Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

[ZRT2209]

This series is really quite remarkable, especially the episode on the Congo tonight.

The photography is also quite amazing.

I'm shocked CNN would allow such quality programming on its network. Going to dilute the brand.

[JI7]

1. yeah, i like it, but why don't they do actual news reporting in the places these episodes

take place ?

[derby378]

13. I doubt any of CNN's reporters would have detailed the rape of Congo by Belgium's King Leopold II

The government of the Congo Free State was like a slightly less psychotic version of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge. Like Pol Pot's minions, Leopold's agents turned the Congo into a huge forced labor camp, where it was not unheard of for a black laborer to have his hand chopped off by white overseers because he failed to harvest his daily quota of rubber. Anthony Bourdain talked about it. Most Americans probably still don't know where to locate the Congo on a map.

[FrodosPet]

16. Knowing the people and the culture of the world is just as important

Perhaps even more so than the passing events.

I admit - I am a huge Bourdain fan. I love how "No Reservations" and now "Parts Unknown" offer at least glimpses into places and people around the world that a 3 minute news story can never come close to.

[JI7]

25. i agree, i have no problem with this show , it's their regular reporting i have

issues with . that they could fill it with more informative things, it doesn't even have to be huge national/international type news but local things in different places.

bbc and some other foreign news media do this type of reporting.

[elleng]

2. Yes, Congo was good.

Not sure that he's continuing there. Hope he is, but thought I heard something was replacing him.

[davidpdx]

5. I have heard there will be a second season with him

See my post below with the link to the other thread which lists where he will be going. We have something to look forward to in mid-September.

[FrodosPet]

17. He's coming (came?) back to Detroit in season 2

As I said in another post, I am a huge fan, but I think he lightweighted in his "rust belt" episode. Three important cities in one episode?

[davidpdx]

20. That should be interesting given what Detroit is going through

He tends to give a very positive spin to any place he goes (well except the Congo which I think maybe he was in over his head on that one). I'm sure he won't be giving a goat to the mayor though.

[FrodosPet]

21. Detroit among culinary stalwarts Tokyo, Sicily and others

http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2013/05/detroit_among_culinary_stawart.html

DETROIT, MI - Detroit's food culture will reach 271 million households this fall as "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" airs internationally on CNN.

~ snip ~

As any Detroiter knows, the city is awash in independent neighborhood gems that have survived with a strong local following for decades, despite the economic decline of the city.

~ snip ~

You're going to want Thai (Hmong) from a dirty hole in the wall or holes-in-the-wall, divey jazz bars, divey hamburger and coney places, gyro, corned beef, detroit-style pizza, and cross the bridge to Windsor for dim sum.

~ snip ~

"Yes, epic! Be sure to go to Bucharest Grill. It has THE BEST chicken schwarma you'll ever eat. Also, Detroit is really great, there's so much underground beauty. And you should go to a Detroit Soup event. We bring our own soup and serve the homeless as well as talk about new ideas on how to clean up the city"

~ snip ~

-------------------------------------------------

I've been to the Cadieux Cafe - one of the places he highlighted in his earlier visit on "No Reservations". Awesome mussels, and lots of them.

Metro Detroit is one of the most international cities on earth, and it shows in the variety of restaurants and ethnic grocery stores that survive despite the economic depression of the last 46 years.

[davidpdx]

26. Yeah that and tourism in general

Obviously it would be nice if he could drum up support to increase tourism. From what I understand the area needs the money.

[FrodosPet]

33. In two years of driving taxi, I would estimate I drove 2000 to 2500 different people.

I only found ONE non-local person that I can remember who said they were a tourist, that they came to Metro Detroit just to hang out. Everyone else was there for business, or weddings, or family, or sports / concerts.

[davidpdx]

34. Well sports or concerts could be considered tourism

It sounds like you are saying it's not much of a tourist spot. I don't know, I've only been through the airport and that doesn't really count as having been there.

[theHandpuppet]

23. One of the best documentaries I've seen in years

Kudos to Bourdain & Co for a raw expose on the devastating, lasting horrors of colonialism and the genocide of a people. This is the kind of programming I always expected from The History Channel, not shows about UFOs and hunting alligators. I was surprised to find Bourdain's program on CNN and if more episodes are as good as the one on the Congo, I'll be watching.

[Atman]

3. The episode on Libya was excellent, too.

Last edited Sun Jun 16, 2013, 09:08 AM - Edit history (1)

(Correct sub line to Libya, not Syria). And he did a great job with with the Columbian drug cartels. All mixed in to an engaging food and travelogue.

It's one of the best shows on tv. And, yes...rather shocking that it's on CNN.

[davidpdx]

6. I thought so as well

I've been hooked on the show. Apparently he had a show on Discovery Channel for a number of years that was similar. I have to try to find some of the episodes from that. My guess is CNN is getting pretty good ratings from it.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Not Discovery, the Travel Channel...

http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/anthony-bourdain

Bourdain can write and think, this is what makes his shows good. The episode on Cambodia was the one that made me think of him as a step above the rest.

[davidpdx]

11. Ah I see

I'm going to try to find some of the episodes. I'm sure there is a list of the episodes on Wikipedia so I can pick which ones I want to watch.

[davidpdx]

4. Yes, it is

I've been watching it since the very beginning (sidenote: the second season begins September 15th). I enjoyed the episode in Morocco. It has never been a place I've thought about going, but after watching it I was really intrigued by it. Lots of expats living there. The last one on the Congo was good as well as it seemed like the situation caught him off-guard a bit.

Finally just to let everyone know, I have a thread about the show going in the entertainment forum here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10374095

Please feel free to contribute and help keep the topic toward the top. It gets bumped down by people creating new threads about the same damn show ever single week. Like really need 20 different threads on Survivor? Geez

[elleng]

10. Thanks, and glad you're keeping track of him, david.

Last edited Sun Jun 16, 2013, 12:59 PM - Edit history (1)

I'd been watching him on Travel. Interesting he'll be at CNN, which I NEVER watch!

EDIT: Just noticed he's on Travel Channel today at 2 p.m.

[davidpdx]

12. Well I love to travel

I have never been to as exotic of places as he goes. I need to get some guts and do that though. Lots of places I haven't been. Since I'm in Asia it's a hop skip and a jump to many of them. I may go work in UAE for awhile at some point in the future which would give me a chance to go to Morocco.

[elleng]

14. As you're in Asia, you've certainly been to places many of us think 'exotic!'

Where are you? Tell us about it? I love to travel too. Dad started us doing so.

I've been to Europe, and a day trip to Tangier, in Morocco, from Spain, once, but that's my extent of 'exotic.'

[davidpdx]

19. The places I've been

-Japan (two times, but those were just day trips for my visa both times Osaka)
-China (two times, once for my honeymoon to Bejing and the second time I lived in a city near Shanghai for nine months).
-Thailand (Phucket and Koh Phi Phi Island, the latter is one of the most beautiful places I've been for about 4 days).
-Philippines (three times, two times Boracay Island, two times Manila. I stayed on Boracay for 5 days the first time and 10 days the second time)
-South Korea (lived in for almost 10 years)
-Sweden (one time for 2 weeks)
-The Netherlands (one time for a few days)

I really want to go back to Boracay or possibly go to Malaysia. We were suppose to go back to the US this summer, but had to cancel. I really hate the flights back and forth as they are just too long.

[flamingdem]

29. What did you like about Boracay?

Malaysia (besides the food)

[davidpdx]

30. In Boracay it really depends on your taste and how much you want to spend

I try to spend time on the beach and in the water. I've taken tours by both boat and on land, rode dune-buggies and motorcycles (I don't recommend the latter as I had a bad accident and ended up banging my arm up really bad), gone snorkeling, seen caves, gone paragliding, rode on a banana boat (though you don't want to see a picture of that as my underwear were hanging out). The last time I went I arranged a tour where we went from Boracay over to the main island where the airport is (I can't remember the name) and then went to this resort in the middle of nowhere that was just beautiful. There was a pool that was filled from fresh mountain water and it was cold as heck. They arranged lunch as well. I can't remember how much it cost though. If you walk along the beach there are tons of places where you can arrange tours you just have to see what is offered and the price and maybe negotiate a little. Both times I stayed in the same place, it isn't on the beach, but it's about a 5 minute walk down to the beach. Back around 2010 the first time I went had been building four condo type apartments behind the existing hotel (which are like small rooms with shared bathrooms). I happened to book one of those rooms, but they emailed me back and told me they had finished the condos early and asked if I wanted to book one. The price wasn't that much of a difference and it was nice because downstairs it had the beds and bathroom, upstairs was the kitchen, fridge, and a small living room area and then a small balcony. The guy that runs it is an expat from Texas and is partners with a Filipino guy, both of which are very nice. They even helped me after I got in the accident (and then gave me a hard time the next time I came back about whether I was going to rent a motorcycle).

I should also note, there is a nightlife there with clubs and stuff, but it's not my thing so I have no idea about that.

[UTUSN]

7. R#2 & K for, nobody better at slapping Faux Propaganda Network down

The first link, his top 10 feuds (with other chefs, if Paula DEEN can be called a chef)


*************QUOTE**********

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/celebrity/anthony-bourdain-feuds.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/23/anthony-bourdain-fox-news_n_3140222.html

[font size=5]Anthony Bourdain Fires Back At Fox News For Column About CNN, 'Potty-Mouthed Chef'[/font]

Anthony Bourdain fired back at Fox News after the network posted a column suggesting that CNN is using the "potty-mouthed chef to boost ratings."

"The network added foul-mouthed New York City chef Anthony Bourdain to its Sunday night prime time lineup, and curse words have since been flowing like cheap box wine," read the piece, which was published on FoxNews.com Tuesday.

The column took issue with the network for not bleeping Bourdain's cursing, and quoted one expert who called it an "extreme attempt CNN is taking to boost viewership" and another who said it constituted "classless unprofessionalism."

Bourdain responded on Tuesday, tweeting:

[font size=5]Hasn’t FOX pretty much pioneered the loosening of standards and practices on both broadcast and cable? http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/04/23/is-cnn-using-potty-mouthed-chef-to-boost-ratings/ …[/font]

*********UNQUOTE********

[davidpdx]

15. That is funny

Actually he isn't that bad. I heard on his other show he really let loose. I think he has to hold back to a certain degree because its on CNN. The references to smoking pot are what really made me laugh.

[Xolodno]

24. Un-fucking-believable!

Anthony's show on CNN is not that all different from his old show in Travel Channel. But now he's on CNN they throw a hissyfit? Did their ratings suck that much that they had to tell their regular viewers not to watch in case they got....*gasp*..informed?

One of my favorite episodes of Bourdain occurred when he was in Lebanon and the whole Israeli-Hizbullah conflict occurred. It was real and gave an impression of what the rest of Lebanon thought of it (never forget the statement from one Lebanese..."Who's going to pay for all this damage?!&quot .

This "outrage" by the Fascist Operation eXample...sorry, I mean FOX "news" means they are actually scared of a network providing actual....what's that word...Oh yeah.....Content.

[FarCenter]

9. I enjoyed the episode on Peru with Eric Ripert

Anthony and Eric are engaged with farmers in Peru to produce a higher-quality chocolate. This seems like a better approach than spraying herbicide on their cocoa or proliferating inferior trees.

U.S. anti-cocaine push embitters Peru chocolate makers

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/25/us-peru-cocoa-idUSBRE83O19I20120425

[octoberlib]

18. I love this show.

I also watched every episode of No Reservations , read both his books, and saw Tony and Eric Ripert when they were on tour.

[Logical]

22. Seems drunks lot! n-t

[RedCappedBandit]

27. Wouldn't mind having his job, I'll say that much.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

28. The Congo episode aired last weekend.

I am glad the crazy son of a bitch talked about what a horror of colonialism the Congo was under King Leopold.

The stuff about the cacao farm was interesting too.

The other show on now that has interesting international stories is VICE, which is on at 10 pm Central Friday night after Bill Maher.

[MFM008]

31. Its interesting

Ive seen Tangiers, Libya, Congo, Peru, it is interesting...just hate animal slaughter on film....

[fasttense]

32. Once heard him say in an interview how lazy Americans

don't want to work. He was never able to keep Americans as kitchen staff. They were always moving on. He liked undocumented workers who worked sooo hard for sooo little. Yeah cheap labor is what he really liked.