A Nod to Anthony Bourdain

I need to take a moment to pay my respects to Anthony Bourdain, given how influential he was in my thinking about travel.  Bourdain’s death was a shock to everyone, and although I never met the man, there is an emptiness that will continue to go unfulfilled with his passing. I think it is fair to say that most of us who have travel blogs were influenced by his shows and experiences. If you know me, you know I am not someone who gets affected by celebrity deaths. It is always sad when someone dies, but for people I don’t know it doesn’t really affect me; I never thought it would…and yet this death was different. The shows were a part of my history, especially given how many times I have watched him wander the world…

For as long as I have traveled, before heading out to the airport, I would look to see if one (or all) of his shows had an episode on that particular place. Usually the advice given was just to wander the streets, but it was amazing to hear and have his take on the food, the culture and the political narrative. Bourdain had a unique way of presenting the world, he just made it more enticing to explore the globe..

Why I Loved his Shows

One of the many things that I respected about him, was his ability to see and understand people. Place him in West Virginia or Charleston and he fit into any situation. Bourdain shot guns, hunted, discussed the coal industry and treated everyone with respect. In today’s political environment, people often don’t hear each other, they often have an “us against them” mentality. Bourdain was different in the sense that he talked with people from every corner of life with respect, his efforts were to try and understand people, not argue with them over their principles. For me, it never felt like he was trying to win a political argument, rather he sought to meet everyone halfway with food as the great mediator..

Travel

Bourdain didn’t only inspire you on where to travel, but how to travel. He challenged the idea of tour groups or preplanned tourist menus. If you really want to experience travel you need to get out of your comfort zone; go where the locals go, sit with them, and of course eat with them. It is fine to see the hot spots, but if you really want to know a city start walking with no destination in mind. Eat what looks good, talk to people, and take in the sites.

We had a moment like this in Istanbul, were we sat with a local restaurant mangaer for hours talking to him about everything under the sun, the election, Islam, modern influences happening around us. The moment was memorable and powerful; it was certainly more memorable than waiting in line for the Colosseum in Rome with Mildred from Wisconsin. Approaching travel in this way was what Bourdain did best..

Food

I have to mention the food he ate, because above all this is what I loved about his shows. He made an art out of eating, making even the Waffle House look great (yehhhh.). Bourdain was the first person to inspire me to plan destinations around food. Bourdain’s hunt for some of the best things to eat worked well with a traveler like myself. Slightly OCD, I have a need to find the perfect meal. The shows he committed to demonstrated that I was not alone in this hunt..

Thinking back, I think his Thailand episode was my favorite, watching him start the show drinking shot after shot of Thai Whiskey, ending up in a number of food markets, eating some of the best street food available. Whether it was Japan, Europe or the Bronx, Bourdain could find a feast anywhere; he even made the strange sound appetizing, challenging our notion as to which animals were acceptable food. Why do we think cows are fine, but horses are sacred? One thing he had, was a deep love for local food and a fear of the over commercialization of the industry. Bourdain noticed that too many times, all around the world, traditional restaurants and vendors are being replaced by corporations and chains, something that I see all too well here in the United States..

In Conclusion

It is weird to write about someone who was a stranger and have such gut-wrenching sadness for his passing. I never met the man, didn’t know him, aside from what I saw on TV. Still, like a big portion of travel bloggers and just curious human beings, I was very much influenced by him. Like a lot of people, I always had this hope that I would run into him and pick his brain about travel and the world.  Bourdain was living a life so many of us envy and yet do not have the courage for; I don’t know why he chose to do what he did, and it is not my place to ask.. What I do know is that even though he didn’t know I existed, he will be missed by me… I hope wherever he is, it is interesting, and he is eating well…