Anthony Bourdain: Love Him or Leave Him?

June 6, 2009

Anthony Bourdain, bad-chef, author, and host of the Travel Channel's No Reservations, has been everywhere lately. In the past couple of months, he's publicly expressed his opinion for everything from food television to cupcakes to Alice Waters.

Personally, I'm getting a little sick of his shtick — he never has anything nice to say! How do you feel about him?

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21 Comments

3 years

I find Anthony Bourdain is a hypocrite. On the one hand, I enjoy him because he reminds of an era when the men were really macho and not so metro, BUT he will go to every maggot infested corner of the world and bow and scrape and coo about the platter of guts they throw at him, but given the slightest opportunity, piss on Americans. My suggestion is that "Mr. Too Cool for Skool" take his "show" out of the country.

dani17731 3 years

He can have his opinions, but people like Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee pretty much represent the AVERAGE American when it comes to cooking (quick, non-gourmet recipes) and I don't think he should bash them for trying to give people easy options.

DCStar 4 years

He's gotten a lot of publicity lately about dissing Alice and sustainable and local cooking, but honestly I think he's partly serious and partly just playing devil's advocate and arguing the other side for the sake of debate. You have to remember, he's no speaker of the people, just a man expressing his opinions. I find him intelligent and well spoken albeit sometimes a jerk. Check out his show - he almost ALWAYS loves everything and claims it's the best thing he's ever eaten. Some people think he's just too positive!

ilanac13 4 years

i'm not really a fan of his. i know that a lot of folks love and adore him but there's just something about him that i just can't relate to.

tzr 4 years

He dissed on cupcakes; I'm sorry, but in a world where there is so much to find negative in, the instant gratification that is a cupcake should never be maligned.

PinkUnicorn 4 years

I love, love, LOVE Anthony Bourdain, and as many have said he is a breath of fresh air. He is unafraid to speak his mind and I respect that. (PS Jenkies - I also find him insanely sexy, and I thought I was the only one!)

insanitypepper 4 years

I like almost everything about Anthony Bourdain. I especially enjoy reading his books.

Jenkies 4 years

I love him and his comments! He is very intelligent, funny and sexy!

4 years

I am not a Tony Bourdain lover nor a hater. However like many of us he is filled with hypocrisy. I like that he is able to go to countries that are off the beaten path of most Americans and really embrace a culture (the good, the bad, and even the ugly) I do critique him on his disdain for middle America. I know he has said the same point I have been echoing but I have yet to see it on his show. He uses his show to debunk stereotypes but will build up stereotypes of Americans unless you live in a coastal city While I find Alice Waters to be pretentious, Chez Panisse is amazing. Thanks to her and the city of Berkeley. They have made amazing (and most of the time extremely affordable!) food. Thanks to her there are more farmers markets and a focus on eating "fresh foods." What she is trying to do for the city of Oakland needs more applause and because she is starting a movement she does need to be "radical."

Asche 4 years

Doogirl: You don't need 2 hours to make a nice dinner. And I think one of the problems with obesity in America is that too many people look at it as simply nourishment and not the "Experience" that you are feigning. I think his whole point with Rachel Ray is that she dumbs down food too much. She recommends buying a pre-chopped onion! That's ridiculous! Look at Julia Childs, for instance. Her career was based on teaching the masses to learn to cook gourmet, french cuisine. Essentially Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee are trying to do this as well, but in an utterly ridiculous and lazy way. For instance, I tried a few of Rachel Ray;s "signature" recipes. I figured that maybe she really does have something to offer. They were awful. I mean really, truly awful. I don't really get her appeal.

EatYourVeggies 4 years

He called out Sandra Lee on her Kwanzaa Cake. He owns at life.

doogirl 4 years

I like his show "No Reservations." He treats the people on it with dignity, and I respect that. However, sometimes I think he should just keep his stinking trap shut! He doesn't like Rachel Ray, uhhhh okay, but not everyone has two hours a night to create a gourmet meal for their family! He needs to realize that, that sometimes food is just nourishment and not an "experience."

aistea311 4 years

He is honest and intelligent. Not something you see on TV very often. I enjoy his opinions of food. Plus he is real considering the fact that he doesnt like goat cheese :)

ellenp1214 4 years

i didn't mind him, until he started bashing alice waters. i think there is room for her ideology, personally, and those comments were uncalled for BUT he's entitled to his opinions and i think generally his comments are fine.

tlsgirl 4 years

Love him, and quite frankly, Alice Waters annoys me too.

HoneyBrown1976 4 years

AmberHoney, there's a new culture now to accept bullshit as the norm. Honesty/Integrity in this society has completely left the building. For example, we have far too many people famous for doing nothing. Yet, they are accepted, even when we know they shouldn't be. Why? No one's telling the truth. I like him and Simon Cowell. I'll chat them up any day.

AmberHoney 4 years

Why do people get so annoyed when people tell it like it is? Yes, I'm one of those people - the PC crap makes me puke and that pisses me off cause I love my food!

simplyfab87 4 years

Love him. He speaks is mind, there's nothing wrong with that.

angelina8023 4 years

I personally think he is a breath of fresh air. I enjoy his show and agree with almost everything that comes out of his mouth. He said plenty nice things in that article on food television. Anything negative that came out of his mouth was agreeable. Especially the part about Sandra Lee. That show has to be the worst "cooking" show on tv!! I think Anthony is an authentic genuine person.

Asche 4 years

I actually don't think he's so negative. On his show he seems to really like and appreciate most places he goes, and in the media he just speaks his mind. For instance, his zero tolerance of Rachel Ray. Yes, she's annoying, and he points that out. But he also points out the fact that she teaches people to be lazy cooks. For instance, she recommends that people buy pre-chopped onions. Not only is that just stupid, but she clearly isn't taking account of the fact that pre-cut foods lack nutrients and are way more expensive. It just seems silly.

tepiza 4 years

oh, he has nice things to say...about GOOD chefs and GOOD food.

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