309484 Sat Jul 15 02:16:21 -0700 2006 23 33 Food Media and News 0 1745952 As of 6:30 eastern Read posts here http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6811975208/m/4911901438/p/2 Both my wife and I find him amusing, entertaining and pretty much a straight shooter. I know that he's not for everyone but he does try to provide a local flavour of places that many of us can't/dare not go. Let's hope he gets home safe. DT Sat Jul 15 02:16:21 -0700 2006 11291 Davwud 1 1745963 Thank you for the report -- he's a favorite of mine among all the "celeb chefs." I wish him and his crew a safe homecoming, among other things. Sat Jul 15 02:25:34 -0700 2006 1745952 10877 Sarah 1 1745980 I'm part of a Barnes and Noble online book group that Tony moderates and they posted yesterday that he and his crew are doing okay, but they are, in fact, stuck there for a bit. He is by far my favorite food writer and "television personality." Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker. I, too, wish them all well. Sat Jul 15 02:36:39 -0700 2006 1745952 12144 CeeBee 2 1746001 I'm guessing this will be one "Can't miss" episode. DT Sat Jul 15 02:48:47 -0700 2006 1745980 11291 Davwud 1 1746004 Yah, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tony. He has to get out of there quickly!! I'm addicted to everything Tony -- his books, his shows, everything. He's the best. Sat Jul 15 02:51:33 -0700 2006 1745952 16927 DanielleM 1 1746020 I wish him no harm, but don't relish any enhancement of his faux machismo. I already think of him as the Geraldo Rivera of food writers. Sat Jul 15 03:01:05 -0700 2006 1745952 10255 Gary Soup 2 1746055 What faux? Sat Jul 15 03:25:14 -0700 2006 1746020 10877 Sarah 3 1746566 Oh, just the fact that the seems to follow a natural tendency to crank it up a notch when the spotlight is on him. And imagine, building a whole book around the fact that you eat offal! I bet schoolgirls in Hunan eat stuff on a daily basis that AB wouldn't touch unless there was a camera on him. Grandstander? You bet! Sat Jul 15 16:45:53 -0700 2006 1746055 10255 Gary Soup 4 1747064 Yes other cultures eat things that most Americans wouldn't or haven't been exposed to and think "ICK!" when they see him trying it. But that's what he's all about - showing his non-adventurous American public what else is out there - it ain't just all about the U.S. and packaged foods. Will they run out and try seal meat or offal? Most likely not (probably because you can't find seal meal in the U.S., most likely <g>). But just *maybe* they'll try something different than McDonald's when visiting another country. But that's his focus - letting people know there's a lot of good food out there and people should *at least* try it. For a lot of people here on Chowhound, who try different foods all the time, his show may be schtick. But for those people who are so enamoured of The Food Network and think that's the cat's meow to cooking - well, he's showing some people that it's a lot different out there in the "real world" for so many other people, and hopefully encouraging them to try the local food. More power to him. I hope he and his crew get home safely. Sat Jul 15 23:36:19 -0700 2006 1746566 10532 LindaWhit 1 1746042 Hope he and the crew get home safe and quickly. Tony's my hero. Love "Kitchen Confidential" and never miss "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel. Sat Jul 15 03:18:19 -0700 2006 1745952 12276 HungryForMore 1 1746159 I read one of his posts on egullet and he says there isn't going to be a Beirut episode. He has posted several times there... We love his show...No Reservations. We never missed A Cooks Tour either. I've read his food books and his novellas. Sat Jul 15 05:21:52 -0700 2006 1745952 11408 melly 2 1753982 I thought he used to post here as well, no? Wed Jul 19 17:15:55 -0700 2006 1746159 10118 joypirate 3 1754286 A long time ago, I believe. Hasn't posted here ever since that "other site" started up. :-) Wed Jul 19 18:54:51 -0700 2006 1753982 10532 LindaWhit 4 1754535 dare I ask? "other site" Wed Jul 19 20:15:45 -0700 2006 1754286 12615 amysuehere 5 1754702 :-) eGullet. I could have used it in my previous post; the Mods have been "less strict" in mentions of the site. Wed Jul 19 21:09:07 -0700 2006 1754535 10532 LindaWhit 1 1746917 Grandstander? Like on HIS SHOW? When he's trying raw seal? Or eating a cobra's beating heart? It's one thing if you don't like his gimmick, but I would not say he's doing it for 'attention' or 'grandstanding'. That is his livelihood. He has made his name on eating gross stuff other cultures eat all the time that we might find shocking. His message, at least as I see it (and I'm an unabashed fan) is to open your mind to other cultures and ways of eating that you might not try and stop eating over processed-so-far-from-natural-state foods that are the center of americans diet. Plus, if you read ANY of his books, he professes his love for all things offal --bone marrow, foie gras, and organs of any kind. That is NOT a stunt. The seal? ok, that was a stunt. The man has cameras on him b/c most people find him entertaining. Sat Jul 15 21:26:01 -0700 2006 1745952 16927 DanielleM 2 1747211 You can maybe call it a stunt or maybe you just call it not being a hypocrite. He says he'll try anything. Well you can't say that and then when you're face to face with a seal say, "Sorry, just kidding." As for his "follow a natural tendency to crank it up a notch when the spotlight is on him" thing. He's doing an entertainment show. That's what people do on entertainment shows. They crank it up a notch. They do this because it's entertaining. Ya see how it works??? DT Sun Jul 16 02:10:50 -0700 2006 1746917 11291 Davwud 3 1754144 And Bourdain's "cranking it up a notch" is a hell of a lot more entertaining/interesting than Emeril's "crank it up another notch!" Wed Jul 19 18:10:37 -0700 2006 1747211 10059 ChinoWayne 4 1754152 But it can be a lot of fun to yell, while cooking, "AND WHEN WE COME BACK...ANOTHER NOTCH!" Wed Jul 19 18:12:48 -0700 2006 1754144 11296 Darren72 5 1754464 Oh yes, fun and probably very profitable for Emeril. This is a prime example of what Food TV excels at. Note I did not say that Emeril's show or Food TV is excellent, just that Food TV excels at appealing to and entertaining the unsophisticated (in culinary terms) masses and is probably making a bundle of money doing it. Wed Jul 19 19:55:07 -0700 2006 1754152 10059 ChinoWayne 1 1754374 I happen to love his shows and his books, but even if I didnt, I would still hope that TB and his crew are able to get someplace safe soon. Wed Jul 19 19:24:58 -0700 2006 1745952 10258 Fydeaux 2 1754381 From Bourdain's posts, it seems that he is not in much immediate danger. But is just waiting to leave. Wed Jul 19 19:27:09 -0700 2006 1754374 11296 Darren72 1 1757936 As I understand it from another board. He got out of Lebanon on Monday. He's either in Cyprus or on his way back home. DTV wanted to get him out as soon as possible. DT Fri Jul 21 02:16:23 -0700 2006 1745952 11291 Davwud