Tony Bourdain gets out

July 28, 2006 12:33 PM

Anthony Bourdain, chef, writer, and TV traveler, writes about his experience in Beirut and his escape to the USS Nashville. Via. Previously.
posted by lackutrol (32 comments total)

This is an absolutely terrific article.
posted by brain_drain at 12:37 PM on July 28, 2006

This is really good.
posted by chunking express at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2006

A Lebanon I never got to know, a Beirut I didn't get to show the world disappears slowly over the horizon -- a beautiful dream turned nightmare.

That about sums it all up for me.
posted by blucevalo at 12:47 PM on July 28, 2006

That's a good read.
posted by ericb at 12:56 PM on July 28, 2006

Yesterday, he had one of those WaPo online interviews. It is also very interesting. I'm extremely excited to watch the upcoming episode of No Reservations that deals with this situation.
posted by kdar at 1:01 PM on July 28, 2006

Excellent piece. Tony has a great knack for painting a picture in his words. It'll be interesting if anything they shot will make it to air.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:01 PM on July 28, 2006

Really nicely done. And no politics in it. None. Brilliant.
posted by turducken at 1:03 PM on July 28, 2006

Excellent article! I wish we had war themed bars with bulletholes in the walls here.
posted by cellphone at 1:03 PM on July 28, 2006

The news clip of President Bush, chawing open-mouthed on a buttered roll, then grabbing at another while Tony Blair tries to get him to focus on Lebanon -- plays over and over on the TV, crushing our spirits and dampening all hope with every glassy-eyed mouthful. He seems intent on enjoying his food; Lebanon a tiny, annoying blip on an otherwise blank screen. I can't tell you how depressing that innocuous bit of footage is to watch. That one, innocent, momentary preoccupation with a roll has a devastating effect on us that is out of all proportion. We're looking for signs. And this, sadly, is all we have.
posted by cell divide at 1:37 PM on July 28, 2006

This is excellent.
posted by headspace at 1:40 PM on July 28, 2006

Wow - Anthony Bourdain is like Hemingway with a chef's jacket. Great post.
posted by deadmessenger at 1:52 PM on July 28, 2006

Anybody know if there's a way to read this without paying for Salon and without using the site pass? Our filters block out the logo that you have to click to get the site pass. "Day Pass help" is filtered, too.
posted by peep at 2:14 PM on July 28, 2006

peep: here.
posted by Zero Gravitas at 2:22 PM on July 28, 2006

Bourdain's cool, when he drops the HAY I USED TO BE A JUNKIE NOW I'M THE BESTEST COOK EVAR & I HAVE LOTS OF TATTOOS ROFFLE shtick he can be terrific

I wish we had war themed bars with bulletholes in the walls here.


I've seen a couple in South Central, L.A.
they had bullet-hole themed grocery stores and liquor stores, too. they looked really realistic, canny marketing
posted by matteo at 2:43 PM on July 28, 2006

Perhaps the best thing Bourdain has ever written. Wonderful article.
posted by AuntLisa at 2:44 PM on July 28, 2006

It'll be interesting if anything they shot will make it to air.

Answered in the site kdar linked to:

"Washington, D.C.: Do you think anything you filmed in Lebanon will make it onto the show?

Anthony Bourdain: We're trying to figure some way to show how beautiful and hopeful Beirut was before the bombing, how terrible a thing it is that happened, what we've lost, the pride and hopefulness and optimism that was smashed. The surprising tenderness and sensitivity of the Marines who evacuated us. We're struggling with a way to tell that story without it being about me or about us. It will not be a regular episode of No Reservations."

Great article on a very sad situation.
posted by Bearman at 2:50 PM on July 28, 2006

I'm a big fan of No Reservations, and Anthony has never been anything more than self-deprecating regarding his own skills as a chef. Well, except the french fries thing-- he did claim that his french fries are some of the best in the world.
posted by JeremyT at 2:58 PM on July 28, 2006

Great article, my best friend lived in Beirut last summer and her experience was just like Tony's first days there. She's working in Baghdad next year and was hoping to have Beirut as a get-away-from-it-all, but that's sadly no longer possible.
posted by wilky at 3:01 PM on July 28, 2006

Thanks for this. My man-crush on Bourdain continues unabated.
posted by Cyrano at 4:06 PM on July 28, 2006

Anybody know if there's a way to read this without paying for Salon and without using the site pass? Our filters block out the logo that you have to click to get the site pass. "Day Pass help" is filtered, too.

http://salon.com/news/cookie756.html
posted by lia at 4:38 PM on July 28, 2006

Bearman: How did you interpret that quote? I first read it as an implication that it would be a "special" episode of No Reservations, done in a different style. On second thought, though, they might not air it on the show at all. That would be a real shame.
posted by kdar at 4:49 PM on July 28, 2006

Just incredibly damn sad.
posted by snsranch at 5:43 PM on July 28, 2006

thanks zero and lia.
posted by peep at 8:49 PM on July 28, 2006

Wow. I've always loved this guy's writing, and he just keeps getting better.
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 9:22 PM on July 28, 2006

Thanks for sharing this.
posted by dejah420 at 9:54 PM on July 28, 2006

Excellent post.
posted by rollbiz at 7:06 AM on July 29, 2006

I think a nod to the sailors and Marines involved seems only meet, as well.

<hand salute>

<two>
posted by baylink at 1:51 PM on July 29, 2006

JeremyT--Les Halles fries are indeed a wonder, probably the best in NY. They famously have one guy whose sole job is fries. By the way, I skimmed "Nasty Bits" today in the bookstore and really liked what I saw.

Anyway, It's nice to have Tony to come back to when you're sick of the shiny happy Food Network folks.
posted by lackutrol at 7:00 PM on July 29, 2006

That was great, thanks.

I've had a giant crush on Bourdain for years now, and this just makes it much worse. Nasty Bits, by the way, is uneven as hell and some of it is way too schtick-y (matteo's right, it gets old after a while), but worth reading for the good bits.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:51 AM on July 30, 2006

Excellent article here.
posted by Artw at 1:23 PM on August 5, 2006

Excellent article here.

*Scratches head*

That's the Salon article and link at the start of this thread.
posted by ericb at 1:42 PM on August 5, 2006

FYI, the TV version of this, "Bourdain in Beirut", is on tonight on the Travel Channel.
posted by smackfu at 3:48 PM on August 21, 2006