“His continuing compulsion to wonder what’s wrong with everybody else was both source of entertainment and the only position of conscience a man could take.”

Also be sure to check out Bourdain’s Cleveland episode of No Reservations that features Harvey Pekar and his friends rather heavily. It is one of my all-time faves.

No Reservations Australia was about food. Not necessarily Australian food either. More like food that happened to be made in Australia. Like so many other places on this planet, globalization is in full effect in Melbourne, Australia. The food is heavily influenced, if not outright made and served by, people from other cultures around the world. This episode, rather than focusing on the Australia we all think we know (shrimp on a barbie, Aborigines eating bats in the outback, and kangaroos) it focused on the side of Australia we probably never knew was there. I blame Crocodile Dundee for my skewed view of Australia.

I suppose Tony’s little black book being chocked full of amazing chefs all over the world helps – since we undoubtedly saw a side of Melbourne cuisine that most of us probably couldn’t afford. But I’m ok with that. No Reservations is the world through Tony’s eyes – not mine. Through Tony’s contacts, budget, and experience – not mine. And every single week I look forward to that… whether or not it depicts an experience that I could ever have or not.

I decided to make something a little different for this episode. Yes, I made shrimp but I decided to add a little bit of an Italian flare (read: make my own basic tomato sauce and throw it over pasta). There was no indication that Italy has had any real effect on the food in Melbourne, Australia in this episode (although I’m sure it has)… but there was a lot of showing many other areas that obviously have had a huge impact. British, Lebanese, and Sichuan influences were highlighted the most. I need some Sichuan food at my next opportunity.

When No Reservations focuses on food everything else seems to fall into place.

What better way to cap off an otherwise crappy day? Tune into the Travel Channel and be whisked away by Anthony Bourdain to someplace you’ve probably never been, learn facts about that place that you’ve probably never known, and watch him experience peoples and foods that you’ve probably never experienced yourself.

The opening few minutes of No Reservations – Chile, for me, weren’t that great. I’ve watched the episode twice now and I still think the beginning could have used a punch up in the first few minutes somehow. That being said, the rest of the episode was fantastic.

I don’t know about you, but every time I watch No Reservations I end up drooling, stomach making gurgling sounds, ever wanting a dish of whatever Tony is eating. Not this time. This time my lovely wife Eliza whipped up some empanadas for us to enjoy. We were both surprised when empanadas were not in this episode… but wait – they were. One of the missing scenes was mouthwatering empanadas. We had ours baked not fried as Tony does. I don’t know how Tony isn’t 300lbs.

Patagonia. I think the No Reservations crew are using some new lenses this year because, while Patagonia looks like one of the most beautiful coastal areas on the planet, it looked altogether real or three-dimensional on my HD TV. I could smell the seawater. Whatever lenses you’re using – keep it up. Chile is one of the most gorgeous episodes to date (Venice is high up on this list).

Twice during this episode Tony remarked how he could see himself somehow delegating the job of host to someone else. He jested that he’d just like to sit back, relax, and enjoy his food without “worrying about the cameras”. He has to be kidding right? Although I believe he’s a hard working man, a man that does his job well, puts a lot of effort into making what could be just a good show a great one – I also believe he really loves his job. But, if he wants to experiment a little – I’m available for a trip or two. There are several places on earth I’m dying to get to, to explore, to enjoy, to photograph, to eat.

I bet with Tony’s job I’d come to love Mondays.

Next up: Australia. Having had kangaroo I’m looking forward to Tony’s take on what I think is some of the best meat in the world.

To say that I’m excited, wouldn’t be enough. You all know where I will be on Monday. Sitting on my couch, mouth gaping, a warm pool of drool at my feet, staring at my television – listening to the snarkiest man alive – Anthony Bourdain – talk about meat, fat, butter, and probably cheese in Chile.

That’s an evening of entertainment friends.

For the past several weeks we’ve been interviewing for various positions at Viddler. We’ve gone through several resumes, conducted a few interviews, probed referrals for information about the interviewees, sent follow-up questions, and generally debated the fate of our would-be potential new team members for what seems like weeks. This is an interesting process on both sides of the table. I’ve been on the other side of the table more times than I care to recount, but it really is an interesting process to pour over one’s career (or lack thereof) to somehow build an opinion of someone.

It is somewhat disingenious to be sure. We could never really, really get to know this person based on a one-page document that they probably threw together the night before their interview. “Experiences? Why yes, I have those! X, Y, and Z. I’m familiar with them.” Seldom do resumes reveal the extent of that familiarity. Did the person take the time to prioritize the things they are experienced in based on the amount of time they’ve spent with them? Or, did they list them in order of the supposed importance for the job at hand? Or, did they write down anything they thought might be good to know for the job? No one can be sure – really – at least for the first few weeks they are on the job.

Then there is the entire struggle to really get to know who someone is. To peel away the nerves, the front they are showing in order to impress us, the bullet points on the resume, and the clothes they wore to the interview to reveal who the person is after they’ve known us for a few years. Do they like to cook? Have they traveled? Do they want to? What do they think about family? Religion? The state of the economy? Are they really a morning person or are they just saying that they are? Time, it seems, is the only tool that can be used to find out the answers to these questions.

Sorry. I’m ranting. That isn’t what this post was supposed to be about.

I wanted to review Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I just finished it the other day. The book reminded me of this process. Kitchen Confidential, it could be said, is the resume of Anthony Bourdain – a New York City chef that has 30+ years experience working in what he calls “The under belly”. The book begins with his first experience eating a raw oyster in French waters when he was just 9 years old. That one, raw, delicious oyster changed his entire life. I’m guessing it would be the first bullet point on his resume.

But this book serves as something much better than a resume. Resumes are cold, factual, and do not leave room for too much expression. The “story”, if there is really a story in this book, is revealed to us in a rather haphazard way. He bounces around through his career to slowly describe who he is through what he experienced. Want to know his thoughts on meat? You’ll slowly begin to draw that picture based on several experiences he had at many of his jobs. Tip: Don’t ask for your meat to be well done. Want to know when to order seafood? Learn from the guy who buys the stuff in the hundreds of pounds. Hint: Not on Monday or Tuesday. What about his thoughts about personal work ethic? Immigrant labor? Race? Gender? Or even about who should or should definitely not own a restaurant? You’ll need to read the entire book to find out.

I’m not sure what I find fascinating about Anthony Bourdain other than his style of thought. It is obvious, when he’s given the opportunity, that he chooses his words fairly carefully. I suppose I see an older version of myself somewhere in there. Someone who notices the little things, enjoys the fine things, can only afford the not-so-fine things, and yet has the privilege to once and a while dip my hand into the “fine things cookie jar”. A self-reflective kinda dude. It could be that I would love to have his job (not the chef bit, but the traveling eater raconteur bit). Either way, I’m enjoying my attempt to glean as much experience vicariously through Anthony Bourdain as I can. His show, his books, his blog are all my tools in building my own food, travel, and writing resume without the expense.

Kitchen Confidential, for some one that even remotely enjoys food, the restraunt business, or interesting people, is an essential addition to the book shelf. It has inspired me to continue to do what I love, to be willing to have my mind madeover later in life when my ideals are proven incorrect, to learn as much as I can from every single job that I do in order to make the next one better, to build a list of hard working people that I wouldn’t mind working with again in the future, and to eat weird in hope of epiphany.

New York is easily one of my favorite cities. The last time I was there I had the privilege of eating some really delicious Thai food, drink at an authentic Irish Pub, and scarf down 4,000 calories worth of White House burgers. Where else can you do that?

The Thai food that we had was at Thai Basil on 9th Ave. and W. 56th St. Thai Basil is, or rather was, what seems to be, a repurposed hallway or stairwell turned restraurant with a few small tables. The decor is clean, simple, and in typical asian style. The service was proper, prompt, and delicate.

Chris and Jon had either never had, or seldom had, Thai food before that day. So we were all in for a treat. Chris got squid and something curried. I can’t even remember, now, what I got. But it was delicious. Although 9th Ave. between West 54th and 56th streets is riddled with what I am sure is excellent Thai food restaurants – I can recommend Thai Basil on Manhattan.

The Irish Pub (which could have been either McGee’s on W. 55th or Connolly’s on E. 47th or maybe even a different pub altogether) all I know is that we walked, and walked, and walked before we stopped here for a couple of appetizers and some beer. Speaking of beer Jon had some sort of light beer. I had to fight off the entire staff to keep them from throwing Jon out by his neck and belt loop. While I was wrestling with the barkeep – I managed to scarf down a bunch of stuff mushrooms. Shhh, do you hear that? Ireland is absolutely screaming for Eliza and I to visit.

And the day was just getting started.

We had a lot more walking to do this day. You see, we’re not from New York City and so this is sort of a novel thing. Walking. Everywhere. To the library (which was closed). To another library (which was lame). To the pub, to a restaurant, through Times Square, back to our hotel, to the parking garage, back to the hotel, and ultimately – late at night – to White Castle.

I know what you might be thinking. Isn’t this post supposed to be about No Reservations? Anthony Bourdain’s show about traveling the world and eating some of the best food ever made by human hands? Yes. But if I know Tony. He digs a late night White Castle burger binge. So, off we went. Twelve blocks to the nearest White Castle. No problem. We had already walked miles and miles that day – why not a few more footsteps? We all ordered the exact same meal. Ten burgers and two fries. We ended up giving some of the food to a beggar sitting outside of White Castle (smart man). But most of us finished our double-portions of the greesy, grimey, and some would say disgusting little burgers that leave a wet spot on any table you set them on. I was sick.

In case you didn’t know the sign that you had a successful visit to White Castle is if you leave feeling like you want to puke.

Overall we had a very good time in New York. I always do. That is why I enjoyed seeing a different side of New York than the one I typically get to see in the latest episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Tony’s side. In this week’s episode Anthony shows us a portion of New York City that is slowly disappearing, being replaced, rebuilt, torn down, or put up for sale. Sad? Maybe for people like Tony who grew up in and around New York and have a history there. But for those of us that come into the city on occasion to soak up some of the city life, the culture, the food, the architecture, the noises, and again the food – New York is always changing. Always disappearing, being rebuilt, replaced, torn down, or being sold. It is what makes New York, New York.

Photo credit: Jon Christopher.

I have a confession to make. I only watched the first twenty-five minutes of No Reservations - Philippines on Monday. Why? Because I was tired after playing many hours of basketball. Why else? Because I didn’t think the episode was any good. So I shut it off. Went to bed. And awoke the next morning thinking that my review of the episode was never going to happen.

That changed today when I decided to give the episode another shot. You see, I have never seen an episode of No Reservations that I didn’t even want to finish. I have never turned one off and then never resumed playing it later. Never. So, with notebook and pen in hand I rewatched the entire episode to see what I may have missed.

Turns out I was right. Well, about the first twenty-five minutes anyway. The beginning of the Philippines episode was, well, pretty dull. The guy in the beginning, while passionate about his country’s cuisine, wasn’t bringing any thunder (as my friend Gary likes to put it). It wasn’t until he took Tony to a Dampa, a market where you buy fresh ingredients and have the opportunity to have them cooked for you on the spot, that the episode really began to gain some momentum.

After I poured over every detail of this episode, I was able to extract the really great tidbits (in my opinion) that made the last half of the episode very good. Here are a few lists I’ve made as a result of this episode.

Things I must eat

• I want to “adobo” something. After doing a little research, it turns out that adobo simply means to marinate something. However, in the Philippines, it is meant as a particular kind of marinade – though used as a cooking agent. Confused yet? It is pretty simple. When something is “adobo” in the Philippines it means that it was cooked with soy, garlic, pepper corns, and onion.  I can do that. And I plan on doing it.
• I must have sisig. You know, the dish that Tony had that was all pig head parts, cooked and then chopped up, and served on a hot plate, sizzling over a little bit of butter to make the underside get nice and crunchy? To me this was the “best dish” of the episode. I don’t know how or where, but I’m going to have sisig.
• Milk fish. I don’t know why but this fish was instantly added to my “must eat” list. Cooked in vinegar? I’m in.
• Ox tail. I’ve had ox tail, in my younger years, but it was in a soup and as I recall not all that tasty. I’d love to try it the way they had it prepared in the episode – though very little information was given about this dish. Bummer.
• Lechon. Roast pig cheek. Need I say more?

There were other foods in this episode that would be worthy of exploring for sure (the coconut milk crab or stuffed crab back come to mind) but I have had these dishes before. And I will someday again. Why isn’t there more than three meals per day? Why do calories exist? I ask myself these questions all the time.

Here is another list that I made during the episode.

Things I’d like to do

• Buy and eat at a Dampa. I don’t know if any exist in the United States let alone in my rural area of Pennsylvania. But being able to buy fresh meat, fish, and vegetables from a market and then having them cooked for you immediately sounds like something any foodie must do.
• Cook up some of these Filipino dishes myself. I mentioned that I’m going to adobo something. I’d also like to try my hand at making the stuff crab back and the tomato salad with fried squid. Also the fern salad.
• I must find a batuan. Tony called it something else (Coloman seed?, no idea. I couldn’t hear him clearly. I think No Reservations needs subtitles or show notes or something.) but it was the small green fruit that was sour in the beginning of the episode. They use it to make their dishes a little bit sour. I’d like to try that.

So even though this episode of No Reservations took thirty minutes to get off the ground, I really enjoyed watching it the second time around. I can’t quite sympathize with Augusto’s cultural identity crisis (well, maybe I can, I am Dutch after all) but I thought it was a good way to explain why Filipino dishes aren’t more prevalent here in the United States. No where near as good as the food porn special, but probably better than my least favorite episode. But that is a post for another time.

We all have our obsessions. Wine. TV. Guinness on draught. The Internet. Photography. Traveling. Religion. Books. Anything composed or performed by Jack White. LOST. Art. Wall calendars. Star Wars. The warm underbelly of our cats. It doesn’t matter what it is that you obsess over, what haunts your dreams, what you put down in your journal every single day, or what all of your friends know they can get you as a gift and you’ll be relatively happy – if you ever view this obsession at a distance… that’s porn.

Oxford’s Dictionary sums it up thusly: “television programs, books, etc., regarded as catering to a voyeuristic or obsessive interest in a specified subject”. In other words; stuff relating to the stuff you love.

That is exactly what Monday’s episode of No Reservations was all about. Talking about, thinking about, preparing, and watching someone eat something that either you’ll never get the chance to eat (the still alive abalone comes to mind), probably wouldn’t have laying around the house (remember the sea urchin roe?), or just food that you absolutely love (remember, they opened with carnitas, mmm carnitas). I loved this episode. Tony’s profuse use of the “F” word should probably be a gauge, from here on out, of how delicious and over-the-top each dish on No Reservations actually is. Did you see this dessert? When it arrived Tony just could help himself. I think he crapped in his pants. No, really, ask him. I bet he did.

The main message of this episode, and it was certainly not a hidden one, was that America is absolutely obsessed with Food Porn. Countless television programs are dedicated to food. Making it. Eating it. Traveling to the corners of the earth to find the most disgusting varieties of it. The manufacturing of it in bulk. The distribution of it. And challenging those who aspire to be great at preparing it. Twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Endless streams of TV-PG Food Porn. Tony made an excellent point… many people are watching great food being made and eaten but they aren’t doing it themselves. Ahem, Tony – check out Eat Weird. Revolution! Perhaps we should all strive to do a little more doing and a little less watching. Well, watching isn’t bad – but not doing isn’t good.

What kind of food to you obsess over? Greasy meat? Beer? Fresh, delicate sushi? A vegetable medley? Anything with bacon? Wine? Spicy food? Simple, elegant, nearly perfectly presented hors d’oeuvres? Maybe you’re into desserts? Tapas from your local bar?  A seven year old, oak barrel fermented, scotch whiskey from a small glen in Scotland? All of the above!

If you haven’t yet had the chance to catch this week’s episode of No Reservations you can check out the schedule to see when it airs again in your local area. Note: Eat before you watch this episode, otherwise you’ll find yourself scouring your kitchen cupboards for anything that is bad for you. Oh, and be sure to check out the photo journal, behind the scenes photos, and blog post by Anthony Bourdain. All are worth a look this week.

The opening sequence comparing the states of mind of areas like Los Angeles to the fact that Chicago is a city, is interesting.  I’m now wondering what that means exactly.

Duck fat fries? I must try some!

Deep dish pizza. That is why I thought Chicago was known for pizza.

Tony rented a Cadillac.

So is this guy the guy that came in second to last year’s Saudi Arabia winner? I think it is.

Wow. That is a lot of tamale to make by hand. 39,000 a week!

Ok, here we go. The Mother In Law. Ooo, the mighty dog might even look better.

“A root beer gone wrong.” Great quote. But they didn’t say exactly what it was!

The Might Dog. A tamale and a hot dog. (this reminds me how much I miss Hawaii’s puka dog)

I don’t mind deep dish pizza as much as Tony. I’m open for anything. Then again, I’m not from New York.

Wow. Look at that pizza. That is a lot of food.

See, the chick gets it: The point of Chicago’s deep dish pizza is that “It is giant and filling.”

Haha. Tony is being difficult. But he is usually reformed by food. Lets see if it happens again.

Wow. Those people were big.

A plate sized slice of pizza. Sign me up.

Eating pizza with a fork.  ”I get it.” Immediately reformed. Food is Tony’s Achilles heel.

“Some people are in business for money. Thats the wrong way.”

I am guessing that is not really roadkill. It is probably the name of the dish he creates. We’ll see after the break.

A food blogger. Tony is usually not a fan of food bloggers.

I love smoked things. Though I can’t remember ever having any other fish besides salmon smoked. On my to do list.

I really need to find a job where I can buy as much food as I can possibly eat.

Wow. That is a lot of fish. Meaning big pieces. I wonder how much that stuff costs.

“Efficient mass transit.”  Chicago people, do you agree?

Note: So far, zero mentions of Oprah = zero shots.  I think if Tony goes the entire night without talking about Oprah, I will do a shot to commemorate that!

An edible menu?  Now THAT is eco friendly.

“Do you ever want to eat roadkill?” Me: Yes.

An edible cigar from an ash tray?  With ashes? Thats great. At least this guy is making food incredibly fun.  Still not too many tasting notes from Tony on how good this stuff is.

Tony was on the radio in Chicago? Must find audio. Mancow Muller.

I have never seen Tony eating dog sh*t. But I have seen him eat the Boar intestine. Which was gross and according to his blog took two weeks to recover from. It is one of the only meals I’ve seen him eat that I have not desired to have myself.

I think Tony’s only ambition in life is debunking stereotypes. Mancow is a good guy!

Whoa. North side and South side… “education”. I like that Tony pointed out that these were generalities.

Here comes the egg slut line.

There it is. Oh, and I want one of those sandwiches. Yesterday.

Three Ss. “Sex, Sinatra, and your sandwich”

I am not usually into the fancy schmancy type of food presentation. But this guy’s presentations look like they are specifically thought out based on the food he’s preparing.

Wow. Have you ever heard Tony’s voice that low before?

Did you see how good that swordfish looked?

What is torro? Must research.

“Chicago has, hands down, a better hot dog than New York City.”  I don’t know Tony, I’ve had some incredible hot dogs in NYC.

A pickel on top? Eliza would love that.

I saw the Foie Gras dog. I want one.

Making a list of places to eat on my way through Chicago the next time I’m there: Hot Doug’s is number two, while the first is the egg slut sandwich place.

Perhaps I should add “The publican” to that list.  ”Oysters, Pork, and Beer. The holy trinity.”

Ham cooked in hay? Is that what he said?

I hope all of these ideas these guys are throwing out there end up sticking with their new restaurant rather than business getting in the way. We shall see.  I have a feeling most every restraunt opened by chefs are created this way.

Chicago was a fair episode. Not my favorite – but definitely made me incredibly hungry.  Chicago appears to have my own taste in food. Simple and lots of it.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Though I can count, on one hand, the number of times I’ve been to Chicago – I know that I don’t particularly care for the city. It may have to do with the bad experiences I had there – I mean, I did see a few million dollars slip through my fingers during a trip to Chicago, but that is a story for another time – or it may just be that I’ve really never seen the city in the right light.

Being the half-way point on a drive between Pennsylvania and South Dakota, where some of my family have lived for years, I have gone through Chicago in a car, a bus, and over it in an airplane. So far I’ve preferred the airplane.

The only food I’ve ever eaten in Chicago was delivered by room service at a not-so-great hotel. Oh, wait – there was that danish I had from the vending machine at the bus station on West Harrison Street. So, in all honesty and fairness, I have absolutely no idea what Chicago has to offer me in the food department. Which is probably why I’m, again, looking forward to tonight’s episode of No Reservations – Chicago.

Here are five questions that I hope are answered during this episode. And, if they are – I’ll update this post as they happen.

1. What food is Chicago famous for?
2. Will Tony mention anything about the Mob?
3. Isn’t pizza big in Chicago?
4. Why on earth did Tony choose Chicago?
5. Any mention of Oprah will warrant a shot of whiskey.

Ok, so that last one wasn’t a question at all. But – now I’m hoping he mentions Oprah at every single opportunity.  Do you have any questions about Chicago that you’d like to see answered in tonight’s episode? Or, perhaps you’d like to add more shot rules?

PS. I did see on Tony’s blog that he mentions the “mother-in-law” sandwich. My interest is piqued.

THE AZORES

Being on an island is somewhat of a unique experience. Most of the places I’ve traveled have all had a cultural impact that slowly spiraled out from its epicenter. On an island, however, it always seems like the aftershocks go in the opposite direction — from the outside, in. The ways and influence of the ocean affecting nearly every aspect of life inland. Everything from decor to clothing, from music to art, from sport to food. Nothing goes untouched. Everything smells of seawater.

You also feel like you are in a place like no where else on earth. Birds, insects, and plant life – whether they truly are or not – all feel endemic. And some actually are. The realization that you may be looking at a species of finch that, while being one of the most pleasant displays of tan and orange you’ve ever seen in your life, do not exist anywhere else on our planet is, in a word, sobering.

Weather, too, has its own idiosyncrasies. It seems like islands are a microcosm of the weather you get on a large continent. Rain, wind, sunshine, snow (!), volcanic ash as fog (better known as vog), gloom, cloudy – seem like they are all happening at the same time, within the same span of only a few hundred square miles. Standing on the seashore with your feet dug in a few inches into the sand while you’re watching a thunderstorm beat down the rainforest on the tops of a mountain range is, in and of itself, a unique experience.

This week on No Reservations Anthony Bourdain visits The Azores, a Portugese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Whatever Tony experiences – I’ll bet it will be unique.

WASHINGTON, DC.

Stereotypes are made to be broken. That is the saying, isn’t it? Maybe it isn’t, but it should be. I try to live my life in a way that ignores conventional wisdom, bucks the status quo, and defies the general rule.

I’m no rebel. I could never pull off the leather jacket. But I don’t mind discovering things for myself rather than only basing my opinions on the knowledge of others. I think Eat Weird, the online video show that my friend Chris Fehnel has allowed me to help out with, is a great example of how stereotypes are meant to be broken. Do you think that eating a Kangaroo is bit, well, weird? I don’t. I think it is some of the best food I’ve eating in my 28 years of living. Think it odd to suck on a pig’s foot? Chris doesn’t. He enjoys the darker parts. Just because you’ve grown up thinking one way doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go against the grain to try to prove it wrong.

Jumping off a tall bridge and onto a hard surface will, from all of my experiences with slightly lower-heights, hurt. This is true and will probably always remain true. Not a trend I recommend bucking.

What about movies? The movie you thought about renting this weekend only got a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes? OH NO! What are you going to do? Critics hated it, surely you will too!! You know what? Rent it. You might like it. If you’re like Chris and I, you’ll actually look for the most poorly reviewed movies ever made… rent them… grab a few beers… and watch them. Like I’ve said so many times before; ‘You have to eat a few bad steaks to know what a good one tastes like.’

What about places you’d like to travel? Do you base your vacation destinations on what Anthony Bourdain refers to as “the hotel channel” in his book Kitchen Confidential? Even he would be the first to tell you not to listen to his suggestions, to pave your own path, disregarding everything you’ve ever heard about a place, and just soak it in for yourself.

Tonight, in the third episode of season five of No Reservations, Tony and his team travel to Washington, DC. I don’t know about you but when I think of Washington, DC. I don’t think of food. I think of the Capital Building, the White House, politics, museums, monuments, rows and rows of the victims of war — anything but food. I’m looking forward to seeing this stereotype of Washington, DC., an area no more than 6 hours drive from my front door step, being broken, smashed, and obliterated as No Reservations shows us a different side of the nation’s capital. The good food side.

Photo courtesy of The Travel Channel.

Venice, Italy.

Considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world it is also one of the more geographically unique. Made up of over 100 islands at the northern tip of the Adriatic Sea, the city of Venice is connected to the mainland by a single, four lane bridge called Ponte della Libertà (The Freedom Bridge).

Anyone that has ever visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina will have a good idea of what this area is like. Except that, instead of randomly placed and colored vacation homes being the main architecture, centuries-old half-submerged buildings that are built on top of now-petrified wood piles that were cut from forests in Slovenia are the main stay.

You have two options for transportation in the city of Venice. By foot or by water. Venice is almost entirely “car-less”. The most famous form of transportation in Venice is the romantic gondola. Although it is said that now most Venetians travel by water-bus.

I have never been to Venice. I see news of their yearly flooding come up from time-to-time and there are fantastic photos from this past year’s Adriatic tide. And I’ve done a little bit of research through the power of Wikipedia for when I do travel there.

Figs.

In some lands figs are considered objects of worship. In others, no more than bat food. The oldest living plant, with a known planting date, is a Ficus tree (fig tree). It was planted in Sri Lanka by King Tissa in 288 BC. Side note: An upcoming fifth season episode of No Reservations will be in Sri Lanka, though I doubt this fig tree will be mentioned. Bummer.

According to The Worlds Healthiest Foods a fig’s unique taste are “lusciously sweet with a texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds”. Oh, and they are also a very healthy food.

I have never had a fig. I’ve always wanted to but for the life of me I can not remember ever having one. Jotting it down on my to do list now.

So that is why I’m excited for tonight’s episode of No Reservations from Venice, Italy. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the unique geographic traits of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, as well as learning more about the unique tastes of figs.

Just prior to each episode Anthony Bourdain and his No Reservations crew publish a blog post and a photo journal. The Season 5 premier is no different.

One thing I didn’t realize about this season premier is that the guide for this episode, pictured in the green shirt, is the same chef that took over for Bourdain when he left the New York restaurant. I’m looking forward to tonight!

Here too is the photo journal for No Reservations: Mexico.

Source: Anthony Bourdain blog.
Photos: Mexico Photo Journal. 

PS. Don’t miss my piece for this week called Down south.

As 2009 begins many reflect on what has happened this past year. I’ve read many reflections, updates from last year’s resolutions, countless thoughts on World events, and some have jotted down a list of the places that they traveled to in 2008.

I had the privilege of traveling to many places inside of the United States over the last year. Something that I always find fascinating is that, even though I didn’t leave the country, I have experienced many different cultures. Every city I’ve been to felt very much American yet each had their own history, traditions, and of course food woven into their cultural tapestries.

Being that I’ve lived on the east coast of North America, both northern and southern, for my entire life no other city “feels like America” to me more than New York City. Whenever I travel I feel as though New York City is my barometer for how much a particular area “feels like America” to me. I expect those of you from other parts of the country can relate.

This past year I found myself in close-to-home areas like Philadelphia, New York City, the Finger Lakes region in New York, and even small towns that don’t register on Google Maps unless you zoom way, way in. You know, until all you can see are blocky images of what should be trees. I also visited Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and the island of Oahu, Hawai’i. In each of these places I never felt as though I left the United States — though I knew that I wasn’t home.

During a recent trip to NYC I had lunch with a few friends at Thai Basil, a restaurant no wider than a large hallway, on 9th Ave. and W 56th St. The food was extremely good and the tea service was a welcomed warm-up from walking the windy streets in midtown Manhattan. In Philadelphia I chose Pat’s over Gino’s every single time. Visiting my brother’s family in North Carolina resulted in my having the very best onion soup of my life during a day trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. In Las Vegas, of all places, I had an incredible italian meal with some friends from all over the world. In Hawai’i, between the Luau on the beach and the highly Japanese-influenced culture of Waikiki, I managed to scarf down a delicious Puka Dog (pictured) in the very same place that Anthony Bourdain did in the Hawaii episode of No Reservations.

No matter where I traveled this year the culture was always slightly different, being influenced by innumerable factors. I wonder though, does the various cultures that make up the America that I know ever end up influencing the very cultures from which they all originated? This country is incredibly young after all. A new year has begun and I’m very much looking forward to doing some traveling outside of the United States. Maybe I’ll be able to answer this question myself by the time the next year rolls around.

On Monday a new season of No Reservations is starting that will take us, by way of the magic of television, to Mexico. When I first saw the promotional videos for this season and saw that the first episode was Mexico, I immediately wondered how much Mexico “feels like America”. Being one of only two of our mainland neighbors Mexico is about as close as you can get geographically without actually being in the United States. I’ve been to Texas. I’ve seen the influence that Mexico has had on the culture there (Not that it hasn’t had a major influence all over our country.) On Monday, while I’m watching the season premier and eating a gordita filled with some sorta of greasy meat (thanks to my newly-married friend Josue Salazar for the suggestion), that is what I’ll be looking for. Is the influence reciprocal? Is it even palpable? Will Anthony even mention it? I’m excited to find out.

The rest of this season will bring us to Venice, Washington, D.C., the Azores, Chicago, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. For posterity I’m going to say that I’m most looking forward to the Venice and Sri Lanka episodes. How has Sri Lanka recovered from the Tsunami in late-2004? It seems so long ago now. Was the No Reservations crew drowned in Venice?! All these questions, and more I’m sure, will be answered in the latest season of No Reservations.

My goal for this season is to cook a dish native to the area of each episode. So, as it seems that January 5th’s season premier will be centered around Mexico, I’ll be looking through our recipe books for a Mexican dish!

Source: No Reservations – All New Season – Jan. 5th – Mexico!