Anthony Bourdain Would Spend His Last $20 on Breakfast
Anthony Bourdain, everyone's favorite, straight-talking Emmy Award-winning television show host, author, chef, and professional curmudgeon, did an "Ask Me Anything" (or AMA, to those in the know) on Reddit this past Tuesday. Commenters drilled him on his now-famous meal with President Obama in Indonesia that will be shown on the September 25th episode of Parts Unknown ("Rarely have I seen someone enjoy drinking a beer from the bottle as much as the president."), his take on working in food ("Look, you're either the sort of person who likes the restaurant industry, or you're a normal person."), and his experience working on Archer ("It was pretty much the high watermark of my career. After that, everything is meaningless."). But Bourdain also had some noteworthy insights on all things breakfast.
On the episode of Parts Unknown in Charleston, SC, Bourdain was introduced to Waffle House by Sean Brock, executive chef at Husk. When a commenter asked if he'd returned to the beloved chain, Bourdain said he hadn't—blaming it on the non-presence in the tri-state area—but he couldn't wait to go back. He also admitted to harboring a secret urge to cook at Waffle House, "just to see if [he] can hack it because it's a tough gig."
Of course, the adoration of breakfast food doesn't only extend to smothered hash browns. When asked what he'd eat and drink with his last $20 in New York City, he waffled a bit before deciding on "A bialy. A toasted bialy with some butter, maybe at like Barney Greengrass, and then... what, do I die after spending this $20? Is that what happens? I mean, it's a pretty good value, maybe I'll have two bialys for $20." Wise move.
And it wouldn't be a Bourdain interview without some of that famously creative wrath unleashed. When asked what food trends he'd like to see die, he didn't hold back: "I would like to see the pumpkin spice craze drowned in its own blood. Quickly. Juice—I don't understand the juice cleanse. I mean, if you've ever had a colonoscopy, the doctor gives you something that will cleanse you right quick, so I don't really understand juice cleanses. I believe celiac disease is a very serious ailment, and if you're diagnosed with it, I'm pleased that there are now gluten-free options, but these people who are treating gluten as, you know, an equivalent of Al Qaeda are worrying to me."
