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Notes From the Road: Tokyo

By Anthony Bourdain on February 3, 2008 10:30 PM | Permalink | 164 Comments

Well, one can hardly complain about the plumbing here. The toilet seat is a preheated, toasty warm. A menu of warm jets of varying intensities, direction and temperature awaits should I choose to press one of the many buttons. I am afraid to do so. Since Todd discovered his toilet, it's been very hard getting him out of the bathroom for crew calls. Yesterday, after numerous unanswered phone calls, we had to ask the management to break into his room. After a brief scuffle we were able to drag him, pants around his ankles and a copy of US Magazine in his hand, screaming, to the production van.

"But I've never felt so FRESH," he kept wailing, plaintively from the back seat. His face pressed to the window as he stared longingly back in the direction of the hotel.

Continue Reading Notes From the Road: Tokyo.

Notes From the Road: Tokyo

Notes From the Road: Laos: Mount Phupadeng, near the Plain of Jars

By Anthony Bourdain on January 21, 2008 1:51 PM | Permalink | 194 Comments

The fire went out early again last night. Not even embers going when I woke up at 3AM. It's cold and drafty at night, up here on Phupadeng, and stuck without kindling, I ended up burning my briefing material, page by page--in ascending order of importance--as my situation became more desperate and the wood finally caught fire. I now have no idea what I'm doing tomorrow. But after dragging my bed around directly in front of the narrow column of heat coming from the fireplace, and burying myself under three quilts, I was toasty warm and slept like the dead.

After a breakfast of chicken, grilled between splints of bamboo, and an egg omelette, a soup of wild mushrooms and greens--and of course, sticky rice and fiery chili paste, we headed out into the mountains to visit a rice farmer and family, catch some swallows and have a meal.

Continue Reading Notes From the Road: Laos: Mount Phupadeng, near the Plain of Jars.

Notes From the Road: Laos: Mount Phupadeng, near the Plain of Jars

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.

Continue Reading Notes From the Road ... The Home Edition.

Notes From the Road ... The Home Edition

Notes From the Road ... Hawaii

By Anthony Bourdain on January 4, 2008 1:46 PM | Permalink | 322 Comments

I was sitting poolside in Waikiki, after a hard days shoot, taking a brief break from my club sandwich and boat drink to check on my e-mail. Michael Ruhlman had cut and pasted something for me and sent it along for my "immediate attention". It indicated under "subject" that it had originated from the Food Network and it looked like a press release, so I assumed it would be of about as much interest to me as Guy Fieri's hair styling tips or Carrot Top's breakfast preferences. But I read a few lines and immediately almost spit up my Mai Tai:

"Food Network will reprise original series 'A Cook's Tour' this December, it was announced today by Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. The series, featuring outspoken chef Anthony Bourdain, returns to Food Network with a Christmas Day Marathon, airing four back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, December 25th from 9-11pm ET/PT. The series will then join the primetime lineup in its new timeslot on Tuesday, January 8th at 10:30pm ET/PT. "Anthony Bourdain is a passionate foodie who has amazing stories to share as he takes viewers on a unique tour of our planet" said Tuschman. We look forward to introducing new viewers to this memorable Food Network series and know they will enjoy Anthony's unique voice and unforgettable adventures."

"Why? Why that old show? And why now?"

Continue Reading Notes From the Road ... Hawaii.

Notes From the Road ... Hawaii

Notes From the Road ... Jamaica

By Anthony Bourdain on December 17, 2007 12:17 PM | Permalink | 209 Comments

By Anthony Bourdain

Regular viewers will know that in my quest to appease the television Gods, I have found myself in some difficult situations. In Namibia, for instance, where I found myself politely (if reluctantly) munching on a crap-filled tube. Weeks later, after a suitable interlude on high dosages of antibiotics, I made a silent vow to myself that I would try to avoid meals like this in the future. There would be no more crap filled tubes.

Then, just a few days ago, I found myself and my crew descending into one. Yes. You heard right. Now, my producers are a fairly responsible bunch. When I read "cave exploring" on the list of suggested scenes for the Jamaica show, I figured there'd be hand rails and a gift shop. I figured we'd pull the production van into the parking lot, take a spin around the cave with our trusty guide, buy a T-shirt--and I'd be back at the hotel pool nursing a rum punch before you could say Peter Tosh. Perhaps I should have inquired further. Maybe we all should have.

Continue Reading Notes From the Road ... Jamaica.

Notes From the Road ... Jamaica