I’m not sure when the fetishization of food began, a place in our culture where watching others cook and especially eat became a thing. I found an article that does a good job of capturing the hoopla around food. It’s especially fitting given the death of Anthony Bourdain, who the writer called “the Elvis of bad boy chefs.”
I watched Bourdain’s various shows on Travel Channel over the years, especially “No Reservations.” He was an interesting dude. I always thought I’d enjoy meeting him. I loved the time he was hanging in the desert with his buddy, Josh Homme, of Queens of the Stone Age.
Bourdain’s programs and writing were much more than food. Like how he captured what made Joshua Tree and the dessert something otherworldly. I know, I was there a year ago, and it is unlike any other place I’ve ever been. I could have easily have run into Homme (or Bourdain) while we were out there. If you’ve never read, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, you should.
There are many similarities between playing music and the industrial athleticism of cooking. The latter is probably tougher, with opportunities for all-too-few to “star” like Bourdain and others got to. It’s probably why a lot of musicians work in kitchens.
Bourdain’s death will be talked about, no doubt. It should be. I think it speaks to something larger in America, but I’ll let you decide.
I thought Jeffrey Davison’s tribute of sorts to Bourdain was spot on this morning on his “Shrunken Planet” program on WFMU. Davison worked in a kitchen for 20 years and he captured Bourdain’s importance and why his death (and any death) matters.