It's Official—

—Anthony Bourdain is on my nerves. Last night's cross-pollination with the Travel Channel's uber-irritating "weird food" guy was the last straw. First off, it was obvious from jump that Bourdain was forced into this and believes himself to be way cooler than the weird food dude. As the WFD wears dad jeans and a gee-whiz expression, being cooler than him isn't exactly difficult. Hell, I'm sitting home in a mumu and moisturizing face mask and I'm cooler than that guy.

So yeah, we get it. You're skinny, wear a Ramones t-shirt and work hard cultivating a world-weary demeanor. Plus, you just had a mid-life crisis baby with your trophy wife. Who could've predicted that? Yawn.

God knows it's not all bad—I was happy that he featured two female chefs on last night's episode. Women are severely underrepresented in that world. Even still, it just wasn't enough to keep me watching. Bourdain's incessant "writerly" observations, combined with myriad pensive b-roll scenarios, have always worked my nerves, but last night he would not shut his yap about tourists. Scene after scene of dopey, camera-toting Japanese tourists. . . Was the store out of bigger clichés? And how is a Japanese tourist in Times Square—an area real New Yorkers avoid like the plague unless they have absolutely no other choice—more irritating than a smug New Yorker trekking through Uzbekistan or Bali with a camera crew in tow?

Pot, meet Kettle.

Comments

[I like his book, but can't stand him anymore]

Channel-surfing the other night, we caught part of Bouring's show--where he spends five minutes saying he won't karaoke (in Korea), and then never does! Why keep that in your show? Just edit out all karaoke references and get back to tasting weird food! But nope, Tony Bouring has to show how "cool" he is not to do something so pedestrian and mundane as karaoke. And complaining about it.
Lame.

[jules]

I like his show. I do wish he would go back to visiting odd, offbeat places. I mean this season -- NYC and Tuscany? Ho hum.

I never read his book so I don't own the hate like the Judes.

[Paul]

I saw the show from Shanghai last weekend and he's burneing out. In Bali, he kept talking about how he was going to retire there and now I think I believe him. His curiosity isn't what it used to be. His patience has worn thin with all the the coolest of the cool people he meets. He takes us to organic farms in Ireland or back alley noodle stands in China and cuts the scenes short because he doesn't seem to be "groovin'" on the food at that particular moment or he's not dealing with chefs of his caliber. Get thee over thyself. Yes, A.B. has flown too close to the sun. The show is for us, the viewers, not for you, Anthony.

[Paul]

Ok, I watched the show from Brazil last night and he was much better. Maybe the drug laws aren't as tough in South America as they are in China. He looked pretty buzzed-up through the entire show...as he should be.