Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Seasons 1-5

[larrylee]

It isn't 'food' to me. But, through his experimental 'eating' we can see that mankind will survive, and has. We can either learn new ways to nourish our bodies or continue in traditions that are instilled. It is good to know that there are alternatives. And how to prepare them! I see NR as a learning event more than just a culinary experience. (And very well thought out. AB's mind tips us all out of the box.)

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What's not food? Live octopus? I had it in Korea, albeit a much smaller one, and it's not "gross" or really too crazy, though it is a unique experience. I'd definitely classify it as a delicacy, though, since there is really no need to eat an octopus alive.

Regarding whether or not mankind will "survive" with respect to food, I think the only people at risk are those who know nothing more about food than what they buy pre-packaged from the supermarket or from restaurants and take-out. That is, people who take it for granted.

[jsmeeker]

I think Tony did a great job preparing us viewers with what was to come.  I wanted to ask him about the seal feast when I met him on June 13 but I got side tracked by the Korea episode.

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I've got nothing for respect for Anthony and I love NR - he always treats his hosts and their culture with honor and respect, no matter what is being offered up.

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What makes the show REALLY good is that he does all this, yet still manages to get in some snarky comments. (like bagging on Abba )

[Dianne_VA]

Hey, y'all!  I noticed a blurb in the middle of last night's Sweden episode

saying that they were going to air a special episode on their experience

in Beruit on Aug. 21!

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Well looks like it is August 21st after ad in tonight's rerun of Puerto Rico episode..."Ah the pig a noble and magical creature"...

After reading posts on Barnes and Noble, Travel Channel and here by Tony, it should be a very heartfelt and enlightening show.

.....And hope he is planting those size 12s in tropical sand at this very moment and taking some well deserved and restorative time off!

Patience can be just as much a virtue as curiosity at times......

Want to be respectful and don't want to cross a line here and return to subject that is closed... just information...

So pig's cheek? Any experiences out there?

Edited August 8, 2006 by Dianne_VA (log)

[BeauNoze]

makes the show REALLY good is that he does all this, yet still manages to get in some snarky comments. (like bagging on Abba )

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That's what I've always liked about Tony. He doesn't take himself, or anyone else, too seriously.

Having grown up in the disco era, the Abba stuff was a hoot.

[kiliki]

I thought the seal scenes were interesting as they were almost identical to an episode of PBS's Globe Trekker, where Ian Wright went seal hunting and into a family's home to eat seal on the kitchen floor in the same way. There have been a number of other NR scenes that were very similar to Globe Trekker scenes as well. I wonder if this is just coincidence or if NR producers are hoping that Travel Channel viewers don't watch PBS.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

What's not food? Live octopus? I had it in Korea, albeit a much smaller one, and it's not "gross" or really too crazy, though it is a unique experience. I'd definitely classify it as a delicacy, though, since there is really no need to eat an octopus alive.

In my squeamish food world, there is a very blurred line between "delicacy" and 'what's the most disgusting part of the animal and how can we eat it raw?" Seal eyeballs? I call it "stunt eating", yet the Inuit who need it to survive call it delicious.

[devlin]

Well I'm thinking his next show will have to explore music in greater depth. I mean what is Abba if not some genius mix of square dance and Irish step dance? Somebody should get Michael Flatley on that pronto. And Billy Joel? Don't even get me started. I mean, really, pure folk opera. Inner-city Aaron Copeland.

[cowpati]

It isn't 'food' to me. But, through his experimental 'eating' we can see that mankind will survive, and has. We can either learn new ways to nourish our bodies or continue in traditions that are instilled. It is good to know that there are alternatives. And how to prepare them! I see NR as a learning event more than just a culinary experience. (And very well thought out. AB's mind tips us all out of the box.)

←

What's not food? Live octopus? I had it in Korea, albeit a much smaller one, and it's not "gross" or really too crazy, though it is a unique experience. I'd definitely classify it as a delicacy, though, since there is really no need to eat an octopus alive.

Regarding whether or not mankind will "survive" with respect to food, I think the only people at risk are those who know nothing more about food than what they buy pre-packaged from the supermarket or from restaurants and take-out. That is, people who take it for granted.

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Oh, yes! Who needs a war to eliminate a third of the population? Just blackout the freezer sections in grocery stores. Within a month you would know who could learn the fastest and most of America would need smaller clothes.

One note, though. Before I could locate a live octopus or a dead seal, I think I would have gone veg and made a great salad.

[cowpati]

Hey, y'all!  I noticed a blurb in the middle of last night's Sweden episode

saying that they were going to air a special episode on their experience

in Beruit on Aug. 21!

←

Well looks like it is August 21st after ad in tonight's rerun of Puerto Rico episode..."Ah the pig a noble and magical creature"...

After reading posts on Barnes and Noble, Travel Channel and here by Tony, it should be a very heartfelt and enlightening show.

.....And hope he is planting those size 12s in tropical sand at this very moment and taking some well deserved and restorative time off!

Patience can be just as much a virtue as curiosity at times......

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It will be interesting to see how Beruit was ... just a few weeks ago. And I think that NR has the exclusive. Bourdain should have some interesting insight on his experience.

[zoe b]

Well looks like it is August 21st after ad in tonight's rerun of Puerto Rico episode..."Ah the pig a noble and magical creature"...

can't wait to see the Lebanon show--will be on the road so will have to find an accomodating bar to watch it.

we are new to NR, so are enjoying the reruns for the first time--did anyone think the Puerto Rico show was a bit--well-- cheesy?

the mythos shtick--come on now--it looked like the producers thought it was maybe clever, and AB was doing everything to ruin it.

But loved seeing Mofungo--my favorite food in PR--want to have that giant ball of stArch and lard again sometime.

Zoe

[Jaymes]

I missed the episode about the Tex/Mex border. Anyone know when it's running again?

[BuzzDraft]

In my squeamish food world, there is a very blurred line between "delicacy" and 'what's the most disgusting part of the animal and how can we eat it raw?"  Seal eyeballs? I call it "stunt eating", yet the Inuit who need it to survive call it delicious.

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What Bourdain is showing is respect for the culture and hosts he's visiting. The guest of honor is offered these "delicacies", and it would be the highest insult to the host to turn it down. That's like receiving a gift and telling the giver, what a piece of crap, dropping it on the floor, and asking who gave him that awful haircut.

In Saudi Arabia back in the 70s, we visited a Bedouin tent and they offered my father and me the testicles of a goat. Had to do it. Easy for Dad, he'll eat anything and follow up with a story about the depression if you make a face.

So, beating heart of a cobra, seal eyeballs, various organs, beverages fermented with spit, or even wolf nipple chips (actually that's from Life Of Brian)...

Props to Bourdain for sacking up, bracing himself, and respecting the gestures everywhere he goes.

Salad is not food. Salad is what food eats.

[HarryB3]

I missed the episode about the Tex/Mex border.  Anyone know when it's running again?

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It looks like the 21st You'll get a double feature that night with the Beruit episode.

[Jaymes]

I missed the episode about the Tex/Mex border.  Anyone know when it's running again?

It looks like the 21st You'll get a double feature that night with the Beruit episode.

Thanks. Looks like a dandy night for me.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

Props to Bourdain for sacking up, bracing himself, and respecting the gestures everywhere he goes.

That's what I'm sayin'.......although to be honest it doesn't look like there's a whole lot of 'sucking up and bracing himself' going on - if there is he covers it well. That's one fearless eater having a great time from what I can see.

Me, I'm still all weepy over the Chupacabra puppy.....

[divalasvegas]

Props to Bourdain for sacking up, bracing himself, and respecting the gestures everywhere he goes.

That's what I'm sayin'.......although to be honest it doesn't look like there's a whole lot of 'sucking up and bracing himself' going on - if there is he covers it well. That's one fearless eater having a great time from what I can see.

Me, I'm still all weepy over the Chupacabra puppy.....

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Chupacabra puppy indeed Heidi. Also, I'd like to nominate the Puerto Rico episode for having had the most delicious looking dishes/best food porn (in addition to the El Bulli episode of course) of all the shows.

And I too look forward to Tony's take on his Beirut experience.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

Also, I'd like to nominate the  Puerto Rico episode for having had the most delicious looking dishes/best food porn (in addition to the El Bulli episode of course) of all the shows.

Do you know what I loved most about the El Bulli show? I loved Ferran Adriia's almost childlike glee watching his guests eat every mouthful and waiting for their reaction. There was no pretense, just the joy of creating something extraordinary and watching other people appreciate it. That's passion for food.

[jsmeeker]

Just a quick heads up to all the "No Reservation" viewers that use a TiVo to record "No Reservations".

The Beirut episode is setup as a sepecial, so your Season Pass for "No Reservations" won't pick it up. They did the same thing for the "Ferran Adria" episode. I missed that one becasue of that. But now I know the Beirut will be the same way, so I'll have to setup a manual recording of that episode.

[ThatGrrl]

Short description of the Aug. 21 Beruit episode in the NY Post, for those who have signed up for reading privileges over there. The short version is that the first half hour will cover the footage Tony went over to gather: food, nightlife, etc. The second half hour will be what happened when it all started to go wrong.

[cowpati]

In my squeamish food world, there is a very blurred line between "delicacy" and 'what's the most disgusting part of the animal and how can we eat it raw?"  Seal eyeballs? I call it "stunt eating", yet the Inuit who need it to survive call it delicious.

←

What Bourdain is showing is respect for the culture and hosts he's visiting. The guest of honor is offered these "delicacies", and it would be the highest insult to the host to turn it down. That's like receiving a gift and telling the giver, what a piece of crap, dropping it on the floor, and asking who gave him that awful haircut.

In Saudi Arabia back in the 70s, we visited a Bedouin tent and they offered my father and me the testicles of a goat. Had to do it. Easy for Dad, he'll eat anything and follow up with a story about the depression if you make a face.

So, beating heart of a cobra, seal eyeballs, various organs, beverages fermented with spit, or even wolf nipple chips (actually that's from Life Of Brian)...

Props to Bourdain for sacking up, bracing himself, and respecting the gestures everywhere he goes.

Salad is not food. Salad is what food eats.

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i'm thinking ab seeks out the different. happening onto being invited to a meal of beating cobra hearts would be very rare. he is respectful, indeed! but, i think he wants out of the bun type of foods. and looks for them.

i like your dad's philosophy. and i love old depression stories. they lived on starvation two meals out of the day because they couldn't afford three meals.

[cowpati]

I missed the episode about the Tex/Mex border.  Anyone know when it's running again?

It looks like the 21st You'll get a double feature that night with the Beruit episode.

Thanks. Looks like a dandy night for me.

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they are doing a twofer on the 21st? that tex/mex espiode is great! i will tell everyone i know to watch both of them.

(and ya'll do the same!)

[scubadoo97]

Props to Bourdain for sacking up, bracing himself, and respecting the gestures everywhere he goes.

That's what I'm sayin'.......although to be honest it doesn't look like there's a whole lot of 'sucking up and bracing himself' going on - if there is he covers it well. That's one fearless eater having a great time from what I can see.

Me, I'm still all weepy over the Chupacabra puppy.....

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I agree. Tony seems to really enjoy the history and culture of it all. Watching him eat the sliced stomachs of several animals in the China episode and responding with a "that's very good" you get the feeling that is truely enjoying himself and there is no sucking up. In fact in that episode I think Tony found favor with all the food he sampled and some of it didn't look so good to me but after watching that I wanted to try it too.

[larrylee]

I agree.  Tony seems to really enjoy the history and culture of it all.  Watching him eat the sliced stomachs of several animals in the China episode and responding with a "that's very good" you get the feeling that is truely enjoying himself and there is no sucking up.  In fact in that episode I think Tony found favor with all the food he sampled and some of it didn't look so good to me but after watching that I wanted to try it too.

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Scubadoo, if you haven't read A Cook's Tour yet, I highly recommend it. I think reading that book, along with watching the series on Food Network (if it's still on in reruns), lays down the perfect context for enjoying No Reservations. I didn't really start eating offal until after I read the book, and even then it took some time for me to acquire a taste for it.

[scubadoo97]

Thanks larrylee. I'll have to look for it. I just finished Kitchen Confidential. I haven't laughed so much while reading in a while. I also will not order the fish special on Monday.

[purplewiz]

If you do read A Cook's Tour, make sure you're sitting where your snickers, giggles, and out and out belly laughs won't be heard, or you'll end up reading the whole book to someone else to share the joy.

This is what happened to my husband and I. Sick and tired of the question "What? What?" when the person currently reading the book laughed, we ended up reading it aloud to each other, taking turns reading with each chapter.

There's something special about an experience like that.

Marcia.