MovieChat Forums > Anthony Bourdain Discussion > The cult of Bourdain

The cult of Bourdain

posted 3 years ago by kuatorises (7467)
17 replies | jump to latest

I've been seeing his name a lot on the news and social media lately. I'm guessing it's the anniversary of his death?

This guy was a cocksucker. He looked down on others and didn't hide it. His elitist attitude oozed out of his pores, but that's not it. He didn't just think he was better than others, he actively insulted people in his industry because they weren't up to his elitist standards:

According to Mediaite, he said of Rachel Ray, "The sooner she stops cooking, the happier we'll both be."

As per CheatSheet, it all began in 2008. Bourdain remarked that Fieri looked like he was a Simpsons character ("Guy Fieri kind of looks like he's been designed by committee"). In 2011 Bourdain threw more fuel on the fire when he said, "I look at Guy Fieri and I just think ... 'I'm glad that's not me.'

https://www.mashed.com/268207/celebrity-chefs-who-are-actually-terrible-cooks/?utm_campaign=clip

This piece of shit did HARD drugs and trashed Paula Deen for cooking fatty foods:

'When asked whether he feels Deen’s plan to endorse the diabetes medication while dishing out dangerously high-fat foods is hypocritical, Bourdain quips, “When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 Diabetes... It's in bad taste if nothing else.”

https://www.shespeaks.com/Is-Paula-Deen-a-Hypocrite-What-Does-Anthony-Bourdain-Have-to-Say

He admits to treating women poorly and might have paid off Asia Argento's accuser:

"I’ve been hearing a lot of really bad shit, frankly, and in many cases it’s like, wow, I’ve known some of these women and I’ve known women who’ve had stories like this for years and they’ve said nothing to me. What is wrong with me? What have I, how have I presented myself in such a way as to not give confidence, or why was I not the sort of person people would see as a natural ally here? So I started looking at that."

https://www.thecut.com/2017/10/anthony-bourdain-reflects-on-how-he-treated-women.html

"In her statement, Argento not only denies the Times’s reporting, but also claims that her late boyfriend, TV host and chef Anthony Bourdain, paid the settlement on her behalf, solely as a means to quiet the situation and help Bennett out financially—not because the assault allegations were true."

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/asia-argento-denies-allegations-anthony-bourdain-settlement

His fans call him "Tony" as if they knew him. They talk about losing a friend when discussing him. "You are missed, Tony." "You will never understand how much you touched me, Tony." Fycking delusional shit. I never understood the appeal of this arrogant mother fucker. He traveled and ate high-end food? So the fuck what?

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

Bourdain said he regretted saying bad things about celebrity chefs like Emeril in his later years.

But one of the things that made him a great travel TV host was the fact that he could be a total bitch, because travel isn't all fun and games, there are airport lines and language barriers and people serving you charred warthog rectums for dinner. Most travel hosts ignore or sugar-coat that stuff, but Bourdain went off on hilarious bitchy rants! He didn't pretend to be a totally nice person, he was aware of his flaws and pretty open about them (more in his writing than on TV), but that didn't stop him being a terrific travel TV personality.

The thing is, people who watch travel TV generally want to be traveling themselves but aren't, and a good TV travel show host is someone the viewers wish they were traveling with. And the Bourdain of the TV show was definitely someone I'd like to have been traveling with, and whose re-runs I've been watching through quarantine and the broken leg. Of course I'd love to travel with someone like TV-Bourdain, someone who went everywhere and who could get me into the best restaurants and pay for everything on the TV network's dime! And when things got crappy, as things always get at least once a trip, he'd be hilariously bitchy instead of whining. So if he's not your cup of tea he's not, but he appeals to some of us.

[–] bellington83 (3270) 3 years ago

I agree with everything you said. You can have Guy Fieri or Adam Richman and the likes who come off as these goofy and good humoured crowd pleasers (who I love btw) but man, I would have given my left nut to go travelling with Bourdain.

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

I'd certainly be willing to give up a few of my less important body parts to go traveling with the guy I saw on TV!

Who wasn't the real person, I'm sure the real person was a bit more difficult to deal with. For instance I heard that he drank a lot while traveling and filming, which would be kind of a deal breaker for me in real life as I cherish my 15 years of sobriety. But I can still watch reruns of his shows, and maybe spend a little while feeling like I'm traveling with an attractive guy with a sense of humor, who gets me into the best restaurants in every town for free.

[–] bellington83 (3270) 3 years ago

Part of that charm was the hedonistic lifestyle he led. I'm Irish, so I am ok with alcohol, 😄 and everything that comes with it.
I know for a fact if it wasn't for his shows, I'd be stuck behind a desk somewhere inputting bs into a computer for minimum wage (not that there's anything wrong with that) and not travelling the world.
I owe a lot to this pricks existence

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

May I ask what you do that involves travel, and whether you've still been able to do it through the goddamn pandemic? If you don't want to say I understand, I never put anything personal on this forum with all the crazies around, but I am curious about fields that involve travel.

Me, I've been stuck at home since March 2020, first working like crazy and then I broke my leg. That gave me some quality time with the TV, which included a bit of yeah, Bourdain.

[–] bellington83 (3270) 3 years ago

After I left school, I went travelling for 6 months around Central and South America. I then went and worked for various hotel groups that had investments in hotels in mainland Europe, Africa and Asia. I did that for 12 years. I now run a little restaurant in my hometown but every 2 years myself and a group of friends take 6/8 weeks off and go away somewhere.

The last place we were was New York, January last year, just before the shit hit the fan. We were very lucky, also one of the best holidays I've ever had. Tromso, Norway is next on the list.

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

Ah well, almost all of my nearest and dearest are involved in some sort of healthcare, a field that didn't involve a lot of travel or generous vacations... even before 2020 hit the fan.

Still, if I shoot myself in the foot at exactly the right time, I'll be able to force my way onto your Tromso trip, and still have enough speed that you won't be able to get away from me by running! Because Tromso is SO on my bucket list, and I've never been close to Scandinavia than Amsterdam...

[–] kuatorises (7467) 3 years ago

"The thing is, people who watch travel TV generally want to be traveling themselves but aren't, and a good TV travel show host is someone the viewers wish they were traveling with."

Yes, I am well-aware his fans ignore how he treated people - which includes sexual harassmnt and paying off his girlfriend's accuser - because he showed you fancy things.

"So if he's not your cup of tea he's not"

Some advice Bourdain should have taken himself instead of attacking people for not being up to his snobby standards.

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

Oh fuck off. I'm not going to ask you to like him, and in turn, it'd be nice if you stopped trying to get his fans to dislike him.

Because that is a total waste of your time and effort, largely because you're coming across as a self-righteous asshole. You're making flawed by likable people like Bourdain look good, by comparison.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 3 years ago

"Oh fuck off."

Take your own advice, you piece of shit. You excuse a terrible guy because he showed you fancy things. You're more bothered by me saying he was a bad guy than you are by how he treated people because - by your own words - he took your shallow pathetic ass places you'll never go.

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

I haven't made any excuses for him, I just said I like watching his shows in spite of his flaws.

See, he was a very flawed person who had some extremely likeable qualities, while you are a flawed person who is completely and utterly unlikable. Fuck off.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 3 years ago

You are more mad about me saying he was a bad guy than you are about the fact he treated people like shit. That's why you are so mad, because I am right.

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

I'm not mad at you, I'm just contemptuous!

[–] Jinx (3166) 3 years ago

So you’re advice for Bourdain is to be more like everyone else? People are unique, that’s what I like about ‘em.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 3 years ago

Actually, my advice for him would have been to stop treating people like shit.

[–] CraigC (7398) 2 years ago

The guy was a miserable douchebag and obviously very unhappy. He had the perfect job and the show was great, in spite of its host. Not because of him. His diehard fans are probably just as miserable as he was. The ones I know are.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

Look at the responses to my post. They're more upset with me than how he treated people. He was garbage who looked down on others when they didn't live up to his elitist standards.