Commentary, food, Photography

Anthony Bourdain Day

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I was (and still am) a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. I remember finding his first show, “A Cook’s Tour” on a minor travel channel and soon found myself completely hooked. I read all of his books and watched all of his shows as they came along.

Photo courtesy of Alex Welch, New York Times

I was raised in French-speaking Canada, learned to cook in the French country way, and I always felt, even from a very young age, that one of the best ways to understand a culture is to try its food. So when Anthony Bourdain came along, with his French name and food/travel attitude that aligned with mine, I thought yes, finally! Here’s someone who’s doing a thoughtful travelogue-and-food-as-cultural-identity show.

Icelandic salmon

My desire for travel was inspired by my childhood trips to my mother’s homeland, the UK. On one of these visits, she took me on a side-trip to Paris, and that’s where for me, food and travel merged and grew. Since then, and although I’ve now slowed down, I’ve travelled enormously and have always, first and foremost, accessed a region’s culture through its food.

The best seafood chowder ever; from a visit to Reykjavik.

Food is who we are. We depend on it not only for the practical purposes of sustenance, but also for comfort, warmth, remembrance, history and connection. Food brings us together, both in celebration and mourning, in romance and heartbreak, and very often, just as a pleasure in and of itself.

Many years ago, in a very small neighbourhood restaurant in an off-the-tourist path, outside-of-tourist season part of Venice (this was when actual Venetians still existed, before that marvellous city was more or less turned into a theme park), I was introduced to a wonderful rendition of linguine alle Vongole (linguine with clams). I wound up spending much of the afternoon chatting with the owner, he in his broken English and I in my very poor Italian, drinking local wine and learning more about Italian food – and Italians – than a dozen cook books could ever provide.

Mushroom pasta, one of my favourites.

And this is one of the best things that Anthony Bourdain shared with us: the idea that food is travel, and travel is food. It’s about connecting with the people who make the food, about why it’s an important part of their culture and by extension, why it is that we want those particular foods to become a part of ours. It’s mind opening.

A traditional favourite in my family: winter tourtière (meat pie).

It’s very sad that despite Bourdain’s reverence for travel, for food, for life, his was cut short by one of the very things he frequently discussed in his programs: the human condition. Our condition can be a complex, circuitous mystery, quite often particularly to ourselves. He was so ably conversant with it and at times showed such insight, but as it is for many of us, he clearly had a hard time dealing with his own condition.

A wonderful seafood pasta.

Regardless of the manner of his passing, he gifted us with an enormous body of work. Often irreverent and acerbic, sometimes scandalous but always passionate and honest, Anthony Bourdain communicated his observations and philosophy through the wonderful medium of food, a medium we can all understand, and I will always appreciate him for that.

After his passing, friends of his, Eric Ripert and José Andrés, started an unofficial Anthony Bourdain Day on June 25, his birthday (yes, I’m a day late). So if you’re inclined to honour him, his favourite drink was a negroni, and one of his favourite foods was pasta, and you can eat and drink in his memory.

37 thoughts on “Anthony Bourdain Day”

  2. Here is to Anthony, a skilled genius in the kitchen, a complex man and a troubled soul. I miss his cutting wit and humour. Happy Anthony Bourdain Day Lynette. I am sure he would not mind it being a day late. Allan

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    1. Thank you very much, Allan. I never met him but miss him because I think he allowed viewers to know him a bit. I definitely miss his cutting wit and humour, too. He sure was one of a kind and the world is a poorer place without him.

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  3. I see his photo and instantly hear his voice in my mind. His respect for all cultures and insights into people made him memorable as much as the food he talked about.

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  7. Like you I am a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. He had a rough, gritty persona, but was really quite poignant and thoughtful. His shows were so enjoyable and I always loved his thoughtful summaries at the end. I also love to cook and learn about the foods of different cultures; it brings us together. Thanks for sharing this, Lynette.

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    1. You’re very welcome, Tricia. I agree; he was a tapestry of contradictions and maybe that’s why he had such a tough time with himself and also why he connected so well with his audiences. Love him or hate him, he came across as authentic. Cooking at home and eating while travelling can be such wonderful experiences.

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  8. A lovely and thoughtful post, Lynette! I wasn’t very familiar with Anthony Bourdain but now I’d like to know more and will pick up one of his books. I enjoyed reading of your afternoon with the Venetian restaurant owner😊

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    1. Thank you very much, Belinda. 😊 The afternoon that I spent with the Venetian restaurant owner was many years ago now, but that experience has stuck with me. I’ve often since thought about him and wondered what became of him (I went back five years later and the restaurant was gone). Kitchen Confidential is my favourite Bourdain book; very honest, raw, passionate, witty and humourous. Cheers.

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    1. Thank you very much. 😊 All of the dishes pictured were wonderful! Can you tell that pasta and seafood are favourites? I made the mushroom pasta and the tourtière but the others shown were made in restaurants. Cheers.

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  10. I am sad thaf Anthony Bourdain died, and that it was from committing suicide. I have a couple people in my extended family who died from suicide. Depression and mental illness is very insidious, and suicide has taken bright people with a lot to offer our world. Thank you for this post. I wish more people would reach out, life can get really hard.

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    1. I’m so sorry to hear of your losses, anonymouschanges. Yes, many people around the world liked him a lot and were very saddened by his death. I think the fact that such a famous person died that way has focussed attention on depression and mental illness and I hope people have been helped as a result. You are very welcome.

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  11. This is sort of definitive Phil & Michaela, discovering and consuming the local dishes is absolutely a huge part of travel. Even, I would say, one of the reasons we travel. Endless joys in new discoveries. Bit embarrassed to say I’ve never heard of Bourdain, apologies for my ignorance!

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    1. Bourdain was well known in the U.S. and to a lesser extent, in Canada. You can probably still find his series; the most famous was Parts Unknown although there were three others that I also enjoyed (apparently available on UKTV Play). Extremely well done and Bourdain was excellent. You would probably really like them as his approach sounds amazingly like yours (and mine, too). Cheers.

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  12. Food is definitely a great way to understand a culture. So much of our lives centre around it too. Eating food is typically how we spend time together as a family and with friends. I haven’t heard of Anthony Bourdain before, but I’ll have to take a look at his work.

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    1. He was quite famous in the U.S. but not as much here or elsewhere. He was never a “celebrity chef;” as he said himself, just a cook who wrote about what it’s really like to work in a restaurant in NYC. The book that came out of that is Kitchen Confidential; it’s a great read and you can probably find it still. He certainly saw the bond between food and culture and how it permeates our lives almost more than anything else. I recently decided to watch his shows again and found him on Crave and Discovery+.

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  13. Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade, Robin Williams. Money and success can’t beat mental health. It’s an ongoing continium that can make life just too challenging. So sad.

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    1. Agreed; money and success aren’t going to cure mental health issues. Kate Spade died the day before Anthony Bourdain. And Robin Williams’s autopsy showed that he had a form of dementia. You’re right, losing them like that was just so sad.

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