OT: Anthony Bourdain dead at 61

higgins3

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Dec 15, 2012
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This hit me as hard as well. Sometimes this stuff seems so common that you don't get affected by it anymore. He was a very likable person.

Sometimes I think being famous is way overrated. I also know Bourdain also had times in his life where he had drug issues that probably affected his stability.It's sad.

Rest in peace to someone that made our lives more enjoyable by sharing a love for food and culture. We will miss his personality, and show.
 

RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
50,955
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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...
 

RU848789

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
64,385
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This hit me as hard as well. Sometimes this stuff seems so common that you don't get affected by it anymore. He was a very likable person.

Sometimes I think being famous is way overrated. I also know Bourdain also had times in his life where he had drug issues that probably affected his stability.It's sad.

Rest in peace to someone that made our lives more enjoyable by sharing a love for food and culture. We will miss his personality, and show.
Yep, me too. He was possibly my favorite celebrity. Just seemed like a guy who would be cool to hang out with in a dive bar and grill and talk about food, music, politics, whatever.

Funny, smart, sarcastic, but principled in his way and that all came through in his books and TV shows. If you've never read "Kitchen Confidential," his behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant business, which launched his career, give it a try - it's brilliant.

I had kind of hoped he had finally conquered his inner demons that had led him to heroin addiction when he was much younger, but I guess not. What a shame for him, his family and all of us.
 
Dec 4, 2010
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Shocked. Awful news. I became an instant fan with A Cook's Tour, and enjoyed watching his shows ever since. I was always so envious of his life and job. To me, it seemed like the perfect career; being able to eat and drink your way around the planet.
 
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higgins3

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Dec 15, 2012
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Yep, me too. He was possibly my favorite celebrity. Just seemed like a guy who would be cool to hang out with in a dive bar and grill and talk about food, music, politics, whatever.

Funny, smart, sarcastic, but principled in his way and that all came through in his books and TV shows. If you've never read "Kitchen Confidential," his behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant business, which launched his career, give it a try - it's brilliant.

I had kind of hoped he had finally conquered his inner demons that had led him to heroin addiction when he was much younger, but I guess not. What a shame for him, his family and all of us.

Definitely. Dive bars are sometimes great,too! I spend time at them. My GF and I went to the River Road Tavern by HPSS, and when she told her mom, her mom said never again. "Don't go back to that place!" LOL

So now sometimes I explore by myself, and if I go with her, I tell her to keep it between her and I.

Interestingly enough, my friend just made a post about the Kitchen Confidential. I will make sure to try it!

After every suicide, we should all take the time to try to look out for each other. Be good to each other. Ultimately, demons have to be worked out individually, but it does not mean we shouldn't try to do our part for the sake of humanity. Put all the BS that people sometimes seem divided by. We have a lot more in common than differences.

Just try to be good to each other. RIP Anthony Bourdain.
 

Beancounter88

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Dec 22, 2010
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Very sad to hear - big fan. Brilliant journalist - told it like it is and nothing was a puff piece. Even his NJ episode, he visited a lot of rough parts of the state - Camden, AC, Asbury. I think the only positive was Kubel’s on LBI, where he went a lot as a kid. I always told my family he must have the most interesting job in the world - guess it wasn’t enough. RIP
 

batts

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Jun 6, 2001
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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...

I felt the exact same way about Bourdain. "modern day Hemingway" How true! I was always a little jealous of Bourdain since he lived and wrote about what he truly loved in life and made good money doing so to boot! R.I.P. Anthony. He will be missed.
 

knightfan7

Heisman
Jul 30, 2003
93,406
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Loved his old shows on the Travel Channel and the current series on CNN. The recent show about WV was one of his best imo. As 4Real said he opened the public's eyes to what goes on behind the kitchen's doors.

He was a unique character yet at the same time the quintessential Jersey guy.
 
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knightfan7

Heisman
Jul 30, 2003
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Not really. He worked hard to get to the top and he was a very unique character that will be missed.

Yup. Anyone who works their way up in the restaurant industry the way he did had nothing handed to him.
 

RUSK97

All-American
Dec 28, 2007
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Wow. Watch him all the time. I knew he had a checkered past, but I thought that was behind him with the birth of his daughter. I know he got divorced last year but damn.
 

RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
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Eric Ripert was the one who found him.

"Found him"?

I don't even know what that means. Bourdain was a CIA graduate when Ripert was still learning to turn a crepe. If anything their careers were closely paralleled, although Ripert was never the same sort of culinary rogue as Bourdain. Ripert became exec at La Bernadin in '94, Bourdain became exec at Les Halles in '98 after having already been exec at 1 5th Ave and Sullivan's.
 

RULoyal

Heisman
Jul 28, 2001
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"Found him"?

I don't even know what that means. Bourdain was a CIA graduate when Ripert was still learning to turn a crepe. If anything their careers were closely paralleled, although Ripert was never the same sort of culinary rogue as Bourdain. Ripert became exec at La Bernadin in '94, Bourdain became exec at Les Halles in '98 after having already been exec at 1 5th Ave and Sullivan's.
Pretty sure he means found him dead.
 

batts

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Jun 6, 2001
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Anthony was an articulate and insightful personality, and a very likable rogue. He reminds me of a an English chef / television personality named Keith Floyd. Similar to Anthony, Keith was an articulate and likable rogue who traveled the world showcasing various regional cuisines. Similar to Anthony, Hemingway was a hero to Keith. Also, similar to Anthony, Keith had hidden demons who got the better of him. Keith ended up drinking himself to death at a relatively early age.

 
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76Scarlet

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Aug 24, 2012
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Absolutely stunned.............this certainly ruined my day. Always looked forward and enjoyed each new series of "Parts Unknown". Liked his brutal honesty when discussing his own thoughts wherever he was traveling and never sugar coated around stuff. Thought of his 10 year old daughter when I heard. Depression sucks.
 
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RUBeta

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Aug 5, 2006
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Bourdain worked his tail off for decades as a line cook and sous chef before earning his fame. Nothing was handed to him on a silver platter.

RIP Bourdain, loved his writing and television production. His Montana episode visiting Jim Harrison was a favorite.
 
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RutHut_rivals

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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.
Glad the wife's a good cook and I don't eat out much. I'm not a foodie or the world traveler type, but this guy had such an aura that I watched his shows. He had the right ideas to live by. RIP.
 

wheezer

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Jun 3, 2001
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I always thought he had one of the best jobs you could get....travel the world, sample food, and get paid for it.....
 
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AntiG

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I always thought he had one of the best jobs you could get....travel the world, sample food, and get paid for it.....
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.
 
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ScarletteK80

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Mar 4, 2003
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How horrible, kind of numb right now as I just put the computer on. He always fascinated me in many ways. Depression, and suicide does NOT discriminate. A sin, a real sin. All one can say is why?
RIP my sweet chef/man, your brilliance went far beyond just cooking. Sigh.
 

RUPete

Heisman
Feb 5, 2003
26,846
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The good life for you maybe . Bit sometimes there's nothing worse then having the good life but believing you don't deserve it. Mental illness is a terrible thing.
That's a good point. There was an interesting quote in a Rolling Stone article about him that was posted today. He said something to the effect that he felt like he stole a car and that he keeps looking in his rear view mirror for the police and the flashing lights. Meaning he was lucky to make it this far and have this much success.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/anthony-bourdain-dead-at-61-of-apparent-suicide-w521275
 

ldwnmas

Senior
Feb 1, 2006
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This is hitting me pretty hard.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
 

RUnTeX

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Dec 21, 2001
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RIP. Certainly carved out an interesting niche in the food/travel genre, but perhaps it's not as glamorous of an existense as it appears from the outside. Certainly being a road warrior can take its toll and then add in having to suppress personal demons can lead to potential depression and ultimately one's life. Must be an ongoing struggle to find inner peace and contentment in that situation, thus the need for a strong support network.

I haven't read his books or understand the culture of the restaurant industry and what it's like to work the back of house operation such as in the kitchen, but is it really that difficult to avoid the temptation of illicit drugs in that environment? Is it looking for an outlet from the pressure of working in that high stress environment or is it the peer pressure to go along with the crowd that is profoundly intense, or both?