Anthony Bourdain in New York / Photo Time
Anthony Bourdain is TV’s top travel chef - but what does his wit represent about Americans’ attitudes toward the rest of the world?
Most TV travel hosts have their own unique gimmicks - some are chefs, some are anthropologists and some are ex-TV commercial actors.
They generally resemble a breed of explorers who are defined by virtually nothing other than their gigs.
Travel hosts range from men who don’t know any foreign languages but understand the international language of the palate, to middle-aged housewives who just really like shopping.
Naturally, networks are sending out adventurers that match certain audience demographics, but how much consideration goes into what worldviews these shows are exporting to the rest of the world?
If America had to get together and consider exactly what type of attitude a person should adopt to react to foreign customs tactfully and also emit an aura of “Americanness,” who would be the best choice?
Enter: Anthony Bourdain.
Anatomy Of A Host
Bourdain is the host of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and also a well-known chef who frequently terrifies competitors on “Top Chef” with his glib critiques of their dishes.
In addition, he excels as a writer, and has written cookbooks, both non-fiction and fiction books and maintains a blog on the Travel Channel’s website. He writes with detail, verve and wit, as can be seen in this passage from his blog:
I discovered today that she [his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Ariane] adores polenta–served with the hot, rendered fat of roasted game birds. And that she goes absolutely bat shit over risotto made with wild nettles. And when her Mom dips a finger in the local red wine, she greatly prefers it to juice. This makes me very proud.
Bourdain is tall to an awkward extent, towering over everyone in Vietnam as his long torso proves to never fatten despite the constant stream of food and alcohol he ingests.
He is racially ambiguous, with gray hair and dark, sun-burnt-looking red skin, but his last name is French. He often seems insecure, and his constant smoking and drinking would suggest that he’s done a lot to overcome an intelligent, nervous introversion.
Comparing Attitudes
Samantha Brown from Passport To Great Weekends
The advantage of Bourdain’s particular demeanor is best explained by his contrast to fellow network star Samantha Brown.
Brown is petite and blonde, bubbly and overeager to the point of being patronizing. She could easily be in your Bible study or leading your niece’s Girl Scout troop.
Bourdain and Brown both export particular American attitudes.
Bourdain traffics in the self-deprecating cynicism of Hemingway-reading Americans who know what “post-modern” means, and Brown works in what should be called “trinketism,” a lens that views foreign things as first and foremost “neat” in order to get over a sheltered xenophobia.
The difference between the two is easy to see when both shows demand of them a similar experience: doing drugs.
Bourdain was sent to a forest in Peru where he drank a tree bark tea said to be sacred for the hallucinations it causes. Brown was given the task of visiting a marijuana-vending café in Amsterdam.
Bourdain eagerly drank the tea and then passed out on the ground of a wooden hut after a few moments of poking fun at the network’s restrictions on showing much about his “trip.”
Brown talked chipperly to the barista about how “cozy” the café was, ordered a mango tea, and then later went out to dinner with friends, trying very hard to prove that she had overcome her old notion that Amsterdam was a city full of sex and drugs.
Friendly For The Masses
Anthony in the street / Photo Austin Chronicle
Bourdain’s show is an acquired taste because it displays somewhat of a battle between his New Jersey-grown less-than-sentimental ego and the demands of starring in a commercialized show.
“No Reservations” is edited in an inconsistent way that lets the bulk of the show be Anthony being Anthony, while packaging his persona in a more mass-audience friendly box.
The intro song features a strange rock lick that seems like it was made entirely on a computer and features a fruit-punch bowl of editing that tries to make Anthony look both 19 and far cooler than he probably feels comfortable looking.
The meat of the show is Anthony embarking on odd adventures that his producer seems to mandate, and the editing becomes much more intricate.
Anthony details on his blog the way in which his editors attempt to research the artistic history of every nation that he visits in order to mimic particular styles of aesthetics.
Then, the end is forced to tie things up cutely to get watchers back in a buying mood, and Anthony attempts to come up with an all-encompassing conclusion about the heart of the featured country. He always looks less-than-enthusiastic during that part, probably because he’s only been in the country for a few days, and spent a lot of it eating.
The Evolving Critique
An interesting note about Bourdain is that, over his years on “No Reservations,” his cynicism has morphed.
Now, when he talks to people in other countries, he tries to say things about “long histories of appreciating cultural heritage” and he seems like he genuinely means that, no scoffing about the vagueness/cuteness of such statements whatsoever.
The final realization of the host seems to be that not every other nation is breeding a ground of mass-cynicism and that a lot of people actually are proud of the countries they were born in.
What makes Bourdain’s cynicism superb is that it is wise and un-stubborn. He has finally gained the ability to know when to sit back, let a bit of sincerity out and just eat the hog’s anus that the nice tribal leader is offering.
Puzzled Americans who think he’s putting on a polite face can turn to his blog to see what he’s really thinking, because making other countries seem weird and anachronistic is the territory of far too many other travel programs.
What do you think of Anthony Bourdain? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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13 Comments... join the discussion!
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Wow Allen. While your sarcasm is well-put and jumps off the page, it's quite obvious that you are just looking for an outlet for it. If you read a little closer, you'll see that Becky doesn't claim to be the definitive source on Anthony Bourdain. In fact, if you weren't chomping at the bit to give her a lashing and salavating at the thought of your sarcastic attack on her, you might have noticed that she prefaced her realization with the key words: "seems to be".
What may I ask are your credentials, Allen? You seem to be unimpressed with Becky's, clearly dismissing her professional ones as a writer and editor. I suppose that no one from Minnesota should be worthy of an opinion, am I right?
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Oh. Forgot to mention that I loved the article Becky! Well done.
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My apologies if the title mis-lead anyone.
I'm was using "deconstruct" in the defintion "To take apart, analyze, or break down a media text into its component parts in order to understandhow and why it was created."
That sounds accurate to the article, no?
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I have relatives who's idea of world travel is a highly constructed, anal retentive trip to Scotland for 2 weeks. The tabbed notebook they showed me detailing their itinerary was larger and more organized than my graduate thesis…but these two LOVE Bourdain's show and I'm always flattered when they ask if he got it right when Anthony lands in a corner of the world I explored once upon a time. They know I love street food.
Me and my post- modern, smart ass, mid-western entourage dig No Reservations (Wisconsin born here, Becky. Hell, my travels didn't start until was 29). Great job getting to the essence of a very well done travel show that seems to be evolving.
Anyone who takes on Chilies and it's horrible take on "Mexican" food from the Texas/ Mexico border, reveals nachos as a totally American invention,while in search of a true taco, is quality viewing. In contrast, Sarah's saccarine traveling sweetness make me a bit nauseous
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I think Title suits the content.
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i wasn't trying to write this article from a deconstructionist perspective. that headline was added higher up in the editing process, and holds meaning outside of the academic world.
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I like Anthony Bourdain and Samantha Brown. I would not mind having their jobs for some time. Obviously, Bourdain is the edgier one of the two; I do prefer an edge.
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Some of these comments are correct: Minnesotans generally don't have much exposure to diverse culture and nationalities (and I say that because I am Minnesota born and bred). And, I found this article to be somewhat judgmental without the proper examples or evidence to justify the statements, regardless of how right-on the author may be.
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Hi Allen. At first I thought you were writing about Sarah Palin from Alaska until I read "modern home-bound Minnesotan." Ooops! My bad. Hmmm… Lets apply some broad brushstrokes and stereotype "poor" Anthony B. knowing he grew up in NJ. Northern NJ Bergen County in fact so (1) He has an inferiority complex with his neighbors to the east; (2) He developed his "edge" as a result of that, and (3) He has to work 10x as hard as anybody else to prove himself? I wonder if Anthony B. is proud to be a son of NJ. Who knows. I do think that his personality, however it evolved, simply appeals to a certain type of loyal viewer who faithfully tunes in, and the network likes it. But then again, I went the business route in college. Does that make me a narrow-minded capitalist?
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Minneapolis(where I live) is incredibly diverse.
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Bourdain cynical? Give a break. He has that New York (his NJ background certainly is not apparent to me) wit which those who live here would find quite natural. You see thousands of people from many different cultures in a pressure-cooker every day — on top of which he worked in a kitchen, which was the topic of his great book. In addition, he is that rare bird these days — he is educated and not afraid to make fun of his references.
I think his shows are by far one of the best things on the boob tube, and while one can tire of anyone in large doses, he treats his hosts with the kind of respect and self-deprecating humor that I find refreshing.
In short, one person's cynicism is another's skepticism, and skepticism is the inverse of idealism. It is nice to see an educated and self-deprecating person host a show and dare to go places most dare not go.
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Having been held up in a hostel recently I had the mis/fortune of re/discovering the travel channel. The bloke with the weird food fetish (Zimmerman), was not nearly as funny until I heard Bourdain's quip about him.
I then saw Samantha Brown and aside from a low cut top, nearly balked. But not nearly as much as what was just on. Some other girl, with no cleavage I may add, roaming around Mexico. ( I say no cleavage only because I might have looked on for longer otherwise)
She asked for a drink from a vendor and was told it was 3 peso's.
The host asked in bad Spanish if it was for two or one items.
The lady said one.
The host then said okay 6 pesos.
To make matters worse, on camera, she then dives into her pocket pulls out some change, without looking at it, and hands it to the lady. Could have been 2 pesos, maybe, but unlikely 10 pesos. In my head, I was wishing for more Samantha Brown.
Only some American imports were watching it. Strangely the same people complained all through Bourdain's show about his attitude. I think it will take a generation or two post Obama to make a difference. Can't remember the show, think it was globe trotters or the like. I left midway for a beer and discovered this article.
Well done to Becky for writing such a well written piece.
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