OT: Anthony Bourdain dead at 61

batts

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Tony was very deep into drugs (heroin I believe) at various times in his past, which is hardcore for an adult. I suspect he was attempting to self-,medicate away his demons.
 

JMORC2003

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Terrible news. A big Bourdain fan for years. He was always cranky and cynical, but never struck me as depressed. It seemed like he still saw the humor in things and had a passion for things.

Even when he split with his last wife, he said it was more of a mutual thing and their lives just didn’t work together as a married couple. He’s been active on Twitter with nothing out of the ordinary, even talking about shooting Parts Unknown in Hong Kong and how great it came out. Who knows what’s going on underneath it all, but actually kinda surprised.
 

AntiG

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^ wouldn't be surprised that the tox screen shows up with plenty of drugs in his system, leading to him to the suicide.
 

RUSK97

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I would think so, other than maybe always feeling alone since you never see your family/extended family/friends other than when they joined you and the couple of days when you are home. A lot like people in the audit/mgt consulting business/sports/airline businesses, its not always as enjoyable as it sounds. My cousin has a similar show to him in Taiwan, and while its an awesome career, she really doesn't see her family as often as she would like and never successfully was able to have kids with her husband since life constantly on the road is crazy and stressful.
Absolutely. In my primary business as a business consultant, my travels took me around the world. And it was great for a time. Even when I got married, it didn't bother me and she did her thing and I did my thing during the week and we reconnected during the weekends. But ever since my son came along, it's become an absolute chore and every time I go on the road, it's now a race to get done and go back home. Life on the road is not a vacation and if you're alone, it only accentuates that.
 

Caliknight

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Tony was very deep into drugs (heroin I believe) at various times in his past, which is hardcore for an adult. I suspect he was attempting to self-,medicate away his demons.

From photos of him, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is what comes out of it.
 

BIGTENITCH

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IM SUSPICIOUS. Not so sure all of these celebritiy suicides are such. Here at library scrambling to find a job (today once again TOLD NO EXPERIENCE, YADA -and right now just applying for a security guard position). Was told yesterday basically unless I make up $1,100 rent in 5 weeks (eviction) that I'll be homeless and on streets-as I don't take drugs for bipolar 1 or 2 (diagnosed and think crap). Obviously stressed out. HOWEVER, I haven't killed myself or planning to do so.

Bordain had a good life and from limited shows seemed like a guy who could go with the flow. Didn't and doesnt' appear the suicide type. Now I see here that he has dealt with some bad types and maybe has a shady past. I think authorites should look into such.
 
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You have a terminally ill man like Charles Krauthammer who would do anything to live and a apparently healthy man end his life.

Just makes you think how powerful the mind can be for better or for worse
 
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RU4Real

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Girlfriend Asia Argento was asked (by Tony) to produce the Hong Kong segment of No Reservations after his regular producer fell ill.

In follow-up to the segment, Bourdain penned a piece for CNN, in which he described his notoriously bad treatment of his producers (he hated set pieces and expected all of his work to appear spontaneous and non-contrived) and praising Asia for her work on the film.

It clearly had the tone of an apology, of sorts.

Within the last week, as Tony settled into filming in Paris, Asia Argento was spotted in Rome in the intimate company of someone else.

Things can so quickly fall apart...
 

mdh2003

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Very, very, very sad. Watched the Parts Unknown Hong Kong episode just last night. Came away thinking, as I always do, how lucky I was to be able to see/enjoy/share such an awesome show. He was right in my wheelhouse too, very simpatico on many levels. Talented, troubled guy. Too often those 2 go together.
 
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MADHAT1

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Can't say anything about what caused him to tale his own life. But for him to take it makes me think he felt the need to and that can't be ignored by those who feel his life was going good. What we feel is happening in someones life and think they are lucky might not be the way they feel inside.
 

AntiG

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You have a terminally ill man like Charles Krauthammer who would do anything to live and a apparently healthy man end his life.

Just makes you think how powerful the mind can be for better or for worse
so sad to hear re: The Hammer. He's been a fantastic political commentator for so many years.
 

RU848789

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Not SV, but yeah.

You haven't had crazy, drunken sex until you've had crazy, drunken sex in a walk-in cooler on top of a pile of whole chickens.

I worked for 2 years in the kitchen of a fairly high end restaurant in my hometown in SNJ, when I was 17/18. Several of my friends and I started out as diswashers (they "promoted" me to food/sauce prep, which was way better) there in HS and that place somehow delivered the goods with a staff that was drunk/stoned/tripping much of the time.

It was also simply a brutal environment in some respects - no teambuilding there, lol. It was my first job, so I thought maybe that's what the work world was like, with people yelling and screaming at each other. Sadly, no drunken sex in a walk in cooler, though...for me, anyway, but that definitely went on. Reminds me of the film "Waiting" with Ryan Reynolds, a very underrated film about the restaurant biz.

The only thing that kept the chefs from being complete dicks to us was that we got them their weed/drugs - and after late night snacks were done and the place was cleaned up (2-3 am on the weekends), we'd all sit around getting stoned and drunk on the restaurant's booze. And occasionally one of the chef's would give me a case of frozen shrimp or lobster as a "bonus" the family ate well those weeks.

I remember reading Kitchen Confidential 20+ years later and saying, yeah, now this book is for real. This guy gets it. That book was so goddamned funny and crazy and then when "No Reservations" hit the airwaves, I was completely hooked. RIP Anthony.
 
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RU4Real

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Oh no you didn't. 4Real almost had his henchmen waterboard me for arguing with him about Teflon, lol. Getting my popcorn...

He's on my ignore list, has been for a long time. Like I said - idiot.

Per your previous post, every kitchen I worked in was basically a kaleidoscope of sex, drugs and alcohol. Commercial kitchens present a social dynamic that I've not seen replicated in any other industry. When I worked in one of Mario Medici's kitchens it was all I could do to find my way back to my station after the break between lunch and dinner. Crazy, crazy ****.

But you learn a lot, and not just about cooking. You really learn a lot about life.
 

KevH

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****.

Bourdain was a personal hero... His early tales of the dark underbelly of the restaurant business were echos of some of my own youthful experiences. The way he more or less reinvented himself as something of a modern Hemingway was as in line with his character as it was revealing of the sort of struggles he endured.

This is such bad news, on so many levels. Yet, at the same time, it's not totally unexpected.

I'm feeling a profound sense of personal loss, right now. The lens through which he viewed the world was so resonant...

Hard to say it any better than this RU4real. His contribution wasn't the kind of thing you necessarily talked about in daily conversation, but I can't tell you how many times I've gone over to various people's houses and found one of his shows was on their tv... usually followed by "I love this guy." and them answering with a "Yeah, me too."
 

RU_Planning

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A while ago I took my Mom and Dad to Les Halles in the Financial District at the request of my dad who is a huge Bourdain fan.

Good point on Waiting, it was a movie that only folks who worked in the restaurant industry would really appreciate. I worked in a kitchen all 4 years of college and the stories shared here about the experience are similar. I will have to take the time to read Kitchen Confidential.
 
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FELONIOUSMONK

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Leonia loses a prodigal son .. Did anyone mention that his childhood summers were spent in France? Tragically appropriate.
 

BIGTENITCH

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You have a terminally ill man like Charles Krauthammer who would do anything to live and a apparently healthy man end his life.

Just makes you think how powerful the mind can be for better or for worse

Actually terminal illness is oft a reason (here?) why people commit suicide. Many deaths are horrendous-my mother said (was?) burning alive from the cancer/chemo. Many people would just as well go peacefully (especially if they are alone) rather than "live" in extreme pain. We "put down" animals for such..
 

BIGTENITCH

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Hard to say it any better than this RU4real. His contribution wasn't the kind of thing you necessarily talked about in daily conversation, but I can't tell you how many times I've gone over to various people's houses and found one of his shows was on their tv... usually followed by "I love this guy." and them answering with a "Yeah, me too."


Maybe it can be argued that we all consume a lot of resources but maybe if we can all put a smile on someones face every so often our existence is worth it...
 
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RUinPinehurst

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He's on my ignore list, has been for a long time. Like I said - idiot.

Per your previous post, every kitchen I worked in was basically a kaleidoscope of sex, drugs and alcohol. Commercial kitchens present a social dynamic that I've not seen replicated in any other industry. When I worked in one of Mario Medici's kitchens it was all I could do to find my way back to my station after the break between lunch and dinner. Crazy, crazy ****.

But you learn a lot, and not just about cooking. You really learn a lot about life.

I was a bartender at a high-end restaurant for a few years while in graduate school. An amazing crazy "culture," for sure. Sex, drugs, food, booze. What more could a young guy want? There was also this whole "after hours" dynamic, with staff from various establishments swarming and carrying on into dawn. A hell of a lifestyle, literally. This was in the early 80s. I ducked in and out on occasion, for the experience. Easy to be sucked into that vortex. Some have a predisposition for self-destruction. RIP AB.
 

RU4Real

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There was also this whole "after hours" dynamic, with staff from various establishments swarming and carrying on into dawn.

There aren't many people who know this, but the local food service cadre kept East Brunswick's Victoria Station in business, for several years, almost single-handed. If you were a local restaurant worker and part of the "regular crowd", the Vic would serve you, regardless of age, and well after normal closing time.
 
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RUPartisan

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Big loss for travelers and foodies. R.I.P.

Glad I got to meet him at his last book signing. Loved his shows.

Apparently he hung himself according to latest news.
 

RUSK97

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Watching a “remembering Bourdain” special on CNN. Saturday night they’re doing a selection of shows.

Confirmed, as RUPartisan said, he hung himself and was found unresponsive by Ripert.
 

PiscatawayMike

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I remember someone pointing Bourdain out to me in 2005 or 2006 on the Asbury Park boardwalk prior to one of Springsteen's Devils & Dust or Seeger Sessions shows. He was waiting in the long line to get in, just like everybody else. At that point I had no idea who he was. The person who pointed him out said he was the host of a Travel Channel show called No Reservations. I watched the next episode and I've been a fan ever since. R.I.P.
 
Nov 10, 2003
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You have a terminally ill man like Charles Krauthammer who would do anything to live and a apparently healthy man end his life.

Just makes you think how powerful the mind can be for better or for worse
This is why without having 1st hand knowledge of each situation, I feel heartbroken for those battling illness and trying everything to live, and for those who take their own life,not so much.The pain lives on in their loved ones, I know I will offend some,but I've always felt that suicide is the cowardly way out.
 
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batts

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This is why without having 1st hand knowledge of each situation, I feel heartbroken for those battling illness and trying everything to live, and for those who take their own life,not so much.The pain lives on in their loved ones, I know I will offend some,but I've always felt that suicide is the cowardly way out.

I used to feel the same way until I spoke to the adult son of one of my friends. He put a gun against his head and pulled the trigger but miraculously survived and only lost an eye from the incident. More fortunately, he suffered no permanent brain damage. He told me that the urge to kill himself came on like a freight train and he was powerless to resist it. It's hard to judge someone unless you are in that person's shoes.
 

Rokodesh

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Absolutely. In my primary business as a business consultant, my travels took me around the world. And it was great for a time. Even when I got married, it didn't bother me and she did her thing and I did my thing during the week and we reconnected during the weekends. But ever since my son came along, it's become an absolute chore and every time I go on the road, it's now a race to get done and go back home. Life on the road is not a vacation and if you're alone, it only accentuates that.

I’m in the same industry. I just went to San Fran for a few days and while I loved seeing the other side of the country, you do feel alone a lot of the time, after work and team dinners are over, and everyone else wants to go back to their room. I’ve always loved having me-time, so it doesn’t bother me, but I can see how some people would feel detached. My fiancé and I aren’t married yet, and don’t have kids, so I’m sure that feeling will change when that happens.
 

RU4Real

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I’m in the same industry. I just went to San Fran for a few days and while I loved seeing the other side of the country, you do feel alone a lot of the time, after work and team dinners are over, and everyone else wants to go back to their room. I’ve always loved having me-time, so it doesn’t bother me, but I can see how some people would feel detached from back home. My fiancé and I aren’t married yet, and don’t have kids, so I’m sure that feeling will change when that happens.

It's the reason I only stay in first-line hotels with actual bars. In the down-market properties you end up spending way too much time in your room.
 
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Rokodesh

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It's the reason I only stay in first-line hotels with actual bars. In the down-market properties you end up spending way too much time in your room.

I just ended up using the hotel gym, and walked around union square in San Fran afterwards. Went to a pub, smoked some cigars, etc. Hotel was very nice, but I try to avoid sitting in the room as much as possible when traveling.
 
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I used to feel the same way until I spoke to the adult son of one of my friends. He put a gun against his head and pulled the trigger but miraculously survived and only lost an eye from the incident. More fortunately, he suffered no permanent brain damage. He told me that the urge to kill himself came on like a freight train and he was powerless to resist it. It's hard to judge someone unless you are in that person's shoes.
I know it's an extremely touchy subject and I fully understand how people can and would come down hard on someone who stated what I just did. I've lost 2 very close family members to completely different types of sickness, and they suffered for long periods of time, always with the hope, a cure was just around the corner. With that, they cherished, as did we, every moment we had with them.Their memory of how much they loved life and family is never far from my mind. It took courage for them to fight the fight, and not give in to drugs, self pity or any of the other reasons that generally come up when someone makes that decision to take their own life.Mental illness is a real issue for the other side of this argument, which thankfully I've never had any experience with anyone close to me. In the latest 2 cases of well know people committing suicide, the has been that relationship breakups and cheating were at the forefront. Hardly a reason to take ones life,plenty of fish in the sea.
 
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RU848789

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While Bourdain never said the oft-circulated quote attributed to him for the past few years, below, I actually believe that whoever wrote it, truly "got" Bourdain, as it encapsulates his ethos and several things he has said, except maybe for the cream sauce comment (he was known for not being a fan) and the check in comments, which sound a little out of character. I'm generally pretty unaffected by celebrities, but Bourdain was an exception as I noted back in the original thread - I just miss the guy and tagging along on his unpredictable and often poignant - and delicious - adventures.

https://www.truthorfiction.com/anthony-bourdain-eat-at-a-local-restaurant-tonight-quote/

“Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride.”
 

CollegeSenior

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While Bourdain never said the oft-circulated quote attributed to him for the past few years, below, I actually believe that whoever wrote it, truly "got" Bourdain, as it encapsulates his ethos and several things he has said, except maybe for the cream sauce comment (he was known for not being a fan) and the check in comments, which sound a little out of character. I'm generally pretty unaffected by celebrities, but Bourdain was an exception as I noted back in the original thread - I just miss the guy and tagging along on his unpredictable and often poignant - and delicious - adventures.

https://www.truthorfiction.com/anthony-bourdain-eat-at-a-local-restaurant-tonight-quote/

“Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride.”
Correct. It was written two years ago as a tribute to Bourdain. Given all the great quotes Bourdain gave us, I have no idea why one he didn’t utter is the one I see attributed to him most often.
 
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