Iron Chef getting stale to you?

While I consider myself a fan of Iron Chef, I must admit it is getting old. I needed something new and the Travel Channel has come through for me with Anthony Bourdain’s  - No Reservations.

My love for Bourdain started when I picked up a copy of his Kitchen Confidential (which a new sitcom coming out this fall is loosely based upon). He tells his story of how he got into the food biz and all of the craziness that comes with what is really is sub-culture.

Bourdain followed that book with Cooks Tour which is a romp through the world in search of the “perfect meal.” While he was writing of these escapades the Food Network was filming all of this and made it into the show that was Cooks Tour no less.

I loved the show, but I must have been the only one as they only ran a few of the episodes.

The Travel Channel (a sister network to the Food Channel) must have seen something worth dumping some money into as they are now running the show No Reservations with the same idea as Cooks Tour.

Bourdain is globe-trotting again and each time I watch it, I catch myself grinning the whole time.

Now, if you are not familiar with Bourdain he is best summed up this way…picture PJ O’Rourke if he had gone down the road of being a chef instead.

If Bourdain is not eating on screen, he has a smoke hanging from his lips. In this day and age with all of the anemic, vegan freaks walking the earth, I find it quite refreshing. Take a drag, breathe deep and blow it in their faces Tony!

One of my favorite spots was when he was in Iceland.The Icelanders munch on rotten shark like the Americans do potato chips. Thank God when I was there no one made me eat that crap but Bourdain gets paid to do this show, so bottoms up for him on the smelly beast. They prepare this shark much in the same way Kim-Chee is made. They bury it deep in the ground and let it rot. Num.

The look on his face after he ate that was priceless. I suppose it’s easy to do multiple vodka shots after chewing on putrid shark bits. Hell, hand me the whole bottle of vodka.

Monday night was the episode where he visits his friend in Vietnam.

Nothing like pan fried porcupine and bird carcass whiskey to wake you up in the morning.

Now this is not to say that every meal this poor guy eats is as repulsive as what I have recounted. He does this with wit and sarcasm and that is what is funny to watch.

A recent journey took him to his hometown in New Jersey where he commented on all of the new Sopranos references. Hell, he even stopped in and had some munchies at the Bada Bing – or in reality the Satin Dolls club.

That show finishes with him hooking up with Mario Batali and some cannolis Godfather style.

Most people don’t need to add more tv shows to their must view list but Tony does not disapoint.

Comments

[Rachel]

I watched a few episodes of Cooks Tour. It was morbidly fascinating to see what awful foods he would find to eat. Blood sausage in England, partially formed chicks, right out of the shell in Asia, etc..etc..
Then I saw him swallow a beating cobra heart.
That was the last time I watched Cooks Tour. NEVER AGAIN.

[Dave in Pgh.]

How does smoking offend vegans? I though tobacco was a vegetable. Most meat-free people I have known were quite avid smokers.

Now I'm starting to wonder if that chef has ever eaten tobacco.

[CalamityJo]

Dave,
How does smoke offend vegans? They are offended by everything. Hell, I'm sure they even offend themselves.

[Dave in Pgh.]

Actually, Jo, Vegans are incapable of offending themselves. The horrid cooking aroma deadens their senses of smell to the point that the body odor and patchouli oil does not even register with them. It sure offends the heck out of everyone else within nose range.

For example, the other day there was a small party at my office. The college girl vegheads brought in some hideous humus concoction that could not have been made with anything that you or I would recognize as edibles. In order to properly enjoy that brown slop, two things were required: a complete absence of sense of smell, and complete absence of sense of taste. Gag.

[joel]

I still watch Cook's tour! It's on once a week at some ungodly hour on food tv. I set the Tivo so I can watch it.

Glad to hear I'm not the only person who watches No Reservations - maybe this one will last more than a couple of episodes.

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