Assume the worst. About everybody.
"Maybe that's enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom... is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go."
It's strange how someone you've never met can have such a pull on you and completely change your outlook on life. The first time I watched Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations' was in 2005 - it was the Iceland episode called 'Hello Darkness My Old Friend.' While I watched the show for the first time, I remember thinking 'damn, this guy is so cool. He's drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette while informing me about a city/country I've never even given a second thought!' Literally. I've never forgotten that about 40% of the population of Iceland believes in elves. You can thank Tony for that little jeopardy fact. I'm unsure if that statistic has changed and I refuse to google it. His writing was so in sync with how I enjoyed learning, it was a match made in heaven for me. I was hooked from then on. His badass attitude and knowledge of food and culture were things I began aspiring for. I honestly had no idea how much he would end up influencing the rest of my life.
I've always loved food. I looked forward to the days I would come home from school and see my grandmother's counter covered in flour and red freckles. It meant homemade pasta and sauce was dinner that night (and probably lunch the next day). The only part I hated about those nights was the cleaning - but it was always worth it. Food has always been a comfort for me. I knew that my family would sit down and have a meal. It occasionally ended in arguing but that didn't matter. The food was good!
I believe Bourdain really presented food to the world the way it was meant to be seen. He never fancied it up for the camera and he knew when he described food (which was rarely) it was his own experience. He never wanted to take away the experience of the cook. He understood that the stories behind the food is what makes the food significant and delicious. To learn the history behind a signature dish or to go to a specific region of Italy to try the cow, that's the power of food. He truly wanted the world to understand that food is more than sustenance. Food is the thing that all cultures have in common and should really be something we talk about more. The act of cooking, seasoning, and creating dishes, that's what makes us truly different than any other mammal. Next time you see a bear salting his salmon, let me know though!
"Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund."
I will say this: Anthony Bourdain was probably the closest thing I will ever have to a religion. He is the reason I never say no to trying to new things. He is the reason I desire to see every corner of this beautiful albeit crazy world and to do my best to understand it as much as I possibly can. He is the reason I wake up on Sunday mornings thinking about what I want to cook for dinner that night. He is the reason I find peace alone in a dive bar with a lukewarm beer and the smell of piss. He is the reason I didn't end up stuck in the middle-of-nowhere, racist town I was born in. If that's not the basis of a religion, than what is?
I'm the age where most of my learning was done through television and the internet. My parents weren't equipped to explain what was going on over in the Middle East when 9/11 happened. I only had a mild understanding of what the rest of the world looked like. Although my grandmother is an excellent cook, she knew only how to cook one style of food. There was no hope that we'd be enjoying bibimbap with bulkogi for dinner on a random Tuesday night. I grew up in a city that was nearly 80% white. The year we had a girl from Egypt join our class, I was enamored. I remember asking her what kind of food she ate at home. I wished she would invite me over for dinner. When we had "country" day at school and the girl from Spain brought a dish her mom made, let’s just say I ate more than my share. (It was literally Spanish Potato Tortilla... eggs and potato... a combination I had never heard of) I guess the point I'm trying to get at is Bourdain's show gave me an outlet. It was a relief to find out people like him existed and succeeded in the world.
I hold food and people very close to my heart. The people thing can be a problem because they're so unpredictable. Food is less so. Food is reliable and most importantly delicious (so are people but that's a different topic). There is something so intimate about cooking for someone. Bourdain compared chefs to all other artists, rockstars, comics, painters, etc. And there are so many senses involved in cooking. Sure, beige things are usually delicious (thanks bread) but when there is a pop of color on that beige thing, it's always a treat! When you put yourself on a plate, you're presenting your art. It's the truest form I've learned how to show love and respect. I could never draw, writing is hard, and verbal compliments are literal hell. Anthony Bourdain gave me permission to share a meal with someone and have that be my way to show that I cared. When he would sit down with Inuits in Quebec or Ethiopians in Addis Abab and eat their delicacy food with them that was pure love. And they wanted to tell him their story. And he listened.
"As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life -- and travel -- leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks -- on your body or on your heart -- are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt."
Although Anthony was an incredible writer, he was also very good at listening. He always wanted to make sure the story being told was the correct story - the way the story should be told - not some watered down fairytale of a vacation. He never interrupted anyone. He always knew he was a guest in a foreign land. After all, how can you retell a story if you don't listen to it first? His storytelling was impeccable and would most certainly hook anyone with the ability to hear. The amount of respect he had towards others whose stories he chose to tell was almost tangible. And if I'm going to be honest, although he shared so much about himself through his shows, I wish he told more of his story. His depression story is an important one for many to hear, I'm sure. I recall very brief mentions of his mental health but certainly not to the extent that I believe the public, his fans and followers, would benefit from. He was such an important character to so many people but how much can we really know about someone who we've never met? It's honestly strange to have so many feelings about someone I've only watched on TV.
I realize the majority of this has been me saying "hey, I grew up in a super white city and this white guy showed me that there's more to life than white people through this here television show." That's definitely not the point I'm trying to get across. I'm actually not sure what point I'm trying to get across other than this: I believe Anthony Bourdain was a true gem of a human being. He did some hard, dirty, back breaking work for women and people of color. For a white man in America, he is a great example of someone who used his power for good. I will forever be grateful for him as a TV personality, writer, filmmaker, and human. As my promise to Mr. Anthony Bourdain, I will always listen. I will always try the new thing. I will never let the fall through of plan A ruin my day and will accept the happy accidents. I will slurp up the bowl of noodles without hesitation. I will never complain about a warm beer. And I will try to not just tell the best story but the most important story. The story people need to hear the most.
"It's been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost. But I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
It's strange how someone you've never met can have such a pull on you and completely change your outlook on life. The first time I watched Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations' was in 2005 - it was the Iceland episode called 'Hello Darkness My Old Friend.' While I watched the show for the first time, I remember thinking 'damn, this guy is so cool. He's drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette while informing me about a city/country I've never even given a second thought!' Literally. I've never forgotten that about 40% of the population of Iceland believes in elves. You can thank Tony for that little jeopardy fact. I'm unsure if that statistic has changed and I refuse to google it. His writing was so in sync with how I enjoyed learning, it was a match made in heaven for me. I was hooked from then on. His badass attitude and knowledge of food and culture were things I began aspiring for. I honestly had no idea how much he would end up influencing the rest of my life.
I've always loved food. I looked forward to the days I would come home from school and see my grandmother's counter covered in flour and red freckles. It meant homemade pasta and sauce was dinner that night (and probably lunch the next day). The only part I hated about those nights was the cleaning - but it was always worth it. Food has always been a comfort for me. I knew that my family would sit down and have a meal. It occasionally ended in arguing but that didn't matter. The food was good!
I believe Bourdain really presented food to the world the way it was meant to be seen. He never fancied it up for the camera and he knew when he described food (which was rarely) it was his own experience. He never wanted to take away the experience of the cook. He understood that the stories behind the food is what makes the food significant and delicious. To learn the history behind a signature dish or to go to a specific region of Italy to try the cow, that's the power of food. He truly wanted the world to understand that food is more than sustenance. Food is the thing that all cultures have in common and should really be something we talk about more. The act of cooking, seasoning, and creating dishes, that's what makes us truly different than any other mammal. Next time you see a bear salting his salmon, let me know though!
"Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund."
I will say this: Anthony Bourdain was probably the closest thing I will ever have to a religion. He is the reason I never say no to trying to new things. He is the reason I desire to see every corner of this beautiful albeit crazy world and to do my best to understand it as much as I possibly can. He is the reason I wake up on Sunday mornings thinking about what I want to cook for dinner that night. He is the reason I find peace alone in a dive bar with a lukewarm beer and the smell of piss. He is the reason I didn't end up stuck in the middle-of-nowhere, racist town I was born in. If that's not the basis of a religion, than what is?
I'm the age where most of my learning was done through television and the internet. My parents weren't equipped to explain what was going on over in the Middle East when 9/11 happened. I only had a mild understanding of what the rest of the world looked like. Although my grandmother is an excellent cook, she knew only how to cook one style of food. There was no hope that we'd be enjoying bibimbap with bulkogi for dinner on a random Tuesday night. I grew up in a city that was nearly 80% white. The year we had a girl from Egypt join our class, I was enamored. I remember asking her what kind of food she ate at home. I wished she would invite me over for dinner. When we had "country" day at school and the girl from Spain brought a dish her mom made, let’s just say I ate more than my share. (It was literally Spanish Potato Tortilla... eggs and potato... a combination I had never heard of) I guess the point I'm trying to get at is Bourdain's show gave me an outlet. It was a relief to find out people like him existed and succeeded in the world.
I hold food and people very close to my heart. The people thing can be a problem because they're so unpredictable. Food is less so. Food is reliable and most importantly delicious (so are people but that's a different topic). There is something so intimate about cooking for someone. Bourdain compared chefs to all other artists, rockstars, comics, painters, etc. And there are so many senses involved in cooking. Sure, beige things are usually delicious (thanks bread) but when there is a pop of color on that beige thing, it's always a treat! When you put yourself on a plate, you're presenting your art. It's the truest form I've learned how to show love and respect. I could never draw, writing is hard, and verbal compliments are literal hell. Anthony Bourdain gave me permission to share a meal with someone and have that be my way to show that I cared. When he would sit down with Inuits in Quebec or Ethiopians in Addis Abab and eat their delicacy food with them that was pure love. And they wanted to tell him their story. And he listened.
"As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life -- and travel -- leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks -- on your body or on your heart -- are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt."
Although Anthony was an incredible writer, he was also very good at listening. He always wanted to make sure the story being told was the correct story - the way the story should be told - not some watered down fairytale of a vacation. He never interrupted anyone. He always knew he was a guest in a foreign land. After all, how can you retell a story if you don't listen to it first? His storytelling was impeccable and would most certainly hook anyone with the ability to hear. The amount of respect he had towards others whose stories he chose to tell was almost tangible. And if I'm going to be honest, although he shared so much about himself through his shows, I wish he told more of his story. His depression story is an important one for many to hear, I'm sure. I recall very brief mentions of his mental health but certainly not to the extent that I believe the public, his fans and followers, would benefit from. He was such an important character to so many people but how much can we really know about someone who we've never met? It's honestly strange to have so many feelings about someone I've only watched on TV.
I realize the majority of this has been me saying "hey, I grew up in a super white city and this white guy showed me that there's more to life than white people through this here television show." That's definitely not the point I'm trying to get across. I'm actually not sure what point I'm trying to get across other than this: I believe Anthony Bourdain was a true gem of a human being. He did some hard, dirty, back breaking work for women and people of color. For a white man in America, he is a great example of someone who used his power for good. I will forever be grateful for him as a TV personality, writer, filmmaker, and human. As my promise to Mr. Anthony Bourdain, I will always listen. I will always try the new thing. I will never let the fall through of plan A ruin my day and will accept the happy accidents. I will slurp up the bowl of noodles without hesitation. I will never complain about a warm beer. And I will try to not just tell the best story but the most important story. The story people need to hear the most.
"It's been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost. But I wouldn't have missed it for the world."