Anthony Michael Bourdain was an American chef, author, journalist, travel writer, and TV host who was born on June 25, 1956, in New York City and died on June 8, 2018, in Kayser…
Anthony Michael Bourdain was an American chef, author, journalist, travel writer, and TV host who was born on June 25, 1956, in New York City and died on June 8, 2018, in Kaysersberg Vignoble, France. ◦ He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978 and worked for several years as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan. ◦ In the mid-1980s he began submitting unsolicited writing to Between C & D, a Lower East Side literary magazine, and in 1985 he signed up for a writing workshop with Gordon Lish. ◦ His first two mystery novels, *Bone in the Throat* (1995) and *Gone Bamboo*, sold poorly before *Kitchen Confidential*. ◦ A 1999 essay in *The New Yorker* was followed a year later by the *New York Times* best-selling book *Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly* (2000), an expansion of his 1999 *New Yorker* article "Don't Eat Before Reading This". ◦ Bourdain's first food-and-travel TV show, *A Cook's Tour*, ran on the Food Network in 2002–2003; he then hosted *Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations* (2005–2012) and *The Layover* on the Travel Channel, and in 2013 switched to CNN to host *Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown*, which premiered on April 14, 2013. ◦
Bourdain believed that "the best food is always an adventure." ◦ He viewed the table as "the best reflection of a nation, the fastest way into that culture," arguing that connecting with people who let down their guard requires you to match them "shot for shot with the vodka laced with bear bile." ◦ He rejected the idea of final certainty, writing that "there is no final resting place of the mind, no moment of smug clarity," and that wisdom meant "realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go." ◦ He located the value of a meal in its setting rather than its refinement, stating that "the perfect meal, or the best meals, occur in a context that frequently has very little to do with the food itself." ◦ He also argued that basic cooking competence is a moral and civic skill, and that the ability to feed yourself and a few others with proficiency "should be taught to every young man and woman as a fundamental skill, should become as vital to growing up as learning to wipe one's own ass, cross the street by oneself, or be trusted with money." ◦
Bourdain's practical method for finding real food while traveling was to "find where local people are eating, not the best restaurant in town," advising travelers to ask a taxi driver or someone at a market where they eat. ◦ He emphasized that "absolute fearlessness is essential" and that one should not be "squeamish or hesitant." ◦ He believed in being willing to put yourself in a situation and let things happen, and that being a good guest was paramount. ◦
Bourdain saw travel as a mutual exchange of marks, writing that "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." ◦ He repeatedly framed himself as a lucky outsider rather than an authority, noting that he never thought he would live to see the experiences he had. ◦ He understood food as inherently tied to decay and dirt, observing that "food is about decay and dirt. Moldy cheese, fermented wines. Bacteria." ◦
Bourdain was a professionally trained chef who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978 and served as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan. ◦ He was the author of the *New York Times* best-selling book *Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly* (2000), an expansion of his 1999 *New Yorker* article "Don't Eat Before Reading This". ◦ He created and hosted multiple food-and-travel television programs, including *A Cook's Tour*, *Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations*, *The Layover*, and *Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown*. ◦ He also published the mystery novels *Bone in the Throat* (1995) and *Gone Bamboo*. ◦
Bourdain's trademark was a point-blank tone that was kickstarted by his *New Yorker* essay. ◦ He said, "I write on paper the way I talk to my cooks in the kitchen, as someone for whom a lot of the world is new and exciting... I'm writing from a cook's perspective." ◦ He imagined other cooks as his readers and approached his work with a stated point of view, acknowledging that he had "limited expertise" and was "neither an expert or critic or a reliable guide." ◦ He warned that "snobbery is anathema in food writing" and criticized food writers who "don't like food and don't like people," noting that "fear of the other makes a lot of food and travel writers bad." ◦
Bourdain simultaneously professed love for restaurants and cooking—writing, "I don't want to scare you off restaurants. I love what I do, I love cooking, I love eating"—while revealing insider truths that could repel diners, such as warning them off fish ordered on a Monday and noting that restaurants recycle butter for hollandaise. ◦ ◦ He positioned himself as having "limited expertise" and being "neither an expert or critic or a reliable guide," while also building a career as the host of multiple television shows and the author of best-selling books. ◦ ◦
Bourdain advised that it is "really important to be a good guest" and to "be willing to put yourself in a situation and let things happen." ◦ He counseled that "absolute fearlessness is essential" and that one should not be "squeamish or hesitant." ◦ To find authentic food, he recommended asking locals such as taxi drivers or market vendors where they eat, noting that people tend to be happy that someone from far away is interested. ◦ He warned that when trying to move closer to the heart of a culture, "now is not the time to say I'm a vegetarian or I'm lactose intolerant." ◦