NEXT
by Anthony Bourdain
Monday’s episode in Penang is, in my opinion, one of the best shot, best edited episodes ever. It helped that we were in what cinematographers call a “shot rich environment”—where it seems that everywhere you point, there are bright colors, characters, beautiful things. The food is generally thought of (even by many proud food nerds in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur) to be among the very best in the Straits— and I think you’ll see why. Penang is the kind of place that ruined me for an ordinary life.
I feel inexorably attached to Malaysia for many reasons, but one of them is that I got there early in my career as a traveler, wasn’t really ready for it, and was changed by the place. It seduced and overwhelmed me at the same time. The smells and colors and flavors—the look and sound of the place, the at times impenetrable mix of Indian, Malay and Chinese cultures—it ****ed me all up.
I tried to capture that in the first scene—a shot of a woman’s fingers, unwrapping nasi lemak from its traditional banana leaf package. That’s a particularly vivid image for me, and it’s yet another testament to the ZPZ crew that they were able to recreate it so perfectly. Scenes like this matter to me. And the ability to imagine a thing—and then see it executed brilliantly, that matters too.
It was never my intention on NO RESERVATIONS to be a reporter, a critic, an advocate. It was also never my intention to provide audiences with “everything” they needed to know about a place—or even a balanced or comprehensive overview. I am a storyteller. I go places, I come back. I tell you how the places made me feel. Through the use of powerful tools like great photography, skillful editing, sound mixing, color correction, music (which is often composed specifically for the purpose) and brilliant producers, I can—in the very best cases—make you feel a little bit like I did at the time. At least I hope so. It’s a manipulative process. It’s also a deeply satisfying one.
As you may or may not have heard, at a point in the not too far away future, the Zero Point Zero team and I will be moving on to do what we do elsewhere. We recently filmed the last shot of our last episode. That means you’ve got 9 new episodes of NO RESERVATIONS still yet to be edited, or waiting in the pipeline to be aired. We have yet to shoot 10 new episodes of THE LAYOVER, which we’ll do this June and July. After that, I’m planning on taking my first extended break in eight years. A “normal” family vacation—where I plan to putter to excess, dote on my daughter—and do what people are said to do on vacation. Also, I’ll be writing a book.
Rest assured that whatever ZPZ and I do in the future, we will not be dumbing it down, we will not change our basic natures, we will not be morphing into something we are not. We will continue to do what we do. And have a hell of a good time doing it.
Being a frequent visitor to Penang I have to say the show was very well done. I too have had run-ins with monkeys on Monkey Beach and share Tony's fondness of our primate cousins. I could almost taste that nasi kandar at the end. And it's funny. EVERYONE says it's the perfect food after a night of drinking.
I hope CNN will give your team the freedom it deserves. Wish you all a great holiday.
I am a Penangite living in the USA and I was giddy with excitement when my sister in LA told about your segment covering Penang. I saw your episode with my husband and he loved it…accurate storytelling about the people and the endless food fetish on the tiny island I still call home!
The D's from Houston.
Great coverage on Penang! Brought me back to memories' lane. Was born in Penang, Love Lane Street, now living in MI. My favorites are the char kway teow and laksa, uniquely Penang, cannot be duplicated any everywhere else!
Penang was one of your best episodes. I could tell you enjoyed it from the tweets you sent while filming (along with the crew tweets including drinknig your hotel beer) even before the episode aired.
I hope the move to CNN is a springboard for greater creativity for you and ZPZ. Wish I had been able to catch your speaking tour in KC (had bought tickets) but I could not make the re-scheduled date. Hope you will get out on the road in some form around speaking or a book tour.
Wonder what a traveling man does for a family vacation? Going to Disney? Maybe you should do a show on food options at Disney World (just kidding). Look forward to the last episodes of No Reservations and The Layover. I used some of your Layover advice during my recent London trip. Thanks for two outstanding shows.
In Brazil, by 2 times, Anthony says MINAS GERAIS is a POOR STATE.
It´s no true.
Maybe in a next trip to Brazil, make a tour in Minas.
Just for explain, Minas is another country inside Brazil.
Best cheeses, best foods, best Cachaça and nice people.
Where there are a restaurant named COLESTEROL????
Be my guest.
Eduardo
yo this whole time I thought you were kidding about the 'ramen girl' thing
..i just found out you were in fact, serious…yet, I am laughing
thanks again love the show
Enjoy your vacation and putter and love your family. You've given enough pleasure to us to sustain us for a little layover, Tony. I'm watching the first season again on Netflix and loving it just as much as the first time. Amazing how the show morphed over the years.. We still love the bad boy and share your sadness in the loss of a beloved Ramone.
What you do is difficult and you make it look fun. We know better. However, you've opened the hearts, minds and gastronomical inspirations of millions of fans.
Thank you.
Cindy
Thanks, Tony, for giving me a hankering for Malaysian food last night. I've never had it, but our ever-growing "Chinatown" (check it out if you ever return to Vegas) should have something good.
Like Bee said, huge honour to have you in Penang. I am kicking myself for not being there when you were there, not in Sydney either when you came down and missing your show again in Melbourne. I did asked Miss Hua to grab anything of yours as souvenir for me ….bahahahahah… yes I am a freak but but but but I love you …. will miss you in Travel channel but CNN ay, wow… new beginnings… Giddy up!
I recorded this and am watching it now. Love your show but I have to disagree with Helen when she said that you cannot do a good chow kway teow at home. I make awesome char kway teow in Boston!!!
The cinematography of the Penang show was spectacular — you and ZPZ are justifiably proud. For almost 6 years, No Reservations has taken me places that I'll never visit and given new depth to places I've been. I hope your new home at CNN is a welcoming one and that you have free rein to do the kind of shows I've come to love.
You and Nigella on ABC — a combination that has potential to be very interesting. But how, despite your best efforts, will you bring something fresh to the cooking competition genre? I fear you'll chafe at the constraints of network television. On the other hand, for you personally, to be able to cut back on travel and still earn really good money must be an excellent thing. Good news for Ariane and Ottavia as well.
Enjoy a real vacation; putter to your heart's content, and work on that book. Your fiction can only be richer for your travel.
suggest you visit us in London/Sussex and visit Michel Roux. I have never had such an amazing fish course. Also I have been to a £5 meal at the Vietnam Grill in East London ! Anthony, we do festivals and really amazing gigs, Fanchy it?xx
i'm a fan for many years and enjoyed the Penang episode, as I do in most of them. One thing I would to point out, if anyone missed it, that the lady host of the house he had lunch at, called Tony a "dumb chicken" in chinese when praising her on her cooking. I just thought that was funny.
Lol. I think it's not meant seriously. The lady host looks really uncomfortable from the praise and that's her way of expressing it in a humorous way. Most Chinese people do that when they are being praised and when they are uncomfortable. But, they only do that to people they consider close e.g. family and close friends so as not to be taken literally. So chill your heels and don't think they are insulting Tony. In fact, they are treating him like one of their own to criticize him in a humorous manner. So, it's a compliment
Mr. Bourdain, is there anyway I can conduct an interview with you? I am a really big fan of your work and it is for a class I am taking.
So glad to hear you and your family are going to take some time to just…. be….so important. I saw you on one of the late night talk shows last night talking about the launch of your graphic novel. I didn't know you were a comic nerd! Cool! I raised one of those, as a matter of fact he has his own comic store here in San Diego, he works his butt off six days a week, to support his wife and my cool little granddaughter in this store. If you guys are ever in San Diego you might have fun checking him out. He's a damn fine cook too! (ha ha! I taught him). Anyway, here's his website if you are ever down this way. http://crazyfreds.com/
Mr. Bourdain,
I just attended your VIP meet and greet today June 9, 2012 in Brooklyn, NY. I flew in from California to see your show and I am very very disappointed I never got a picture with you nor did I get an autograph on my 2 books that I brought from California. The hostesses at the venue said that you left early while I was waiting in line. I am extremely sad and I hope this message reaches you. =( Thank you.
Hi Mr.Bourdain,
Glad to hear you are taking a break for your family and yourself, especially for your daughter they grow up fast and you can never get those years back.
I am surprised you have never hosted a show in Dominica Commonwealth, an island between Martinique and Guadloupe very beautiful exotic referred to as the nature island. . Many have said if Columbus were to revisit Dominica, he would recognize it because nothing much has changed. It has One of the best diving locations in the world. Beautiful rain forests and breath taking sites.
Another country is Barbados beautiful beaches, delicious cuisine.
There are so many interesting and beautiful islands to visit through out the Caribbean I hope you visit more of them before you take that break.
It would be nice to see the homelands of my parents on television.
Greatings Chef Bourdain,
I have just started folowing your TV series No Reservations, so I hevent seen all of the episodes so far. I think it is a great show. There is a strange thing I noticed. You were in Austria and you were facinated by Croatia.
How come you missed that small country in between. It is the country on the sunny side of the Alps. It is where the coulinary arts of Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia come together in a unique, centuries long tradition.
Chef Bourdain I invite you to visit Slovenia!
Best regards, Andrej.
Sounds like an amazing experience. I have been traveling for over a year now and the more places I go and the more people I meet, the longer my list of places to see grows. I am now in Mexico, about to move on to Thailand in the fall after bumming around Europe for a while. I will now have to check out Penang.
Happy Father's Day!
In all of your visits to Montreal, I don't recall you ever visiting DicAnn's for their unique flat spicy burgers that need to be lifted off the plate with a popsicle stick. I hope you will visit again and go to DicAnn's because it's definitely worth it and very unique and tasty.
Oh yeah, I forgot. For a great Banh Mi in Montreal, go to Cafe Saigon and try the shredded chicken Banh Mi and get it toasted.
For a period of time, he can be entertaining. But his cynicism morphs into insults too easily. In the episode when he visited Tuscany and he cooked for two locals, he met his comeuppance. He made spaghetti carbonara with meatballs, which the locals hated. Why? He disrespected tradition – carbonara does not come with meatballs. He was hurt, I think, by their disgust. It's one thing to call a spade a spade and eschew Samantha Brown's style of uber perkiness, it's another to dilute the travel experience with acid disdain ekeing in between nicotine-stained smirks. Besides, locals usually have a pride in their surroundings and their culture – I see no point in the project of disabuse. And yes, let us not forget the mediocrity of his career at Les Halles as a corrective to the bad boy hauteur.
Read more: http://blogcritics.org/video/article/tv-review-no…
dude.chill
youre an idiot. they hated it because it was all scripted…loser get a life
oh yea. and the female tuscany local is his wife…feel like an idiot again?
WE LOVED that episode. So lovely.
Dear Tony-
A couple of years ago my son turned me on to your show and I thoroughly enjoy it and try to watch often. I have to say though that one of the first things that I noticed was my son’s behavioral, linguistic and physical similarities with you. I mentioned my observation to my daughter-in-law and she fully agrees. Yes, I know; you are not his biological dad! But my son exhibits the same elegance, endearing heart, honest but sometimes scathing commentary that you do, plus you both look somewhat alike. We are originally New Yorkers (his dad hails from Ozone Park and me from Bay Ridge) and my son is a mix of Lebanese, Sicilian, Irish, German and I think a little French. If you are ever in the Denver area, you would be in for a treat if you connected with my son as the two of you would have a heck of a conversation.
Be well. Continued success to you and yours and Happy Father’s Day!
Oh by the way – it is so difficult to find a re-run of your coverage of Rome on No Reservations. Even Netflix does not have it – what gives? I was only able to see the very few moments of the show before I had to leave the house and have never been able to catch it again. Any hints would be appreciated. Thanks.
Dear Tony, next time you come to Japan, stop by Kyoto and I will show you some places from the gaijin point of view. You should try some of the Kansai region finest stuff that goes unappreciated by the general public, such as okonomiayaki (an egg based dough fried with vegetables and meat) takoyaki (dough balls of octopus) and other good stuff around. We can drink alive fishes on sake.
I also wanna pay you a beer, I enjoying your books very much.
All the best.
Alex
from Brazil, in Japan