Hot Stuff: Anthony Bourdain Meat and Greet
SFist Mary Ladd/Jalapeno Girl contributing.
We’ve got our things-to-be-thankful-for list ready. Easy peasy! One item shines a bit brighter than others. That would be hanging out with author/chef/TV personality Tony "Cast Iron Stomach" Bourdain after his City Arts & Lectures sold out ($19 a ticket) conversation with Isabel Duffy on Monday night.
Some of the meatiest tidbits/quotes Tony offered while chatting with Ms. Duffy?
--He couldn’t get over how sweet, nice, and great the US Marine Corps were when he was recently evacuated from Beirut. He later elaborated to us that they were young men (ages mostly 18-22) with the best manners.
--One of the reasons he ended his relationship with the Food Network is they didn’t want any more shows where "people talk funny."
--Eating good food leads to sex, hell yes. Well, at least it should. (We think he’s smart to recognize this one! Who doesn’t want to get laid?!?)
--Watching a family butcher, gut, and eat a seal was truly one of the most heartwarming scenes, once you get past the preconceived notion of what a meal looks like. Seeing a family that close was something to behold.
More insights, and then SFist Mary takes Bourdain out to dinner (!!!) -- after the jump!
--Brit Chef Fergus Henderson’s book is the "new Bible for cooks. He’s the rock star of cooking." Making fun of English cooking is an easy joke, but there’s a lot more to it.
--He has a love affair (all together now: ahhhhh) with Vietnam, which was the first country he fell deeply in love with. Everything from the cuisine’s colors and textures to tableside condiments of chili putty, fish sauce, and spectrum of peppers reinforces this love.
--It’s grotesque how little Americans travel. We see what happens (cue laughter and applause from crowd. Yes! He’s totally talking about George Bush et al on this one).
We wanted the travels to continue as we revved up our car, and shepherded Tony to the Mission, after waiting for him to finish signing 50+ books (sold by Books Inc.) for his fans. No, we didn’t eat veal testicles at Incanto or have drinks at his downtown area hotel’s swanky bar. Our agenda focused on far racier adventures: smokes and drinks, with some noshes.
Tony’s an international dude, so we felt we had to offer eats that covered North Africa, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. Medjool fit the bill because it was open and serving food late enough, there was no wait for a table (sadly, the tables on the rooftop were shutting down when we arrived), and we didn’t have to shout to talk.
The rest of the night was exactly how we wished it would be: full of booze, cigarette smoke, bawdy talk (heavy on cooks, comedians, writers, gossip, politics, literature, and of course food), and even closed with Tony’s punk jukebox music picks (Pale Blue Eyes, by the Velvet Underground.).