Anthony Bourdain - A Rant

Oh how the mighty have lost grip on the top of their little moutain of "I AM SO MUCH BETTER THAN YOU"!

With what I have to admit was baited anticipation, Amanda and I sat down to the first episode of the new season of NO RESERVATIONS. It featured Istanbul and we are going there in May. WHAT A PRIMER RIGHT? Right.

It was a really awesome episode, for someone GOING there, and I even let his little anti-food culture barbs fly by. A Rachel Ray thing here, a Sandra Lee thing there, whatever. THEN the most amazing thing happens. A SLOW MO, FULL FRAME, PRE RECORDED SHOT of Tony(can I call ya Tony) whipping out his Chase Sapphire card to pick up a bill on a nite out of drinking.

WHAT!
It had to have been an illusion, maybe his guest did the paying. NOPE, we rewound it and watched his Rachael Ray/Dunkin Donuts-esque sellout all over again. We even paused the show to DISCUSS!

I don't really like good old Tony, but I respected him for staning firm. No matter what his soap box and then, just like that . . . BAM!!!! CORPORATE SHILL. I mean, the RR thing is annoying, but she likes the coffee, she eats the donuts, she has no problem shilling for them. I am sure it is a "network made me do it" excuse, but come one!

Will I stop watching the show? No, I like the show, even HE was growing on me, but I will be taking what he rambles on about concerning "celebrity chefs" with enough salt to choke an ELK! Well, it wasn't like I wasn't doing that before, but now I can watch the show and know he is no different than any of the rest of them.

Can't wait to see your new Calphalon pans Tony.