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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jun 8, 2018 8:58:07 GMT -5
Dammit.
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Post by pairesta on Jun 8, 2018 9:47:26 GMT -5
It's just awful. I am gutted by this news. I said this at TOC but I don't think there's been anyone who's had a bigger impact on the American food scene in the past two decades than Anthony Bourdain. Just a horrible, horrible loss.
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Post by songstarliner on Jun 8, 2018 9:50:12 GMT -5
Eric Ripert found him.
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Post by Pastafarian on Jun 8, 2018 10:47:42 GMT -5
I feel terrible about this, not sure why, I was always just so fond of him and he made some great food television that was smarter than the usual Food Network type of stuff. I feel terrible for Ripert who seems like a great guy too. Not to mention his daughter, and (I assume she was still with him?), Asia Argento.
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Post by Powerthirteen on Jun 8, 2018 10:54:45 GMT -5
I'm surprised how much waking up to this has affected me. RIP to a man who tried to make the world a better place.
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Jun 8, 2018 10:58:28 GMT -5
My parents greeted me with this news the moment I stumbled out of my bedroom this morning, before I'd even gotten my coffee and sat down.
I'm heartbroken. Not just for myself, and not because he won't be putting out any more shows or books or essays, but for the people who loved him and cared about him. I saw him and Eric Ripert both give a talk at the Hippodrome in Baltimore back in 2009 or 2010, with my best friend - who texted me about five minutes after my parents told me the news. It was one of the most delightful live events I've ever attended, full of energy and humor.
I first picked up Kitchen Confidential about 6 weeks into my first semester at culinary school. Our college library had a copy, and I remember reading it on the balcony of the Barnes and Noble with a cup of coffee, the Inner Harbor breeze ruffling the pages every so often. It profoundly influenced my attitude about cooking, both professionally and at home, in ways I can't even begin to describe. I followed his later work almost religiously, and although I didn't always agree with every single one of his opinions, Bourdain's words taught me so much about how to approach travel, and how to treat people who welcome you into their homes and lives. His effect on me will last until the day I die. And I hope when I meet him in the afterlife, I can tell him that myself.
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Post by songstarliner on Jun 8, 2018 13:39:04 GMT -5
The only person in my life who can begin to understand how much this hurts is my ex-husband. Or maybe my mother. And I don't fucking want to talk to either of them.
Glad you guys are here.
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Crash Test Dumbass
AV Clubber
ffc what now
Posts: 7,058
Gender (additional): mostly snacks
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Jun 8, 2018 15:16:47 GMT -5
I don't even remember when I read Kitchen Confidential for the first time, but I remember it having an effect on my cooking and definitely my perception of restaurants. (It made me not want to work at one, that's for sure -- I still kinda want to go to culinary school, but that's almost more for more letters after my name.) I was lucky enough to meet Tony last year -- he was doing a lottery-based signing at NY Comic Con. (He had recently ventured into writing for comics, too, not just really awesome memoirs.) We never know what demons others carry inside. I feel for his friends and loved ones, and for everyone affected by his death. He seemed like a decent human, and there aren't enough of those in the world.
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Post by songstarliner on Jun 8, 2018 19:09:10 GMT -5
I'm watching the Ripert episodes of Parts Unknown tonight on Netflix - not to wallow in misery, but just to remember, and you know what? They're so full of joy that I forget to be sad.
Season 1, episode 7: Peru Season 6, episode 2: Marseilles Season 8, episode 3: Sichuan
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Post by songstarliner on Jun 9, 2018 19:33:35 GMT -5
That Sichuan episode where he tries to murder Ripert with hot taste is so good. They are perfect together. At one point, over hotpot, Ripert says 'Look at him! He is the Devil!'
Fuck it, I'm watching a lot of Bourdain this weekend. I just watched West Virginia, and next up is Pittsburgh. Oh and I also illegally downloaded the first season of No Reservations, because he would have wanted me to.
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Post by King Charles’s Butterfly on Jun 10, 2018 14:17:24 GMT -5
Turned out Bourdain met a family friend in Indonesia a few weeks or months ago—don’t think it was on film, but Bourdain evidently saw his column in an Indonesian paper, called him up and they met to talk about the history of US-Indonesian relations. Pretty much every complimentary thing I’ve read about Bourdain since his passing has since been independently confirmed by someone I actually know—although I didn’t think this was the case with Bourdain, it’s cool to know for certain that when people refer to him as “genuine” they don’t mean “genuine for a media personality.” (And didn’t find out until yesterday because for him it was “just” a nice, intellectually stimulating lunch with a cool guy—it didn’t even register to him as a celebrity meeting.)
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Post by Pastafarian on Jun 11, 2018 11:23:18 GMT -5
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Jun 15, 2018 21:56:10 GMT -5
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Post by Pastafarian on Jun 16, 2018 7:35:16 GMT -5
And now the conspiracy theories about his death ("He was just about to uncover an elite pedophile ring!") have begun. Fanned in part by Alex Jones.
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Post by songstarliner on Jun 16, 2018 9:50:22 GMT -5
And now the conspiracy theories about his death ("He was just about to uncover an elite pedophile ring!") have begun. Fanned in part by Alex Jones. oh for fuck's sake
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Jun 16, 2018 10:26:29 GMT -5
And now the conspiracy theories about his death ("He was just about to uncover an elite pedophile ring!") have begun. Fanned in part by Alex Jones. Why is it so much easier for some people to wrap their heads around elaborate, far-fetched conspiracy theories than to understand that this was a man who publicly and often talked about his struggles with addiction and mental illness, and they were likely the contributing factor in his death?
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Post by pairesta on Jun 17, 2018 8:19:35 GMT -5
The thing that keeps coming back to me is just what a seismic figure he was. Since I pay a lot of attention to food and food media, his loss is inescapable. The food world is still reeling from it. He was a cook, a great writer, a charismatic TV host, and a passionate advocate for a lot of important causes, so his influence stretched far beyond just one of those things. I can't go anywhere without being reminded of him. I'm doing this French cooking project, and his Les Halles cookbook is a major resource for me, so I can't put him off forever. (In all the hundred plus cookbooks I have, only his recipes begin with great instructions like, "Put on some music."). I was watching old episodes of Hot Ones on YouTube with my son earlier, this week, and there was an extended discussion with guest Eddie Huang about Bourdain and his impact just on how Huang approached his own career.
It's gratifying to see the positive impact he had on people, like Ti'An in New York saying they basically owe their existence to him plugging them on No Reservations, or the hundreds of flowers and cards and messages left at his old Les Halles stomping grounds, but at the same time it's all the more sad that his disease wouldn't let him see the good he was doing and how needed he was.
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Crash Test Dumbass
AV Clubber
ffc what now
Posts: 7,058
Gender (additional): mostly snacks
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Jun 17, 2018 9:57:15 GMT -5
And now the conspiracy theories about his death ("He was just about to uncover an elite pedophile ring!") have begun. Fanned in part by Alex Jones. Why is it so much easier for some people to wrap their heads around elaborate, far-fetched conspiracy theories than to understand that this was a man who publicly and often talked about his struggles with addiction and mental illness, and they were likely the contributing factor in his death? Because if it were just something like depression, it could happen to them too?
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Jun 17, 2018 10:21:11 GMT -5
Why is it so much easier for some people to wrap their heads around elaborate, far-fetched conspiracy theories than to understand that this was a man who publicly and often talked about his struggles with addiction and mental illness, and they were likely the contributing factor in his death? Because if it were just something like depression, it could happen to them too? Sigh. Yeah, probably. I think I'm more upset about his death because of how it happened - if it had been a heart attack, or a car crash, or something, I would still be sad and mourning his loss, but I've been suicidally depressed myself more than once and I can absolutely 100% understand how he got to that point, even though everything outwardly looked normal. Hell, my own dad has been like, "I've never noticed anything wrong with you" and uh yeah, because I've always poured my energy into trying to appear as normal as humanly possible to avoid uncomfortable conversations and judgment.
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Post by Pastafarian on Jun 17, 2018 10:50:58 GMT -5
Just listened to his interview with Marc Maron on WTF back in 2011. All the usual hallmarks Bourdain interview, and quite enjoyable. One moment in particular stuck out a bit and made me pause, they were talking about quitting smoking and Tony mentioned he did so with the help of a pharmaceutical product called Champix. He then mentioned on a side note that was despite it's side effects, including suicidal thoughts. It was just a quick aside, but instantly had me wondering if he'd relapsed into smoking again and was again trying to quit. That would be pretty brutal irony I think.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jun 17, 2018 11:59:06 GMT -5
Just listened to his interview with Marc Maron on WTF back in 2011. All the usual hallmarks Bourdain interview, and quite enjoyable. One moment in particular stuck out a bit and made me pause, they were talking about quitting smoking and Tony mentioned he did so with the help of a pharmaceutical product called Champix. He then mentioned on a side note that was despite it's side effects, including suicidal thoughts. It was just a quick aside, but instantly had me wondering if he'd relapsed into smoking again and was again trying to quit. That would be pretty brutal irony I think. Chantix has some nasty side effects, and I can see how you would wonder. But I don’t know if a doctor would prescribe that again if it hadn’t stuck the first time. We all want there to be a reason beyond depression but there may not be. it truly is such a loss.
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Post by Pastafarian on Jun 17, 2018 12:22:28 GMT -5
Just listened to his interview with Marc Maron on WTF back in 2011. All the usual hallmarks Bourdain interview, and quite enjoyable. One moment in particular stuck out a bit and made me pause, they were talking about quitting smoking and Tony mentioned he did so with the help of a pharmaceutical product called Champix. He then mentioned on a side note that was despite it's side effects, including suicidal thoughts. It was just a quick aside, but instantly had me wondering if he'd relapsed into smoking again and was again trying to quit. That would be pretty brutal irony I think. Chantix has some nasty side effects, and I can see how you would wonder. But I don’t know if a doctor would prescribe that again if it hadn’t stuck the first time. We all want there to be a reason beyond depression but there may not be. it truly is such a loss. I should say he also said he'd used it several times when he'd go back to smoking again, (sound like the "quitting" never quite stuck) so it sounds like he'd either been prescribed more than once or was getting it from various doctors. Of course all just idle speculation and yes sometimes there is no reason, much as we want there to be.
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Post by Lt. Broccoli on Jun 17, 2018 12:39:36 GMT -5
We just watched the CNN tribute to him and now I'm sad again.
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Post by Powerthirteen on Jun 17, 2018 12:52:51 GMT -5
Why is it so much easier for some people to wrap their heads around elaborate, far-fetched conspiracy theories than to understand that this was a man who publicly and often talked about his struggles with addiction and mental illness, and they were likely the contributing factor in his death? Because if it were just something like depression, it could happen to them too? Because if there's a secret to figure out, it gives them the chance to feel smart and powerful, instead of feeling impotent the way they usually do.
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jun 18, 2018 21:12:15 GMT -5
Oh my gosh, we're watching the Sicily Parts Unknown episode right now and the scene where the fisherman tries to fake a fish catch is - although Bourdain spirals into "hysterical depression" during it, an uncomfortable reminder - gutbustingly hilarious.
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Post by Hachiman on Jun 18, 2018 21:43:34 GMT -5
I honestly haven't even been able to process until now. I read Kitchen Confidential maybe 12 years back. It was a light read after I left my graduate program and I was in a really bad state. For me, it was a light read that brought me back to the summer before college where I worked at a greasy spoon in Pioneer Square and I was impressed by how he didn't hide both the high and low points of life in the restaurant industry. I actually read the book after catching him on an episode or two of "No Reservations." At the time, I had no idea who he was or how he landed a tv show where he spent all of his time traveling. I gravitated more toward his writing than his television work.
I found out the news about him on a train to Venice, where I was thinking up until picking up my phone, "I'm living the Bourdain life now!" I'm not going to pretend I was a mega-fan of the guy, but his views on food and traveling informed much of my own approach to life. For me, he was like an Uncle who lived far away and you rarely met, but who gave you really insightful advice on the occasions when you did. I am having a genuinely hard time thinking of a media figure or writer who even comes close to the effect Bourdain had on me.
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Post by songstarliner on Jun 19, 2018 8:15:14 GMT -5
I watched New Mexico last night: what a gorgeous episode.
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Post by songstarliner on Jul 2, 2018 23:24:02 GMT -5
Parts Unknown S5:E6 - New Jersey - is an emotional roller coaster, at turns hilarious, heart-warming, and gut-punching. He really shines when meeting and talking with people who have struggled mightily and are still eager to fight - the admiration in his tone and face can't be faked. The cynicism ran deep in him, clearly, but one of the main themes of his work seems to have been yearning and searching for hope. Ah, my heart. He dined at the most exclusive restaurants in the world - all of them - and yet when he says with gusto that his Jersey diner breakfast of fried eggs and scrapple is delicious, he fucking well meant it. Oh man. Look out for the last line of the show: it's a doozy.
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