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God.
Anthony Bourdain. What's going on, dude? You've turned into that guy. You know, the guy in class who tries too hard to look punk. The reality show contestant who looks into the camera and declares, "I tell it like it is, and people have a problem with that." The guy at the party who prattles on about the glory that is bacon (in addition to your badassery of smoking and drug taking, of course.)
Let's take a look at your most recent weblog post, which delves into SF's spot-on (albeit unoriginal) stereotypes.
Let me come right out and say it. I love San Francisco. I am helpless and unwavering in my affection--in spite of every effort over the years to find fault, to dismiss, to sneer. And there's surely lots to sneer at, San Francisco and the Bay being pretty much the epicenter of so many of my most cherished aversions: political correctness, veganism, rich hippies, sanctimoniousness about food, food fetishism, animal rights terrorists, gastro-dogma, and loud locavores who actually get their produce flown in from Chino Farms in San Diego.But at this point, I bore even myself railing against the above. Hell, I'm not even bitter about San Francisco taking the lead in banning smoking anymore. They won that battle long ago. Game over.
Thanks. We can't tell you how much your approval means to us.
But then, right on time, you hit your favorite and all-too-easy target, Alice Waters.
Okay ... it does still drive me berserko watching a blissed out St. Alice, burning up a few cords of firewood (in Berkeley no less!) to cook two eggs for an unusually credulous Lesley Stahl.
Got it. Alice, who is Berkeley-based, is a stick-in-the-mud. A downright square bitch who won't shove ham-n-cheese Hot Pockets into her gullet. We know this; it's part of her charm.
But, see, you can't have it both ways, angel face. You can't shrug your shoulders at Waters and declare that you're in the "pleasure business," that you don't care how taste gets to your plate, so long as it gets there; then, at the same time, slam Sandra Lee as "evil" for her epicurean skills, or lack thereof. (Cocktail time, after all, is priority number-one in the pleasure business. And Lee, like any glorious train wreck, is the single most fascinating TV presence out there right now. For better or for worse, no one does what she does.)
So, which one can't you stand, Tony? Waters or Lee? Organic/sustainable righteousness or high-fructose fascism? Or, do you just loathe female cooks?
For a true punk rock food icon, check out Hubert Keller manning the decks at Sunday's SF Chefs event.
Oh, and Bourdain's SF episode of I Tell It Like It Is, or whatever it's called, air tonight.
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So what part of the rant rubbed you the wrong way? It's on point. I loved Sandra Lee's Kwanzaa cake, classic tv moment. Her big boobs make it so hard to change the channel...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we2iWTJqo98
too campy for me.
What's up with his shirt in the pic? Isn't he from jersey?
Bourdain deserves to be brought down a notch or two for many things, but not that blog post. I agree with him on this one. Brock, in this case I think you are "that guy".
Hey, That Guy:
You are That Guy.
-- That Guy
wow. you really tell it like it is.
i really don't see any problem with bourdain. alice waters is bat shit crazy (yes, i know from personal experience) and is basically out of touch regarding the message(s) she preaches. yeah, she's a bitch alright, but certainly not in a charming way.
I agree w/ the other commenters. Bourdain's on target here.
And thanks to that 1st commenter for the Sandra Lee boob reference, I am now mesmerized and cannot turn away....
Given how much of a point Bourdain has made in specifying the defining characteristics of specific boroughs on New York, I'm surprised at how casually he lumps the East Bay (Berkeley, Waters, etc) in with SF. No disrespect implied toward the EB, but I think of us as very different places, and am shocked that this Distinguished Television Travel Journalist would conflate the two locales.
Perhaps pointing that out makes me "that guy," too -- that is the sort of overly literal toolishness that annoys the shit a=out of me. But if Brock is "that guy", I guess I'll do anything to join him.
Bourdain is bouring!
It kinda seems like Bourdain has the same kind of ambivalence about this town that we all have.
Plus he's funny. and that goes a long way in my book.
I agree with Bourdain on this. There's a long way between Alice Waters and her brand of crazy and Sandra Lee and her brand of unhealthy. Disliking one of them does not mean you'll love the other. There's a shit-ton of regular folks and chefs and bloggers and whatever out there who manage to eat from farmers markets on a regular basis, supplement with grocery stores as needed, and manage to never eat cheese from a spray can.
I think you can slam both of them and still be as punk as you wanna be...
What's wrong Brock, did Tony out you with one of his screamingly accurate descriptors? Which one is it, rich hippie or loud locavore?
I;m both, darling.
But that wasn't my point. Sigh.
It's a clash between their too-cool-for-school attitudes and how Brock's only weapon is snarkily tearing something down to try and demonstrate how he's better.
It's actually kind of cute to see him all jealous.
He doesn't have much room to be lecturing others on sanctimony. And yes, people in the Bay Area are a bit self-satisfied, but that doesn't mean they aren't right. Bourdain is a douche.
Right on, Brock. You hit multiple nails on the heads there.
If you've watched Bourdain on his No Reservations show, it sounds exactly like his aging dirtball-waxing poetic-rant style about everything.
Did anyone else see the irony in a Kwanzaa Cake being made out of White Angel Food Cake with White Icing?
I don't see what the problem is. Anyone who likes the House of Prime Rib is okay by me.
Preface: I like BK's observation.
Now, without defending Bourdain -- it feels like he's simply trying to STAY relevant to the masses who feel like "there are two kinds of people in this world...us and them." He goes for easy targets (like a teenager egging a little kid's lemonade stand) and gets to retain his personal sense of bad boy self. I recall him getting called out on his own show (Vegas episode) when he kept slamming Bobby Flay, and his buddy, Thomas Keller told him to chill....I'm paraphrasing.
This article reminded me of how my boyfriend likes to makes fun of Alice Waters. He always says " she thinks she invented Vegetables". I guess the hate runs deep.
she must have gotten to you & your bf both if you think you have to capitalize the word Vegetables :)
Bourdain:Chefs::Cranium:Board Games
Bourdain:Chefs::Simpsons:TV Shows
He wants to be the chef for people who hate chefs. They are stuffy, therefore he has to be a rock star. Of course, people who like chefs to begin with have no use for his schtick.
I thought the show was pretty funny. The best part was the cruising around town Bullitt style in a black Mustang, followed by the classic Red's Java House, burger and beer with a gorgeous bay view for less than eight bucks.
BK, I couldn't agree with you more -- yet I still really enjoy Anthony Bourdain's schtick. Is it possible to love both, darling?
I think Bourdain should not be taken quite so seriously. Being cynical and making fun of people is just his shtick, just like Emeril runs around saying yelling "bam"
He fills a gap in the market for people who think that show hosts like Samantha Brown and Rachel Ray are cheesy. Besides, he didn't make SF look bad, I'm from Tampa and the show made me want to visit there. It looked pretty amazing, actually
Lets get back to Sandra Lee.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/semi-homemade-cooking-with-sandra-lee/index.html
Yep, you can make your own truffles with a can of chocolate frosting. Yum.
(I prefer Dolores truffles)
"Unusually credulous Leslie Stahl"???
Unusually credulous? LMAO.
The best part about that tear-inducing Alice Waters-Leslie Stahl showdown was when Alice actually chopped a vegetable and Stahl was all "Do you think working moms will have time for this?!?" hahaha classix.