Anthony Bourdain

I'm close to his age and also remember kitchen life circa 1970s. The book "Kitchen Confidential" comes as close to describing that free-wheeling era, both in and outside the kitchen. He told my story better than I could have.
Bourdain was gifted for relating to everyman - be it busboy, bartender, baker. And every nationality too.

 

Hard to believe.

 

R.I.P. Tony

 

I will be going against the grain here I am sure, but I don't put much sympathy or stock into people who do this. To me it is cowardly, and disrespectful. Everyone is going to die, why rush it? If you feel you need to end it quick, why not go to some war-torn country and fight the warlords? Worst case is you get to die, on the better end you make the world better.

I will also admit I don't know the demons people fight, I am sure these people aren't in their normal state of mind to do what they do, which is so very sad

 

I didn't really enjoy reading Kitchen Confidential but I watched his ahows faithfully. He had a pretty significant impact on how a lot of people travel, including me. We used to think that going to a developing country and eating street food or even in small restaurants could make you sick or worse, but he correctly pointed out that none of those places could survive if their customers wouldn't return every day. This opened up the possibility of traveling really well without spending a fortune, and eating All kinds of delicious things that are readily available on street corners and public markets in just about any city on earth. He was a big part of how we like to travel, staying at Airbnb homes outside the tourist areas and eating in interesting restaurants and shopping in markets and even extending beyond Tony and looking for ideas on travel blogs and Yelp and messaging boards like this one. And importantly, getting to explore a place in our own way instead of settling for some shrink wrapped version packaged by a tour operator who leashes you to a guide and herds you around to places they think are important by executive motorcoach at a huge markup, all the while shielding you from any interaction with a local citizen, or, God forbid, having to attempt a few words like learning how to say good morning in a foreign language. Also, not everyone has their own TV show on CNN but anyone with a computer and a little extra time can document their own experience in a blog or a trip report or YouTube vlog, which I used to think was just a way to brag but I now realize it's a great way to share travel ideas that I have learned so much from, and when you write about something, it helps to focus on and observe details for yourself as well, thereby enhancing one's own experience. Ready to go right now. I'll have a cold one for you, Tony.

 

Passed his restaurant many times
No I never had time to go in......and he wouldn't be there anyway.
Read the "Kitchen...." book when it came out and
watched all of his shows.
I was a dishwasher for numerous years
He had a line ( as a guest judge ) on Top Chef .......
The teams had to act as a restaurant....in a short period of time....
He asked one team standing before him at judges Table......
"What kind of Crack House are you running, here ?"
.......one of the best lines ever !.......
.
I have questions about his method of suicide.
I wonder how much of the full story will be revealed ?
Will powerful friends block the details ?.......and he made powerful friends.
Lord knows.....TMZ will be digging around for dirt.......not necessarily the truth.

 

I loved all the gritty details revealed in "Kitchen Confidential" and enjoyed the sequel "Medium Raw". He narrates the audio versions . Loved all his shows too. I haven't seen ALL of them, but will eventually. He always seemed so comfortable in his own skin and then this happens. In a book called "My Last Supper" the author interviews celebrity cooks with what is apparently an oft-discussed subject and Bourdain's selection was Roasted bone marrow with parsley and caper salad and some toasted baguette with some good sea salt. Sounds like he could get that exact meal where his journey ended. Hope so.

 

We see so much loss, so many tragic passings on the news...but the news on Anthony's passing really, REALLY hit me.

He overcame so, so much, and he was such a vibrant, unique person, a person who seemed to always make those whom he met feel special.

Like all of us, I of course didn't know him, but I find it incredibly tragic that he clawed his way out of some really serious challenges when younger, but he still couldn't completely escape despair...the loss hit me extremely hard.

I've had a very successful employee make this decision as well...and we never saw it coming.

Not to be too touchy-feely, but this is an eye-opener, that even the people who seem happy on the surface....might be struggling more than any of us know.

If your instincts are going off that someone feels "dark," check on them.

For Anthony, he had many who adored him. But for most people, who might not have as many touch-points/ such a big network, they might NOT feel like anyone cares. In that case, sometimes one person who cares enough to ask "is everything ok," can be a liferaft...even if temporary. If your instincts go off...reach OUT, even if its a simple "are you ok"....or a "I really like xyz about you, I value you".

And we have so, so many people on VMB....if anyone is out there, struggling with the same despair....PLEASE reach out to someone. If they shut you down, reach out to someone else. People in despair often don't realize how many people DO care, until it's too late. If you want confidentially, I know you might scoff at a suicide prevention line, but it's anonymous, and you can truly talk freely:
1-800-273-8255. If you're thinking about it, what does it hurt to try to see if someone can listen?

I am deeply shaken by his loss, and by the pain he was going through that none of us knew the depths of. This is a tragic loss, and my heart goes out to all of those who love him.

Sorry for the rant, this just really, really hit me.

 

We really enjoyed his show. It hit us hard in this household. My husband actually woke me up to tell me when he saw the news.

 

He had the greatest range of interest imaginable within a single subject.Tony was a champion of real food made by ordinary people, as well as the almost absurdly expensive and exotic. If there's a heaven, they'll have to start slow cooking pig meat and resting the beef ten minutes before serving.