Anthony Bourdain: ONE OF A KIND
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“As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life – and travel – leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks – on your body or on your heart – are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt” – Anthony Bourdain
Today was…is…dark. When I first heard the reports early in the a.m. that outspoken, no BS, tell it exactly how it is “bad boy” chef, author, and TV personality Bourdain had taken his own life I was…speechless. I was aware he had some inner demons. He had been addicted to heroine, had admitted to some other regretful choices in life, and had briefly spoke about depression and feeling isolated during one of CNN’s “Parts Unknown” episodes. Even with his unexhaustive wit and dry humor, you could sometimes see a glimmer of inner turmoil…which made him even all the more relatable…to me anyway. After all. how can a God be human (gosh he would have frowned at such praise)? Okay, not a God, but a true rockstar in my eyes. His candor, his amazing talent at storytelling, his passion for food, drink, and particularly people – all people and all cultures – truly made him one of a kind. And mostly, his ability to make people (even those completely at odds with one another based on many circumstances) come together was unparalleled.
As someone who has closely followed his career for over 15 years, I remained intrigued, hanging onto every word of his distinctive voice, waiting for the next prolific poetic phrase to leave his lips. It wasn’t always about food or travel. I found his introspection and insight as valuable as entertaining. I have, and always will have, the utmost respect for Tony’s honesty, forthcoming approach to this world and the people in it…including everything that’s f***** up about it. He was so inspiring, lived life with gusto, spoke to and greatly touched all of the people he met across the globe and to his dedicated viewers without arrogance or judgement. Tony was amazingly skilled in making people feel like they really knew him and I think that’s why there is such an overwhelming outcry of surprise and sadness. Inspired by him and his journeys, I did travel in his footsteps about a dozen times visiting places I had seen him go and even sitting in the same exact chair a couple times. Ha. His c’est la vie attitude towards truly enjoying and embracing all that is possible is what inspired the name of this silly site. Many people think the word gourmand means partaking in the finest things, but it really encompasses an over-indulgence of everything. Hence…What’s moderation? Eat it! Drink it! Live it! I hope Tony has found peace wherever the universe has taken him now…and he has at least one open space as his table because one day in the future I’m bringing the beer. RIP Hey! Ho! Let’s go.
ANTHONY MICHAEL BOURDAIN
25 JUNE 1956 – 08 JUNE 2018
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National Suicide Prevention Hotline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
