"No Reservations" to Anthony Bourdain

Just like we Americans have too much white flour and white sugar in our diet, we, too, have an over abundance of cutesy, happy go lucky food shows. I don't hate all the shows on the Food Network -- some are really well done -- but many of them fail to really make us think about food on a level beyond just what we can cook in half an hour or what's nice to serve at a party. Thank god for the Travel Channel series "No Reservations." Anthony Bourdain, the host, is a food celebrity with an, albeit very cynical, soul.

Bourdain is a chef and writer who takes food seriously. He is a simply wonderful character whose pessimistic, smart-ass, cynical personality permeates his writing and television show. His witty brand of honesty is funny, and more than likely accurate for most situations he is put in. He says what he wants.

In his show, Bourdain travels around the globe learning about different world cuisines. He's not a bubbly character by any means, but he does enjoy himself in a reflective, realistic way. Bourdain said “I think (Travel Channel) knows it's not getting Jamie Oliver or Rachel Ray when they throw their lot in with me.”

He must be one of the luckiest men in the world, being able to travel around the world and experience a completely different food experience wherever he goes.

I like the fact that he provides a background of a particular dish or ingredient, but that isn't why I love the show. My major reason for watching the show is that the man actually consciously thinks about the context of the food he is eating. He interrelates the people, culture, climate, and history of a place to form a comprehensive food snapshot.

In his episode about Egypt, he explored cuisine in modern Egypt, which hasn't changed much for centuries, especially in rural regions. Some dishes, such as a duck stew made with mallow leaves, garlic, and duck stock have been prepared the same way for centuries. He marveled at how a country where only four percent is suitable for agriculture, the fertile land in the Nile River Delta, has supported civilizations for millenniums.

He really, truly cares about the food and the place and the people, normally wrapping up each episode of "No Reservations" with a nice reflective statement. He's not an average tourist, chef, or writer visiting these seemingly other worldly destinations, he is just himself, enjoying something he truly is passionate about.

The link to Bourdain's blog is http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/.

Eating Alone

I have known quite a few people who hate to eat alone. They will call anyone, just so that they can have a companion while they are eating. I've gone with people to grab a bit to eat, even though I didn't order anything, and I have also called people just to have someone to go with when I eat somewhere. The more I think about it, it's interesting how we perceive eating alone versus eating with others.

If I see a person eating alone at a restaurant, I think of a few reasons why he or she is eating alone. The first scenario is that he or she is a complete loner who doesn't care about a social life or friends. Strangely, I know some people who are loners. I know a guy who mostly stays in his room, chatting with online friends or watching Youtube videos. But, strangely and mind bogglingly enough, he doesn't like to eat alone. He still searches for someone to sit down and have a meal with. Interesting, huh?

A second scenario I run through my head is that he or she just didn't have time or the resources to eat with anyone like not having a cell phone or having a busy work schedule. That kind of person probably doesn't want to eat alone, but alas, they had no choice. I think I fit into this category quite well. I would love to invite friends over for breakfast, lunch and dinner all the time, but sadly time is usually not on my side. I usually have back-to-back commitments that pull me here and there. Sorry friends.

When I see that person eating alone, I think all of us, even if you don't want to admit it, have some kind of reaction. I have been criticized for eating alone because I probably looked like a loser. Another friend says it's sad to eat alone, and I would tend to agree. But why do we have an urge to eat together? Friends and colleagues go out for lunch all the time. Families go to "family restaurants" to eat together. Eating meals together, as a family, is a cherished cultural institution. There is a whole ad campaign linking eating meals together with family unity, mutual understanding, and even reduction in drug usage rates amongst teenagers. Eating together carries a lot of positive connotations and values, while eating alone seems to carry some semi-negative ones.

Why do we want to eat together, instead of alone? Psychologically, how does it affect us to eat alone versus with others? Sociologically, what do our values say about eating alone versus eating with others?

One possibility may be a combination of all kinds of factors -- psychological and sociological and biological -- that contributes to our desire to eat together. Thinking back through history, all the way back to the Pleistocene -- the era of ice ages, mega fauna, and early man -- one of our earliest conceptions of cavemen is a huddled group of people, sharing a fresh kill around a roaring fire. Since then, I theorize, people have probably carried that kind of eat as a group mentality. For early man, it was survival instinct: strength in numbers, hunting game together, and sharing the kill. For modern man, we don't really struggle to survive for our basic needs, but that urge to eat together has stuck with us. Perhaps the fight for survival was so intense, so deeply etched in the psyche of our species, that eating together is just something that is going to stick with us as long as we live. Psychologically, it gave our ancestors a sense of peace, perhaps even joy to know that others are suffering the same kinds of troubles and tribulations. Sociologically, eating together probably advanced social interaction, forming the early foundations of our now complex cultures, languages, governments, and technologies.

So, next time we see someone eating alone, maybe we shouldn't take it so lightly. Eating with others has been with us for many millenniums, and will no doubt remain a part of our species, until we are either no longer alive or no longer human.