I don’t think one can achieve Tony’s level of success without being responsible to a certain extent. It’s sad that a comfortable bank account, endless world travel, young children and fame weren’t enough to live for. Those are some things many people aspire to have and from the outside you would think that one that has those would be ‘happy’.
I hear a lot of people say this But he was a champion of cheap food, common things, and regular people. His show was often about breaking down barriers, exposing preconceived notions, and making genuine connections. I wouldn't call any of that elitist.
I got the alert on my phone early this morning and my jaw dropped. I can't say I was completely surprised, though. If I had a choice of 5 shows and only 5 shows to ever watch from this point on, his show would be among the 5. He introduced me to food of so many cultures and made me want to go to places I'd otherwise not even consider. He also threw in a dose of reality into his episodes instead of making it a "tour" or a "cooking show". I, for sure, will miss new episodes. I still have 4 or 5 to watch on my DVR, and it'll be sad watching them.
Whenever someone with a seemingly great life hangs themself, it does make me wonder. What were his political/economic views?
Crazy. Just got home, turned on the TV and it was on cnn doing a rememberance of Tony; the first thing I see is the episode of him and Obama in Vietnam and first thing I hear him ask Obama, "As a father of a young girl, is everything gonna be okay?" I mean, whoah. This little girl is now gonna grow up without a father even if this world is gonna be okay or even if it isn't.
I'm guessing that countless people will remember Tony fondly, with a sarcastic quip one minute, and then a mesmerizing anecdote or an existentialist musing or two the next. This one hurts. Feels like he had a lot left to give. Maybe he didn't. I'm grateful for what he did with his life.
I work directly with restauranteurs in my profession, and heard 4 operators mention his death on Friday. Very well respected in the community and will be missed. RIP.
His show was for the superior intellect and open minded person In this world of the Kardashian’s and garbage reality shows His show was far superior Elite it was
Happiness is a momentary feeling. If you were happy most of the day, you would need a psychologist. What everyone is seeking is fulfillment and he did not have it and a realistic representation of his lack of fulfillment would not be great TV content for people trying to ignore their own lack of fulfillment - nor was he interested in sharing it, as much as he tried.
When he visited New Mexico, he actually liked it despite it looking like crap. He even gave props to it being Texan rather than being a New Mexico dish :
There is a difference between being elite and being elitist. He was always the former, but never the latter. I think too many people can't tell the difference. it tends to make people defiant and truculant in their embrace of the lowest common denominator. If someone makes you feel uncultured, intent to do so doesn't necessarily follow. I'll admit there were plenty of times I just wasn't in the mood for his relentless thoughtfulness, but that was my issue, not his. even when I didn't want to watch, he was always the person I sort of wish I was - at least the person he was on tv.
RIP Anthony Bourdain, an original character. He will be definitely missed by millions of fans the world over. Still, it was a selfish act, giving he was not done raising his 11-year old daughter.
I found out about Bourdain's death 6:30AM yesterday morning and almost 42 hours later it still hurts. Anthony Bourdain lived a life that I envied, aspired to and emulated. As somone who worked in kitchens, played in bands and does martial arts who has loved travel, cuisine and culture I saw many parallels between his life and mine. I studied his shows on Harbin and Haiti before I went to those places and was pleased, and alarmed in some cases, to go through some of the same experiences that he had. His life seemed so full and vibrant but he still had his demons and ultimately never could get over them. I've been binge watching his shows again tonight and I think I can understand why he still had demons. For as much beauty and joy that he looked at he also looked at ugliness, pain and death. Unlike many travel shows he didn't skirt controversy but put it front and center as much as the food. His show on Haiti didn't hesitate to talk about how trying to help Haiti has often ended up hurting it more. His show in Israel he met with and ate with Palestinians in Gaza and Jewish settlers. It's possible that seeing both pain and beauty and the isolation of travel and fame added to a despondancy.
One other thing that isn't as widely known is that Anthony Bourdain was very dedicated to Brazilian Jujitsu and many in the BJJ community are also expressing sorrow at this loss. Bourdain wrote about why he loves BJJ and this sums up beautifully why many of us do and continually do martial arts. "I do it because it’s hard. Because it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And because it never ends. Every day presents me with a series of problems that I spend the rest of the day thinking about how I might solve — or at least chip away at. Next day same. And the day after that. It’s like being the newest, worst cook in the kitchen all over again, looking up that impossibly steep learning curve to the broiler station. I liked that feeling then. I like it now." A friend of mine who also does Judo and BJJ wrote in a Martial Arts forum, "I always liked to think that BJJ helps fight these internal battles, but it's not a cure." It's too bad that martial arts couldn't fully help Anthony Bourdain..
