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Remembering Anthony Bourdain


heidih

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I’ve been re-reading “kitchen Confidential” and “Medium Raw” now.  Several references to depression and suicide.

How I wish someone could have stopped him.  It’s like I so wish I could have known him and yet I know he was a very very complicated man.  Maybe what happened was inevitable.  There most certainly were demons involved.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 9/5/2021 at 11:11 AM, lindag said:

I watched "Roadrunner" yesterday (how could I not?)

I must say I enjoyed it even though it was heart wrenching.

When asked about the suicide, Eric Ripert said it was something he couldn't talk about.

Newsweek photo and story(ies).

OMG.  They could have chosen a better first word for the article.  The editorial standards at Newsweek have really gone down over the years.

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18 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

OMG.  They could have chosen a better first word for the article.  The editorial standards at Newsweek have really gone down over the years.

That's appalling. How could they let that through?

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Yeah, Bourdain did his share of upscale but was at his best, in my opinion, at places like the ones that Williams took him to in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (Caribbean).  There's an episode of Bourdain at Ali's Kebab Cafe in Astoria (Egyptian), an old Chowhound (& subsequent food boards) hangout,  and one where he's at the Red Hook Ballfields (Latin American), where I first met him, that are great.  The Obama one in China Vietnam aint half bad either.

Edited by Steve R. (log)
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On 9/6/2021 at 3:18 PM, Kim Shook said:

OMG.  They could have chosen a better first word for the article.  The editorial standards at Newsweek have really gone down over the years.

Somehow I missed that a first reading.  Utterly tasteless as well as insulting.

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38 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

Yeah, Bourdain did his share of upscale but was at his best, in my opinion, at places like the ones that Williams took him to in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (Caribbean).  There's an episode of Bourdain at Ali's Kebab Cafe in Astoria (Egyptian), an old Chowhound (& subsequent food boards) hangout,  and one where he's at the Red Hook Ballfields (Latin American), where I first met him, that are great.  The Obama one in China aint half bad either.

Wasn't Obama in Vietnam? Those two tall leggy guys perched on little stools. Great.

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Just now, heidih said:

Wasn't Obama in Vietnam? Those two tall leggy guys perched on little stools. Great.

 

Yes.  And along with his times with Eric Ripert, this episode I remember with great fondness.  Beautiful and touching.

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-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

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2 hours ago, heidih said:

Interesting and makes sense. I have been in the culture with a former addict (Hapkido) it is a whatever works situation, Probably kept him with us longer.  https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/anthony-bourdain-jiujitsu-secret-reddit-posts-1268801/

 

That's what saddened me.  It seemed like Anthony's demons really turned a corner, at least as much as one could ever know.  

 

Hapkido - I met master Bong Soo Han at my master's, Kichung Han's, funeral.  I eventually ended up as a live in disciple in a Japanese martial and zen temple, but began my adult martial life in tae kwon do.  Pretty moving, to see so many old-school masters like Bong Soo Han and others paying their respects.

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

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40 minutes ago, paul o' vendange said:

 

That's what saddened me.  It seemed like Anthony's demons really turned a corner, at least as much as one could ever know.  

 

Hapkido - I met master Bong Soo Han at my master's, Kichung Han's, funeral.  I eventually ended up as a live in disciple in a Japanese martial and zen temple, but began my adult martial life in tae kwon do.  Pretty moving, to see so many old-school masters like Bong Soo Han and others paying their respects.

As the daughter of a suicide - no one can really ever know. In terms of hapkido it kept my ex sober and he went on to teach and was invited to study in Korea - no idea if he ever did. He got more into hand to hand and teaching military.  At least in today's gun culture his mantra was no no no  if you can't use it properly or keep someone from disarming you - lock it up.  I brought it up because it was a side I'd not heard of in his complicated life.

 

Ex studied with this guy' http://masterkwon.com/kwon.html

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1 hour ago, heidih said:

As the daughter of a suicide - no one can really ever know. In terms of hapkido it kept my ex sober and he went on to teach and was invited to study in Korea - no idea if he ever did. He got more into hand to hand and teaching military.  At least in today's gun culture his mantra was no no no  if you can't use it properly or keep someone from disarming you - lock it up.  I brought it up because it was a side I'd not heard of in his complicated life.

 

Ex studied with this guy' http://masterkwon.com/kwon.html

Heidi - I'm so terribly sorry.  I know no words can cover this, but my heart truly goes out to you.  I lost a student to suicide and I struggled myself for many years, though that is a thing of the past.  I hope you've found some healing over time.

 

Master Kwon's dojang was close to where mine was located, about 30 minutes away.

 

I taught tactical defense to military and public personnel, as well as assault awareness and rape prevention.  I agree with your ex's point of view.

Edited by paul o' vendange (log)

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

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On 10/14/2021 at 6:21 PM, rgruby said:

Anybody check out the new biographies?

 

If so, are they worth picking up?

 

 Cheers,

 Geoff 

 

Ok. Nobody? I got them for Christmas. And devoured them and? Well, they plough similar fields but both left me wanting. Vitalés was obviously mote focused on the shoots and editing while Woolever’s was wider in scope and had more family stuff.

 

Both entertaining reads, don’t get me wrong. I just felt, do we get the real Tony here? Or is it still too close to his passing? Neither shied away from some negative stuff but it really felt like in the last year or two of his life he was in a really dark place. And his interpersonal relationships suffered accordingly. As did the shows in some ways. Body doubles?

 

ok, I probably need to go back and reread these to give a more honest review. Yes, entertaining. The last word? Maybe not.

 

 Cheers,

 Geoff 

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