Medium raw. Anthony Bourdain in conversation

Well hello, I don't think I need to add any welcome to Anthony after that, that's fantastic, thank you and welcome to the V 2011 Sydney Writers Festival. My name is Jill, are you playing and I'd like to welcome you to Medium Raw? He's chatting with Anthony, actually, it's going to be a little complicated, so I think we'll probably get to a fairly crude situation pretty quickly, and I hope it's all done right. I would also like to thank our event sponsor, Middleton Law Firm, for their support of the festival and in particular this session, and I would like their main defamation officers to be on red alert if that is okay in the corners and Please wish me luck, because mr.

Boudin tweeted on Thursday that the last moderator was something like a colonoscopy in slow motion a bit of housework cell phones and pagers off please we don't care who needs you yes there will be a quality check at the end of the session there won't be no No there will be tastings and Tony will sign his book after the session, which is why we are here after all the book, books, writing and reading. I was looking for a very quick introduction to Anthony for you and found the most ideal one. exists online at Urban Dictionary and I quote Anthony Bourdain noun adjective empty Bodeen is an author, chef, and television host.

This is ironic because he is also Satan. He is one of the baddest on Grace Television. His books are consciously well written and can be quite funny. He Lazar's restaurant serves incredible French cuisine and is located in New York, ladies and gentlemen, Anthony Bourdain. I'm not sure who will have so much fun here. I think it will be me. Okay, so you wrote your first book Kitchen Confidential in 2000 and it hit the New York Times bestseller list and you followed it up with a Cook's Tour of nasty bits of TV crime fiction and now this latest book,

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raw, It is in effect a sequel to Kitchen Confidential, ten years in part exposes a life-long memoir since you left the kitchen, how have you changed in the last 10 years?

Oh, when I wrote Kitchen Confidential I was a completely broke and stressed 44-year-old working like he had always worked all his life in a business that wasn't particularly good or famous. in a restaurant kitchen and, you know, standing next to a deep fryer. Did you know I never had health insurance. I never had a car. I would never pay my rent on time. I must I haven't filed my taxes in ten years. I was a scared, angry and desperate character who saw almost nothing of the world outside the kitchens, you know, it was ten years later, eleven years later, I had it, almost ten years in the best job in the world, traveling, I go where I want, I stayed a lot. of good hotels.

I have eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world. I am friends with many top chess players. I have seen ups and downs. I have lived an incredible life almost overnight since I returned. So my life changed so drastically and maybe you know I'm older, I don't know if I'm wiser, but I've seen so much more than I ever thought I would have seen. I have corrupted myself. the process in the sense that I become one of those TV characters that I didn't understand at all when I was in the kitchen and maybe the biggest difference, you know I'm a dad, now you know I'm three... one year old girl at home and you know, all the clichés about fatherhood are, of course, absolutely true, so one of the big changes is, of course, that you were a chef and now you're a celebrity. work for a living, I mean you make it sound good right?

I mean writing. I have no sympathy for anyone lucky enough to get paid to write, complaining about writer's block or how hard it is or some kind of internal torture. do it in a sitting position, so immediately, you know, I spent my entire adult life standing. I feel very, very lucky that someone cares about what I think is not something I'm used to and the privilege is a privilege to be. able to write and make even eight people care about what you say hmm, there's a great line in the middle rule where you said that being a heroin addict was fantastic preparation for being a celebrity.

Yes, did he please explain it well to you, especially in the world of television? It's also true, I think in any

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there are a lot of people who are full of um, you know, people will tell you, especially in Hollywood, you know, they tell me, you know we love your work, you know we really want to work with them. you were terribly excited about this new project, all those things that you know, when you're a drug addict, you need to know very quickly, because you're desperate, you only have ten dollars and you need to get yourself together and you're buying it on the street for some pretty tough characters who are also surrounded by scammers with a real imperative to scam you simply develop a sort of sixth sense you become a good judge of character o this person is trustworthy o They are full of questions about whether he is the kind of person who is going to do what says what he's going to do and you develop this almost wild sense that I think also applies to chefs.

You look into someone's eyes and ask yourself: So you know you believe that there are only two types of people in this world: They are the type of people who say they are going to do something tomorrow and actually do it and then there is everyone else and, Having been a heroin addict, you have to develop some skills in terms of judging what kind of person you might be dealing with or you'll end up dead or well, no, no, you won't be reading about this for long, do you think? That's why you were drawn to the cooking or restaurant industry in the first place to get some kind of structure.

I think I fell into business accidentally, but it was certainly the only time in my life that I responded well to any kind of structure. I was grateful for it. It was the first time I came home with any reason to be proud of myself. It was the first time I cared about other people's opinions of me, it was the first time I respected myself or anyone else, it was definitely a perfect mix of romance and you know, pirate attitudes and rock and roll sex or drugs. roll, that's true, but you're absolutely right, he was that structure was the first hierarchy and structure and quantifiable, you know, organization and value system that that that I thought I recognized that I needed it and I was grateful for it and I I liked it obviously I fell in love with life long before I started taking food seriously hmm but it's not anger that's what you've brought to your writing in some way and that's what made the writing so compelling because It was very short, very direct, very short, in a very direct way, very not about your life and your life, it was what you had seen. a lot of hyperbole um you know in the kitchen uh as a chef you are angry with a cook or a waiter they are at the moment the worst most miserable bastard rats in the world but five minutes later I love you I want to put up with your children, you know you are the human being biggest I've ever worked on, they walk the earth, those feelings can coexist or change quite quickly, but they know I'm angry, clearly that fuels me, but I like to think that, like many other authors.

It occurs to me, you know the flip side of that is a sense of spoiled romanticism, a disappointment with the way the world turned out. You know it was supposed to be much more beautiful and romantic and gentle, and you know, I learned that pretty early. It wasn't going to be like that and how you punish people, yeah, well you know it doesn't make it any better just because you know how to insult someone, but it helps. I'm going to ask you another question about all this. The famous chef's mischief because he is such a big part of our world right now.

This week we had a pure white market in town. The other night you described him as an icon, an iconic figure in our food universe, and yet here he was, in Australia, lashing out. continental bouillon cubes and what broke my heart because I fell in love with him when he was so at the beginning of the iconic he was the most attractive young chef I had ever seen and his food was so beautiful and his head was in a very place well, but he's an excellent character, we all are, yes, yes, yes, but I found him a bit depressing.

I mean, you're probably thinking that he's good at doing good business and he's running around the world and doing all that, but do you think? that that's the trajectory of why I should consider chefs cooking is hard, it's very hard, it breaks you down, chefs used to live in their 30s, I was 37, now they're about 57, why do we demand or insist or wait chefs dying behind the stove broken asked flat feet varicose veins at age 57 why do we hold chefs to a higher standard than Keith Richards or Iggy or anyone else who is incredibly great and changed the world?

You know, Marco, we're here, what I would do. compare yourself to Orson Welles Orson Welles made Citizen Kane if he wants to end up making bad wine commercials, good for him I wish he had been paid more money for it, he still made the best damn movie in American history until that point he changed the world for better Marco has done his good works. What I admire about Marco in particular is that he reached the top of the mountain. He got three stars before anyone else in the world has done so. An English. He has never been to France. cooking French food and he didn't want it anymore, he gave her back her stars and said, "No, I've done my own thing.

I want to spend my days in cash and checks and walking through the friendly English countryside shooting animals." You know, God bless him, yeah, who deserves more to sell out anyway? They want to earn a little money in their old age than chefs. Okay, but I mean, I'll say this. I feel much better about Marco Pierre White cashing paychecks now for whatever. he made you Paris Hilton get paid for anything is true, however where do you draw the line? Do you have a personal line in the sand that you won't cross or is there some level of behavior you should follow?

That ship can do this, it can do that, I can whip a bad one, etc., is there a line to go to? Not all? Well, let's make it personal. There's a line for me, uh, you know, Olive Garden or Kentucky Fried Chicken. You know, personally, I would have a really hard time. Standing there saying this food is really delicious when I know it's shit. I mean, I've personally been dying. Personally I know I'm happy to lie. It is not. It is not. It shouldn't be there. It's not an integrity issue for me. a vanity issue is strictly I don't care how much money in the world I'm going to have I've just had a lot I know what it's like to wake up in the morning ashamed of what I did yesterday and I don't like that feeling it's just that I don't want to look in the mirror and see, you know, you know the guy from Olive Garden to TGI Friday.

I just like the vanity of him, he has nothing to do with integrity, okay, my line for that. And? If they cross paths, I lose sight of them at the point of no return. Continuing Dancing with the Stars. Oh well, I was offered the outfit twice. Twice. They won me. It's probably a vanity problem. Yeah, I mean, no. I'm going to Celebrity Rehab still, but you know, talk to me in ten years, you know, I mean, I'm doing well now, yeah, it's true and I'll be fine as a ship, what's your idea of ​​the client from hell, the client how The worst customer in the world is the customer who has decided in advance that he is already miserable the moment he walks in the door and has decided that he will feel better if he bullies, talks down to, or mistreats the floor staff.

This is an unforgivable act. To me, I mean you, if we go out to lunch together and you are rude to your waiter and treat him like it's a small talk or blame him for kitchen mistakes, we will never do it, our relationship is dead and will always be dead. . that kind of person you already know who works on personal problems that are not there and should: relax, get a little drunk and let things happen to eat there, is just a miserable person who probably brings the same misery to ruin every experience, Whether it is a musical performance or food, a dinner or the sexual act, what?

Do you have an idea of ​​a change for him? The chef from hell is the chef who chooses who is broken and just doesn't care. You know they have no pride. They're unhappy, no, they don't like their customers, they don't like their owner, they don't care if their customers are already happy, they, I, I've been there, you know, just, you know, all the pride is gone. You know that a heartbroken chef is the chef from hell because almost everyone starts out wanting to make good food for many years, you were punished for it, you know, if you dare to try to serve the food as you knew it was. great and that you had tried it in France or the way you know your training and they taught you that the client slapped you no, there's still blood in this stinky tuna that's for cats, you know, you know, squid, it's... okay, uh the fish is fatty and dark, you know, these were the most common attitudes in the '70s and '80s, so it's a, you know, I think that's been a good side effect of this, you know, the freakWhat's certainly annoying about famous chefs is that people actually care what the chef thinks now and are willing to give them a chance, but whoever is out there working just wasting doesn't really care, that's the chef from hell mmm and is this something like a novelist or a writer of his to you I don't know I don't really know many writers I don't hang out with writers I don't mean, you know, ask yourself if you were a lifeboat adrift at sea about to be stranded on an island.

Would you rather be marooned on an island with a group of nutcases or a group of writers? Know? I enjoy a good book as much or more than anyone, but what writers I have mixed emotions well, well related to that, I suppose you have been restaurant critics, you have said some important things about restaurant critics in your time, well, in general, it's a degraded profession, no, I mean, I've know a lot of inclinations, you know, you said when addressing his venal sins versus or well, since we got into a little trouble for calling restaurant critics corrupt and I actually said, I don't know, I've never met a restaurant critic who is. venal II financially corrupt, but I have met some who are what I would call socially corrupt, so they have relationships with restaurant chefs, so there is a difference, first of all, there are a lot of food writers.

I know that the New York Times critic year after year they take extraordinary measures to isolate themselves from the swamp, certainly Jonathan Gould is a hero of mine, you know a lot of people who I think there are a lot of people who I would exclude from that description, but there are those who I mean, I also know food critics who demand free vacations because they said, "I'd like a free vacation to the Caribbean for my wife and me." really like a five day old Vicki. You understand that you are working with a hotel in the Caribbean.

You know my wife and I would really enjoy a week there, all expenses paid with bungalow and free room service. Know? Could you fix that? about someone in particular mmm that's the kind of ethical speech you have, but your defamation laws here I think is defamation tourism, right? You know you could sue if you get a bad review, so I'm going to leave that alone, there are people who back in the day and some of these characters are still around, we can remember that Shake and the restaurateur are out of cash and then, but much more common are people who become corrupted by what is inevitably a corrupting process if I were if I were not It is impossible for me to be a food critic.

Well, all my friends are chefs. I am. My personal relationships with these chefs have been compromised throughout the year. My palate has been corrupted because, unlike most of you, I have eaten it. a bully I've eaten a lot at Robin Shaw. I have a 12-course tasting menu for myself. One of the best restaurants in the world. It is often a burden. I'm bored of truffles. What kind of critical skill can I have? What can I say that is meaningful to the average person when I have lost a sense of my ability to delight in things that for most others would be an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience, but the most common form? of corruption is, of course, how journalists will get a White House Correspondents, you know, the pressure is on food writers, you know, I don't want to write about, you know, my favorite lemon meringue pie every week, I don't want to write muffin recipes I want to go to restaurants and live a good life and write interesting things to be able to do that I need access I need the people in that life to tell me things now these people have their own interests which is what I want food critics Write good things about me, so I'll send you some extra snacks.

I'll take you on a little private tour of my kitchen. They will have special small meals by candlelight while I preview my new menu. You know, maybe it could be a back massage. You know, invite you to my house. You know at the end of the day you'll be less likely to say something bad about me. You know there is a popular food guide in New York. industry standard, every high-end restaurant in New York buys them by the tens, by the thousands, five six thousand copies of this guide and if they don't buy five or six this year, they get a call telling them that they are being left behind like many well, no.

I was, you know, you know, you were, you weren't so nice to me this year, it's okay, we'll fix it, that's not okay, you know, so, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, a, it's, a, when, when , magazines means access and the only access they are going to get and everything, basically, they are very especially when they don't get paid, they eat a lot in these restaurants, they don't have that much budget and they tell the times to go. They go to fine dining restaurants and rely on their subjects to give them good things, be it money, free food or extra courses, but most of the time just access and if they don't get it, some of them tend to get upset. humor and then there's revenge involved, so I don't think it's necessarily the most evil thing in the world, but I think it's useful if you're writing about food, certainly, if you're partying, you know, maybe there should be term limits today, limits What do they mean after five years? you should gracefully move on to another sector because you've been swimming in the same kind of hot tub at blood temperature for a long time something's got it something you're going to get caught I guess the restaurant critic is in a position between the restaurant industry , the chef, the kitchen and us, the diners, and he is just trying to explain to each other in many ways and that is also his unique position because, as a chef, he knows what is going on outside. there and yet as a writer you are in front many times observing quite rigorously what happens a half raw story my favorite which is simply a morning in the life of a fish filter in a restaurant in New York called Bernadin the fish arrives in the morning this guy has his knives it fell off it's a fish he puts it the way the chef wants it ready for lunch that's it that's the whole story but actually a chef wrote to us with all the knowledge of what had to happen, it could still be boring if it had been written by a writer, a journalist and a rigorous observer, it could still be boring, but someone who, yes, confused those two things with respect, a lot of respect when leaving the pages about this guy . because he's so good at what I was in fish town, this guy cleans his four hours every day off the bone and turns them into perfect three Michelin star portions. 3 trains are needed for the sous-chefs throughout the day. 7 hours.

Three of them work together to fill in for this guy when he goes on vacation, but this is a perfect example. I could never have written that I would never have had access to this guy. I would never have known about him if he hadn't been best friends with Eric Repair and been In this strange compromise, what allowed me to write was the fact that I should never be trusted to be a restaurant critic. You know what I am. You know I live in the middle of the world. You know, yeah, yeah, come in. heaven and hell there is chaos wife is good I like my job I like urban dictionary because they kept saying on their TV shows that they are known for eating too much and still being tall and thin smoking excessively so this was written a few years ago . and getting drunk almost everywhere he goes, he can also be extremely obnoxious and arrogant when he does any of these three things, but you, you're not, I mean, I can't, he's been so polite, we're all so disappointed, um, I can be. can be really nasty, you mean, you're not exactly biting the heads off plates or throwing the waitress over the hot grill, you know, that was last week, you know, I mean, I'm older now, you know, I'm, you know, it's me.

First of all, I'm a father of a girl, that means a lot to me, you know, I'm not going to apologize for my previous life, that's what dad was, that's what dad did, but I'm very, I don't. I don't want it to be weeded, you know very well that I behaved badly with women on the Internet, for example, I won't do that. Yeah, you know, I was referred to as Kitchen Confidential came out as a bad boy chef. He was 44 when that book came out, so it was already ridiculous. I never really took it that seriously. um and I'm certainly not that bad.

I'm certainly not a kid anymore and I'm not even a chef, but but. One of the reasons I wrote this book is to correct that impression or um, but I think I benefited a lot from the fact that Kitchen Confidential was so over-testosterone and so unpleasant that because it was written I didn't do it. I think anyone outside of the restaurant business would read it, so it was written for the consumption and entertainment of my cook, essentially that's the only person I could imagine buying a copy, so it was intended to be entertaining and fun for a very small group of People worked in New York restaurants and the tone reflected that it would sound softer and more familiar to them, but I benefited because the book was so unpleasant.

People are surprised when I can eat with a knife and fork and not bark. obscenities that you know indiscriminately at least uh you know I benefit a lot from low expectations the voice in all books is very strong we were born with that voice is this your natural voice do you write while you talk do you talk while you write or did you have them early? influences you had something to model your cell phone I'm going to tell you something you already know, aspiring writers or writers, you really hate me because I have never written anything in my life that hasn't been published, yes, once and I never worked in an attic for years writing unsuccessful or unpublished manuscripts.

If I had a you know, I wrote the article that Kitchen Confidential was based on for a free newspaper in New York. I figured they were dumb enough to buy my piece. ended up in The New Yorker. I was lucky to always talk, tell stories, be a bit provocative, have a way with words, something that was true of me when I was a little boy. I have always used that skill to achieve it. the things I want to manipulate events to my liking get into trouble get out of trouble hurt my enemies seduce people like you or make people you know do things I would like them to do that's how I always was You always know, my parents since At first they said you should really be a lawyer.

You know we see we have such a way with words. I write like I talk, but yes, practically yes, the boys have been like that, right? If there were influences, influences on the writing. who really turned on the light for me I always read a lot you could certainly listen to Hunter Thompson and my writings what I was writing when I was 12 I opened Rolling Stone magazine and where they were serializing what later became Hate Fair in Las Vegas and It didn't click for me, yeah, he's his rage that someone could write, could, could, could put into words the way I felt this bitter disappointment with the way the '60s turned out.

I just did the hyperbole, the exuberant and violent language, humor was clearly an influence. but he was, and perhaps not, the best role model for a 12-year-old boy. I tried to emulate him in every way, but actually, when writing, I thought maybe if I take a lot of drugs for the next 30 years I'll be able to do it. I wrote like that, but it was also a warning because I think I learned it at the time the book came out. I realized I don't want to end up like Hunter Thompson either. You know, I'm not going to go out and play the bad boy chef, you know, and get paid for it.

You just know you'll notice a number, the kinkiest thing I've been able to do in recent years. I'm very proud to have made it, a couple of really warm and fuzzy family shows. Some works that will really impress my fans, they will be very disappointed. Yes, you've also eaten some very strange things in your life and I haven't. I mean, okay, what's the worst thing you've ever eaten? So instead I'll give you a rhythm list, you know, some of the nasty things require love in the world, okay, and just tell me if you've eaten it. them and if it's relevant to what they tasted because you may have swallowed some, it may be bad.

I don't know, okay, the sheep testicles had a delicious texture, much better than the beef nuts. It's good to know that eyeballs seal well when fresh, just like good quality sushi did. context, it could be a touching family experience, the beating heart of a giant cobra is what fits, like I said, it's like an angry spender about athletics, is it food or is it some kind of strange erection medicine for anxious Asians ? I regret. I'm sorry there isn't much happening there. You know, you know what your expectations are. Yeah, it's more like a weird male bond.

Know? Is it medicine or is it food? A situation like that otherwise I would do it again. It was not. bad, it wasn't an unpleasant experience, but you know, for Cobra, yes, yes, and the unwashed ricktum or the anus of a wild boar, okay, it tasted exactly like you'd expect it to.I knew, yes, those are the photos, but this was for sure I knew I was going. being sick, I got very sick, I knew it was going to be terrible, but this is a tribal situation, I am a good guest, yes, in our tribal situation, the whole tribe, looking at me, the chief is giving me the best, the most precious . part, it's taken me two three days to track this down.

I'm taking one for the team. Oh yes, I am actually polite under such circumstances. Yeah, and you know, I do something called the grandma rule. You know, if I'm a grandma's house, I'll do it. Eat what grandma offers you and I'll say yes, grandma, it's delicious, I'll have seconds. This time I made it past seconds, but I did my best to hold on. That was in Numidia, you know the Kalahari with the bushmen, yes, and in Iceland there is something good. a rotten, stinking shark that you can smell from ten kilometers away, yes, it is indescribably vile.

Gil and I were like Al and I were at it the other day. What's the worst thing you've ever had? We both agreed that it is far from the smell of ammonia, then you are in and it is that beyond that, they handle it with gloves, I mean, no. you even touch the things and they serve them to you, yes, but smell good, you will surely know the taste if you do, unlike durian for example which smells like halibut, in my opinion it tastes amazing, it has something real going for it, It will be something wonderful, this is the same flavor.

As bad as it smells, and even I don't think so, I don't think anyone likes it, it's a nod to there being proud Viking roots and it's harder for us to hear times when this was the only way they could preserve the proteins during the summer months and I mean, you see them handling them with gloves and putting them in their mouths and chasing them with a lot of rocket fuel. You know how good it could be. Well, would you, yeah, yeah, um, now I have to ask you what's the worst thing besides everything I've heard.

I heard you give a different answer, well I mean, would I eat rotten shark before eating a chicken McNugget, yeah? I would feel better if I ate that rotten shark, mr. hood, you know, I feel committed to a part of an evil empire when I eat a McNugget, there's something morally wrong about it and it's, what is it, what part of the chicken comes from all those other things we talk about? about you knew exactly what they were and we are particularly where they had come from, but what scares you the most are three. I'm afraid of my daughter.

The idea of ​​my daughter eating one just fills me with the joy of it. She just fills me with terror, it's, it's, it's, we should feed our enemies Chicken McNuggets. You know, Osama bin Laden wouldn't have lasted this long if we just had a normal diet of McNuggets. II, you know? Tora Bora couldn't have put her fat ass in a cave, we would have seen it from space, which drones wouldn't do, yeah, and that's why you spend your life traveling the world, do you feel an urgency right now? ? to get to certain countries relatively quickly before their street food, they're authentic regional food, all the things that you're going to try while they're still around and before they start turning into Chicken McNuggets, I don't know.

I'm a little optimistic about our future in the world, it's one of those things, as you know, the Chinese buy more and more of everything in America and you know they're eating up our purple real estate, certainly all of our debt, you know, with many people. they're scared, you know if they come here and you know very soon they'll be gone, they'll be everywhere, well, we'll eat much better, much better, so I think Asian expansion influenced this shift of power away from From the west to the east this probably be for me at least food, possibly something good.

I mean Singapore, maybe Disneyland with the death penalty. I think RW Apple called it, but it's a food wonderland and they found out they're Annie's babysitter. states and they have the same concerns that you have here about hygiene and zoning and you know what if, oh my gosh, it could hurt you? We better make it illegal, then I like the cheese situation here, which is so embarrassing, or the oyster situation. here, which is very embarrassing, but they realized that for me the food court in Singapore is a shining beacon of how we could live in a perfect world, who knows, so I am encouraged by the places that I feel I am drawn to I like to run or I hurry to do it before they change.

I mean, I'm not sentimental about communism. I'm not a big fan of the regime in Cuba, but I sure wanted to see it before it changed and actually, you know, it's something that I know is extraordinary, but you know the food scene there, you know it's not that good. I mean, people are very hungry. I would like to get to Burma and then Myanmar, but that is a situation I am waiting for the government to change. I would like to get to Tehran as soon as possible, but again, you don't know at the moment, yes, exactly in the afternoon. so you've been like a canary, we can really send it, no, I'm collapsing on you, oh yeah, don't go there, but that's okay, if you're that canary and you're nosy with one of the first to notice in our food world.

There are changes or drops in temperature or cultural changes and what is there something that your nose is telling you right now that Harris is fun again, you know that you could eat very, very well in Paris, you know that 15 years ago they were rude and particularly to Americans and it would cost you 40 euros for a bowl of soup in a really good restaurant that you know and taste spectacularly, expect that now you can eat a great meal with top-notch music quality for 40 euros 30 euros 50 euros and I'll even be nice to you , today there was a financial crisis, but it's these young chefs, the young people of the astronomical movement is really exciting.

David Chang is a big influence in Paris. Your French chef said, "Oh yeah, we like to stop by." David Chang from New York, this was it. It was unthinkable 15 years ago for any French chef to even acknowledge that Spain existed, let alone New York, so it's an exciting place to eat. You know, I certainly see Singapore as a culinary hopeful example as an alternative. You know, it's fast food. -There are also good food places that have me excited about turkey. Is incredible. I would like to see more good Turkish food. You know, a wider variety of Turkish food and the usual suspects.

Brazil, Colombia, in general, go to Colombia. Is incredible. I was. to the doctor ten years ago it was the worst place in the world, the murder capital of the world and now I really left Colombia very optimistic about the world, wow, it is possible to improve or really move up in a short period of time. Maybe you know there's no excuse for downtown Detroit, you know, having had two million. I think I think the beautiful girl from Modern Family has done a lot for Colombians, but tell me, I mean, if Ament export all their coffee beans to here between Elsewhere you had decent coffee in Colombia, yes, but it was the food and the people.

I mean, these are inseparable. I love listening to. I love food. I'm guilty of being a food pornographer. I fetishize it, but it's only part of it. of a full life, you know, I recently married into a big Italian Sardinian family and seeing how they live their relationship with alcohol and with food and ingredients is really a bit educational, you know, good food is a doctor, regardless of income level. They have the right to drink wine with every meal, you know they should have it, but you never see drunk Italians staggering around vomiting in the streets, and you see that they do everything in proportion.

You understand that it's about good food, good liquor, but also, hopefully. you know you're getting laid regularly and you're having a good

conversation

and there's music somewhere and company and you know that's all part of life, the reason you like paris right now is because he said the next generation of chefs, do you realize that this generational change is actually changing all the cities around the world and all the different food cultures, restaurant cultures? Well, look how different, you know, look how different the types of businesses are that are popping up here now, you know, see. you know a lot of these people who are opening little places or pop-ups or just kind of, you know, you know, casual restaurants stripped to the bone, they're cooking their hearts out, maybe with another cook or a dishwasher, listen to the end of Of course they're going to open, they're going to open a little bit a 300-seat restaurant and they're going to have a place in a casino and they're going to have a cookbook and a boil in a bad dinner line, you know Robert Shaw and all that. . the great friends, Roger Vale Jay, all those people started that way too, but what we're getting is a lot more of them and you know, it's good times, it's part of a cyclical wave and we're eating into that. certainly new to us in the English speaking world, so to my way of thinking there has never been a better time to cook in the English speaking world and there has certainly never been a better time to eat, no, Adrian Gill was talking to the other. day about that very depressing term of good food, you know, the chef likes to serve this hot, etc., and he said in terms of a sort of awestruck voice and we let them have their way, which I thought was wonderful, so like a chef's hat backwards.

What do you think of this current trend in restaurants to merge art, landscape and technology on the plate? Depends. I mean, did you ask yourself before you started dabbling in what someone somewhere calls molecular gastronomy? I am a genius I am Ferran Adrià Am I somewhere? Almost as talented and visionary and firmly rooted in a place with as much food culture as Catalonia or I could just masturbate here. You know, I love Jimi Hendrix. Can I ever play guitar as well as Jimi Hendrix? Better if you're going to play with that stuff, the way I feel is don't try to find your own style, a lot of those techniques will end up being industry standard practice, you know, sous vide fish. or some others, if you guys probably don't understand Andreea, but you know, the short answer is that some of the worst, most painful meals of my life have been young, talented chefs getting impressed and enthused by a cargo cult version than they believe.

This is happening in places like El Bulli and they are just playing with its death, but surely there is an opportunity for those young chefs to embrace technology, but then turn around and use where they are and who they are to create something new and young. I'll go back to Dave Chang Wylie Dufresne and people like that you know they choose carefully, hey, that seems really interesting, we can make a really delicious dish, you know, it's really moving and reminds people of their childhood, but we're using a technique developed by Ferran Adrià you know there's nothing wrong with that that's what it becomes like an eye-gouging experience you know it's something hanging off the edge of a long spike and it's not very good if it takes the waiter ten minutes you know to describe the dish and two minutes to eat it it's fun that's what it's about is it fun you know it's delicious if the answer is yes, I'm for it recently you haven't written an episode but scenes, but the type of a broadcast of an amazing series of TV called Treme, which should be in your face, lights up every time someone says Tremblay, it must be exciting.

I'm going to be excited to see that damn thing, so it must be Israel writing for it. I found that Suddenly, I don't know when it happened, but I found myself at this weird point in my career where I realized that there are going to be opportunities to work with really amazing people who, you know, I really admire or adore and you know I can. actually just hanging out with some of these people is me stuttering so out of nowhere I think that for me cable was the best thing ever in the history of television. I mean, there's never been a better use of The television medium has never been a better drama series, so getting an unexpected call from David Simon was all his own.

That's how it happened. You just called out of the blue. Would you be interested in doing it this early for me? It was like you knew. your football fan you're holding a little boy your David Beckham football fan calls and says you know, let's kick the ball I mean, I, you know, I cried, I used to hyperventilate and I, I, I would have done it for free and in De In fact, there are some things that I'm doing in my life right now and you know it's not about money, it's a lot of fun, it's the most fun I've ever had writing or doing any kind of work working with much smarter people. that they, these incredibly creative people, it's like they invite you to join the cool kids and uh, so I'm doing a graphic novel with a really amazing artist and maybe even Foss and a friend of mine named Joel Rose. because no, I'm not going to get rich, I do it because I can and because it's fun and I like comics and you know it's cool, um and you've created your own television production company for your own television.

I am partners. in a production company that I started with the cameramen of my first series of Cook's Tour and I all left Food Network at the same time because we put on a show with FerranAdrià and the network were not interested so they say who is this guy. talk funny he's from Spain he's too smart for us we're not in a so we all reach our own boat we think as we set this up we're getting this this is history here we have amazing amazing once in a lifetime access, we're getting this shell , we had no clients, we had no money, we just put it in our own pockets, we went out and filmed a documentary about the experience and that was the beginning of this entity that could then continue to create reserves in the same way. same group of people, so we really owe it all to the fair, you know, if he hadn't said, you know yeah.

I invite you to come into my life and then film it. He could be riding a pony from barbecue, you know, from competition to barbecue competition. or food network is or something, yeah, we're looking forward to Bourdain's burger line, yeah, this is not going to happen, no, um, it's time for the audience to ask questions. I hope you have some good ones. There are microphones that if you have any questions, go to. a microphone, can we see where they are? Please, they are on the side. In the meantime, if you have your up here, shout everything, report yes or if you're in the middle of almost yes, and we'll try to say yes. we are new thenew show of El Bulli, we return because Cal Bulli will close in August forever and firaon let us return and film each dish from its beginnings in the preparation service, we filmed him, him and José Andrés eating each dish, one food for staff. filmed all the animations, graphics, plans and blueprints for what comes next in that space, the mysterious think tank of the El Bulli foundation, Yee, historically speaking, because of the access it gave us and the things it let us see and only because Spain is Spain, I think.

It's probably going to be the most amazing thing we've ever recorded. Yes, wait, let's see it. It will be an episode of No Reservations. Fantastic, thank you and when you said you were bored with the truffles that are made. I'm pretty sad and we have a lot of people here initial um with a view to recalibrating your perspective on food would you be interested in coming to a barbecue? I'm going to one now we won't give you stupid comments I wish I could thank you thank you okay you eat a lot of food Anthony how do you know OB? um, I am what it is.

I'm one of those, I was one of those really annoying people who could eat and drink with wild abandon and not care and never. I ever gained weight until about ten twelve years ago and then you know it was a star that started to change, it's something I have to think about, but I don't eat breakfast, I don't waste real estate, you know, you just have that. a lot of space in your life your stomach I leave the breadsticks on the table I'm not going to eat bread I'm not going to eat snacks I'm not lying on the couch eating chips or Cheetos or something like that uh, just go with what's good and you know what You actually get out of your chair once in a while, that helps, but like strategically, if I know that tomorrow at noon I'm going to eat a ten-course Chinese meal in front of the camera, I won't eat. a big dinner tonight, you know, and I'm certainly going to go low on potatoes and I'm also a guy who doesn't really care about desserts or sweet things.

No, I could live the rest of my life without sweet things. I love salty and spicy pork, how about chasing those chilies? I can't live without it, oh, I need that, yes, God, I need a lot, yes, but good cheese is the new arrival, if it's not good cheese, that's perfect for you. You know, this good cheese, if it's not good, it's meaningless, you know, it's something magically stinky at the perfect point of ripeness all over that map and the elusive Chili's Chili's, that's an addiction, you know, it's the pleasure ratio and pain, you know? I have talked about this.

I never really understood sadomasochism. The idea of ​​being spanked by someone is completely foreign to me. I went to Sichuan, where I see clients. I'm going to these are locals Are you so sick tomorrow so sick so sick and they're eating and eating loving it? Yes, I think we can stay here again. You just mentioned how much you love cheese and earlier you said it's a shame. that we don't have a great variety here no, no, you have a great variety, but you insist on forcing yourself to use seasonal cheese makers, you know you don't allow raw milk cheeses that you are aging and the processing and handling rules are really restrictive and put err out of business or restricted some really amazing cheese makers and cheese visionaries or these Richard Thomas is that his name who you know it should be, you're a walking Buddha and all gems matter and unfortunately the King in it in the passenger it is The Asian.

I was wondering what you think of food in general in Australia or where you've been. What do you think of the quality of the food? It's been very high since I first came here about ten years ago. It was great. even better now you just know quick I'll tell you the worst thing I've seen here that filled me with rage was I was at the fish market and you had these beautiful beautiful some of the best oysters in the world and they're rinsing them I mean I wanted jumping over the counter and saying enough, enough, one of the best things I've seen here was at Victor Churchill's butcher shop, yeah, wow, you know, it's mind-blowing, what a force for good in this world to see. space that beautiful meat that is incredible and to the love and respect for the traditions of charcuterie and old school cured meats.

I mean, it was boudin noir made on the premises, incredibly amazing, fabulous, we lost three minutes due to technical difficulties, so I take that back. Let's continue, where am I? Anthony, you mentioned things like Royal cheese and raw milk. I would like to know what your opinions are on these and also on the traditional foods you talked about. You said you like them. of washing oysters is what if it's bad practice, yes, but just sim again if there is sin against God, you know, she just mentioned Beauty Churchill's butcher shop, um, a lot of people like me now go to farmers like farmers who allow their cattle to graze on grass people don't realize when they go to restaurants he can say grain fed but she's really eating low fat grains she should be a chewer hunter I'm not here I'm not me anymore I was a chef I was in a pleasure business I wanted to be good I wanted to be delicious I never felt any obligation to serve you There was morality or organic cruelty-free or anything else I just wanted to I mean, those are concerns, it's nice.

I'd like all of our alternatives, you know, people are thinking about organic and also they're more aware of where their food comes from, but ultimately I don't care if it's the most delicious damn steak, like what I want to know . Don't think the government owes you an absolute guarantee of one hundred percent cleanliness and safety on everything you put in your mouth. Who has had that guarantee in the world before? Why should we ask for doubt? I would like to know if you are putting feces or radioactive material in the meat of my burger, please include it in the ingredients list, but I think it spins the wheels a bit when traveling and I think it is perfectly appropriate to make personal information, hopefully, You will make decisions about your food.

One of the good things about people who care about how their livestock is raised or fed or how they live is that you increasingly have more options and that's surely a good thing for chefs and diners. Yes, Britain, one last question, thank you. You just touched on this, but it seems like the farm-to-table movement and the locavore movement is very important and all that, the influence of Audria coming out of Spain, so what do you see are the directions in which a food is eaten ? or take is that it's going to be a real sea change in the rest of the world or it's an Oracle, it's an annoying trend biography to dress for the consumption of privileged white people, okay, who said it Wylie Dufresne?

I even want to say farm to table, where else do I buy my table food? Where else do I serve it? Do I need to make people feel bad about their food choices because I'm farm-to-table? Do I need a t-shirt? or a tattoo that advertises this I know what it means it means it's going to be more expensive if I use those words you know, let's be smart about food this is the extent to which we know where our food comes from, how it is prepared and make informed decisions about it large farmers who don't want to support farmers, certain small farmers who don't want a healthier food supply, who want to torture animals and herd them in a painful, unhealthy condition, will probably taste less delicious if you do that, but I think this from the Farm to table is more marketing than reality and it's getting to an annoying point.

I mean, it's a way of separating ourselves or people who don't have the options of buying a six dollar bunch of grapes or often not and I think snobbery is the end of good eating, you know, yeah, beautiful , thank you Anthony, you have not been unpleasant, yes, you have not been particularly arrogant, you have been very wise, very, yes, sorry, there are questions out there, so I am intelligent, inspiring. Honestly, you're making me very uncomfortable. I love it, this is great, these are my opportunities, my punishment, I will get back at you, but no, and you have opened a couple of doors for us too, just to have a little confidence. an idea of ​​what you're doing, why and for all those things, I appreciate you being questioned, thank you very much, thank you, right.