posers have only casually considered, then dismissed as unnecessary in their quest to become the Next Food Network talking skull. And funny!!!! Warthog *&^%#@, now that is a delicacy that you won't find anywhere else. Keep doing what you are doing T, because you actually have a following that listens, laughs and cares. It may ALL be bull%$#@, but it is honest &%^# It entertains, it teaches, and it stirs p%#@ion to learn more and that is saying something. If I was to play the “dinner with 10 fascinating people in history” gig, you would be sitting between Charles Kuralt and Gandhi. Peace, brother.
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    Annonymous - January 22 2008 @ 3:44 pm Eeeh, I vote for the middle finger. grin, Neida
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    Carol - January 23 2008 @ 12:13 pm Hi Tony, I think your great!!! I love watching your show. It is by far, one of the most interesting on tv today. I enjoy your smart #!?@ comments immensenly. As for hurting your feelings, I have found it's just because someone is jealous of you. Keep up the good work.
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    Annonymous - January 23 2008 @ 7:35 pm As someone who has cooked professionally for over ten years now, let me say, anyone that talks smack about you deserves the middle finger, and a solid beating. Jealous cooks don't deserve a p%#@ing thought from you. I admire what you have done, and what you have accomplished. Frick'n haters! Also, anyone that's never cooked professionally a day in their life, really should bite their lips,should they consider speaking ill of you, because they are truly clueless. And they REALLY don't deserve a fleeting thought. F#%$ all your detractors Tony! F#@% 'em in the A$$!
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    Lindsay Register - January 23 2008 @ 9:54 pm What you're doing is not just making television, but you are also showing people - those nerds that sit on their %#@ all day, those small town people who can't see the world outside of their one redlight town - that there is more out there then just what they see on the tv. You were a cook, you still are a cook. What you do in the past never really leaves you, it stays with you. And your experiences as a cook is a huge tie into culture, even if it's just making a steak or putting together a plate with raw scallops. I would give anything to have seen the world like you do, but to at least see it through your eyes and your opinions is in some strange way a confidence builder, or a release of ones own curiosity about what's outside of the country they're in. You've busted your %#@ as a cook, and now you still bust your %#@, even if it's on television for the world to see, you're giving something else to the world. It's amazing.
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    Kay - January 23 2008 @ 10:48 pm These snarky bloggers would go home crying midway through a Monday lunch rush at Applebee's - as a host. On the line they'd probably leave as soon as they found out they don't get sitting breaks. Anyone who spends even ten years as a cook should be given a m%#@age-chair and a high-paying job that can be performed from the comfort of said m%#@age chair. And a pair of new knees. You've more than put in your time, and now you have the experience and knowledge to travel the world and critique food and know what you're talking about.
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    Doris - January 24 2008 @ 12:53 pm You know, this may not mean much coming from a single mom who currently lives in the south, but you do so much more in your television show than saute some stuff for a fancy restaurant (I mean no disrespect to that occupation). Not only do you personalize the rest of the world for us, you also validate the simple way of life that most of us try to live. You don't just visit fancy restuarants and tell us where to eat if we should get to go abroad, you take us into other people's homes and favorite local spots. This may be a stretch, but you also help the cause of homecooking. Your show celebrates the tradition of food that is celebrated in homes every night by families that are cooking family meals that have been p%#@ed on from generation to generation. Food is history and you seem to understand that. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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    Sake - January 24 2008 @ 4:08 pm Hey Chef Tony ! When I first started reading your post, I was thinking "what crap, he's already paid his dues !" Then when I read that you were going to go back test your old restaurant to test your mettle, I had a horrible flash of you being carted off by Emergency Services, as Nari attempted CPR. I'm glad that you survived the challenge, but I'm not at all surprised that you can still work a saucepan. I have been catching your show sporadically for a while now, and I like the style of your writing, or I should say narrating. I had always thought that kimchee was just coleslaw, until I saw the show that you did in Korea. I thought, "hmm, that looks like it might be tasty." That's saying a lot, considering that I'm a man that will never taste kiesch, not even at gunpoint. I finally set up my VCR to tape your show, and I just watched the Vancouver episode. I was enjoying myself, thinking "Is the guy's name really Tojo ? Yeah right, that's gotta be Tony being a wise %#@ again." Then you showed up on the site of 'Far Cry', and my jaw just dropped. You probably didn't know, but Uwe Boll is almost universally hated by video gamers, because the game-based movies that he has been making have pretty much sucked, despite having a good budget, and in many cases, decent actors. The good news is that your performance will probably be as good as anyone else's in the movie. The bad news is that you probably receive some rhetoric from disgruntled gamers. In closing, I just want to respectfully make two requests. First, please quit smoking... yes I'm a 'quitter', so I know how hard that it is to do. We all have to go sometime, but I would rather tune into CNN 20 years from now to hear that you have died in a m%#@ive souffle explosion in Tanu Tuva, instead of hearing that you p%#@ed away in a Jersey hospital from cancer. Second, the next time that you see Nari, please hug the stuffing out of her for me. She is just too frickin' cute ! ja mata
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    doug bond - January 24 2008 @ 6:43 pm "NO reservations" is the only thing, basically, that's worth watching on Cable (%#@uming that you agree that network is ...); Travel or Food network. Of COURSE it's not a "cooking behind the scenes" program: duh, that's why it's on the Travel channel. Reminds me and enlivens about the places. Great stuff. Keep up the smoking too...
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    Colin - January 24 2008 @ 10:17 pm First and foremost I would say that any snob who says you are a %$#@ and has never spent a day of their life in a kitchen can go %$#@ themselves. I have to say that I only started watching your show a few months ago, but from the very first episode I was entirely hooked. My father is a huge fan of yours and he was the one that introduced me to the show. I think we both would kill to get your show on DVD! Tell whoever needs to be told so we can get our fix. Keep up the fantastic work Tony!
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    Kim - January 25 2008 @ 2:35 pm I'm a huge fan of yours, and I'm wondering if you take recommendations for out-of-the-way eats? I just got back from a 7 week trip in Ethiopia, and if you ever plan on eating around that country, there is a tiny truck stop in the village of Elowah, located in the Afar region, that has the best shiro wat you'll find anywhere. Just ask for Sintayut.
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    Suzann Hallman - January 25 2008 @ 4:07 pm I am thrilled that you are not tied to the kitchen- instead, you are taking us all to these fantastic places we cannot go, since we are still stuck in the grind. I am hooked on your show, and I love talking to people about the episodes. You are cynical, jaded, and above all, brutally honest. It is a nice change to watch a show without shiny, happy, trite nonsense. I love your descriptions and your sense of humor (my favorite being the description of wearing a bib in Ireland!) Keep doing what you are doing, and we will all be waiting for more. Suzann
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    Amanda in Texas - January 25 2008 @ 5:05 pm Tony, Love you and the show. I never miss an episode. That said, as far as you so called critics...Screw them! You go ahead and hold that middle finger up high and proud and tell them to %$#@ OFF, then put your feet up and have a stiff drink! Just keep doing what makes YOU happy and tell everyelse to kiss your %#@. They are just jelous that you have such a great job! Luv, Amanda
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    Faulen Willoughby .. ex-rapper and lover of good food - January 25 2008 @ 8:01 pm Brother... If you're going to do it, then do it big. The only one you should feel the need to top is yourself, FOR YOURSELF. after watching your shows and reading your material... I'm sure you'll kick %#@. If you ever find yourself out in Orlando, Fl anytime soon, hit me up... I'll burn up a greasy porkchop for you... that's my specialty. :) Good Luck
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    Rich Galvan - January 26 2008 @ 4:51 am The pathetic need of others to put down those that exhibit natural, pure, and above average character is indeed one that deserves a good old middle fingers. Anthony you said it best my friend, %$#@ them! As a person and a writer you stand as a role model for me. I like your work my friend.
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    Bill - January 26 2008 @ 1:46 pm Hey Tony if you ever need another american to travel with you let me know. I am free anytime would like to visit some of those off the road spots with you. Keep up the good work Love the program. Bill
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    kitchenchimp - January 27 2008 @ 11:37 pm Tony, When you work in a kitchen 10-14 hours a day for 28 years YOU have paid your dues. And when you stop working in a kitchen (whether it be Chef or kitchen chimp), you have paid enough dues to last a lifetime. I no longer work as a line cook but I do remember: the long shifts where it felt my skin was washed with duck breast fat, and the inside of my nose feeling like I had been snorting panko, my arms looking like I had been burned by hot pokers (in fact sometimes I had been), my contacts being heat sealed to my eyeballs by the steamer, the "fryolator" burns and the holes the oil bored into my skin before it finally bored the signal into my brain ("FUUUUCK") over the shouts of "12 ounce Rib, 6 all day", feeling like sticking my feet, head, knees but mostly spine inside the restaurant's ice machine. Then after cooking endless meals for guests, that would never know how tired I was or how hard I worked (and would be doing so the next day and the next and the...) Only to have to wash dishes at the end of my shift because a dishwasher didn't show up for his (or her) shift. And how I envied them in a weird way because they finally wised up to the hardest %$#@ing job in the restaurant. And the greatest injustice?, to find that the Bar had closed early and that I can't wash down my aspirin with a shift drink or two (while I finish the pans and or the mats). I miss the line, the camaraderie, the team work, laughing, calling each other names in Spanish, creating new recipes (when someone else is doing the clean up) and meeting of some of strangest yet most endearing people I will ever meet (outside of traveling). Now let some young punk have my position, he can learn to pay his dues. I appreciate all your hard work and expertise. Thanks to you and the crew for the show, B
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    Christina Reedy - January 28 2008 @ 2:48 pm Tony, you do such a great job. It's such a great change of pace when i tune into your show. I appreciate your storytelling, love the sarcastic and candid comments. It's real and what most people would say if they were introduced to new foods and cultures. It's one of the few shows my hubby and I can actually agree upon watching together. Don't worry about what some stupid focus group is saying about your drinking..if they don't like it they can change the channel and there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the show and through out to reminder the average viewer that this is no ordinary show. Don't change a thing..keep doing what you do.
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    Helen - January 28 2008 @ 11:51 pm can i just say....i just started watching your show religously annnnddd.....you are my new favorite person on television/in life...well, for now. you know until some other chef hottie comes around..just kidding anyways, you absolutely rock! am actually watching your new episode right now as i write this! rock on dude..and eff the haters. your blogs are such a fun read. ps. when are you coming to DC!?!?
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    Amanda - January 29 2008 @ 1:10 am Certainly everyone is entitled to an opinion. Anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry knows just how opinionated people can get about their food. Everyone is a critic. However, the fact is, I don't care what Joe Blow thinks about food/world cultures. Why do I care what you think? Because not only have you been in the trenches, doing the dirty work that professional cooks do, but you have an obvious reverence for food and the people who create it. To top it off, your honest and often hilarious spin on things is highly entertaining. THAT is why you are on t.v. and not Joe Blow. You seem to be the spokesperson for chefs/cooks everywhere. You don't gloss over how tough it is in this industry. I will continue to happily watch your shows and read your books because you are real and I appreciate that.
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    Lee - January 29 2008 @ 11:58 am anthony! (beautiful name, can't call u tony) did you get married? is that a wedding ring we saw on your finger last night? :) well even tho a wee bit bummed, be happy, be well.<3 your sense of humor is hysterical. i liken myself to be kind of a crack up too. i can't believe that you even out do ME. when you were with the greeks and they were shooting off their guns we howled. first you spotted the ammo and then all hell broke loose. you make us laugh. your humor is harmless and disarming. laughter is everything and for that we thank you very much! love, lee and family
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    rachel healey - January 29 2008 @ 1:32 pm As long as you still enjoy what you are doing, and from watching your programmes, you love it, what does it matter what people say? You bring so much enjoyment for so many people, whether its the food, the company or the place you are visiting that many many people have been inspired by you, either to travel or broaden the culinary exoerience. I certainly have!
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    Dish Washer Alumnus - January 29 2008 @ 2:48 pm I constantly laugh when friends say "I'm a good cook. I wish I would have become a chef." I busted my butt in what at the time was referred to as a "Supper Club" and I always tell them they have no idea what a night's work in a busy kitchen is like. I look forward to your special from Les Halls. It will remind me of the good old days. - Dish Washer Alumnus
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    David Wells - January 29 2008 @ 2:53 pm Hi Anthony F'em! Keep up the good work! You are on the Travel Channel, not the abysmal Food Network. If they don't like what you're doing, maybe they should tune in to Giada's cooking show. Dave Wells
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    Kim Wylie - January 29 2008 @ 4:19 pm That is some insane work! A double shift in the middle of the holiday season?? Haven't seen the episode yet, but whether you made it through the day or not, that's TOUGH! I don't think I would have attempted it without the aid of expensive tequila, myself. I'll be shocked if you honestly maintained your sobriety through the whole filming. As for the cubicle gnome with the snide remark, I say keep your finger raised with pride and tell him where to shove it. After 28 years of hell over a sautee station, you've earned your place in the spotlight. (And PLEASE don't put yourself down to the same level as Ryan Seacrest. That's just F-ed up.)
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    Stephanie - January 29 2008 @ 7:34 pm For every ONE of someone like that, there are probably hundreds (thousands?) of people like me who absolutely ADORE you and your work. Our copy of KC is tattered, covered in various remnants of sauce(s), bookmarked, half-burnt, and still the most wonderful cookbook in our collection. Les Halles was/is spectacular and you should not let some douchebag like that get to you. Keep up the tremendous work! You are the BEST!
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    James T - January 30 2008 @ 12:11 am Bourdain, I hear ya. Cooking is not a job, it is a lifestyle. Going in for a "Victory Tour" is admirable and slightly insane. So do a couple of lines (your choice of flavor) and ride the rush to "just past midnight" in the city that never sleeps. Ciao! Did you weigh yourself before you did this? I bet you dropped a few pounds working the saute line!
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    Ran - January 30 2008 @ 10:26 am When I hear you say, "now that's really good" it reminds me when I cook for friends and I receive my own "now that's really good" comment. Food and eating are transcendental, regardless if you're a chef standing behind a stove or cook standing behind a stove. The eating and friendship are what it is all about.
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    John Dittmer - January 31 2008 @ 2:45 pm Anthony: You have nothing to prove to anyone but yourself. My grandparents busted their bust for years in a small Greek-American diner so my brother and I could have better lives. Working in any successful restaurant is always going to be hard work. You have more than earn the right to enjoy life and see the world and share your experiences with the rest of us. Perhaps you will help to enlighten the m%#@es about food and the culinary lifestyle. For example, absinthe was illegal in the US when you went to Paris, considered the evil drink. Now it's a perfectly legal drink here in the US with big companies pouring money into its distibution(be careful what you do next on the show!) You're definitely a trendsetter and cool in my book. Remember, we are only really sure about the life that we have now, so make the most of it. As a Christian, I believe in Heaven, but I think the only people you'll see working in the kitchen there are thoe who doing it for pleasure. Take care and enjoy life.
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    Brian - January 31 2008 @ 6:58 pm Hey Tony, Quit whining, down some pain killers, slam some coffee and get your #$%@ing meez together. And don't #$%@ up or we'll have to give you a new nickname. Haha Much love from Portland's cooks. Love your show, don't take and crap from the arm chair wannabes.
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    maricel - February 01 2008 @ 1:35 am hi anthony. you are one hilarious muther-effer. keep up the good work!!!!
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    Rodney - February 01 2008 @ 2:14 am Anthony and I graduated together imagine my suprise that "Tony from Jersey" is some hot%$#@ TV chef but i tell you after scanning his blog here,anybody that doubts his talent or ability to kick out top notch product at his age should pack a big lunch.He is the Real Deal
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    Tom - February 01 2008 @ 1:42 pm Thanks to your show, my wife and I find ourselves wanting to travel to places we would not have thought of. We've been traveling since we were married 9 years ago and have no plans to stop. I think you combine a great balance of local customs, culture and cuisine which should be experienced by any traveler when visiting not only a foreign country, but different cities within their own country. We've been fortunate to have made friends along the way which enables us to experience different countries from a local perspective. I'll also sheepishly admit, we do the tourist things at times too. I don't care how long you've been in or out of a kitchen, your show is an eye opener to what the world has to offer and anybody with a brain larger than a Guinea Pig turd should be able to recognize that.
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    ara sahelian - February 01 2008 @ 4:07 pm NO NEED TO BE AN UGLY AMERICAN Tony, While I enjoy your shows, the trip to Greece was a disaster. You had no reservation displaying your dislike for these people. You crossed the line from measured sarcasm to outright disdain. It made for a show which was, frankly, painful to watch.
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    John D - February 01 2008 @ 5:10 pm Tony, Have you already done LONDON ENGLAND? http://www.JohnDennerRocks.com
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    Chris Mushall - February 01 2008 @ 7:04 pm Screw um Tony. Its kinda like when you were a line cook and chef told you "thats a great idea! You can due it when your the chef!" Anyone who has busted thier %#@ in 110 degree kitchen for 12-16 hours 6 days a week can understand that and if they can't then they have not done it long enough. You've done what we all aspire too; travelling, eating and drinking. Hell yeah you done your time. Peace, love and chicken grease. Chris
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    redzin - February 01 2008 @ 11:46 pm To the funniest SOB on TV. My hat off to your zest for food, drink, and sarcasm. May I suggest my favorite scenic & culinary place on Earth - Sardinia. It should be right up your alley. Take the ferry from Corsica, and experience THE most beautiful coast of Capo Testa. Even the sting of a Medusa (jellyfish) that you might encounter at the local spiagia picola is worth the price of admission. And don't miss the experience of a tasting menu at Su Gologone! forse agnello cervello (perhaps lamb's brain?) Era delizioso! And there's nothing like 25 yr old, home made, Grappa, following lunch prepared by local fisherman. It makes life worth living. Cin-Cin!
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    poroma - February 05 2008 @ 3:25 am you should visit Dhaka, Bangladesh with me....trust me, it'll be fun
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    Megan - February 06 2008 @ 1:32 am Screw'em! I have just in the past week discovered the joy that is your show, and I'm utterly hooked! I just finished the Tuscany show as I type this. I don't know what hole I've had my head in, but I'm glad it's out now. I worked in the restaurant industry for several years in and out of college, although on the other side of the counter. My ex, however was pantry chef>line cook> head chef>gill cook at the freakin golf course because he couldn't take the pressure anymore. It's a glory job, but glory fades, and soon, it's just the aggression and smell of sweat and grease you’re stuck with. That is unless you can find a way to lengthen the ride. Any Chef worth his Henkel’s would trade places with you in one second! By the way ... know any good places to eat in Tampa
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    Jude - February 06 2008 @ 8:38 pm Tony: Unless someone actually is in the trenches they will never understand that this experience stays with you for the rest of your life no matter how many times you re-visit the hot blooded, steamy inferno like dens of iniquity, you still retain a level of expertise that can not be judged nor surp%#@ed. Heres to you from a retired dragon waitron and mother of a chef!
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    Eunice - February 07 2008 @ 2:18 pm Look at all these comments!! You are a human being, dude! We all question our validity as a person. We all wonder if we aren't complete phony's from time to time. No one gets out of this experience (Life) alive, so we might as well make as many mistakes as possible. What fun is it to live your life behind a stove? I love, love, love food and travel. Do I cook much, these days? Nope! I still love to watch people do it, talk about it, try things and meet new people, all %#@ociated with food! I'm a foodie. I think your show rocks! You rock! I even have myself a Team Bourdain shirt to prove that you rock! Keep on keeping on!
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    Sue in one of those Rochesters - February 07 2008 @ 5:51 pm Comments insulting your distant background?? I will make a very strong %#@umption here. The verbose crackheads making those statements probably have a high school education, or maybe they're computer jerks. The rationale for my %#@umption? Any college professor, college students, alumni, all are well aware that experience is the best teacher...and No Reservations may be entertainment but there is also an element of expertise and teaching therein, as well as superb writing. No Tony, anyone insulting you for no longer working in the kitchen is denying your expertise and the fact the discriminating appreciate expertise. You are not coming off as a Soda Jerk blowing your mouth off. As far as your academic experiment at Les Halles (3 days after my 51st birthday), I know and will bet darned good money (I don't have) that any experienced 51 year old is running circles around the others, regardless of time lapses in the work, and that your work was fine tuned, dazzling even the most fastideous of customers. You've never come off as a slouch, just someone who needs a more realistic ego and public self-image. Get yourself a Life Coach. Love ya dude. Peace.
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    Bruno - February 07 2008 @ 7:12 pm I was not an immediate fan. I surfed past No Reservations and picked you for a sour poser trying to one up the world by eating testicles just to prove you had some only to divulge the ugly little secret that you were a frightened, dysfunctional alien who had landed a cushy job on TV. Having read Kitchen Confidential I now know I was only partially wrong. While you are certainly, and admittedly (this really goes in your favor) dysfunctional you are also a strange combination of a ballsy maitre d on a power trip and a cub scout den mother. You rail at the bizzare failings of your psychotic troupe of fellow cooks while at the same time placing them on a pedestal for some how getting up every day and grinding out one small piece of perfection. Whenther it be soup or bread or the ability to drunkenly piss upside down (really the only propper way to attempt this) and not cover themselves in urine. You chide and you love and you admit to being a freak in the circus and for that you are to be commended. Now I never miss an episode. And on your return to Les Halles I look forward to watching you burn your hands, swear and sweat. Bruno
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    Brittany - February 07 2008 @ 7:43 pm Hot &%$#@. I think that you are hot as &%$#@. Additionaly, I am drunk, but I think that about you even when I am sober. As I have no job, I sit home and watch re-runs on the Travel Channel, and today I watched the episode in which you toured Peru and I feel as though that episode really sealed the deal for me. I am, I know now, in fact in love with you. Hot &%$#@. I hate my life, generally speaking, but I am glad that there are people that get to enjoy existence the way you seem to enjoy and experience existence on your lovely, life-affirming program. Hot &%$#@. I am not entirely sure that the hyphen is appropriate. Is &%$#@ one word?
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    joanna - February 08 2008 @ 1:32 pm anthony- as a student chef you, as well as your book and show modivates me and inspires me. i am sure you know, as a student chef its hard to travel and free time is hard to come by and your show provides me with that international insight as a young chef and a person who loves to travel. thanks chef for your ongoing agreement to each and every season. hope one day to meet you!
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    redbeanbutterball - February 08 2008 @ 2:53 pm Anthony, From a huge fan, and a daughter of a 30 year veteran cook, NOT chef, but cook, I completely understand where you are coming from. I had no qualms with my father deciding to retire at the age of 48, so I have no problems with your new career. Keep up the good work.
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    Annonymous - February 09 2008 @ 3:55 pm I stumbled upon your show while flipping channels looking for something that isn't soppy, silly and boring - viewing fare these days. Thank you for being there. I love the frank irreverence. Beats the drooling cook shows with idiotic celebrities. You're my kind o guy. By the way - I wouldn't eat some of the things you find delicious, thanx.
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    Mila Kahlon - February 11 2008 @ 7:34 am Hi, Anthony - just let it go! There are a lot of people out there who just have to prove that they have knowledge and opinion, even if it is crap. I think they are just envious that you get to do what you do! I personally watch and drool over every episode here in Bombay. I watched the one about your travels through India with a notebook in my hand (interesting to hear your horoscpope predictions!!! Still true?). Of course I am biased because this is my adopted country (I am Bulgarian, married to an Indian), but I think this was one of your best trips. I told everyone that from your face and body language you loved India, but many argued you didn't and it clearly showed! Is that true? Please tell me I was right! From traveling on top of a bus to p%#@ing out in the Jaisalmer desert (wasn't there anyone to tell you NOT to drink the extra strong bhang??? :-), I can bet this was one of your most unique experiences! I loved some of your comments which took India out of the cliched image many people have. And thank you for that! Mila Kahlon Journalist, magazine %#@istant Editor, Bombay correspondent for Travel + Leisure South Asia; starting my own culinary tours business in India - The Gourmet Explorer
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    Jesska - February 12 2008 @ 7:06 pm Hey Anthony, First of all, don't let those flabby wankers tell you how to cook. My mum worked behind a stove most of her youth and good years, almost as long as you (you beat her by five years! argh. She's a big fan though, and loves your work, by the way.) and used to take me to work with her, where I was the youngest prep cook at five, peeling potatoes in some grease pit by the line. And to be truthful, I loved every minute of it, and so did she. She didn't make gravey or any of the good stuff from a bloody packet like these snotnoses who rant on you. Don't give in! We're rooting for you Tony, you're showing how even women and random folks can rule the line and keep the good stuff even better. That they don't have to have stars blaze the front of their names, or be some twit on the tele making biscuits and gravey (whoooo! scary!), or even have the title 'chef' to really be a master at their art, showing even their little corner of the world what real food is, and a REAL experience and living. If these kids can't appreciate you, let them go back to ruining kraf mac & cheese and burning poptarts!!! We'll still love you and get your jokes! :-D (Also, btw, what's with completely p%#@ing up the Nando's in the London episode?! Everyday people eat Nando's, it's not like some horrible chicken parmy you get in fastfood or something, but still, it isn't bad. If the profile of it after you were in Soho was a call out to Nando's, then completely disreguard my rant. Still, thanks for showing it. :-P )
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    Ang Arias - February 13 2008 @ 3:08 pm Tony, The group of naysayers are split in two. I agree that some may be internet geeks and the others - I'm convinced - are frustrated cooks who pretend to know what cooking is - who are probably putting out mediocre dishes to appease the internet geeks in their new-found 'foodie-ness'. Unfortunately, there are so many of these 'cooks/chefs' out there, that its difficult to find a good dish these days; it's difficult to find a cook who understands how to properly prepare the indigenious ingredients as they were meant to be prepared and I truly believe that a way of doing this is to study these ingredients. You have to go out there and familiarize yourself with the history and the surroundings, etc., like you do. S**t, man, all those people who are knocking you are just upset over the fact that it's You on the cover of the books and up on the screen instead of their Croc sporting %#@es. F**K THEM - live your life and keep on "edu-taining" us.
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    Linda - February 13 2008 @ 4:17 pm Twenty-eight years behind the kitchen counter and you still get that kind of flack? Idiots. Why can't people just worry about their own business and just enjoy what you have to offer? In my opinion, you bring MORE value to MORE people by being on television and sharing your food adventures. I pick up so many good cooking ideas from watching how foods are prepared in different regions with various ingredients, some common, some not. So, in a nutshell, I love your show. I love your down-to-earth personality. And eff the snobs! Keep up the good work.
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    Kim Warren - February 15 2008 @ 6:45 pm Screw'em
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    Michelle Monti - February 15 2008 @ 11:00 pm Hysterical.
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    Sharon - February 16 2008 @ 6:06 pm I love your show and personality on the show. But why do you have to knock vegetarians so much? Do you realize that as you do this, you are being prejudice towards religions that are vegetarian? Hindi, Seventh day adventist, some Rastafarian, Jewish, and Buddhist sects to name a few. And those of us that make this choice make it for health or environmental reasons. As a world traveler I would think you could try to appreciate this. It is hard to get pulled into enjoying the journey with you only to get slappped in the face by your comments.
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    Amanda Wright - February 16 2008 @ 6:14 pm I say to all the internet geeks who think they as much about food as they do the inner workings of their newest technological gadget--BLOW IT OUT YOUR @!$#!! * with middle finger raised*-- I enjoy your show and your sense of humor Tony, keep it up!!
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    Carolyn - February 19 2008 @ 1:16 am Anthony darling, I love you and your adventerous show.Never have I seen so much of the world and been so entertained. You are a refreshing change from the "usual" suspects that host travel shows. You are real and honest and handsome as hell. This from and old"broad " of almost 60. I loved your show in Nawlearns. And I admire the folks who are trying to rebuild that beautiful city which holds so many memories of my wasted youth. I live just 2 hours from New Orleans. Just keep doing the great job you're doing and I'll keep watching. Love, Carolyn
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    Karen - February 19 2008 @ 2:44 am I love you and your show. Finally something on TV worth watching.
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    Rick Riessen - February 19 2008 @ 3:07 pm A little late to reply to this one, but I just had to. By this philosophy, veterans have no right to talk about war, ex-politicians have no right to talk about politics, and people that have done time in the clink have no right talking about life behind bars. If anything, because you have BEEN there, you have every right in the world to do what you do. And by all means, myself and a good handful of friends that gather for 'Beer and Bourdain' would prefer that you did.
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    Lewis Nieburg - February 20 2008 @ 10:51 am Greetings Tony, It's certainly a lot easier to put people down than to pay a them a complement. It's easy to be the second person doing something new or even the guy who writes the I hate Microsoft t-shirt...that's what these people sound like to me. You are an original...you inspire, motivate and make people realise that an ordinary Joe can do something special. You have demystified the professional kitchen for me and taught me tricks and tips that I use in my everyday cooking. I admire what you do and have ready everything you have had published...even the Bobby Gold book! Don't change your style...the world doesn't need another Jamie Oliver, Roco..etc etc ...on a personal note...the meal I had at Les Halles was the highlight of my NY trip...apart from meeting my niece for the first time! You're right...your chips are amongst the best in the world...your creme brulee was awesome...just the right size for me and my girlfriend's fork! The steak sandwich was pretty decent too! ...on a slightly more stalkerish note...I left you a note there inviting you to come and check out South Africa...we have an amazing country with a huge variety of not only meat and seafood...but several different cultures sharing this space...which produces some amazing dishes. I've said too much already...
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    CRaivios - February 20 2008 @ 10:39 pm Tony, have you lost your mind? Yeah, I can hardly wait to see the show.
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    Larry Davidson - February 21 2008 @ 10:34 am My dear Anthony, For those who say you are over the hill, can't cook or chef anymore - well - f them! Flip the bird and flip it high and hard! There is one thing that I maintain in my life - if you've done something really well, for a long time, and held the admiration and respect of your peers, then you have nothing left to prove - either to the detractors OR yourself. You have weathered the trenches and proved to the world that you can chef like a demon and no one can take that away from you. All the advice I can offer is as soon as someone pulls you to the mat and questions your abilities, past or present, think back to those painful years of nights of crawling crippled to bed for those few short hours of deadzone sleep and what you accomplished to get there. Guilt is too biblical for you - don't look back - you've done your time - now move on and enjoy today! You are doing a great job with your writing and TV shows - count every day as a blessing that you are not still slaving at the saute station on an overbooked night and able to enjoy life. Let's face it - you can still outcook all of us - but the choice is yours - do you want to? Or do you have to!?! Cheers mate - keep up the great work - we who understand life are enjoying your ride immensely! Larry in Seattle PS- if you ever come back this way I'll turn you on to the best %#@!ed oysters you could ever imagine - right from water to the mouth!
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    Christian Lopez - February 21 2008 @ 7:18 pm Tony Sir, I agree with most. your a true, honest inspiration i read your book (Kitchen confidential)coming out of high school, you scared the !@#& out of me. so i decided to give it a shot. Got in trade tech in Los Angeles, middle of urban down-town, gang populated, weed score central. the life is fast with vulgar threats. Doing ten different recipes at the same time with the occasional woman/man groping.At 19 years old you've giving me new goals and ideas for this culinary adventure of mine. thank you. Cook's !@#& rule!
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    Dena Cardelfe - February 22 2008 @ 11:09 am It would be a great loss to all your fans, myself included, if you never took your writing/television path. I feel your books and shows are a another true gift from yourself to us.
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    Mark - February 26 2008 @ 8:12 am Screw 'em. You've paid your dues, Tony. The ones saying that probably wouldn't last 10 minutes in a restaurant kitchen. As for going back to the kitchen for a double shift... Might be pretty tough after so long away, and your advancing years (I'm 47 - I know the feeling). If you do, a couple words of advice... a gram of good blow.
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    The Bewildered Housewife - March 04 2008 @ 1:03 pm Anthony, Your words are fabulous - I'm waiting for the book.
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    osisbs - March 04 2008 @ 1:12 pm Anthony, your show is REAL. I was a bike mechanic for 7 years and had hands like the Terminator. I could pinch, pull, torque and ruck anthing to where I needed it to be. Three or four years later I went back to do a few tuneups for friends and I was dropping tools, flinging tire levers all over the place and popping bloody knuckles. I was a mess. Working as a mechanic or chef is not only hard work, it's skill which is easily lost.
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    Cristian - March 06 2008 @ 2:15 pm Hello, mr. Bourdain. I'm from Romania. First I want to appologize form my bad english, but I'm shore that you will understand. I have a few questions for you: We all know that in Romania are poor people (especially in non Bucharest city's). How much did you pay the local people for making this mess about Romania? In how many places, and in what restaurants did you travel/eat? Everyone can make in every place an reportage with bad places to visit. For example we can make an reportage about New York or Bronx. We can talk about American pie or Mc'Donalds, with his nocive food. We can go into an Truck Driver restaurant or into an good restaurant. We can visit an statue or an monument, and other examples can be mentioned! Now, let me give you some places to go in Romania, for changing your bad image about Romania: In Bucharest, the place where I live, you visit the houses (the historycal center) near the actual center zone. The historycal Bucharest is not so good repaired, and you can find bad places. For example you can go at "Universitate" place, or visit the Palace of Parliment (the second building after Pentagon), relaxing into Kiseleff Park, or visiting the "Unirea Shoping Center". You can go to "Magheru" avenue for cultural activityes. You can also go to a lot of exposition at Romexpo. You visit this places? In the rest of Romania, you can visit Sibiu or Hermanstadt. There you can see one of the oldest orgues in Europe, and a lot of "First .... thing in Romania". You can also eat at "Butoiul de Aur" restaurant, where Vlad Tepes was long time ago, after an battle. You can go also into Prahova Valley for ski, make a trip in mountains or just for having fun. I hear from someone something about the romanian food. You say that is not something great. I recomand you to eat at "Taverna Sarbului" from Sinaia or Bucharest, or "Butoiul de Aur" (already mentioned). You can also find a lot of good restaurants when you decide to stay in one of our rural tourism centers (for example near Fagaras or Brasov). Yes, I admit that in Romania you can find a lot of infrastructure problems, not an good service for guests in SOME tourism centers. The problem with not good services you can find everywhere, but in isolated places, also in Romania. The problems with Romania in tourism is the infrastructure, highways (this problem is solving by constructing 2 right now) and the Gypsies, not all, I'm not racist, but some don't want to colaborate with local autorithies. They are breaking the law, stoling, making a lot of rubish! I want your answer and if you want to make again try to chose an guide from Romania (not for detouring the bad places) but for make shore that you visit all the things for making an good impression about Bucharest and Romania! Have a good day!
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    Ladymissgailo - March 06 2008 @ 6:47 pm Dearest Tone,... You're %$@!%$@! RIGHT I'll tune in. :)
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    milesmommajazz85 - March 06 2008 @ 11:33 pm Anthony Bourdain: the Lou Reed of Cuisine. ROCK ON.
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    Don Lunsford - March 07 2008 @ 12:00 am I wouldn't give a whole lot of time to people wh claim to know more than you do. I have more than one friend who is a professionally trained chef, and they all have nothing but good things to say about you. I've followed you and your career for only a few years now, but I've come to realize that you present a "no bull" attitude. One friend of mine in particular, who studied at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, speaks of "Chef Anthony" constantly. He has a fairly well advanced case of M.S., and he always keeps a pretty stiff upper lip, but none of us really knows how long it's going to be. As full as your schedule must be, you could really make his life if he could get to meet you before.... Please let me know. Thanks, and dont't change. Don Lunsford
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    Eric "Renderking" Fisk - March 07 2008 @ 11:00 am Mr. Bourdain is an inspiration for me, and thanks to his show and writings I've begun to write about my own experience... and I openly give him credit in my articles. Those of us who have worked in similar places, I hope you will do the same. People do need to know what it's like to work in good restaurants, and the bad. With my tribute and shameless !@#-kissing out of the way... Back in 1987, I started working in what was to be known later as "The Best Restaurant, ever." I didn't know it at the time. The group that I worked with was a dysfunctional yet friendly bunch of mis-fits and social out-casts who taught me more about my life and myself in 2 years then 6 years of High School and 4 years of College. [Can you spot the joke? Really?] In 1991 I worked for a place that was supposed to be the only up-scale restaurant in this small college town in a forgotten corner of America. Turns out, the restaurant was also a group that I worked with was a dysfunctional yet friendly bunch of mis-fits and social out-casts who taught me some other harsh lessons - such as the world is a very cruel and harsh place and there's no room for whinny losers. Nor is there any room for people who know the difference between Right and Wrong. The difference between these two places were the owners. The first was a gentleman who cared about quality, reputation and the public trust. The second was a scoundrel and a cheat who worked people's buttons and found ways to motivate the college kids who worked for him with free booze or a toke of a joint or a bong if he "trusted" you enough... the owner of this "up scale restaurant" literally had an open sewer pipe in the same basement where the kitchen was kept and the public trust to him was just an antiquated concept. He would rather pay the fines to the health department to have this place re-opened after the health department shut it down, rather then pay his employees to do their jobs right the first time. My point? These memories are pretty vivid in my head, even after 15-20 years. There are busy weekends and the times spent after work that I'll never forget. There's an intensity in working in Restaurants that causes images, sounds, thoughts and emotions to be seared into your brain like hot grill marks on a steak. For someone to say that Tony is no longer an "expert witness" in the court of culinary opinion because he hasn't worked "The Line" in a few years is to out one's self as a complete tool. You don't forget about working in restaurants. No matter how hard you try. Who ever told Tony that his opinion isn't valid has never worked "The Line."
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    oliver - March 07 2008 @ 11:01 am Tony, We always enjoy your show. You are brutally honest and does not sugarcoat just for the sake of viewership or ratings. We are looking forward in seeing you back in the kitchen.
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    Harley - March 09 2008 @ 1:37 pm Do you remember your perspective of culinary arts before you became part of the environment? People don't understand until they've been there. Many people have worked in a kitchen and still don't get it. I'm saying that you shouldn't agree with them at all. The fact that your proving your kitchen worth, I do agree that will be entertaining. Or else it will just look like a hellish night on a hot line. I personally believe that you've done your time on the line. I'm sure all the old feelings of how things run came flooding back to you and you remembered all the hard work you've done up until you got your big break. I'm sure that was good for everything that makes up Anthony Bourdain. Except for the fact of the cameras rolling in your face it probably brought you back to your roots. I'm excited for the episode to air tomorrow. I know for sure you'd rather be traveling then reliving 12 hours shifts.
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    Adam - March 10 2008 @ 12:52 am In response to the critics of No Reservations, the show has inspired me to try new foods and visit the local markets in an attempt to immerse myself in the local culture (which is more than the “chefs” at food network can say i.e. Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee and Paula Dean etc…). For example, I'm going to England later this week and plan to dine at St. John's in London. I've just got to try the bone marrow you've raved about. As for return trip to Les Halles, I am really excited to see how you transition from world of travel back into the kitchen. I have no doubt you did fine, but if you did screw up I sure hope Gordon Ramsay was there to straighten you up! ;) Can't wait to see the show tomorrow. Keep up the good work!
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    Ray - March 10 2008 @ 6:57 am Today's the day that we see the venerable Tony Bourdain on the line. This is exciting, as I have (on more than one occasion) dined at Les Halles (back in the day) when you were on the line. At the very minimum, it should make for a great show, but then we have always expected something far from "the minimum" from you, and you nearly always deliver. As an aside, I've had the good fortune to have traveled to many countries and always done them "like Tony would do them" and this goes back well before No Reservations. It's a wonderful thing that you do, to show everyone just how great "the nasty bits" of a place can be. Keep on, keepin' on, brother man. You truly are a joy to those sufficiently enlightened enough to "get you." Ray ps. Don't ever let that "snarky side" go away! It is so part of your charm.
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    Mike Prettyman - March 10 2008 @ 5:00 pm Can't wait for tonight's episode. I'll be taking a shot of tequila for every f bomb that comes out of Tony's mouth. I'll probably fall out before the midway point. Bourdain rocks!!!
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    Judy - March 10 2008 @ 9:56 pm Tony, What was the book you were reading at the end of your Southern Florida episode? (Sorry for the following corny comment but it has to be said) If I had three wishes one would be to eat roasted bone marrow with you. I to was a child when I first fell in love with the raw oyster, escargot and other things MOST normal children would not touch. Judy
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    Johnathan - March 10 2008 @ 11:36 pm Man I was so feeling your pain man during the episode! Geez from the age of 12 (my grandfather owned a BBQ restaurant) to the age of 23 I worked almost but restaurants. I worked the dishwashing, food prep, stirring the witches cauldron of Brunkswick stew, and I worked the grill and the sautee. There is no %$#@ing way in hell I would ever get back on the line again at 40 years of age. Nevermind the fact in the deep south back then you did not need to know spanish the way you do now. Man there is no way I could hang with no lingo under my belt. No way in hell man. I was never a chef just a schmuck guy on the line. But I would never do what you did. You are a brave Tony. Oh yeah and stupid. Stupid and brave.
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    Kelly - March 11 2008 @ 12:14 am Hey Tony - Great episode! I think this was one of the most honest, Tony-like episodes I've ever seen - and I loved every minute of it. As for the snarkists, I say screw 'em. There was a reason you left the line; to bring your gritty, fresh, and always truthful eye to international food cultures in a way that allows us less-fortunate types to experience them too...congrats on making it through a double - just wish I could have been there!
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    George - March 11 2008 @ 12:21 am Man, if some fool has never worked a line they have no idea what it is like. I have served in combat during TWO different wars, and work in an intensive care unit as a flight nurse, and I still remember busting my %#@ trying to keep up with the rush on a busy weekend, and frying every hair off my forearms on the grill. I still use that as a measure for being busy.
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    Jason - March 11 2008 @ 12:35 am I'm watching you work through your double shift right now, (I worked the line for ten years.) I know %#@! well that I couldn't just show up and work a double like that, much respect to you. What a way to shut up the know-it-all geeks once and for all. I want to see one of their candy %#@es back there sweating it out for eight to ten hours. Way to utilize Eric Ripert, he did look like he was having fun! WTF!?
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    Brian - March 11 2008 @ 12:56 am I work as a line cook in a kitchen from hell and your new NYC episode is my life, in one form or another. I just want to say thanks for that episode, it really made me feel that im not alone in the wide world that is line cooking.
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    Jackie - March 11 2008 @ 1:44 am I absolutely love your show! I saw you at the FOOD and WINE Festival in Miami recently but did not get to tell you. We have a French Br%#@erie that is inside our hotel in Miami that is almost identical to Les Halles in New York in many ways! I never knew the hard work and sweat that it takes cooking in the line in our much smaller kitchen. ( I am always just eating and drinking merrily out in the dining room.) Congrat's to you on your success and happiness out of your life experiences. We all have just a slice of what you went through to make it to where you are at! When you come to Miami again you must come to the Angler's Resort! www.theanglersresort.com
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    Marcus - March 11 2008 @ 2:07 am Hi Tony (or whoever actually reads these!) After grabbing my interest with the 'Travel with Tony' contest, I ended up here, checking out your blog. Unfortunately, it appears that the competition is only for permanent US residents. And permanent residency isn't really my thing at the moment! I embarked on a world tour back in Feb 2007, with sampling the world's cuisine high on the priority list, and am having an absolute blast. I guess it comes as no surprise then that I've really been enjoying your show, since being introduced to it during the American leg of my tour. I especially enjoy the fact that you're not all about five star resorts and are willing to try just about anything. My kind of show/life! Well, if you ever want a Swedish born, American raised, New Zealand citizen, food and travel lover as a tour guide Down Under, just let me know mate! I'm sure you'd love NZ; the country, the people and of course the food... Marcus
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    Gerry - March 11 2008 @ 3:59 am Hey Tony, It's refreshing to have you globetrotting and bringing all these other cultures and their people into my living room. You do it with great respect, honesty and a rare dignity hardly ever seen on American television anymore. Thanks and continued good luck!!
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    Bourbon Girl - March 11 2008 @ 3:32 pm Looking pretty old and tired there Bourdain! Think all those late nights with the new baby are getting to you....or maybe you're just not smoking enough! (and personally, I think Ripert was exhausted too, he just waited until the camera was off to collapse (letting that gut out, lol!)
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    Tracy - March 11 2008 @ 5:39 pm Tony/Anthony/Chef Bourdain, I loved the "return to Les Halles" episode. It was my favorite of all the "No Reservations" episodes -- funny, informative, lots of action, great wit, Eric Ripert, and all of that. It compelled me to find your blog to read MORE. So here's my million dollar question. You could not read the tickets on the line -- so WHY THE HELL IS YOUR BLOG IN 2 POINT TYPE? I'm a big fan. I want to read your posts badly. But I CAN'T! This doesn't happen to me on other blogs. Please could you appeal to whatever nitwit designed your blog and ask him/her to bump up the size of the type? Have mercy on those of us who are within a decade of your age (I'm younger, by the way). Thanks... (And about those characters I'm supposed to type to submit a comment ... are they in Arabic or something? Love ya tons but even you are not worth this much work. I have my 10-year-old next to me and he can't read it either.)
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    help tracy - March 11 2008 @ 7:06 pm Tracy, I have the same exact problem. Control + is your friend. press that and it enlarges the text.
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    Tracy - March 11 2008 @ 9:42 pm Thanks for the tip. I'm glad I came back to check on this. Although I do wonder why the type is so small on this particular blog. Now do you have a handy dandy way of deciphering those letters for posting?
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    Kate - March 12 2008 @ 1:15 am Tony ... I love No Reservations. God, I love this show ... I love that I watch with the wide eyes of someone seeing parts of countries and peoples that typical travel shows do not show. I love that your unique perspective absolutely resonates with me and makes me laugh, shake my head, or nod. I struggle slightly with the guilt induced by the fact that your travels and your experiences remind me over and over again how little I've seen, how many risks I haven't taken, and how many adventures I haven't seized. But, that's my problem ... not yours. Absolutely. Here's why I'm writing, though ... I LOVED last night's episode and your return to Les Halles. SOOOO good. So incredibly good and interesting and well-crafted. Riveting. Illuminating. Exhausting. Intense!! So intense, in fact, that it absolutely infiltrated my entire night! I could not sleep soundly. I tossed and I turned and I wrestled with my covers (and maybe kicked my husband once or twice that I'll admit to). Why? Because all my dreams, the kind had barely in sleep, the kind that hover between dreams and hallucinations, were laced with flames from a gas stove and shuffling skillets and char marks and sliding plates and your cracking knees and back. All night long. The noises and sights and smells of your Les Halles nightmare became my own literal nightmare. Craziness ... One thing is for sure ... When it reruns, I will only be watching it during daylight hours ... And, then taking a heavy sedative before bed that night. Insurance. While I'm sure you were fantastic in your kitchen days, I am so glad that your brain and your voice were unleashed from the bowels of that restaurant for all of us to enjoy. I so appreciate your humor and the lens you provide on other cultures ... and our own ... What a wonderful gift you have. Vicariously living through ya until the kids are a just a tad bit older and we can all launch into adventure-seeking together ... Kate
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    Katie - March 12 2008 @ 4:23 pm Tony, I read your book "The Nasty Bits". The only part that I enjoyed or remember today was your discussion of kitchen commraderie and other restaurant dynamics. Later, I traveled to europe to study in Dublin. Nightly, I would drunkenly walk down to Temple bar to watch the kitchen's close for the night, and later I would converse with those same individuals at the pub. I don't know if it freaked them out they I would peer into there kitchen from the back alley. But, I have worked in restaurants for 13 years, and while over there that was my sense of home. Something familiar something that just doesn't change. After, falling in love with Paris and the food. After enjoying the bangers and mash. I returned home a changed person. How could I be the same? I needed something familiar something that made me, not itch for a xanax or a beer. Then there it was, "KAT, your up!" says chef donnie in a bronx accent. His father Don on pizza station, chewing on the end of an unlit cigar. Hmm, guess he quite smoking while I was gone. And my hands are greasy as hell from the damn garlic butter that these customers insecently ask for. I'm home. Tony,Thanks for going home. That is what you do best. Thats where this whole thing started right? Sure you get to put your toes in the sand and drink red stripe.(retirement bliss) You get to be rich and famous. But thats not where you started. Hopefully you didn't get into restaurant to become rich! You went home did it and found out you need better contacts or gl&%$es. There is always a lesson of leaving home and returning home. So thanks. Keep up the shows. But please talk more about the food then some random persons wedding (romainia), or letting that producer from the vancouver show do anything. She seemed like a gob%$#@e. Or maybe that was planned. So, anyways. Thanks.
  292. 292
    Jessica McHugh - March 12 2008 @ 6:21 pm Once a chef always a chef does not apply to all, though in this case I think it is appropriate. You know you've still got it when: 1. The sound of a high-carbon stainless 10" er being drawn across a steel sends shivers of delight up your spine. 2. The smell of burnt flesh brings back fond memories of the 500 degree brick pizza oven... 3. You fight the urge to throw pans at irritating stragglers in your kitchen. 4. Your kitchen looks like a Visgoth Armory. 5. Fire and knives are a secret turn-on. Geez, I could go on and on... Gone but not forgotten are those days for me! Being a Chef is in your heart, you still got it.
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    Ben - March 12 2008 @ 7:48 pm Hey Tony, Nice job back in the kitchen, you held it down. That episode was great, brought me right back to my own line-cook days. I can still remember that feeling of 'riding the wave' during the rush as the best feeling in the world.. Keep up the good work, you've still got it
  294. 294
    Sara Reed - March 14 2008 @ 8:39 pm I loved this episode and love your work. I think you are doing more than you may know to make this world a better, saner place -- and said so today on Street Prophets (http://www.streetprophets.com/story/2008/3/14/2357/03810), cross posted at Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/14/172317/335/216/476767). A lot of people apparently agree with what I said. I think your next job should be as a U.N. Goodwill Amb&%$ador -- you are doing the work already.
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    Julie - March 18 2008 @ 11:02 pm Loved this episode! I get nervous walking in to a new kitchen and i just have to cook, there are no cameras on me and no where near the expectations, you did brilliantly, bravo tony!
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    Regina Milano - April 01 2008 @ 3:03 pm Tony, You never what's going to get you. You got me today. What are you? Cocky or humble?. You're needed, wanted and valued, while being completely dispensible and replaceable (though not in the same place at the same time). We all have a contribution and a voice. I'm thrilled to hear your honest one. Regina
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    Peter Howson - April 05 2008 @ 11:06 pm Not for nothing but as humble as your instincts are, and as much as I'd like to see my CEO come and try to deal with doing the job she had 20 years ago, The very fact that you actually had the second thought (the "maybe the wankers have a point" moment) is why you should suck it up and keep plugging away at the TV. The word that comes to mind when people ask me why I like your show so much is "real". Not only do you manage to seem devoid of artifice, but you come across as hell bent and determined to rip open the plastic underbelly of travel and food television and expose it for the empty headed bull that it tends to be. The moment that petty much crystalizes it for me was when you stood on that beautiful spot in Puerto Rico and said something to the effect of "This is the spot where every other travel host would begin and end their program. Let's get the f*** out of here." and then proceeded to show some of the most beautiful scenery and best local food driving around in some random POS taxi ... It warms the cockles of my heart every time I think about it. In short: Don't be so hard on yourself. You may not go home every night having put food on the plates of 675 people on a Tuesday night, but you're still providing valuable brain food for those of us who appreciate intelligence, wit, and good food. Plus you don't end up smelling like a combination bar mat/dumpster when you get home.
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    John - April 11 2008 @ 2:17 pm I saw the episode, nice work. That compliment comes from a guy that has been trying to master the chef's knife for 28 years. I finally realized it wasn't sharp enough! John
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    Jhemherlynne Raikkonen - April 16 2008 @ 8:18 am madukes: ramsay named the turkey after a different anthony... anthony worrall thompson
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    Cary fishmaster Hawkins - April 17 2008 @ 12:30 am I dont really know how to put this in any other language but tony id honestly tell anyone who thinks not working the line means you lost touch to $#@% off and try to do what you did day after day for years, I know because after only 11 years my body is already feeling the toll of the kitchen.
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    Jip - April 17 2008 @ 6:08 pm Eductional and amusing episode. I Also understand about not wanting to kneel down on a regular basis after age 40. When and if there is a DVD for this ep, I WILL be buying it!
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    Gaelin - April 18 2008 @ 9:13 pm Awesome episode. Chef, to see you in the kitchen, on the line, was amazing and inspiring. You're the hottest half-century I've ever seen and then Chef Ripert walked in... I would have cooked my own kidney to have been there. Cheers, Chef.
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    Carmen - April 21 2008 @ 9:48 pm YOUR VISION... "keeping it real" necessitates dying behind the stove, a broken, broken kneed and broke geezer in his mid-fifties, long past it as a cook - finally succumbed to stroke or liver disease."... pretty much sums it up for me Tony. I know this note is taking ...what. number 500 in this list, but I dare say I AM FEELING THAT WAY BY NOW. I stood behind the stove at age 16 and , dang it, wouldn't ya know I seem to keep getting there? I have to make myself a note to get my next place with little or no kitchen space. ERGO the cottage design in my protfolio. It has a fold out kitchen. And in regard to China... the show broadcasting over my left shoulder tonight...(geez I been waiting so longgg)... I truly think the closest I'm gonna get to that place is HAI LENG.. the cl&%$mate from Eastern University way back in the '90s. He left there for a reason... but you want us to go there? oh well... you eo em good.
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    Stephanie - May 11 2008 @ 9:12 pm hey tony my name is stephanie im 18 years old and i love your show i live in florida and i just applied for culinary institute of america in hopes of joining the large list of famous alumnus from that amaaazing school. my parents hate the idea but i told them they can "piss off!"( and i even said it wifa' bri'ish accent.. ha! ) so now i just have to figure out a way to pay for it ( that should be fun) but i really wanted to know if you have any advice as far as succeeding in my big CIA dream ps... the town im from is full of fake, rich, tan people... your sarcastic wit is very refreshing steph
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    Vivian Smythe - May 23 2008 @ 12:16 pm I will catch bags of h#$% for this post, espcially since I just found this blog and have never posted, but some of you folks need to step back a bit, imo. You, well, seem to worship the man. It is a wee bit creepy. Yes, Tony is the lovable rogue. The very hard edges are sometimes smoothed by a frank openness and self deprecation that is endearing and honest. Even when I think he is off again on another round of secularist, postmodernist, psuedo-sanctimonious drivel, he will narrate a frank confession where he bleeds all over the screen and I smile and he has my attention back. The written word seems lost in today's visually hyper-stimulated age and I appreciate his gift for colour with the word. I wish the man well and God Bless him. But, good grief, that is where it ends. I get the sense some of you folk watch him whilst wearing brown robes, burning incense and following him around like a twisted disciple that makes a Trekkie look like, well, a Romanian waiter. It is a "cult of Tony." Hey, this is all in good humour. You may think I am out to lunch, and perhaps you're right? But also, perhaps, there actually is a "cult of Tony" and just maybe some of it is well over the top?
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    Mark - June 05 2008 @ 3:15 pm You know what I like? It's not the food, the places or the bravado. What I like about the show and keeps me coming back is the appreciation of the good, bad and different. It's the appreciation that only comes from experience and ignores expectations. It takes serious cahones to step into the camera and come to grips with who and what you are in the middle of rice and meat weighed by the ounce not the pound cooked by people who have never had better. It's the appreciation of good friends, good experiences and good food in that order. To hell with arrogance and trying to please the world. I'm glad you went back home, but not to try to prove your worth, but to sit back a week later with someone and rememeber two things: one that it was great, and two, that you don't have to do it again tomorrw.
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    Elspeth - June 12 2008 @ 2:50 am That's ludicrous. That's like saying if someone gets a PHD in anthropology, but then goes to work in another field, that they won't have $%#@ to say about anthropology, or that a major league baseball player will have nothing compelling to say after retirement. Bourdain is like those retired baseball players- he knows the game. He is a color commentator on food and travel, and yes, he knows more about cooking than any ergonomic chair jockey/ homecook in the wide wide world of the blogosphere will ever hope to know. Also, I ate at Les Halles tonight, and it ruled. I ate about a pound of butter- sweet, sweet butter.
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    Jody Flood - June 18 2008 @ 5:48 pm This was, by far, one of my FAVORITE episodes of the show...outside of the episode a few years ago of Ruhlman and yourself in Vegas... It must've been hard to do double the covers after so much time...but you guys did a kick %^& job! Can't wait to see more of your adventures! Jody Flood jodycakes
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    Protea - June 24 2008 @ 8:37 pm Got home in time to see the TESTICLE IN Buenos Aires show again... reminding me of WHY I never offer myself as an escort or travel accomplice. I would be eternally nauseated... not to mention diarrheeeeed, permanently. (haha) I was told never to "tell Tony where to go"... try this one on SHOW or not to SHOW; http://chopra.com/renewal/chicago RELAXATION is not spelled WIRE IN THE EAR or PSEUDOmasachistic M&%$AGE. by the way: a friend mof mine travelled to New Orleans and hated it ... he stayed ONLY where tourists are supposed to. I suggested he "meet the locals".. but he rarely travelled/travels. A train engineer sees enough of the world. You do the comment justice... perhaps to the extreme!
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    steve finley - July 08 2008 @ 3:43 pm AB, you have unquestionably the best show on TV, and you did your dues in the kitchen. If these never-held-a-real-job punk-%$# carpers want to bitch about how you're "not legit anymore," your first instinct about what to say to them was right (although I do understand that it kicked off that need to prove it to yourself, just once more). You did that gig, now you've got a better one, and every one of those no-account prigs would take the same deal in a heartbeat. And if you ever had to go back to the sweatshop, it'd take you about three days to get yourself back in the rhythm, if that. So don't worry about it. Just keep doing what you're doing. It's the absolutely best thing out there--the food-n-cooking part of the show is only the gateway to what I think is the best _travel_ show on the air, and the glue for it all is great humor, the anti-PC-let-'em-%$#@-it tone (completely unfindable anywhere else), and a literacy that doesn't just border on the poetic but gets there. It makes me crazy how good your show is.
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    Susan Gagne - August 03 2008 @ 8:04 pm I will never travel to most of your exotic locations. That is why I so enjoy your excursions and experiences. You bring them to us in a real and provocative way. I hope to go to Slovakia someday to visit my heritage. It would be great to see you there, experiencing the ethnic foods and seeing the Tatry Mountains. Think about it. Susan
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    billie bakhshi - August 20 2008 @ 7:36 pm You get a bit of professional courtesy from certain chefs too though. We followed behind you to the Hominy Grill in Charleston, and let me tell you, the portions you got on the air compared to what we got...let's just say what we got were the redheaded stepchild portions.
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    Annonymous - September 07 2008 @ 10:00 am i jus saw the episode last night, iam not sure when you guys shot it, but it airs late in india i gues. anyway, i loved the worried expression on Carlo's face . . And Tony, well you might be too old for the grill but we'de watch you on tv till you care to be on the show! great work! lvlv
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    Paul Marcel - November 17 2008 @ 9:00 pm

    Hey tony....I just caught this show on re-runs, but let me tell you...that was the most real-life view of what goes on in the back of the house as I've seen on TV...man did I remember getting the verbal %$*% beat out of me by the expediter in the kitchen I worked in as a line cook, working the grill station...ahhh...memories.

    But really, I admired the attempt and glad it came out real. Love the show, don't mind all the haters...they've most likely not worked in a real kitchen and felt the pain.

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    Hoz - November 18 2008 @ 1:45 pm

    Tony, just caught your return to Les Halles last night. You gave it the old college try, but man you gotta admit,looks like you lost a step somewhere along the way. It was interesting to watch your facial expressions throughout the evening rush. And leaning on the counter...you almost cracked Man!

    Good on ya for hanging in there, at least you knew they wouldn't invite you back the next evening...and if they DID you now have the pesos to tell them where to put it!

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    Kelly - December 31 2008 @ 10:32 am

    Anthony, you rock. And you're fine, in an "everyman" kind of way. The ultimate travel companion. I generally dislike TV, but I/we love your show.

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    JennyAnn Wheeler - July 09 2009 @ 4:49 pm

    Anthony,
    I would like to send you a t shirt that I designed. where can I send it to?
    Thanks!
    JennyAnn
    tshirts at buyolympia.com

  318. 318
    online games - October 14 2009 @ 7:48 am

    That was the funniest episode of your show I have ever seen.


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Anthony Bourdain

Meet Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain is a 28-year veteran of professional kitchens, having worked as a dishwasher, line cook and chef in places good, bad and horrible -- most of them in New York City. Read Anthony Bourdain's full biography.


About No Reservations

"No Reservations" dives headfirst into life's colorful and rich pageant. Join Anthony Bourdain as he circumnavigates the globe on his conquest to discover the cities, villages and countries that provide life's truest surprises. Learn more about the show.


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