You know I'm simply at a loss. I get so angry at "successful" people being so ungrateful for what they have and Anthony Bourdain is no exception. Most foodies and many chefs consider him a modern day culinary hero. Bourdain served his time in busy NY kitchen for over 20 years, turned cookbook author, now turned Travel Channel chef. He scoffs at vegetarians, has witty analogies, travels the world and tastes just about anything. I think that's why I preferred him over the more annoying, Andrew Zimmern. I feel Zimmern is more into the shock, gross-out value of it all and Bourdain is genuinely into the food and cultures he covers. I respected that he was just being himself and didn't hold any punches. I thought it was funny how he bashed the Food Network, even though he was on there for a brief time. I even liked that he attempted to go back and work at the same place he first started and admitted he wasn't cut out for the job anymore. He just couldn't hang. He's older, I get that.
What took me over the edge tonight was an episode where he visited Vietnam. It became abundantly apparent how Hollywood Mr. Bourdain as become. While looking at houses, he snobs smaller huts and makes crass remarks that he thinks are clever, as usual. He sees this huge place, that's modern and beautiful and teases he could never afford it. Still, that's not what prompted me out of bed to blog like a sleepless computer geek. It's what he went on to say later in the program. While he sat in front of this home overlooking the river, he noticed a red bridge. His local tour guide mentioned that many "foodies" cross over the bridge to take cooking classes on their vacation there. Bourdain made comments to the effect that the bridge would need to be taken down if he were to buy the place and that he couldn't stand foodies. WOW. WOW. WOW. I was floored by this. The pompous, arrogance wreaked from the television like putrid, hot garbage. Who does he think watches his shows, attends his book signings, buys his highfalutin books and create facebook pages in his honor? Does he think the non-foodies are out there helping pay his mortgage? Think again Bourdain. To insult and under mind the very audience that has put you in the position you're in today is blasphemous. Get over yourself. In fact, I encourage you to build a bridge and get over yourself. A big read one,like the one you love so much. Your tribal tattoos, nasty smoking habit, greasy hair and blase attitude are stale.
Would Martha Stewart insult affluent, stay at home housewives on air? Would Alton Brown make jabs at science geeks ? It just makes no sense to me. This is why I just can't wait to see Bridget's Sexiest Beaches. Hey, at least she smiles!
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2 comments:
I haven't seen that one yet (it's waiting on my DVR), but that sounds pretty bogus.
I think there may be two issues at play here:
1. The word "foodie," in addition to being a little ridiculous as a word, has several connotations and no real clear denotation. When you say "foodie," some people think about people who simply love food, whereas some people think more of food snobs. I guess I consider myself a foodie, but I'm using the first definition. If I used the latter definition, I would say that foodies get on my nerves (see: locavores, or people that can't get down with some cheap soul food).
So, looking at it through this lens, Bourdain may just be acting obtuse and boorish. Well, that's Tony.
2. However, there's another, more grating, factor that may be at play here. We can call it either Charles Barkley or Fiona Apple syndrome. I have heard stirrings that celebrity chefs look down on foodies as being amateurs and mouth-breathing fanboys. This seems to me to be a bit of a combination of professional elitism and something like what indie rock people feel when a band they like makes it big. You can look at it a variety of different ways, but for me, it always comes back to assuming that other people are unintelligent or possess an incorrect amount of sincerity.
If that's where Tony's coming from, well, he's being a putz. That kind of fancy-pantsing is embarrassing for everyone involved.
Great points. I was talking to Lara about this yesterday. You'll have to see it to judge for yourself.
It seemed to me that he was referring to the 1st definition because he obviously doesn't qualify for the second since he eats almost anything. Before he became a himself, he was a foodie himself. And when did becoming a foodie become such a horrible thing? Does he think people that are in the line at Luby's or Wendy's are tuning in every week and buying his book?
Another valid point you have that chefs(not just celebrity chefs) do have a tendency to look down on food enthusiasts and amateurs. A chef instructor told me a long time ago to look up the definition of an amateur and then decide if I'd ever want to frown upon them in my own classes. Here's the definition:
"A person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons."
Basically, an amateur is someone who does something for pure pleasure. How can you knock someone for that? That's what I inferred from his rant. Again, you make the call.
Personally, the only type of people that irritate me are the people that act like they are the be all, end all of cooking. There's only one way to cook something. Amateur and professional chefs are guilty of this and it's not an attractive quality. I'm still learning everyday from every chef I work with and read about.
Thanks for your P.O.V. and can't wait to hear your thoughts after you've actually seen the episode.
p.s. take note of the house he claims he couldn't afford. Total B.S. if you ask me. It's nice, but totally doable in Vietnam with his salary.
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