Anthony Bourdain

In the 2 and a half weeks we stayed with my dad and step-mother, Ace and I got to see several episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. We had two reactions to the show. 1. It was great. All the food and culture being explored was fascinating. 2. If we kept watching it, we'd get fat because when Tony talked about food he made us want to eat. Of course, that wasn't helped by the travel channel showing 3 or 4 (or more) episodes of No Reservations in a row.

I like food. I enjoy food. I have problems with spices sometimes, but food is wonderful. My only real problem with spices is that my palate is too sensitive to them. I taste more of the individual flavors than most people do. Something that has lead to me not liking BBQ sauce, which is a sin to most Texans (my dad and I were both born in Texas, so it's important). For most foods, it's no big deal. But the stuff that Tony eats looks amazing and I want to try it. Except I'm not sure if I would enjoy myself. And I like enjoying food. There's also this irrational fear of wasting food that bubbles up (I dislike wasting food, but I'm not going to force myself to eat something I don't like), something I blame on our culture's insistence on reminding children about starving kids in China as a rational as to why we should clean our plates (the idea makes no sense when you think about it).

I'll admit, the food is not the only reason I enjoyed the show. Tony sees the world and he's no angel. He uses big words and isn't afraid to curse. He appeals to my intellectual side. I'm fairly certain that if I were with him in person, I'd either love him dearly or find him somewhat annoying (and it'd probably lean toward the later). But the idea of getting to see the world appeals to me. I want to travel and experience and grow richer for it. I want to visit somewhere I don't really know the language. I want to do something that seems crazy to people I don't know and will never see again.

And then I remember that for the most part, I prefer to be nice and safe inside my home. With food I know my stomach and tongue can both agree on. With my internet connection and my books and a world of potential places to visit right inside my own head. I remember that I like being able to talk to people and be understood (for the most part).

So, when I can, I'll probably watch more Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. I might see if I can check his books out of the library and explore the world through him. And I'll try, again, to work on myself to try something new and exciting, reminding myself that if I don't like the new food the experience, and the food, wasn't wasted and that I grew just from trying. It may be small, but it's a start.