Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Seasons 1-5

[fisherman]

well, i've just watched the iceland show, and i have to say, i enjoyed it a lot more than the french one, not sure why, maybe i'm getting used to the format, maybe the show is bedding in a bid, whichever, it's getting closer to what i dreamed it would be!.

well done tony, i can't wait to see you in jersey now

[jesteinf]

Just watched the Iceland episode this weekend. I thought it was the funniest of the three episodes so far, especially the Viking feast (Freebird!).

Anyway, I couldn't help thinking that the lawyers at the Travel Channel must go nuts every time they screen an episode. I don't think fewer than 3 celebs get openly mocked/insulted by Tony in every episode. By my count, here's who Tony's gotten so far:

Rocco

Sarah Jessica Parker

Tom Cruise

Now I'm blanking. Help me out, I know there's more.

[Lynette Hanson]

Just watched the Iceland episode this weekend.  I thought it was the funniest of the three episodes so far, especially the Viking feast (Freebird!).

Anyway, I couldn't help thinking that the lawyers at the Travel Channel must go nuts every time they screen an episode.  I don't think fewer than 3 celebs get openly mocked/insulted by Tony in every episode.  By my count, here's who Tony's gotten so far:

Rocco

Sarah Jessica Parker

Tom Cruise

Now I'm blanking.  Help me out, I know there's more.

←

Paris Hilton comes to mind instantly, unfortunately.

[jesteinf]

Just watched the Iceland episode this weekend.  I thought it was the funniest of the three episodes so far, especially the Viking feast (Freebird!).

Anyway, I couldn't help thinking that the lawyers at the Travel Channel must go nuts every time they screen an episode.  I don't think fewer than 3 celebs get openly mocked/insulted by Tony in every episode.  By my count, here's who Tony's gotten so far:

Rocco

Sarah Jessica Parker

Tom Cruise

Now I'm blanking.  Help me out, I know there's more.

←

Paris Hilton comes to mind instantly, unfortunately.

←

Yes, that's the one I blanked on, thank you. How could I forget that? Whenever I need a laugh I just picture Paris being cut into four pieces, with each piece moving around on its own.

[Soup]

Disagree on screen Korean saying that her particularities about her food will keep them pure however, YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED, it doesn't have to be bad for anyone involved, you or I(egg), but YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. 

Edited because my Trekkie lingo was a little off.

←

I like the NJ show a lot more than the Paris show. Few things, I like the fact that Mario seem to have a good sense of humor (I wish Malto Mario would come back, but that is another thread).

I wished he had covered a bit more about the J market. All I learned was that Japanease like over the top packaging and marketing (tell me something new). Was interested in the food court but he didn't show anything much.

I did like the small segment about korean food but it was very small. If I were trying to introduce korean to a general audiance, I don't know that Soon Doobu would have been the first choice. But it did seem the weather was cold and rainy, perfect soon doobu weather.

As for the whole assimilation...I don't know that I'd make that connection between food and cultural assimilation. Know enough bananas that really love their mom's home cooking...

[Collins]

Wow - great show tonight. I think your love for Vietnam really came through, Tony.

Thanks for that episode - you showed a wonderful side of the people, culture and food.

And Sang is definitely the bomb!

[jesteinf]

"Fred motherfucking Astaire, beeyatch!"

Best. Line. Ever.

[Collins]

"Fred motherfucking Astaire, beeyatch!"

Best. Line. Ever. 

←

Yeah - that was probably my favorite moment of the show. Also watching Tony stagger out after the dancing was hysterical...can't imagine the hangover he must've had!

[MHarney]

Now that was a good show. I had no inkling of the stupendous mountains of Vietnam, and that bay seemed otherworldly. Imagine living all your life on the water there...weird but cool.

After seeing an episode of "Stranded" yesterday, when Tony said, "I still had no idea what Mr. Sang had in store for me," I expected Mr. Sang might say, "If you're lucky, we'll only make you shriek like Cash Peters."

[Bux]

Of the four shows so far, the Vietnam episode is undoubtedly the one that is likely to appeal to the broadest audience, and I mean that in a positive sense. Of course loyal Tony's fans would subscribe to cable tv just to see him eat a squeezel.

[SiseFromm]

My wife and I were dying during the "Squeezle" segment. That had us rolling. I thought the pork roasted over the sidewalk charcoal looked like the best thing he ate. Lime, pickled garlic, lettuces, fatty pork, rice noodles? Bring it.

[OnlyTheBest]

GREAT show tonight Tony....LOVED the suit... LOVED your expressions....LOVED the food ! and LOVE the attitude.

You know what? I think you are the only guy that does and says what the f%*k he wants .... you smoke ... you dont care what the food police think.....you say shi*ty things about people.... and you honestly DON'T care if any of it offends ANYBODY thats watching ! I LOVE IT!!!

There are times when the camera catches you with a cig hanging from your mouth I'm reminded of some of those old french and italian films from the 60's.

Nobody else can carry it off like you can.....of course... thats why we all love you.

[YoChefGregg]

"After seeing an episode of "Stranded" yesterday, when Tony said, "I still had no idea what Mr. Sang had in store for me," I expected Mr. Sang might say, "If you're lucky, we'll only make you shriek like Cash Peters."

Cash Peters,,,,,,,sounds like a male prostitute.

[DeVeaux]

So, where else can we look forward to Tony visiting? I see Malaysia is coming up next week.

I hope they re-run these, cuz I missed the Iceland episode, since the Marriott in Tampa's cable selections did not include the travel channel (or much else).

I bet you could sell Tony's Deep-Fried Squeezel on a Stick at state fairs.

[Lynette Hanson]

So, where else can we look forward to Tony visiting? I see Malaysia is coming up next week.

I hope they re-run these, cuz I missed the Iceland episode, since the Marriott in Tampa's cable selections did not include the travel channel (or much else).

I bet you could sell  Tony's Deep-Fried Squeezel on a Stick at state fairs.

←

Here's a link to some of the schedule for "No Reservations."

http://travel.discovery.com/schedule/serie...787&channel=TRV

I imagine it's updated by the Travel Channel as days go by, so maybe Iceland will return as Paris does here.

[Jennifer Brizzi]

I loved every second. It feels so good to laugh that hard for an hour. I love all the Bond allusions.

My daughter was born in Hanoi four years ago so it was awesome to revisit though Bourdain's eyes. I wish I could master taping on my VCR so I could save it for her--it's the truest, best insight into the culture of her birthplace I've seen anywhere.

Bourdain does all the stuff I wish I had the guts to do when traveling, and I'm not just talking about squeezel and cobra hearts. I mean going deep into the hills and eating with people who probably have never seen a westerner.

That bun cha (pork and pork meatballs with noodles) is amazingly scrumptious. I'm pretty sure we ate it at the same place Mr. Bourdain did. I've tried to make it myself but it's not nearly as good. Yummm.

[jscarbor]

How much money can/could sang make taking all the Bourdain fans out on Vietnam excursions like this one save the motor scooter? If I was going to Vietnam I'd happily pay him for his services. Because without him my guess is a guy like me would have zero chance of experiencing stuff like he did on the show. Of course the welcomming parties from the commies probably wouldn't be waiting for me.

[therese]

Are we sure that the correct spelling is squeezle? Because I'd have said skweasel. It looks funny, true, but it conveys the whole "creature of the forest" concept.

[Lynette Hanson]

How much money can/could sang make taking all the Bourdain fans out on Vietnam excursions like this one save the motor scooter? If I was going to Vietnam I'd happily pay him for his services. Because without him my guess is a guy like me would have zero chance of experiencing stuff like he did on the show. Of course the welcomming parties from the commies probably wouldn't be waiting for me.

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Sang was the man with the island resort at the end. The scooter guy was his friend Linh. And wasn't that a scooter ride to remember? I don't know how the two of them managed to balance so well with all of that traffic coming from so many different directions. However, having seen that, I had all the faith in the world that Bourdain would be able to dance later with the chairman--and he did.

Edited August 16, 2005 by Lynette Hanson (log)

[Dryden]

Interestingly, according to this source: http://members.tripod.com/Thryomanes/animals1a.html

the Vietnamese word for porcupine is "con nhím". Maybe the name changes when you eat it, though.

[Soup]

I am a tony fan. I think his cook's tour was outstanding. I also enjoyed the vietnam episode (and I think it was the best one so far). But the thing that was really missing for me was the focus on the food.

Before all of you jump, I don't mean we didn't see enough of tony eating but I wish we had seen a little bit more about the specifics of what he was eating. I think he did a good job of it in the Bun Cha segment. He talked about the noodles, grilled meats and the various condiments.

But for the final segment on the island, I wish he spent a bit more time on the dishes that were served.

Soup

[SiseFromm]

Although "No Reservations" deals with food (it is Tony Bourdain after all), let's not forget it airs on Travel Channel. It is, at its heart, a show about travel. The food serves to tie the stories together, but this isn't exactly "A Cook's Tour". That show had a different vibe. I don't think, for example, Tony would have been folk dancing on Cook's Tour. This is probably why he didn’t get into the small details about the dinner feast he was served in the “secret volcano lair”. That segment was more about the amazingly weird experience of being a pampered Westerner in a completely unexpected and foreign place.

[SG-]

Finally an episode about Malaysia, you completely snubbed M'sia in the Cook Tour!!!!

How could you favor Singapore over Malaysia??????? Redemption finally!!!!

Looking forward to it, the previews look like adventures in East Malaysia.

[baophac]

I have been a fan of Mr Bourdain after reading Kitchen Confidential. I liked him even more after watching A Cook's Tour (ACT). I am now reading the ACT book. This Travel Channel show is nothing like what I have seen from Mr Bourdain in the past and that's both a good and a bad thing.

The bad thing is that it's not ACT and so there is a LOT LESS information given out about the food. This is why I found the Paris and Iceland shows somewhat insulting at first. It was insulting because I was expecting a lot more of Mr Bourdain and I was getting 1/10 of it. All the scripted scenes and the catacombs skit was uninteresting and somewhat annoying. I really wanted to know more about Iceland as it is completly unknown to me but the entire episode made me not want to visit the country at all!

The whole spa treatment in Iceland could have been given to us in a 30 second footnote. This last example may have revealed that Mr Bourdain is not really an exciting travel guide; if he's not talking about food, he doesn't show the excitement and it translates into boring/bad TV. Overall I think it is the 'vision' of the Travel Channel that makes this show not an overwhelming success.

The New Jersey episode on the other hand is a lot more like ACT. There was a good amount of information given out and it makes me want to visit New Jersey next time I go see my brother in Manhattan.

The good thing about this new concept/show is that we get to see how Mr Bourdain behaves on camera in a different setting. He's not always talking about food and he's not in a kitchen all the time. Whether you like it or hate it, it's something that we would never see on Food TV because they are too food focused. I do thank the Travel Channel for carrying this show because it gives us viewers a chance to discover new things about Mr Bourdain.

I find myself watching ACT shows over and over because it's like reading a reference document: you can't remember all the dishes that are shown in one episode. For No Reservations, I would never want to watch the first 2 episodes again. Personally I would not wish to see Mr Bourdain 'branch out' like this again.

Would this show be better if it was in a 30 minute format? Can Mr Bourdain carry a 1 hour show by himself?

Edited August 19, 2005 by baophac (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

I think that continually expecting this show to be A Cook's Tour can only lead to disappointment. It's really a whole new thing. Put a fork in A Cook's Tour. It's over.

If I'd never heard of Bourdain before and stumbled upon this show, I'd be quite pleased. And, in the end, I think that the real target audience here isn't necessarily those who already count themselves as Bourdain fans. Sure, we food-lovers are going to give it a whirl but there are much larger segments of audience who (are going to) love this show. In its context as a "travel" show, it's original and fairly compelling.

=R=