Comments on: Rabid Anthony Bourdain fans take DC by storm

By: Bourdainiac

Bourdainiac — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:00:20 +0000

I wish I could meet him in the flesh, but I think I too would make an ass out of myself. Sounds like the behavior of some of the tools in the crowd was grounds for sucker-punching. And you are spot on about Washingtonians; a miserable bunch of twats if there ever was. Glad to know you got some positivity out of the experience.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:10:57 +0000

I found your blog through the WordPress dashboard and am so glad I did. This is hands down one of the best write ups of that event I have ever read. I wasn’t there personally, but a few friends went and said they were embarrassed to consider themselves foodies after the experience. Bourdain, however, is a person I would love to eat a bowl of noodles with in some shack in Vietnam somewhere.

By: Maggie

Maggie — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:28:23 +0000

Thanks for the fun read! I preordered No Reservations and was really disappointed to find it lacking any significant written content. Bourdain blogged recently about feeling guilt for not being in a professional kitchen cooking anymore but he should be guilty over putting out books without any writing!

By: Goddess Findings

Goddess Findings — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:53:44 +0000

WOW. I just found your blog and everytime I find a new blog my comments don’t always start with WOW. A bit of a foodie myself, and new to the area, I”ve learned alot about my new city even in this one post. I’m so happy I’ve found the Kitchen Wench–count me as a regular.

Actually, there is another blog called Kitchen Wench based in Australia as well, and boy is it the bees knees. Do you know it? Anyone who’s food oriented should check it out sometime at http://www.insanitytheory.net. Cheers all! ~ Janice

By: Jon F.

Jon F. — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:19:46 +0000

“I got the sense that from the asker’s tone that we were dealing with a Self-Important Vegetarian who was hoping Bourdain might say something about how India made him see the light in a plate of palak paneer.”

That is fucking brilliant, Alicia. Berkeley is full of such people. I usually find them prowling around the soy product stand at the farmer’s market. Apparently, reconstituted and chemically altered soy counts as a farmer’s product…

Just to chime in though, since some might consider me one of the “snobs” Bourdain so derides, I do agree that the question of “the best meal” is absurd. Too many variables go into it that have nothing to do with the food. I’m pretty sure most of my “best meals” weren’t in restaurants of any kind. One was my Yom Kippur fast breaking meal of 1999, which I think was just pasta with ragu bolognese that my mom made. However, I think it’s a little flimsy of Bourdain to address the poorly-worded but obvious intent of the question. Like him, I agree that all types of dining experiences have their merit, from the French Laundry to the little shack in some third world country, and they can all be fantastic. However, even Bourdain would admit that satiety, the emotional quota of the eating experience, is what’s being discussed there. When it comes to ethereal quality of the best fine dining, it’s more of an intellectual experience (with a good does of emotional). How do I know Bourdain would agree? In his book “The Nasty Bits”, he talks about how Le Bernardin, a three Michelin star restaurant in NYC, is the best restaurant in that city, and how its chef, Eric Ripert, always calls him out for saying that despite claiming that the best food isn’t found in such places. I don’t think Bourdain is a hypocrite, but I don’t think he needs to flat out relegate fine dining when he himself knows its place. You can love all food, and still understand the level of talent and skill needed to be a three-star chef, and the amount of creativity and energy that goes into making it almost artful. But maybe it’s because Bourdain was never really a great chef himself…

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:38:16 +0000

I didn’t make it to any of the Bourdain events last week and kind of wished I had…until now! There isn’t enough booze in the world that would have allowed me to experience the ordeal at Olssen’s without causing physical harm to someone…so thanks for taking one for the team and telling us about it! DC really is a city of overeducated neanderthals.

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:09:10 +0000

The worst part about these pseudo-snobs is that they aren’t even particularly good at being pretentious; if you’re gonna be an irritating know-it-all, at least pick something more obscure than freakin’ El Bulli to shout about. Frankly, from Chubby El Bulli Guy’s unkempt look and cheap hooded jacket, I doubt he’s ever been to the place. I believe one woman invited Bourdain for Thanksgiving dinner, which was simultaneously amusing, ballsy and stupid. Also amusing: Flustered Nerdy Bookstore Employee, shouting for people to “stay close to the fiction section!”

By: Ali

Ali — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:24:29 +0000

I was at the signing as well, and pretty much agree with everything you’ve said. The old ladies sitting behind me were particularly annoying and clueless all at the same time. “Have you watched No Reservations at all?” “I think once.” “What’s A Cook’s Tour?” “What’s The Nasty Bits?” And then making all those “I’ve eaten there”, etc. remarks you mentioned. Same with the guy next to me who asked some terribly long winded question I do not remember mostly cause I was trying to get him to stop invading my personal space with his fat arms and smelly leather jacket.

And also, I think I know who Bitchface is as I believe I was sitting nearby. I was sitting on the aisle near that area and yeah, I wanted to slap her too.