On Sunday, Anthony Bourdain was in Atlanta to talk about his life with a group of avid food fans. While disparaging everyone from vegans to gluten-abstainers, the notoriously foul-mouthed chef set his sights on Guy Fieri and Adam Richman of "Man vs. Food."
Bourdain says that after becoming a father he "made some adjustments" to his rockn' roll lifestyle, but others-well, not so much. "I sort of feel in a heartfelt way for Guy [Fieri]. I wonder about him. He's 52 years-old and still rolling around in the flame outfit . . . What does he do? How does Guy Fieri de-douche?"
Bourdain reportedly mused. Bourdain admitted that he thinks the onslaught of celebrity chefs has elevated consumers' willingness to try new things. But he added that over-the-top shows, like Travel Channel's popular "Man vs. Food" starring Adam Richman, can be harmful. "Why did we watch that show? Admit it. You wanted him [Richman] to die," Bourdain said. He said that Richman, who has since lost weight and become a part-time vegan, only helps to reinforce negative stereotypes about Americans -especially in Middle Eastern countries like Iran, Libya and Afghanistan where reruns of the show are still popular.
Bourdain has said he was raised without religion, and that his ancestors were Catholic on his father's side and Jewish on his mother's side. His paternal grandparents were French: his paternal grandfather emigrated from Arcachon to New York following World War I, and his father grew up speaking French and spent many summers in France. Bourdain also traces his roots, in various parts, to Europe more broadly (Austria, Spain and Gibraltar, and Ukraine), and to South America (Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay).
In September 2011 Bourdain would have his own publishing line, which would include acquiring three to five titles per year that "reflect his remarkably eclectic tastes." The first books that the imprint published, released in 2013, include L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food by Roy Choi, Tien Nguyen, and Natasha Phan, Prophets of Smoked Meat by Daniel Vaughn, and Fight Shark by Mark Miller.
In describing the line, Bourdain said, "This will be a line of books for people with strong voices who are good at something - who speak with authority. Discern nothing from this initial list - other than a general affection for people who cook food and like food. The ability to kick people in the head is just as compelling to us - as long as that's coupled with an ability to vividly describe the experience. We are just as intent on crossing genres as we are enthusiastic about our first three authors. It only gets weirder from here."
