He is by turns charming, egotistical, a fun traveling companion and an insufferable big-mouth. But Anthony Bourdain knows his way around food. And his well-produced travelogue/eating show is a delight.
returns April 13 (locally at 7 p.m. on CNN) for a third season, introducing couch potatoes to the cuisines, customs, rituals, and cultural heritage of often remote regions around the world.
Clearly, the staff has done a great deal of homework off-camera, lining up the local experts — cooks, restauranteurs, cultural and religious leaders — to give the meals context.
The opening episode, “Punjab, India” opens with nicely edited street noise–laborers, cooks, markets, traffic, repetitive motions– coming together in a hip-hop symphony.
Bourdain leads us to Amritsar, in a part of India bordering Pakistan, where he samples items at the dhabas (roadside restaurants), a Sikh festival at which thousands of meals are served, and a free community vegetarian restaurant. Bourdain’s disdain for vegetarian food notwithstanding, it’s an eye-popping tour.
Upcoming dining adventures this season are in Las Vegas, France, Mexico City, the Mississippi Delta, Russia, Thailand and Brazil.
The Emmy-winning series is clearly the most informative and urbane of the glut of TV cooking/eating shows. “Parts Unknown” just picked up a as well, so don’t expect Bourdain to tone down his personality any time soon. His cockiness may be excused, as long as he continues to take us along.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, jostrow@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ostrowdp
