Not new..but ya gotta love Anthony Bourdain

[SoCalDem]

http://eater.com/archives/2010/05/23/anthony-bourdain-riles-up-the-right-by-calling-the-tea-party-marginal-very-angry-white-people.php#more

Anthony Bourdain Calls Tea Partiers "Marginal, Very Angry White People," Riles Up the Right

Sunday, May 23, 2010, by Raphael Brion


TV host and author Anthony Bourdain was a guest on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 on Friday, and he shared his thoughts on the Tea Party, calling their demographic "a lot of marginal, very angry white people." Not that Bourdain is necessarily wrong, but perhaps Bourdain is trying to get attention because he's got a new book coming out? Anyway, he continued:

The video and angry Tea Partiers respond. >>>

I'm pretty happy about the Tea Party, because I think they're ensuring that no reasonable electable Republican will be -- will be president. They're taking over the party in a way that makes them look more or less crazy. If I were a conspiratorially-minded person, I think that Michele Bachmann, for instance, was a creation of some evil Democratic group to make them all look like loony tunes and dumb as a sack full of hammers.

Predictably, the Tea Party-supporting wingnut commenters have come out to bash Bourdain. People on YouTube (always a classy place) called him an "asshole," saying that "what we're witnessing is the criminalization of whiteness by the extreme left." Even not-so-veiled threats like "Bourdain is a pig and he will live to regret making these hateful remarks!"

And then the blog NewsBusters (it gives away free bumper stickers that read "I DON'T BELIEVE THE LIBERAL MEDIA!" if that's any indication about its political leanings?) picked up the story, and tried to neutralize Bourdain (or just mock him) by quoting that recent Times story in which he talked about doing lots of drugs in the 1980s. Commenters there are overzealous too, calling Bourdain a "fringe elite" or one of the "UWS snobby fake-litists," but then they also cranked out zingers like "He couldn't make it on the Food Network so he turns to political punditry?" (OH SNAP) and "He's not even a pimple on Coliccio's *ahem*." (DOUBLE SNAP).

article found @ http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/food2/entries/hot_links/

[marmar]

1. As much as I think Anthony Bourdain is an overbearing, narcissistic asshole.....

..... He actually really does "get it." He gets the point of travel, and does see the big picture. And he called himself a "Blue State Guy" on the show.

[Telly Savalas]

19. Can anyone who considers him an overbearing, narcissisitic asshole

speak to the quality of his books?

I've seen him a little on TV and he really rubs me the wrong way, but I've heard good things about Kitchen Confidential. Is it worth a read for even someone who finds his TV persona annoying?

[Demoiselle]

29. I really loved Kitchen Confidential.

It's great fun, and I didn't notice that he was narcissistic or overbearing in the book. And remember, he's a professional chef. If you make the big time, or even small time, it 's a very demanding, stress filled occupation that requires non stop labor, done in the heat of open flames, on your feet mostly standing still-- which is horrible for your legs, and under pressure to produce a work of art every few minutes. Working kitchens can be hell holes, noisy and rushed, and it takes a healthy ego and a lot of drive to survive there, it seems to me.
My favorite passage in "Confidential" is Bourdain's description of the first crew of cooks he ever met when he was working a summer job...they drank too much, were loud, profane, cocky and all their own cherished knives. He said it was like discovering a pirate crew, and he knew immediately he wanted to join them.

[Telly Savalas]

35. Thanks for the feedback

I'll probably pick up a copy.

[Warpy]

37. He's a wonderful writer and some of his stuff is laugh out loud funny

I've read "Medium Raw" and "The Nasty Bits," the latter a collection of short articles that didn't seem to belong much of anywhere, and they were both really good. He's a lot more self deprecating in print and has some great insights about the food business and business in general.

[MrScorpio]

2. I love this guy

He has certainly benefited and gained some insight from a life of overseas travel.

[Lucian]

3. He's one of my favorites.

And he's got the best job in world.

[skepticscott]

4. If these people think Tony Bourdain

gives a flying f**k what they think or say about him, they're sadly deluded.

Well, they're sadly deluded regardless, actually...

[McCamy Taylor]

5. I loved him before, and I love him even more now!

:loveya:

Poltically correct men are so hot!

[Delphinus]

9. That's quite a picture.

What is it he's strategically holding?

[McCamy Taylor]

12. Meat bone?

[SoCalDem]

13. A soupbone/dog bone

I used to buy them for our labs all the time.. Most meat departments cut them up before displaying them, but you can ask for them whole.. It's a cow leg knee-to-ankle

[Ikonoklast]

59. Femur bone from a beef carcass.

[blondeatlast]

27. Wow. Tried to find better phrasing, but that's all I got. Love the guy,

and now--

:wow: :bounce:

[kestrel91316]

6. One more reason for me to adore this man in spite of his ego.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

7. Here's an interview I did with Bourdain

not too long back. It runs about a half-hour.

http://rapidshare.com/files/413473172/2010_16_August_Anthony_Bourdain_Conversation.mp3

Enjoy!

[Delphinus]

10. Am downloading now.

Thank you!

[GrpCaptMandrake]

16. I hope you enjoy! n/t

[siligut]

8. He is intelligent and not hesitant to make his opinions known.

I am not at all surprised at what he says about the teabaggers, because it is absolutely true. It is also true that anything negative said about them, is given back several times over. However, Bourdain doesn't even attempt to hide his hedonism and they can't hide their stupidity, so their desire to discredit him will fall flat with all but the faithful.

[mainer]

11. Just as good looking in person as on TV.

And way taller than I realized!

I thought his best show was his visit to Beirut, when it came under attack.

[McCamy Taylor]

14. If "xenophobia" has an antonym, it is "Anthony Bourdain"

[GrpCaptMandrake]

18. He is a product of his whole life

As such, I think that's where his refusal to look down his nose at poor folks come from. He's BEEN poor, and a lot of other things.

To see him reveling in street food and dishes honestly offered by folks with little to offer, compared to seeing him sitting down to some insanely overdone meal (see the recent Dubai episode) exposes Mr. Bourdain as the unaffected, straightforward person he is.

If you've not read it, I highly recommend his latest book "Medium Raw."

[blondeatlast]

28. That's what's so wonderful--no 5 star hotels for him\. He loves the people

as much as anything else.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

32. His episodes in Mexico

as well as the one in Peru, show him at his finest.

I had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of months back. The link to the audio is upthread.

[fizzgig]

39. the peru episdoe is great

[GrpCaptMandrake]

42. The ceviche he showcases

is nothing short of gorgeous, the trip to the jungle for ayahuasca is an eye-opener and his digs at Sting were quite thought-provoking.

[shanti]

20. i would agree with that!

met him at a book signing a couple of years ago in SF.

[Fuzz]

26. That was a fantastic episode.

[blueamy66]

52. great show

I can watch it over and over againl

[Waiting For Everyman]

15. I like him too,

he has lots of fans from all age-groups.

And what I really like is, as in this piece, he isn't afraid to simply say what's true without being intimidated.

[shanti]

17. and he's right!

i love anthony bourdain :loveya: he tells it like it is.

[Goblinmonger]

21. His attitude toward vegetarians is repulsive

but this makes me like him a tiny little bit.

[flvegan]

24. Nice post, Hezbollah like splinter faction member.

[Goblinmonger]

25. I don't think I'll be ordering the vegetarian plate at his restaurant. n/t

[flvegan]

30. I wouldn't go to his restaurant with a gun to my head.

Screw him.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

33. Ummmm . . .

he doesn't HAVE a restaurant.

Oops for you!

[flvegan]

38. ZOMG! How red my face is.

:eyes:

I suppose I assumed that such a great "chef" would have a spot somewhere. Yeah, my bad. Fact is, he's such a douchebag, that I really care so little about him, that I just didn't know.

OOPS FOR ME!

[GrpCaptMandrake]

40. He doesn't hold himself out

as a "great chef," or even a "former great chef." He's quite clear on that point. You assigned that title.

What is it, in your knowledge about him, that makes you so certain he's a "douchebag?" Is it the fact that he doesn't feel restaurateurs who serve primarily meat-based dishes should feel it necessary to cater to vegetarians? Why is that a problem for you?

[flvegan]

49. "Hezbollah like faction"

Once he referred to me that way, he can go fuck himself. That's his opinion of me (which he's free to have) and that's my opinion of him (likewise).

See a great chef, in charge of a great kitchen in a great restaurant wouldn't be such a shit about someone's food choices. I've eaten at Bern's Steakhouse a great number of times (consistently rated at the top of the BEST steakhouses in the US) and every time I've requested something "inspired, but vegan" the head chef has, him or herself, come out to see how I liked my meal. Genuine delight in the challenge.

Because that chef...isn't an asshole.

If a chef or a restaurant doesn't want to serve vegetarians, or cater to veg*n only meals, I have no problem with that. It's your business model. But if you want to publicly insult me like that? Go fuck yourself.

[blueamy66]

54. Why bother?

Go to bed....give it up...

[Dorian Gray]

45. Does he even offer one?

I like Bordain, but he definitely has a thing against vegetarians. I would be shocked to find many vegetarian dishes at any of his restaurants. I've been to Les Halles a number of times, and I don't think that there is anything, other than a salad, without some sort of meaty protein.

[Goblinmonger]

48. Well, he doesn't have a restaurant anymore, but I'm sure

he didn't have an option. My comment was in response to his statement that he would gladly rummage around for something and charge a lot of money for grilled eggplant.

[superduperfarleft]

31. +1.

The only thing I can think of is that even a colossal megaprick is right once a day.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

34. No, it's just honestly his . . .

and I'd rather have honest opinion than sycophancy any day. He makes a strong case for his opinion if you actually bother to read what he's written on the subject.

[Goblinmonger]

36. That vegans are like Hezbollah?

Yeah, that's pretty compelling? That vegetarians get sick all the time? That's just a lie. That meat tastes good? OK, whatever, but that's not a pretty compelling reason to shit on someone's lifestyle.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

41. Don't look now . . .

but you're making his case for him.

What's compelling is the fact that there's no reason why a reastaurateur should feel compelled to cater to vegetarians by putting vegetarian dishes on their menus. His argument that vegetarianism is largely a function of upper middle class American vanity is pretty strong, too. Most poor folks can't AFFORD to be vegetarians. He does, of course, except traditional vegetarian cultures from that assessment and has no problem with them.

[Goblinmonger]

43. Beans and rice are so damned expensive.

I don't think a "reastaurateur" should feel compelled to cater to vegetarians. I am more than fine with that. Doesn't mean you have to be a douche about it and piss on what, for many, is an ethical/moral decision. Just don't make vegetarian food and they won't come there.

And "vanity" is pretty offensive, too. The decision my wife and I made to become vegetarian 20 years ago had everything to do with the environment and animal rights and very little to nothing to do with vanity. Maybe the douchebag is hanging out with other douchebags that just happen to be vegetarian. I don't know.

on edit: stupid mistake

[GrpCaptMandrake]

44. Oh, goodness me!

I made a spelling mistkae!

So, if I understand you correctly, Mr. Bourdain, who is paid to espouse his opinions about food and culture, should for some reason, withhold his opinion of choice-based vegetarianism out of some regard for the vegetarians' tender sensibilities?

Beans and rice aren't expensive, but most folks on the planet who eat a steady diet of it do so because it's all they have. That, as I understand it, is Mr. Bourdain's point, to-wit that people who can eat a varied diet will do so and people who choose to be vegetarian do so outside the recognition of essential human nature. That's the "vanity" aspect, as I understand it. Humans, being omnivores, don't tend to make choices like that unless they enjoy a sufficient level of privilege to entitle them so to do.

Ultimately, what your remarks show is that you are opining on the man's work without any passing familiarity with it. Had you that familiarity, you might have seen his India episode this season, in which he sat down to a vegetarian feast in good company and said "Hey, I could get used to this. Here, it makes sense."

[Goblinmonger]

46. He can say whatever he wants.

I can call him a douchebag for lashing out at people for an ethical/moral choice. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

"outside the recognition of essential human nature"? What the hell does that even mean. We don't need to eat meat. Our teeth are primarily for non-meat foods. How is that "vanity"? Why is it vanity to do something which DOES help the environment? I kind of thought that was a progressive ideal? I became a vegetarian when I was in grad school and my wife was in law school. We hardly had "a sufficient level of privilege" to entitle us to do so. Yet, somehow, we managed to scrape together the money to make that really expensive lifestyle a possibility.

I am familiar with his work. I've seen plenty of his shows. And the fact that he can sit down with a family in India and not be a douche to them does not impact in any stretch the fact that he was a complete douche to vegetarians in general and in the US specifically. "Here, it makes sense." But it doesn't make sense in the US because I can afford meat?

I think you have a severe lack of understanding of the vegetarian lifestyle and the decisions for becoming one. You seem to agree with Bourdain that it is only rich people doing it because it is vogue.

[fishwax]

47. an honest opinion can still be repulsive

I'm a Bourdain fan, but I agree that his opinion on vegetarians and vegans sucks.

[Swamp Rat]

22. HAHAHAHA!!!

:rofl: :thumbsup:

[BeyondGeography]

23. Love the guy even more now

:patriot:

[lamp_shade]

50. NOOOOOOOOOOO Re-zer-va-shunsa (BIG fan here)

I've watched every one of his shows at least 3 times.

[blueamy66]

51. Love me some Anthony Bourdain

he's the bomb

[underpants]

53. Rec'd

:thumbsup:

[Mimosa]

55. One of my friends used to date Tony

Ana -an online friend at Vincent and Morticia's Speakeasy- used to dat Tony and Dr. Vince. Tony and Vince are a lot alike but Vince is more like Dr. House, being an MD, not a chef. Tony is wacky. But at least he's well travelled.

[Mimosa]

56. One of my friends used to date Tony

Ana -an online friend at Vincent and Morticia's Speakeasy- used to date Tony and Dr. Vince. Tony and Vince are a lot alike but Vince is more like Dr. House, being an MD, not a chef. Tony is wacky. But at least he's well travelled.

[xchrom]

57. Recommend

[CrawlingChaos]

58. I despise this fucker

I'll never forget how hard he fought the fois gras ban. He made it crystal clear that he couldn't care less what kind of torture animals must suffer to produce his disgusting "delicacy".

He is a truly loathsome human being.

[Vinca]

60. ROFL - I love Anthony Bourdain even more now. Sack full of hammers . . .

:rofl:

[Bosso 63]

61. I have almost no interest in food programs.

I do like Nigella Lawson, but that has nothing to do with food. But anyway,the Mrs. loves them all, and I have to say, the episodes Bourdain did in Beirut were amazing.