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Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Seasons 1-5


Louisa Chu

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Anthony's South America-heavy focus these last few seasons has gotten me interested in going there, particularly with the dollar being what it is.  Is that a conscious decision by Travel chanel I wonder? Either for them to save money (can't hurt!) or to turn people on to more reasonable travel destinations than say Europe . . .

Anyways, nice little poignant episode last night.  Reminds me of the France ep he did on Cook's Tour, also featuring his brother . . . seems like Chris brings out the melancholy in Tony. 

I must admit the ending comment caught me off guard and it almost seemed to me like he was saying he didn't enjoy Uruguay terribly much.

I think your last comment is interesting. I was surprised because the whole time he was there, it seemed to me he WAS enjoying himself...Which surprised me because, having lived there....well, lets just say besides the immense amount of food, this is not a culinary mecca. In fact, I'd say it was the opposite. I probably would have chewed off a body part in exchange for anything with flavor. Once, I had someone bring me dried red chili flakes from Argentina, but found the package was crawling with worms...I spent about 20 minutes trying to pick flakes from worms before someone finally dragged me away, promising to at least find pepper....

Gnomey

The GastroGnome

(The adventures of a Gnome who does not sit idly on the front lawn of culinary cottages)

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Tony does a lot of new territory. Sure he does Greece, and Italy, but a lot is already known or done on these places.

A lot of the places Tony does lately while maybe not unknown is more uncharted.

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I just caught up on the Columbia, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay episodes and thought all three were very good. I thought the latter was the weakest of the bunch, but I'm quibbling here. I really loved the Saudi one, it reminded me of my trip to Cairo in 2005, which was just fantastic. And it was nice to see how happy folks were at the transformation Columbia has undergone.

Cheers! :cool:

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What? Nothing from last night's Southwest Episode.

I told my wife we're roadtrippin to Hatch, NM. She told me to quit obsessing aobut food.

No way I'm ording a big unit, much less eating it.

Salton Lake in Cali did not look like a fun place to visit.

What could be more fun than alchohol and automatic weapons with Ted?

No comment on the giant tourist trap steak house.

A very enjoyable episode. I was thinking it would be a Route 66 adventure, but that's too easy.

That's the thing about opposum inerds, they's just as tasty the next day.

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What a huge let down. Please...Alice Cooper and a hot dog to showcase cuisine in the state of Arizona? One brief stop in New Mexico (which may have been the highlight of the episode for me). Way too much time with Ted Nugent. Yet another TV show doing the 72oz steak eating contest in a Texas restaurant. And the Salton Sea - why? I was so excited for this episode considering the cuisine available in the Southwest and this is what we got. :angry:

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I was a little disappointed with the Southwest episode (Alice Cooper's sports bar eating a wiener? Yawn.), but Ted Nugent and big guns saved it. My wife LOVE Ted, and watching Tony pick up a couple of cannons and cut loose was enjoyable -- and I don't even like guns.

But I would have traded the whole Salton Sea segment for some more food or desert peril. But we did get to see Tony eat a patty melt.

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

“A favorite dish in Kansas is creamed corn on a stick.”

-Jeff Harms, actor, comedian.

>Enjoying every bite, because I don't know any better...

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My question: How could he go to Texas and NOT go to Lockhart?!

I think and hope that Austin/Barbecue Mecca would get its own episode.

you would hope. But then people might complain they did too many episodes with Texas.

Personally, I'm glad Tony didn't bag on Texas in this episode. If he did come back to do a show on BBQ in the Austin/Central Texas area, I'm quite certain he would love it and would have to admit even more that Texas isn't so bad. :smile:

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

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I was actually surprised at how much I liked this episode. It reminded me of the exact type of roadtrip or "Griswold family truckster" vacation that I truly enjoy....I'm just a sucker for things like Carhenge and the World's Largest Prairie Dog. It made me wish Tony would ever do a crossover show with the guys from "Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations".

But yeah, I could have lived without seeing ANOTHER 72oz. steak......

Jerry

Kansas City, Mo.

Unsaved Loved Ones

My eG Food Blog- 2011

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Ditto. Actually, while on the opposite end of the hunting spectrum as Ted, I do respect the fact that he hunts with a bow and arrow, has respect for the animal and for what it gives him as food, etc. I just wish he didn't LOVE hunting so much (!) Having said that, I am on the FAR, FAR opposite end of the political spectrum as Ted, but I'm kind of the Tony persuasion - you don't have to agree with Ted 100%, but he IS likeable and smart, in a totally gonzo kind of way.

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Ditto. Actually, while on the opposite end of the hunting spectrum as Ted, I do respect the fact that he hunts with a bow and arrow, has respect for the animal and for what it gives him as food, etc.  I just wish he didn't LOVE hunting so much (!)  Having said that, I am on the FAR, FAR opposite end of the political spectrum as Ted, but I'm kind of the Tony persuasion - you don't have to agree with Ted 100%, but he IS likeable and smart, in a totally gonzo kind of way.

I'm curious why you would respect hunting with a bow and arrow more than a rifle or shotgun. My guess would be that you are causing far more pain to the animal with an arrow. You'd also be more likely to just wound and not kill. I would tend think a rifle would give a better chance at a cleaner, faster kill.

I have absolutely no problem with hunting if you are going to eat the meat.

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This was a fun episode for me. Being the Classic Rock chick that I am, I liked

seeing Alice and Ted. I am conservative, but not nearly as far to the right as

Ted. As stated by others, he is a likeable bloke. :raz: But I can do without

ALL of that huntin' stuff.

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I was also a little disappointed in this episode, especially with the Texas offerings. Tony was here in Austin earlier this year to do a talk and I was hoping he'd combine it with filming a Central Texas Meat episode. I mean, come on! We're a meat mecca in these parts!

Although, even though I'm not a conservative, I enjoyed the heck out of the Nuge segment. That guy just kills me.

There's nothing so bad in this life that pork fat can't make better.

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Apparently Anthony was in town over the weekend--and is probably still here for another couple of days.

They apparently filmed a segment at Hot Doug's on Friday.

This info is courtesy of Gaper's Block, who offer a few hints as to how you can find out where else he filmed.

I'm curious to know where he went for his evening meals--there was a great thread here a few years back about a night of drunken revelry at what I suspect was a guerrilla operation. Does anyone want to 'fes up?

Pick up your phone

Think of a vegetable

Lonely at home

Call any vegetable

And the chances are good

That a vegetable will respond to you

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Does anyone want to 'fes up?

Saw Bourdain and his crew taping at Burt's Place on Sunday night.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Japan was a HUGE improvement over the Southwest episode.  Very interesting with great food.  Could have watched that knife manufacturing for the whole show!  :biggrin:

Have to agree. One of my favorite episodes. From the food to the knife making, it was all A+ in my book. I liked how he asked everyone if they had reached perfection.

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Apparently Anthony was in town over the weekend--and is probably still here for another couple of days.

They apparently filmed a segment at Hot Doug's on Friday.

This info is courtesy of Gaper's Block, who offer a few hints as to how you can find out where else he filmed.

I'm curious to know where he went for his evening meals--there was a great thread here a few years back about a night of drunken revelry at what I suspect was a guerrilla operation.  Does anyone want to 'fes up?

He came in to the Violet Hour last night for a nightcap.

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