The Galley

Anthony Bourdain is one spicy biscuit.  If he had spent last Saturday night just walking back and forth on the PPAC stage in Providence it would have been enough for me.  His tall, lanky frame looks great in just boots, jeans, t-shirt and jacket. But when you add to that his sarcastic humor and witty story-telling, it was as close to perfect as a meal at the French Laundry.  What he lacked in locavore credibility, he more than made up for with international flavor.

He began his hour and a half talk with jabs at the Food Network personalities.  His primary point being that outside of Bobby Flay none of them could be called chefs.  He stayed away from Rachel Ray because “she is low hanging fruit” and I felt that this section was easy pickings to get the crowd warmed up.  It was mostly observations that anyone who is a chef and watches the Food Network would pick up on.  It’s not really about cooking - it’s about entertainment.  This portion of the talk would go right over your head if you were not familiar with this American network & it’s shows which is what happen to my husband.  For those familiar with the Food Network, he mostly picked on Sandra Lee and Guy Fieri.  In an ironic twist, his TV career began on the Food Network as a series to support his book, Cook’s Tour.  He then moved over to the Travel Channel for his popular No Reservations show and in November the parent company of the Food Network purchased the Travel channel - so technically he’s back with his old boss.

Other cooking shows on TV were his next target.  He blasted the premise of Hell’s Kitchen and points out that Gorden Ramsey is a friend of his.  To make his point that TV does things for the ratings including exaggerating Mr. Ramsey’s explosive temper, he told a counterpoint: when Mr. Ramsey left Aubergine to start of his own restaurant, he lacked funding but most of his co-workers left to work with him.  No member of a restaurant staff in their right mind would leave a high profile job to work in a new restaurant for a maniac.  This observation received a round of applause from the restaurant workers in the audience.

Top Chef was next on the list & he had high praise.  The show is very fair & honest thanks to the the ethical Tom Colichio.   The judging takes several hours for each round.  The judges fiercely debate the merits of each dish while being fortified by pints of martinis kept out of sight of cameras.  This is why Padma sometimes slurs “Please pack your knives”.   The judging is based on that challenge’s dishes only - no weight is given to previous dishes, challenges won, background, personality, fan favorites or ratings.  The producers have nothing to do with judging and are often disappointed with the judges decisions.  While some of Anthony’s blunders on the show as a guest judge have made him unpopular at times with fans, he hopes to continue being part of Top Chef.

Anthony’s segue was pointing out that the person who benefited the most by the current popularity of food, chefs & cooking was Anthony Bourdain.  Nothing is safe from his sarcasm.  This was one of many times that he turned his biting observation on himself and it helped his likeability factor.   His next topic was how much the food world has changed in the last fifteen years through stories of his own experience.  How being a chef is now considered a respectable professional career.  Anthony spoke about being very content working in a kitchen in Manhattan and didn’t think he would ever go to Vietnam.  He talked about how when he began writing Kitchen Confidential he had no idea that it would take him this far.

(background note: Anthony graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A.) in 1978.  This is eight years after it moved to currents location in Hyde Park, New York and changed it’s curriculum from vo-tec to professional training similiar to the European model. He is at the right time and right place to be part of current foodie invasion- time in a New York kitchen for credibility and young enough to travel with wisdom and open mind.)

Please return tomorrow for Part II - No Reservations, tips on how to travel, Why McDonalds is evil and the Q&A from the audience.

Soundtrack to post: One of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite bands