No Reservations

Maybe you've seen the show on the Travel channel, Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations? Anthony is a chef who travels the world to examine and consume the local food and culture. He not only stays away from the chain restaurants, but completely abhors the ideas of being within walking distance. He has a rather adventurous palate, eating things that one wouldn't think consumable. I must admit, I would like to eat vicariously through Mr. Bourdain. Another thing I appreciate about the show is, he searches out local customs also. The main reason for the show is to highlight cuisine, but while on location, he takes in the sights and sounds of the area. He has a tendency to tease and torment his camera crew, but they have a pretty good gig too. He's been everywhere and has indulged in pork from all over the world! How bad can that be? And the thing that really just ices the show for me, is his witticism. Apparently he's been dissed by the Food Network at some time in his career. His snide, sarcastic remarks toward the Food Network and Rachel Ray make for a little competitive, in your face, "mom" bashing, reality TV. I'm sure he wishes no ill will upon anyone, but on the other hand, if those two entities were to go away tomorrow, he would have to put on an extremely good act to convince me he was sad about it. And it's a good thing the editor button works. He doesn't really let curse words slip as he does fly. I hate to quote SpongeBob here, but in Anthony's case, those are just "sentence enhancers". I also like the fact, he narrates some of it, rather than talk at us the whole time. Sometimes it's fun to listen to a story, rather than be lectured and face a test afterward. The people from around the world he's met, and the friends, and or enemies, he's made over the course of the series, are some of the most interesting folks. Most seem to have a culinary background, or the very least, a good knowledge of local faire. For now, No Reservations remains at the top of the Kevin TV viewing list, all others are number two. Cheers A.B.