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By Anthony Bourdain on February 7, 2009 7:38 PM | Permalink | 177 Comments
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word "prurient" as "having a mental itching or an uneasy or morbid craving." Secondarily, as "having or characterized by an unhealthy concern with sexual matters" or "encouraging such a concern."
With Monday night's special, FOOD PORN, "encouraging such a concern" is exactly what we were going for. Just swap the word "food" for "sexual."
The old definition of "obscenity" was material which knowingly or intentionally inspires "prurient interest," which has "no redeeming or artistic value" and that was pretty much the plan here. To make the most obscene, graphic, explicit and content-free hour of television ever attempted -- without (technically) depicting sexual matters -- or even using profanity. It's something food programming has been dodging around the edges of since its inception -- and I thought: Why mess around?
The rules of food TV and the rules of porn are so strikingly similar, why not get STRAIGHT TO THE ACTION as they say on your On Demand menu in every major hotel chain. Forget about the "walk-in," to "set-up," the "story!" Who are we kidding? Food Net has built an empire by shrewdly and accurately anticipating that no one really cares how to make the damn dish or where it came from or why it was created. They just want to see some brightly colored close-ups of the stuff before it disappears into the face of somebody/anybody wearing a low-cut leotard.
Another area of interest to me and my evil co-conspirators at Zero Point Zero International was the subject of "standards and practices." Where is the line between acceptable and unacceptable for broadcast purposes? How far could we go -- if we avoided all classic profanity and any frank depictions of bodily or sexual functions? Well ...we found out on this episode, it turns out that the word or term itself doesn't have to be obscene. But if the lawyers, unfamiliar with an expression, look it up on Wikipedia and find it refers to an activity so disturbing as to frighten old people or small children, then it's out. We have certainly skirted this issue before with limited success. I generally use what I call the "Homer Simpson Rule": If Homer can say it -- on broadcast television -- in prime time -- then we should be able to cover the same territory at 10 PM with a parental advisory. Sadly, it turns out, not always so.
FOOD PORN is a revenge of sorts -- for everything that ever ended up on the cutting room floor. The filthiest, nastiest hour of television we could get away with. And yet -- utterly wholesome! We ain't doing nothin' that Giada, Rachael and Sandra ain't been doin' for years, officer!
It's also, honestly, a chronicle of the most outrageously over-the-top dishes we've ever seen or tasted. For the tiny fragment of our audience who are concerned with such details, look for ZPZ graphics genius Adam Lupsha playing the Boogie Nights-style horny soundman and executive producer Chris Collins as infamous director, "Tad Chanko." Maybe you know him from such films as "Butt Masters 7," "Lumberjack Facials 2" and "Norwegian Wood?" Okay. Maybe not.
It's also worth noting that chefs Eric Ripert, Alan Wong, Jose Andres, Martin Picard, David Chang and Terrance Brennan and chocolatier Alan Down showed enormous generosity and a real sense of humor by submitting to our cruel misuse of their names, reputations and good works
Thank you!
177 Comments
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.
- Alternate Universe
- I Told You I Smelled Emmy!
- …..I Shall Wear the Bottoms of My Trousers Rolled
- FOR PARENTS ONLY
- Big Sky ... Thick Jungle ... Zero Tolerance (and Diane Saves The Day)
- State of Siege
- I'm Not Angry
- A Drive by Shooting
- Tony 'n' Zamir's Excellent Adventure
- Swag Bags For All My Friends!
- Antonio/Antonia
- Dear Rachael
- How Can I Miss You, When You Won't Go Away?
- Not Fade Away
- Hierarchy of Pork
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- Carol: I have been a fan of No Rez for many seasons. However, AU trailer appears more "juvie" than...
- gg: uuuuuuuuuuu
- NiteQ: Tony, We want new note! :)
- visayan: I'm a filipino. Sometimes I consider myself Asian and sometimes not. It depends on the...
- Visayan: Filipinos are the weirdest people. Here in the States, Filipinos distinct themselves from...
I am so looking forward to your "filthiest, nastiest hour of television" yet! Bring on the FOOD PORN Tony!!
Do we need nurses, doctors (of all kinds)standing by?
Mr. Bordain,
At my Superbowl Sip, Soak and Snack party, my friend and I both proclaimed that we would be happy to 'be your bitch!') Visit this site to learn more: http://www.oregoncountryfair.org/. Or here to see the Chow section of the Eugene Weekly: http://chow.eugeneweekly.com/chow/ for more about the local food scene.
Sorry to disappoint you in that we are both late 40's males, but anyhow we had a good laugh and shared how much we love your style and show. If you ever need someone to travel along and help eat all the leftovers so they don't go to waste (waist :), or to scout out new locales- be sure and get in touch.
On a side note: you really should do a show on the Cuisine of Eugene, Oregon (or perhaps Lane County so you can do the seafood on the coast). We are a center of organic, natural food from local suppliers and, for a small town (140,000+) we have a surprising variety of restaurants. Or for a more unusual show perhaps you could feature the food vendors of the Oregon Country Fair. If you are unfamiliar with it- it is a Hippy craft fair that will celebrate its 40th anniversary this summer and consists of over 50 food vendors and 700 craft vendors as well as over a dozen stages for music and performance. Many of the food vendors have restaurants or food companies. (example: Nancy's Creamery- a Kesey Family affair
It would be a different type of show, and some of the Red Staters seem to think the 'People's Republic of Eugene' is or should be a different country. Also, the vegan fascists could use a dose of your cutting tongue!
From the 4
Can't bloody wait. Something to consider is how hunting shows are essentially just like porn. Which might have been a natural in the Ted Nugent episode. So formulaic, with bad backing music, and then you have the money shot. GREAT Chicago episode btw. Every single segment rocked. That fish smoking place on the south side reminded me of a great place on the coast in Sonoma County that had mind-blowing smoked fish (but now closed since the proprietor died).
Where are we in this episode. If it is Britain, I totally understand why they need all the oomph to go with cooking. There has to be more than fish and chips and tandoori chicken (an Indian...bloody (in a thick royal accent) colonists) as their national dish.
P.S. No matter how porn infused food becomes and how convoluted food now is(yes, convoluted...all the drama is just the smooth talking and ear-nibbling before the 'marinated' pork is cooked to a glorious glaze...what an animal!), Nigella Lawson is unbelievable magnetic.
I'am so looking forward to the Food porn episode Monday night. Wow the list of Chefs using their names for your cruel misuse Tony sounds interesting. Are they going to get down and dirty with Tony too.
I will need to have a defibalator (sp?) near by while I'am watching the show Monday night.
I'm sitting here all atwitter. My salivary glands are fully erect, but it's a long time until Monday night. I wonder if I'll get blue buds?
This should be the glazed donut, the Krispy Kreme of your shows. Every woman should be wearing a pearl necklace and should order a pizza with extra anchovies while looking out their sliding glass door at the pool guy.
And I hope there is a lot of funky bass guitar music.
I'm excited! I've got my food lube and towel all ready! My curtains are already closed.
I love your show! I love your book Kitchen Confidential!
Looking forward to tomorrow night's show. Enticing concept! You are so right! Who needs a set up? Just get to the good part and give me some super close-ups!
American television rules need to lighten up. Our maturity level is lagging far behind Europe, boringly puritanical.
Your show offers real life language and faces that most TV lacks. I think that is what makes it special.
Most "reality" shows are carefully casted and crafted BS. Hate it.
zero... point... zero.
-Another Eric the Midget Fan
I can't wait for this episode! I'm even having a naught contest giveaway on my blog in celebration of it. ;)
I only have one thing to add.
Bow chicka bow wow.
Well you certainly are a master of the tease. The show sounds simply irresistible. Now let's see if you can deliver on the promise. ;-)
Don't let us down, Tony. We want the big meat--bone in; we want juices running down chins; we want full frontal spreads on obscene tables filled with people indulging every lustful, gastronomic desire. This is no time to be "reserved". Valentine's Day is Saturday. We need the good stuff, the triple X food porn that will put us in the mood; the stuff we know we can't get at home. Show us the over-the-top, in-your-face, table-shaking, tongue-licking, sweat-inducing, hardcore culinary smut!
Your best shows are always extremes: intellectual and contemplative (the latest Japan show comes to mind) or hard-core-rasty. Either way, it's AB&ZPZ's unabashed passion for food and culture in all it's complexity that makes it interesting.
Looking forward to it!
And ooooh I hope some people are offended. That's always fun.
Speaking of standards and practices, do we really need a Parental Warning before every single damn segment of the show? Isn't once at the beginning more than enough? Doesn't everyone know what to expect from Bourdain at this point?
I cannot wait for the new episode. As long as it doesn't turn into a gruesome, torture scene that is reminiscent of the gut ripping gluttony sin in "Se7en", (although I once ate so much mac & cheese that I thought my stomach might rip open, but it was worth it.) In any case, I cannot wait for tomorrow night.
Oh how my 21 year old heard long for you.
Hey Mr. B.
What's the story with the rights for the stuff from the "other channel", (A Cook's Tour)? If you now own these, can you have Travel Channel start broadcasting them? Maybe get them all up on Mojo or some other site? They're oldies but goodies.
I'm trying to imagine how this episode will be distinguished from the usual fare... I'm envisioning geoducks sandwiched between round juicy slabs of rump roast (on the right track?)
Jeez, you get me all excited and then I remember that your show doesn't air in the UK. At least not on any legal channels. Perhaps I need to trawl the nether regions of cable television. There must be somewhere I can see this?
Anthony,
Please keep up the great work. I have been a fan for years, being in and out of the hospital for the past two years. Raised in Teaneck, and being of the same generation +/- a few years, I really get the comments you make from the neighborhood and tri-state area. I have done some traveling while serving in the Air Force, so SE Asia and areas similar are very interesting and bring back memories.
Have you considered focusing on Newark, NJ, and Florida as far as Brazilian "Dim-Sum" type places? Some are fabulous, especially when it comes to the Sword service and green/red serve/don't serve shot glasses? I think they're call Churrasceria's (please excuse my spelling. Let me know if you are planning such a segment.
Thanks again!!!
Les from Teaneck, NJ (Now living in the Pocono Mountains, PA).
You are amazing! Talented, witty, intelligent, and gorgeous! Come to Seattle again so I can stalk you.
I look forward to your shows, however, i was very disappointed with the Miami episode, miami is a diversified city,but 90% of Miami is cuban, Miami was placed on the map by the cubans..i felt you should you should have included a some of our food in this episode!!!!!!
So where's your leotard?
greetings from Chile! We loves your show.
we are waiting for you in Chile, so you can eat and enjoy our traditional food:
sopaipillas, completos, anticuchos, chorrillanas ñaaaaaaam!!! (street food) or charquicán, pebre, porotos, cazuela, asado al palo,pantrucas (home food) etc. Is the paradise!!
i hope you can read this message and coming soon.
*please excuse my primitive english, i live in the third world!!! XD!!!
bye.
I'm all over your show 2nite! When will you do a show in Philadelphia? I saw your show in DC, and started writing all the places you went to! You're right, the Chili bowl is cramped once nite falls!
You are a rock star! Love your books, and love your shows. If you're traveling down San Diego way, I'll take you to a yakitori place for gizzards and hearts. (Ate there last night.) It reminded me of your tours in Tokyo. Keep on rockin'!
I laugh at the ad next to reminding me to learn how to live without cigarettes. Where is the ad to learn how to live after children? Or an Autopsy? Or finding out your husband left you for a midget...... and her goat. After this past year food porn sounds refreshing and clean. I bought some fresh garlic and have picked some rosemary. I have freshly cut hardwood and now, a home on a lake. I am going out for feta..... how are you supposed to cook a midget again?
Tony:
First, being from Portland, Oregon and having gone to school in Eugene - I don't know how much you can trust 'Joe the hungry'. I only remember them having really good weed, but the food so-so... I suspect the post-weed-consumption hunger is why he thinks the food is so good there.
On another note, I have been living in Chile for the last decade, Viña del Mar to be exact - and I have a great tour planned out for your 'Chilean episode'. I have Chilean roots/family, but being born and raised in PDX makes me the most connected gringo in the country. No joke, have Chris drop me an email and get down here soon!
oooh, I can't wait!
I love Mondays. A full afternoon of Bourdain-y goodness, followed by a new episode. Looking forward to seeing some hardcore Food Porn!
And I agree wholeheartedly with the Homer Rule. Many times I am watching lesser shows (when No Reservations ISN'T on - sadly, it happens too often) and they say LOTS of things that gets Bourdain *beeped*. I *like* his "potty mouth," it's one of the things that makes his show so REAL. :)
Love your show.Brutal honesty meets great food and great faces.Keep the good work.Food porn? you done it again,great job!!!
I watch the show every chance I get.
Finally I understand why so much of the Food Network's sound track reminds me of those dismal XXX porn movies I watched in my youth. Tight, low-cut leotards and women bending over to eat, I can see (and hear) the parallel.
Although I still think this is the best show on TV, I am sorry to say that this season does not live up to those of the past. Too much watching Tony eat on the show. I miss the cultural aspect which was heavier in the past, as well as the interactions with the colorful locals. Some of my favorite episodes have been Columbia and Laos and their fascinating backgrounds and beauty. Tony doesn't get his chance to shine and offer the same wit he has shown in the past with his great perspective and appreciation of the customs of others. I will continue to watch but hope you go back to the old format.
Anytime it's you and Ripert...and porn? I'm watching.
Cue the 70's soundtrack.
Dear Anthony Bourdain,
I'm ready and can't wait to get off on this episode ;D
Also, I'm gonna see you in Palm Desert, CA later this month!
See you then,
Polett S
I can't wait!!
tony....i love you! the music alone in this episode is making me hot. i just had to tell you that i am obsessed with your shows. i am not a wacko...i just really appreciate your raw honesty and poetic ramblings wherever you go. and the freaking meal with david chang....you are my hero....how do you stay so thin! can i be your assistant or perhaps your travel companion?
Earlier I said that this was a severely poor episode. The David Chang part lifts it out or the muck. C-
that's the most fun i've had in front of the television in a very long time.
bravo, man. that was dirty-funny-sexy-wonderful.
Loved this show. Hit the nail on the head about how too many Americans look on food as a bad thing, when it really is something that can bring pleasure and help strengthen friendships and family relations.
And anyone who thought you'd lost your snark now might know why - you used your entire season's quota on this epi! The whole segment on the making of a Food TV show was hysterical and so spot on. Truly, I'd not be surprised if your tongue had not become permanently adhered to your cheek after all the double entendres. Simply brilliant.
Now, hopefully in a future season you'll consider visiting a major culinary hotspot - TURKEY! The crossroads of the Eastern Hemisphere, with a cuisine that embraces offal with relish and takes elements of the best culinary traditions of the lands of the former Ottoman Empire and blends them beautifully. Tony, visit Turkey, you'll not be disappointed.
F***ing hilarious!
Good! The whole theater setting a bit cliche but look at the options.So whats next?I like the upscale just as much as the next guy but I thought it lost something.The cooks who went back to the very heartbeat of why we cook,seem to send there message with a flare. Food for thought...
We didn't make it past the Pho segment, we locked eyes. sighed, and gave into sin, shortly thereafter we were slurping down that sexy spicy broth at our local Pho joint...ten minutes before closing.
GREAT EPI...This is my third favorite behind Beruit and Cleveland. Submit this for the Emmy.
I was a big critic to your table/food convo show...put some foodies at the table (including these chefs)and the outcome could be quite different.
Now that I have stopped drooling I can comment on the food porn episode. OMG, talk about a sexy show.
Loved the Momofuku segment my jaw dropped to my belly botton when I saw all that pork shoulder yummy for my tummy. As soon as I recovered from that could pig get any sexier oh yes it did in comes Martin Picard and his symphony of all that is pig (he could have left his shirt on though. The other guys leave your shirts off).
Tony and his pho now thats sexy. Loved this episode, MEOW.
Great show! I want one of (almost) everything!
Great, GREAT show tonight!
Noice!
If engaging in hedonism and gluttony is indeed ungodly, than Picard and his friends are surely headed straight to hell; which, if the punishment fit the crime, would entail being stuffed with chorizo, wrapped in smoked bacon, and plunged into a cauldron of goose fat.
You had me at Rippert. The grilled cheese with short rib - my heavens, it's hot in here! The chocolate jewels - heavy breathing. Dinner with David Chang - the clothes are off! But Picard & Co.? Tony, TonY, TONY!
*sigh* No smokes, huh? Can we do that again in 20 minutes?
Great show. Thanks.
I awoke feeling damp, as my dreams were painted with vivid images of sexy chefs. Ooh-la-la! Delicious men like Bourdain, Ripert and Andres inspire fantasies of being spanked with a spatula over a cool kitchen counter, and being forced to sample mouth-watering plates of food and offer reciprocal pleasure, while wearing nothing but a pretty apron. Wouldn’t you agree ladies? Well, maybe I’m the only weirdo…
The Food Porn episode was enticing! Watching Tony slurp a bowl of Pho sent my salivary glands into overdrive. (I noticed the guy beside Tony was turned on by watching him, too. He kept stealing glances. I think he might have a bigger crush on him than I do.)
I wonder how T feels about the fact that fans probably know how he sounds when he has an orgasm. I imagine that it’s very similar to the way he moans over a forkful of food. ;-)
Anyway, that reassembled Picard piggy was obscene! Il était magnifique! And all of that shirtless masculinity, fantastique!
Sensationnelle! Merci beaucoup. Plus s’il vous plait.
I can't wait to go home and watch last nights show. Thank you to whomever invented the DVR!!
I am a recent convert to your show(s) and must say, I'd quit my job, leave my career as a worker bee for a software company and work, for basically nothing, to be your assitant or your own personal photographer.
Your shows simply kick ass. You are honest, direct, no b.s. and you provide such a fantastic viewpoint on food, the culture(s) it lives within and the vastness of the gastronomical world.
You completely deserve all that is good and tasty that comes your way.
Thanks for making me addicted to TV once again.
Ohhhhhhhhh, you're good, Tony! OOOOOOOOhhhhh, you're so gooood! All kidding aside, it was a really fun episode, delightfully, cheesy/grainy in a 70's porno cinema verite kind of way. And hilarious that all the chefs had a really good sense of humor about their porno noms de guerre - except maybe Rachael Ray, a/k/a Kerry Cherry? Too funny, Mr. Bon Clair, but you're right - food is pleasure. And you guys are definitely in the pleasure business (in a totally unskanky way, of course.)
Ohh, and Tad Chanko aside (whom I thought was usually Tony's own evil doppelganger/alter ego) - wasn't that Todd in a raincoat in the theater, too, as one of the porno horndogs? And Jerry Ribius on the handheld camera as part the Skanko Chanko's crew? Just ASKIN'!
Not bad, but where was your raincoat, Tony? And what about "The big unit"? That has porn written all over it, even if a simple food item. And the part at the end - shirtless and eating those various pig parts? I just couldn't take it - at least the pig nose. I'm all for kink but come on! Would much rather have seen you and Ruhlman shirtless kicking back with a coconut juice-drizzled, roasted-over-a-flame for hours, sow. Alright, maybe just you. Ruhlman could film and narrate it. (Insert cheesy 70's music here.) The LOOK on your face during your food segments was the best part of the show. Whew. I think...I have...to wash...my hands...now! Cheers, artnlit (Bonnie from Pittsburgh, your t-shirt connection!)
Super show.. Sea Urchin and Cavier..things that make me go hummm... Thank you for calling out the "HO-Bags" on the food network... I was an avid viewer--until Giada's cleavage was shot more than the food.. Merci beaucoup, Anthony for keeping it real..xo from TX
Great job! I realy thought i was watching a bad,cheap and crappy show from the 70's.
The best episode ever!!
You had me at "Pho".
Insert joke about getting a "Pho job" here! (Sorry, couldn't resist! ~artnlit (Bonnie)
I now know why I love you and your adventures so much...tonight I will be watching you work in the nude!!
Anthony: I am enjoying Food Porn. Very sexy. You will be very interested in The Grateful Palate dot com and their sublime "bacon of the month club."
Nothing beats bacon.
(you can use that. ;)
Lauren
You named-checked some so-so lady food "personalities," but I'd say Nigella Lawson does the sexy-food thing a hundred times better than any of those women. I'm sure some of that has to do with the fact that she's gorgeous, but I never seen someone swoon over creme fraiche like Lawson.
Watched Food Porn with relished abandon last night. That Ripert dish (Uni reduction and caviar on a pasta pillow)was just to die for. Pure delight! I agree that food is waay better than sex most of the time.
For what it's worth, I've just recently become addicted to your show, and am just finding this fancy blog of yours. I want to thank you for sharing your loves and hates about food and the business of it. Thank you and your crew for enduring the challenge that is traveling to multiple countries and enduring the jet lag that is worse than the worst hangover. Every time I watch an episode from my fancy DVR, I think, I wish I was there tasting those crazy dishes and finally understanding his love for all types of food from all corners of the earth.
Have you ever filmed a show in Ireland? That's my favorite! If you're an egg slut, then I'm a meat and potatoes slut. Thanks for sharing your perspective on the world. I'm always on my toes wondering what you'll say and where you'll go next.
As usual you are ahead of your time. Sex is formost in the mind and you brought together two of our greatest pleasures.
Good sex and good food........close..not really........ I have to say I'm way on the gooey side of chef Brennan. Doesn't have to be French...anything gooey. On the other hand the Spainard Andre really puts me off. His commentary style is way too dramatic and artsy, about like handmade tortillas. COMMON......I hope your expensive menu tastes good Andre........cause ya know it's all about.......DOES IT TASTE GOOD FELLA?????? I'll never eat in his restaurant....he's way too arrogant over NOTHING. Full of himself and BS.....
But you Tony..........you and the Pho.......really sexy...
I want some............Pho I mean. Oh and the guys from Canada with the pig......they're frauds...mocking everyone
All slobs, unsanitary........not the pig.......them...
I try to not miss your show and running the Food Porn show back to back made me want some pho so I went for it at lunch today. Good, but not great. I've had better, in so. california, where the Viets who migrated to the U.S. live in Orange County. If you're ever in that area, check it out.
Keep on doing the good stuff. I like your cook free or die thing too. Do you sell t-shirts with the logo? You've inspired my 8 year old daughter to want to be a chef, but on a cruise ship. Say, there's an idea for a show! You're into the all you can eat as a gourmand, so why not? From what I've seen on the tube and online, the food looks, well, good! Later.
Hey Tony,
I look happy in the painting! I'm even smiling!
I've also got great Bambi eyes. Which was a bit of a surprise for me- they look like some slightly crazed Pokemon. (like there's some other kind.)
yay!
Damn you Anthony Bourdain. You used to be cool. I have loved your books and your shows except this one. You went for the cheap tawdry pleasure-only aspect of food. The sex pleasure and negated everything else you've ever said about food. Sure, the food-pleasure connection exists but you could have limited yourself to food porn as a visual. But you have lost your way. You look only through the camera lens and lost all the other pleasures of food. The memory connection you so perfectly described with Chef Keller's cooking. The sweat and love given by every mother's "clumsily assembled tuna casserole" was sacrificed for a "few grains of cavier licked off a nipple". Food porn is a visual love of food but the culture and traditions of food, the love of creating food for loved ones - that is the truest aspect of cooking. Watching food made is the first stimulating step to wanting to make food for others. And you know this but forgot it after all these years of visual work. You left the kitchen and left the culture of food. The fight for real food, the defense of the kitchen, of where food came from. You took all that away from cooking and debased it with sex. Cooking is love. Food is love. Porn can simulate love just as a cooking show can "simulate" food but good cooking shows like, oh say, Julia Child's leads to a love of food. A love of the traditions of cooking, a love of good ingredients, a love of giving the gift of yourself through the act of cooking for others. You made the weak and pathetic connection of sex and pleasure and degraded it to porn, when true sex and true pleasure is an act that elevates itself to love. The show was sophomoric and poisonous as Japanese porn. You pissed on food and expected us to eat it. Shame on you Anthony Bourdain. I have been loyal and now am disillusioned.
My idea of Food Porn would be a massive version of a Turducken: a quail stuffed into a chicken, stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey, stuffed into an emu, stuffed into an ostrich. If that's not enough, cram the whole thing into a partially deboned manatee. Then wrap it in bacon - not plain old pork bacon, but whale bacon. Then deep-fry the whole damn thing.
I'd eat it. And I'd even share it with you, Tony.
Picard and his crew frauds? Nonsense. Nobody cooks more sincerely than Martin Picard. Nobody. His restaurant is one big room, where the kitchen and the dining area are separated by a long counter and nothing is hidden. I think Tony once called it the last "bull***-free zone in North America". If you want to connect with the realities of restaurants and food and have a damn fine dinner to boot, go to Au Pied de Cochon.
Hola mr bourdain,
I just found out you had a blog. Fugging, what have i been doing for so long? Living under a rock?
I am becoming an avid reader of entries because I like your prose. I like the way you write and your approach to food wish we had more people out there writing about interesting content and including their opinions. I have just started writing and it made me this of a few things.
Anyways, to tag onto this food porn thing, have you noticed that food porn is of rich decadent food? chcolate, uni, oysters, sticky ribs. I don't think healthy food makes the porn cut.
Have you ever seen XXX oatmeal? Or kinky faro salad with spinach? Or maybe sexy time nutritional yeast?
I am afraid that vegan food, and hence their consumers, are desexualized little beings. The vegans are going hate me for posing this silly little question, but what the hell do to get their mojo on? Food or naught?
I am only hypothesizing because I can't stand my flavorless vegan roommate. I may be drawing too distant of a comparison but I thought it worked.
holla
This was probably the best porn I have ever seen!! Sex...food...why choose? One potentially just as tasty as the other. We darkened our living room and put the kids to bed! Aaah, Anthony. You have managed to make my day yet again!!
Always a fan, and always a pleasure...
Anthony,
Great show on England & Scotland, when you got to Morcheeba though, well let's just say I am a music......collector...and I love their style.
For me Food and music go together...you just have to know how to put it together for the correct outcome.
Ciao,
Vito
The "Food Porn" episode was money! Especially relating the porn industry to the food industry. Keep up the good work.
As Comicbook-Man would say - "Best...show...ever!" Way to go Tony & Company!!
you know tony in the begining i simply enjoyed seeing the scene's IN THE BACKGROUND, during your show..but Im admitting it here first, im actually watching YOU now...youve grown on me, you big goofy lurch lucky enough to get the f out of these kitchens Ive been stuck in for 23 years...but hey, im not addicted to anything yet and i trust my blood pressure is still near where it needs to be....ever consider a partner?
If you truly refer to "porn" as being related to depictions of things and activities I will never get to see or do, then for me your entire program is such. (Well, that is, except for your journey through Uzbekistan, which was more like a horror film.) I live in a rural midwestern town devoid of any culture outside of NASCAR and bad republican jokes. Since I discovered you, your writing (which is eerily similar to that of my own), and your show, I may have never had the pleasure of learning about all of the places I will never see and dishes I would never even be able to find the ingredients for...and lets not forget the grit and wit you wrap those things up with that keep us would-be travelers and foodies that don't have the opporotunity to be.
THANK YOU. I hope you really get to read this.
Giada De Laurentiis can lick my spoon anytime, baby.
Loved the episode. I even felt awkward watching it with my boyfriend while my mom was in the room. score.
by the way, Philly is a mine of grease.
Anthony,
You really grow on a person the Red Hook episode with
Zimmern was classic being from the hook and seeing a guy from the upper west side in Brooklyn it must have been painful for you; your face said it all. It was almost as bad as the jamaican cave episode. I find myself now tunning in like an absinthe addict every Monday and by the way when you drink it's not a great message but it's great television."Really"
Just keep it real the shows great you make for good conversation.
Love ya man,
Double K, Brooklyn
Glad I'm not the only one who found the Pho segment to be... well... let's just say I have PLENTY of material for a good months worth of Bourdain dreams. :) Oy mother f'in VEY - WHEW!!!!
Dear Tony, I just got out of the hospital after having triple Anterior cervical discectomy with fusion. I was so pleased to see FOOD PORN. I knew you were leading up to something really good with all the previous remarks about Ryan Seacrest juices and Hulk Hogan's under ware in the other episodes and there it was FOOD PORN.
I wish hospitals would make your first meal as good as anything you present on your show as you don't get a choice (no reservation) on your first meal. I would love to see a special on Hospital food, I know it sounds bad, but that is why. I think they tried to get me to eat stewed/steam mushed chicken that was not even recognizable or even smelled like chicken, who really knows what it was.
You have a personality just like mine and I have the added "Rectal Octi Itis", I am sure you know what it means.
Loyal Fan in Orlando,
Ray
That was pretty damn great. Although, as much of an a**-man as I am, I couldn't watch most of the end.
Tony, some of your recent shows SUCK – especially the “conversation” show. I’d like to see your show handle one specific food theme topic such as “Tony’s favorite breakfast” or your favorite lunch, dinner, snack, seafood, pork/beef/meat dishes, fruit/durian(?), street food, desserts, sushi, appetizer, beer, etc. Each show with a specific topic with your witty comments and preferences would be delightful and interesting. The specifically targeted-item shows [not targeted country or city] would be inexpensive to produce because you could compile some of your past clips/footage. You could also add interest by trying to reproduce or cook your favorite dishes yourself – or feature a favorite chef. In other words, I’d really like to see your show feature FOOD – not travel/tourist scenic shots. You're yummy!
P.S. added note
Tony, question for you: have you tried Dutch oven cooking? Also, during your many travel adventures, have you met people with strange food phobias such as “won’t anything green” or “eat the same potato & meat dishes every single day” – can you do a show on food phobias? Do you have specific aversions or intense food dislikes?
i never relized how much food turns me on..i was there....u had the right spot.....and then........uh......u blew it.....the tart that was made with cheese and gueyness lookd to me like it was made from phyllo doe.....tony... wha happn?!
Hey Tony,
Saw the New Orleans episode today. I saw the devastation of the hurricane when I was there. It was shocking; whole abandoned suburbs and the twisted metal carcasses of hotels on the foreshore. You guys did a great job. It was a perfect blend of reality and hope, lit with that dark sense of humour which seems to characterise survivors. Made me wish I had stayed longer. I remember coming out of the arid plateaus of Texas, all those bridges arching over the marshes of Louisiana were just magical. “Well you’re in Louisiana now girl, it don’t ever get cold here!” The bayous on the beautiful Creole Nature Trail lush with waterplants, birds, turtles, and families crawfishing. At one point we passed a guy mowing his lawn while an 8 foot alligator bolted past. Louisiana’s Outback? Hell yeah I’m cool with that, I Love Louisiana. Sometimes, usually on days like today when it's pissing down, I'd like to be in some crazy shack on stilts in a bayou somewhere eating gumbo and deep fried crawfish, with rum and root beer, John Fogerty howling softly in the background, growing moss like all those swampy old trees.
The food porn show was TERRIFIC. Anybody saying otherwise can suck my fat one!
I had the good fortune of watching the "Food Porn" episode the night before a day trip to NYC, and was looking forward to a bowl of pho at my favorite restaurant in Chinatown. Watching Tony moan over his bowl was the perfect prelude!
Food Porn, very very clever. Anything better than the ultimate combination of flavors and/or sexual positions, me thinks not.
I can't wait, already saw one episode I think...was terrific
I cant wait to see the Food Porn .... sadly here in Dubai - I'll have to wait a little bit longer before it screens here. What a terrific concept - but there again - as we share a love of food & travel - I've been inspired since A Cooks Tour.
Finally got a chance to watch Food Porn! Outstanding, Tony! What a great episode. I loved getting a chance to see Chang and Ripert in their elements as well. Well done!
http://www.awhiffoflemongrass.com/?p=409
Check out the food porn here
Tone,
Apparently you were Jonathan Swift in one of your former lives. You might have another try with the ultimate food porn, a' la "A Modest Proposal", in New Guinea or other islands which formerly had 'long pig' on the menu. For we mainlanders in Amurika, or the Rainbow Cities therein, food porn is ultimately about how to "serve" bananas and "encased meat", isn't it?
God, you're a sexy man.
Tony,
WHAT A LOSER! You lanky, physically repulsive, old, cranky, annoying voiced, extremely unattractive, out of date bore!
Go away already.
Give someone a show who deserves it!
Hey Tony, How about a show about Costa Rica? You could do a little diving and snorkeling and eat some lobsters and stuff? Fun for us to watch and a fun show for you to make? Art in Nashville, TN
You should be calling Martin Picard to wish him congratulations on his very fabulous restaurant review in the Montreal Gazette this past Feb 14...after a gazillion years the gazette did a re-review and gave him glorious accolades, which in this era should keep him in business past the next year i hope....(u don't have to tell him a reader informed u - let him think your tentacles reach everywhere LOL)
Next time you do anything relating to the food/sex equation, a visit with Violet Blue, San Francisco Chronicle's Open Source Sex columnist and blogger about all thing sexual would be in order. She could give you some very serious insight into the way the San Francisco Bay Area combines and links food with sex. Some of which might make it past the censors. Probably not, but definitely worth the trip.
Mr. Bourdain... completely loved the Food P... show (can't say it all due to FireWalls setup). Though there was enough material for a post doctorate on behavioral, too bad it was just on one episode.
As the daughter of a French Restaurant owner (20 years in FL) I really like what you do, taking Harry Truman's say 'If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen' to a whole other level. Keep it up...
If you want to see some food porn go TERRIBLY ARWY check this artist out: http://www.heidehatry.com/
You may vomit a lot in your mouth.
Or it you are a true art lover... glean some meaning wrapping yourself in dead meat skin and planting your face into ground meat scarface style.
I'm sorry, I LOVE YOU, but this show sucked. I know you like to tell it like it is, but honestly, it was awful. Tony, what has happened to you? This season we have you sitting around talking about food with a bunch of snobbies and now food porn? I understand the concept, but do you have to devote a whole show to it? I got it! In your book! Please, stick to more shows about YOU (into the fire, your Christmas special) and traveling to taste foods of different cultures. Please? Pretty please?
hi anthony!
i gues you want to show everythin , i mean all deatils , wich is good , not all the things are so perfect. food , sometimes is perfect , sometimes disgusting , just like sex!
i wanna see that!
cheers from Chile!
i hope to see you here!
Tony - sorry, man, but I really felt the "Food Porn" episode didn't work, and I stopped watching after 15 minutes. I wasn't offended or upset or even shocked, I was just - bored, which is something I have never been watching your shows before. Even the previous clip shows, or the much-maligned AT THE TABLE WITH TONY, have had a lot of laughs and insight - but "Food Porn" was just your post team doing a halfassed rip on the most halfassed elements of GRINDHOUSE (which were mainly Tarantino's, as Rodriguez's half got the Grindhouse aesthetic down cold!).
Hi Tony,
I love your shows, they create a diversion from other mundane food shows as well as tantilizing dishes to savor.
P.S. I've had "very adult" dreams of you.
This episode contained a whole lot of Vonneguet references and quotes... was this intentional or what? You rock.
Saludos desde Santiago de Chile: Hola Anthony, solo quiero decirte que éres de esas personas que le hacen bien al mundo actual, humano,divertido, honesto e inteligente. Con mi hija estaremos el 16 de Marzo en tu presentación acá. Buen viaje.
Luisa.
My wife and I have just stopped laughing and shaking our heads after watching "Food Porn". WE sit in awe every week drooling over the landscape and the people as much as the food. To see you throw caution and convention in the gutter and spell out the now obvious connection between our mouths and our loins, was truly inspiring and disturbing at the same time. You do great things for the Walter Mittys of the world which I must painfully admit i have become. It is inspiring to me to hear that someone else with small children has volition enough to live his dream. I welcome an episode on Cape Cod, but I guess you covered that when you went to the Azores. My Grandmother came off the boat from Sao Miguel. I grew up thinking it was Portugal I needed to see, now I know the truth of my own heritage. I saw it all on that show. luickily i have my Mom who still knows the basics of the food she cooked, and what I remember growing up, I make for the guys at the firehouse. Thanks for every thing, see you in Falmouth some day.
Sensational article. I would like to write well. You have a cool sense of humour.
this is the best show ever.
Luisa, could you translate to english?
this was the most amazing sow ever!!
Just read Kitchen Confidential.
Pretty honest stuff, about the dope and all that.
I got myself out of that scene too so congrats on that.
Just missed you at Johnson and Wales.
Moved from SF to Providence and just beginning to explore
the food scene. So far so good.
Way to tell em omgimhuge we shouldn't have to put up with the substandard work like we got to the road leading to the valley lets ask for higher standards of work for our tax dollars
I have to put this somewhere.
Pardon my lack of eloquence.
and length.
Its not often (it may be closer to never) that I see someone on my mindcontrollightbox who just feels real to me. I was one of those kids whose parents plopped them in front of a tv at every opportunity and let the boobtube do half the work of having a kid. I'm not the most dense of creatures, so I obviously skidded away from this on my own, but not before my perception of public reality was so incredibly tarnished that I would sooner have a desire to colorfully disembowel most television personalities than I would watch them. I abstained from TV for a couple of years due to being overwhelmingly disillusioned with plastic drooling fluff.
Soooo....Thanks for no bullshit. Thanks for the respect you and your crew show to your hosts. Thanks for showing passion and for not censoring yourself. etc.
That being said, thank you sir for being you.
...
I thought I knew what I wanted to say, it's almost embarassing at how shy I am sitting behind the computer not knowing if you'll ever read this. Here's the crude version. I'm far from your most obsessive fan, but you did something to me. I appreciate it. If you ever have a minute and it's really you, not some cubicle monkey...drop a line. Im interested in knowing what its like to have a pseudo conversation with you.
I saw the Food Porn show again last night. Definitely, one of my favorites! Keep going, Tony!
Anthony's show is one of my favorites. I am myself a traveler and I like good food (none of the above at Anthony's level though). So it is great to see someone who has mastered both disciplines, but who also can add some poetry to it all.
Traveling the world over with the Navy, You take me back to some really great times and memories. Your passion for seeking out the local customs and foods are truly great. Your laid back nature and un-assuming demeanor are great. Dude, are you from California?
This is a good show!
Wow the whole agglutinating thing just takes the money to another level doesn't it? guess i know why my finance money have been exciting
Absolutely love the show. Great nasty food TV!
Bawdy, crude, tasteless - a show made with the sole purpose of getting people excited to the point of oozing fluids. We need more television like that.
Just read Kitchen Confidential.
Pretty honest stuff, about the dope and all that.
I got myself out of that scene too so congrats on that.
Just missed you at Johnson and Wales.
Moved from SF to Providence and just beginning to explore
the food scene. So far so good.
Great show - keep it up!
nice post
I wonder if I'll get blue buds? I'm sitting here all atwitter. My salivary glands are fully erect, but it's a long time until Monday night.
GReat, nice, wonderful !
Thank you for useful information. With love ...
reklam ajansı
Congratulation - this is great episode!
Love your show, Tony!! Your narrative style is second to none (Day-yum ..do I sound like I'm suckin' up or what the... LOL)..and ..hey! ..it's cool to get this all from another guy in my age range! Being a Chitowner, born & raised, (but sadly, now an hours drive away to the NW of the city) it was nice to catch a Chicago episode. Sad to say, one trip won't cover it all and we hope to see you again soon. How about it?
Loved the episode from Puerto Rico. I'd looove to meet Andy. He's a hoot! Doesn't hurt that he's good looking too. Ooooops!! Did I say that??? Ohhh, merrrcy!
I wonder if I'll get blue buds? I'm sitting here all atwitter. My salivary glands are fully erect, but it's a long time until Monday night
How far could we go -- if we avoided all classic profanity and any frank depictions of bodily or sexual functions? Well ...we found out on this episode, it turns out that the word or term itself doesn't have to be obscene. Agree to that!
Traveling the world over with the Navy, You take me back to some really great times and memories. Your passion for seeking out the local customs and foods are truly great
Bawdy, crude, tasteless - a show made with the sole purpose of getting people excited to the point of oozing fluids. We need more television like that.
Loved the episode from Puerto Rico. I'd looove to meet Andy. He's a hoot! Doesn't hurt that he's good looking too. Ooooops!! Did I say that??? Ohhh, merrrcy!
Traveling the world over with the Navy, You take me back to some really great times and memories. Your passion for seeking out the local customs and foods are truly great. Your laid back nature and un-assuming demeanor are great. Dude, are you from California?
I thought I knew what I wanted to say, it's almost embarassing at how shy I am sitting behind the computer not knowing if you'll ever read this. Here's the crude version. I'm far from your most obsessive fan, but you did something to me. I appreciate it. If you ever have a minute and it's really you, not some cubicle monkey...drop a line. Im interested in knowing what its like to have a pseudo conversation with you.
iate it. If you ever have a minute and it's really you, not some cubicle monkey...drop a line. Im interested in knowing what its like to have a pseudo conversation maç özetleriuydu forum
Money, money, money, must be funny :D
this is great episode. congratulations.
LOVE the show, love your blog, would love to follow you
http://www.esramchat.com < < buna benziyor
ty man
I loved this episode.. you rule!!
They just want to see some brightly colored close-ups of the stuff before it disappears into the face of somebody/anybody wearing a low-cut leotard.
The filthiest, nastiest hour of television we could get away with. And yet -- utterly wholesome! We ain't doing nothin' that Giada, Rachael and Sandra ain't been doin' for years, officer!
If you ever have a minute and it's really you, not some cubicle monkey...drop a line. Im interested in knowing what its like to have a pseudo conversation with you.
You take me back to some really great times and memories. Your passion for seeking out the local customs and foods are truly great.
this is great episode. congratulations.
The show sounds sexy and fun, a great idea and a great way to get more people into good food. Food can be fun and should be fun. Just found this blog and it has some great stuff in it. Keep it comming.
They just want to see some brightly colored close-ups of the stuff before it disappears into the face of somebody/anybody wearing a lowcut leotard
Sensational article. I would like to write well. You have a cool sense of humour
I like experimenting with new tastes and sometimes i might ask for a loan to suit my taste, everything has to be proved in this world in my opinion.
Traveling the world over with the Navy, You take me back to some really great times and memories
thought I knew what I wanted to say, it's almost embarassing at how shy I am sitting behind the computer not knowing if you'll ever read this. Here's the crude version. I'm far from your most obsessive fan, but you did something to me. I appreciate it. If you ever have a minute and it's really you, not some cubicle monkey...drop a line. Im interested in knowing what its like to have a pseudo conversation with you.
Do we need nurses, doctors (of all kinds)standing by?
I'm excited! I've got my food lube and towel all ready! My curtains are already closed.
I love your show! I love your book Kitchen Confidential!
Good! The whole theater setting a bit cliche but look at the options.So whats next?I like the upscale just as much as the next guy but I thought it lost something.The cooks who went back to the very heartbeat of why we cook,seem to send there message with a flare
Jeez, you get me all excited and then I remember that your show doesn't air in the UK. At least not on any legal channels. Perhaps I need to trawl the nether regions of cable television. There must be somewhere I can see this?
Can't bloody wait. Something to consider is how hunting shows are essentially just like porn. Which might have been a natural in the Ted Nugent episode. So formulaic, with bad backing music, and then you have the money shot. GREAT Chicago episode btw. Every single segment rocked. That fish smoking place on the south side reminded me of a great place on the coast in Sonoma County that had mind-blowing smoked fish (but now closed since the proprietor died).
Your shows simply kick ass. You are honest, direct, no b.s. and you provide such a fantastic viewpoint on food, the culture(s) it lives within and the vastness of the gastronomical world.
had the good fortune of watching the "Food Porn" episode the night before a day trip to NYC, and was looking forward to a bowl of pho at my favorite restaurant in Chinatown. Watching Tony moan over his bowl was the perfect prelude!
The cooks who went back to the very heartbeat of why we cook,seem to send there message with a flare
It's also, honestly, a chronicle of the most outrageously over-the-top dishes we've ever seen or tasted.
I'am so looking forward to the Food porn episode Monday night. Wow the list of Chefs using their names for your cruel misuse Tony sounds interesting. Are they going to get down and dirty with Tony too.
I will need to have a defibalator (sp?) near by while I'am watching the show Monday night.
I actually dont like the show.
I will need to have a defibalator (sp?) near by while I'am watching the show Monday night.
Watching Tony moan over his bowl was the perfect prelude...
There’s nothing better than meeting your heroes and finding that they’re real, down-to-earth people. No comment...
The cooks who went back to the very heartbeat of why we cook,seem to send there message with a flare
It's also, honestly, a chronicle of the most outrageously over-the-top dishes we've ever seen or tasted.