Bourdain in Brazil
After managing to miss the first couple of installments due to my own incompetence with the big red button on the TiVo remote, I finally got a chance to check out the latest run of No Reservations, which is billed as "Season 3, Part Deux." Having watched the previous seasons pretty much in their entirety, it was just like returning to a well-worn vinyl chair at the kitchen table of an old friend, albeit an old friend who you are incredibly envious of. I mean, why does this mook get to travel to the world's great cities, get whisked instantly to the best local spots by eager, attractive foodies, all the while having no apparent raison d'etre beyond getting smashed on free booze in every country on Earth? Is it because he's a great writer and a one-of-kind personality who it's very difficult not to like? Oh. Yeah, I guess that's it.
In last night's episode, Tony takes on São Paulo, Brazil—otherwise known as "not Rio de Janeiro." In fact, Bourdain goes to great lengths to detail how São Paulo and its inhabitants, known as Paulistas, differ from the beach lovers of Rio. The first segment centered on the supremacy of the Mortadella sandwich, which owes its popularity in São Paulo to the large number of Italians who settled in that region of the country.
After the obligatory Samba segment and some ruminations on the proximity of rich to poor (and a thrilling helicopter ride), Bourdain settled in to do what he does best—eat and get hammered. It really was a tough call as to which delicacy took top honors on last night's show—the national drink, the caipirinha, or the national dish, feijoado. They both had a Pavlovian effect on this viewer. In the end, I suppose the winner was probably the feijoado, since the resulting hangover appeared to be easier to manage.
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1 Comment:
I didn't make it to the Brazil episode because I watched the 8pm episode of Bourdain in Vietnam and then Bizarre Foods in Vietnam, and after 2 hours of travel-food shows in Vietnam, I was jealous enough of their careers that I ended up turning the tv off and having a strong drink.
As someone who used to live in Vietnam (both Hanoi and HCMC for nearly 3 years) and who really enjoys Bourdain in part because his love and respect for Vietnam, I would love to catch Bourdain walking down the street in NYC or at a VN'ese restaurant in NYC to chat with him about the country and its food. I know he's got a good friend and guide in Linh to show him around Vietnam but dude, I know some good spots to eat at in Vietnam. From seafood in HCMC to great sesame fried pork at a bia hoi in Hanoi, man, I would love to go with him through Vietnam. Last year, I did a 5 day motorcycle ride through northern Vietnam and had some great food at little food stalls along the way. And the HCMC night fish market, ya gotta go if you are doing a food show in Vietnam. Ah, anyways, dreams. I think if I could have a beer with anyone in NYC, it would be him, if nothing else, so we could share stories of bia hoi's and streetfood in VN.
NSW at 7:58PM on 08/14/07