By Karen
Anthony Bourdain does San Francisco on No Reservations tonight, and I better not miss it like last week’s Street Food special. My DVD recorder had a malfunction.
Even worse, Verizon comes today to switch my TV to FIOS (Your latest rate increase was your last, Comcast!), and Verizon better not screw it up. Both episodes are airing tonight back-to-back and if I don’t capture them, life won’t be worth living.
Just kidding!
Lots of advance buzz on San Fran. Ingrid at Room214 says Tony stuffs his face with interesting things non-stop, and Sand Dollar Adventures has a few words about Ingrid.
SFoodie ran a “Why I Love Bourdain” essay contest last week. I liked this winning entry, which claims that Tony doesn’t “exotify” food. A vegetarian reveals how Bourdain converted him with an oyster. Another fan calls Tony the “anti-celebrity chef.” Excellent description. And here’s a poem.
An SF bartender relates his conversation with Bourdain in — where else? — a bar.
Remember when Cats Working reader Petunia told us she thought Tony is doing voiceovers for Glad storage containers? I haven’t seen the ad yet, and no one has confirmed it, but now another one has surfaced — in Singapore. The Certified Pinoy Blogger wonders if Bourdain is really endorsing chicken rice or if someone’s using his likeness without permission.
And remember all the flak over the Rust Belt episode dissing Baltimore and Buffalo? Well, ModelD offers some tweets on Bourdain’s visit to Detroit and there’s not one kvetch about how he done ‘em wrong.
Scott D Parker in Houston reveals sort of a man-crush on Bourdain by concocting his own version of, “I travel. I write. I eat. And I’m hungry for more.”
Here’s an off-the-wall item: Variety compares Bourdain to fellow reality series Emmy nominees, comedian Kathy Griffin and Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan, and they each give their theories on their success.
And even weirder, Sandra Lee would like to have Tony over for meat and potatoes and cocktails.
Cats Working 
HI, Hope you get your tv issues figured out before tonights episodes. Looks like San Fran should be a good stop for Tony and crew. Lots of street food and Tacos to chow down on..
I must admit I went into the belly of the beast on vacation and ate at a Chilli’s, I feel dirty just talking about it. But I was all dragged out from the road and my load in the back of the van wanted to eat there. I am trying to educate Dom on such things but he liked “shudder” Chilli’s when he was in Hawaii.
Looking forward to tonight’s episode, I still have to watch the previous two….
Sounds like you will need a vacation from the vacation, Bob. You should have veered the van up onto a sidewalk and treated everybody to some good street food. That would have shown them who’s boss.
I haven’t checked the recorder yet, but when I went to bed, everything looked good to go to tape NR on the new cable box. I hope it worked! But Travel Channel double-crossed me on the Street Food rerun by sticking some new show all around Bourdain, and the Street Food episode had disappeared from the schedule.
Now I’m grateful they rerun every episode endlessly. I know I’ll have another chance to catch it.
I think I was mistaken about the Glad Storage Bag thing–had it confused with Ziplock storage commercial–but I still can’t tell if it’s Tony or not. I watched the SF episode last night–curious because I lived there for some time–does Tony ever draw a sober breath? He seemed smashed throughout the entire episode.
Hi, Petunia, I haven’t seen the San Fran episode yet. I hope I captured it last night. If Tony was drunk through the whole thing, I hope at least he was happy.
I’ll be watching for Ziplock ads, too. Got to get to the bottom of this endorsement thing. I kind of hope he’s doing it because the money’s probably good and the work should be relatively easy.
Welcome back, Bob, and Karen, I hope the SF episode was recorded successfully. I liked the San Fransico show pretty well, although I,personally, could have used a little more scenery and a little less food — not that most of the food didn’t look delicious. I have a craving for Dungeness crab, which is really only good on the west coast. I kind of agree with Petunia; Tony did seem slightly more hammered than he usually appears; of course martinis seemed to be the drink of the show, and my hat’s off to anyone who can drink more than one classic (gin) martini.
Bob, while you were off being a traveller (double “ll” in your honor and a confession that I think Chili’s makes a pretty good burger), I stumbled upon a movie called, “My Winnipeg,” a very quirky little film that I ended up liking very much. I now have a picture of Winnipeg, which according to my friend in Toronto, is known for art deco architecture, and I know something about the Winnipeg Jets and the old hockey arena. I’m truly awed by the amount of snow you contend with each winter — there were many scenes just driving around on snow-packed streets. Makes Chicago seem downright mild.
Adele, I’ll be watching the San Fran episode tonight, but today I had lunch with a friend who saw it and she said out of the blue that’s really beginning to worry about Bourdain because he seemed more drunk than usual in San Francisco and was saying all sorts of crazy, nonsensical stuff. Of course, we know editing has something to do with that, but it does make you wonder. I can hardly wait to see for myself.
Yes thats my town in My Winnipeg, abet most of it was filmed in the 60’s from what I can gather. But we DO get horrendous winters here, we were for the longest time “The Coldest City in the World” with a population of over half a million.
Remember Rocky and Bullwinkle??? Their fictional town of “Frost Bite Falls, Minnesota” was actually based on International Falls, the twin town from where I grew up, Fort Frances Ontario… SO ya cold is pretty much in my blood…Why do you think we drink so much Hi-Test Beer in Canada???
I still haven’t seen the last few episodes, I have to sit down and watch them soon…. I want to see a snarky (or at least Snapped) Tony again soon.
All these rainbows and unicorns are driving my nuts
Bob, I’d say Tony was too happily swacked on martinis in the San Fransisco episode to be very snarky, but what do I know? I think “My Winnipeg” was made in the last few years, but it is all black and white, and it makes sense that much of the footage of the city that was used is from the 60’s. It did have a very vintage feel about it. The fact that I keep thinking about it, a week later, means that it got to me. I think I really liked the idea of places, like the hockey arena being haunted.
Just to be clear I have never actually seen “My Winnipeg” but from what I have seen from the news..ect it looks like a bunch of collected footage.
Guy Maddin the writer/director of the film has screened it here personally a number of times often with himself or Isabella Rossellini doing the voice over narration for the audience live.
Winnipeg is actually for its size a very Hip town, home to the Guess Who, Neil Young, and for the young …. the Crash Test Dummies. 🙂
It is home to numerous festivals in the summer, that celebrate our ethnic diversity “Folklorama”, our creative spirit “Winnipeg Fringe Festival” and “Winnipeg Folk Festival”.. The winter doesn’t stop us either with the french quarter celebrating “La Festival Du Voyageur” often in -30 weather.
Winnipeg is also home to Universal Health Care… But I have said my piece on that topic many times.
Oh, Bob, still lobbying for Bourdain to film an episode in Winnipeg I see… Keep it up. You may succeed if you can promise him lots and lots of martinis.
Bob, I actually had a boss, years ago, who wouldn’t miss the Winnipeg Folk Festival for anything. I believe that if you could get a copy of “My Winnipeg” to Tony or someone from Zero Point Zero, it would move Winnipeg up on his list. The film is just quirky enough and has enough cool camera work that the Zero point Zero folks might want to do an homage. And surely your food and scenery is better than Buffalo, NY.
Adele, I think you are on something! I just looked up the movie on Amazon.com for the U.S. and it’s listed, but unavailable. Maybe Bob could find a copy. It was only $14.99. Bob, if you want to e-mail me privately. I think I know a way to get it right into Tony’s hands. I think it’s worth a shot. Bob is one of Tony’s most loyal fans, surely every bit as worthy at that Nelson Starr in Buffalo.
Bob,
That’s an offer you can’t refuse!! As we all know Karen has an “in”.
You are finally wearing me down I may want to see a Winnipeg episode after all. What’s the street food like, Ice cubes on a stick ?? Just kidding!
Morgan I thought you were better than frozen ice cubes on a stick….
I shall have to see this “My Winnipeg” and see if it gives an up to date account of my town..
As for food Winnipeg has a booming food scene, its a Very Multicultural town Ukrainian,Polish,Philippine,and of course the founding French and English influences.
It is Literally in the center of the continent everything passing through Canada from East to West must pass through here!!
Burgers thick as your head smothered in Chili a Winnipeg institution called “Fat Boys”…Oh we have our street food and dive bars in spades.
Bob, this sounds like precisely a place Tony MUST visit. He has barely tapped Canada.
Bob, “My Winnipeg” certainly doesn’t have up-to-date views of Winnipeg; it’s very dark, pretty funny, and the combination of old film and film that looks old gives it an interesting visual style that I think the Zero Point Zero folks would really like. You know how they like doing homages to different movies.
P.S. I’m amazed that I was able to post the above — my computer isn’t letting me into AOL, so I can’t check my mail, but in MSN, it’s letting me put stuff on a blog. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Adele, I haven’t been having any problems with AOL e-mail lately. But I always use Firefox to work in the blog because WordPress says AOL causes problems.
I’m back in AOL, so I was able to access my mail. Given my computer’s quirks, I’m afraid to add Firefox, although I know it’s a better program. I’m thinking next month, I buy the new computer. Speaking of another shared TV passion, I’m very revved up about the premiere of Mad Men, tonight. I was going to have a 60’s dinner party to kick it off (complete with Brandy Alexanders), but some friends and I saw Julie and Julia yesterday, and then since it was a birthday, went to a French restaurant. I believe the movie may have caused us to over-order, since the thought of food has not crossed my mind, today. This restaurant, caught up in the Julie and Julia wave, is running a continuous loop of the French Chef on their TV behind the bar. I’d say enjoyable movie, with great performances by Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci, but not a memorable movie — except that I’m craving sole meuniere.
Adele, I saw Julie & Julia last week and absolutely LOVED it. Meryl Streep was amazing. And I was awed by the way they managed to make her look so much taller and bigger than Stanley Tucci. I’m sure there was a lot of standing on boxes and stacked shoes involved, but it was brilliant camera work. I even liked Julie, although many reviews are calling her a whiny bitch.
When she got her big break and the answering machine was filled with 65 messages with offers of all kinds, I couldn’t help drawing parallels to this blog and Bourdain. Will there ever be a Karen & Tony? I think not.
I don’t really like Firefox, and I’m sure it’s because I haven’t taken the time learn the ins and outs, just like with Facebook. Life’s too short. The “tabbed browsing” seems to kick in sporadically, which is annoying and makes it no better than AOL. I’ve been on AOL forever, and I still use it for my Web surfing. And the few times I’ve gotten a couple of tabs in Firefox, on closing out it asks if I want to keep them for next time. I click “yes,” and next time, they’re always gone.
AOL?? Who is NOT using google? Is AOL still around? FireFox is the bom! Can’t wait to see Jules & Julia I love Stanley Tucci!!
I’m prepping my review of Bourdain’s Medium Raw for tomorrow (8/4) and I wanted to link to my old Bourdain Quatrain. The easiest way to find it was to Google my name and “Bourdain.” I’m glad I did since I found your site. Yeah, I guess I do have a man-crush on Bourdain. I’m now moving on to his fiction. Any recommendations?
And thanks for the link. I’m adding your blog to my RSS.