Pure Pleasure

             Reading about world renowned chef and pretty much hard-ass Anthony Bourdain in his book A Cook’s Tour, we were transported into his food life and taken on a whiplashing journey of what it reveals about his character. Through all of my impressions of Bourdain from start to finish: casual, crazy, real, relatable, genuine, harsh, picky, selfish, emotional, respectable, I have jumped around based on his experiences in each country, and his resulting opinions and thus, commentary of each. However, I was truly touched by the scene in San Francisco where he advises a fellow Chef about how to deal with his work dynamic challenges in the kitchen. The way Bourdain talks to the Chef is so telling of his own experiences, and his language is indicative of his character and how he deals with people in the kitchen. Through this section, I could hear his genuine empathy and understanding behind his man-to-man lingo.

            In class we have talked a lot about voice, and the ease or lack of ease with which we can hear and experience Bourdain. His book is an uncensored, stream of consciousness, detailed reflection of his experiences. The strong sense of voice has caused me to want to watch his TV show, and experience him in person. It is far more difficult to judge someone in a book, because you hear their reactions and impressions to what is happening in the moment rather than merely witnessing their behavior and physical interactions on the scene. I judge people, too. For this, I am happy that I could have read his book and had this opportunity to get to know him in this way before watching on TV. Many avid viewers describe him as “fucking insane”. There is a really good chance my judgmental self would have thought the same.

Additionally, throughout the second half of the book, Bourdain continues on his quest for the perfect meal, declaring some meals to have achieved this feat. I agree with him that, the perfect meal must not be ruined… it must remain a purely pleasurable experience from start to finish, thus his frustrations with the interference of his TV show. Furthermore, his indicators of a perfect meal, one that is erotically supreme, are largely related to sex: orgasmic, surging, sensational. His most striking description took place in Japan, where he describes the Sushi: “It took every bit of discipline I had not to moan and giggle and gush throughout the meal… Togawa-san… you showed me the light” (142). It sounds like Togawa-san pretty much rocked Bourdain’s world. Good food gives you chills, makes you contort into weird positions to convey the satisfaction you feel, for which there is sometimes no words. He later finds himself “plunged unexpectedly into yet another orgy of drinking and eating” (142-143). In my house, the perfect food or meal gives us a “food boner”. I do believe that appetite conjures this manner of appreciation for something that just “hits the spot” so easily. Between his largely alcoholic experiences, and indescribable, unsurpassable meals, his journey is largely sensual. The Japanese continue to lead him into other equally pleasurable experiences with hot preparation baths, geisha performances, and digestion massages. The combination of environment, ambiance, place, meal, appetite and hunger translate into an experience of pure pleasure.

P.S. Sorry for all of the profanity, but it was hard not to use whilst trying to capture the mindset of someone like Anthony Bourdain.