Anthony Bourdain Was Fearlessly Alive

His writing made us love the messy, ugly bits.

The world feels more fragmented than ever, which is what made Anthony Bourdain such a special creature. As the host of Parts Unknown, his documentary series on CNN, he would roll into different countries — Myanmar, South Africa, India, and so on — and point a camera (as well as his palate) at the local cuisine. In the process, he would inevitably highlight a global commonality: no matter who we are, or where we come from, we all want to gather and eat, and laugh, and live.

Many of Bourdain’s obituaries are focusing on his television work, and with good reason. But let’s take a moment to remember that, long before Travel Channel or CNN signed him up, the man was an excellent writer. Here’s a tasty bit from his April 1999 article in The New Yorker, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” which helped launch his career:

“Gastronomy is the science of pain. Professional cooks belong to a secret society whose ancient rituals derive from the principles of stoicism in the face of humiliation, injury, fatigue, and the threat of illness. The members of a tight, well-greased kitchen staff are a lot like a submarine crew. Confined for most of their waking hours in hot, airless spaces, and ruled by despotic leaders, they often acquire the characteristics of the poor saps…