Last word on Bourdain
David "Z on TV" Zurawik was my guest on Wednesday's Midday and we discussed Anthony Bourdain's Baltimore bit on No Reservations. Z -- and his blog followers -- had some interesting things to say about the food critic's take on B-town. Here, with the last word (for now) is a note from Midday listener Victor Lapides:
"Bourdain always struck me as rather a louche figure and not to be taken seriously as either a travel or a food correspondent. Certainly any responsible college freshman knows roughly where the Corn Belt or the Bible Belt or the Rust Belt is. Maybe this phoned-in effort reflects Bourdain's take on this place as provincial and clannish when he lived here (it is), or that he couldn't find himself comfortable here (he probably didn't.) But I was surprised that you didn't challenge him on the one subject where he so obviously fell short, which is food. Even in its diminished state, most people I know don't consider Chesapeake Bay cuisine to have a serious rival for seafood in New England, New Orleans or the West Coast. There's a reason why (the late) Johnny Apple of the New York Times called Faidley's crab cake 'the finest crab dish in the Western Hemisphere,' and why wealthy New Yorkers in the Gatsby era came down here in their private railroad cars to eat terrapin soup and soft shell crabs in the great Baltimore seafood houses of its day. (My father had a guy out for lunch from Schweppes of England once, and he took him to the Chesapeake and had him get imperial crab. He said, 'Morton, I've had seafood in the finest restaurants in the world and I've never had anything to surpass this.') Even before Iran, this extraordinary bay was the world's premier fishery for sturgeon and caviar. Guys, if someone doesn't like a place's style and has a megaphone on cable to proclaim it, there's not much to be done about it. But to overlook this food . . ."
And Jed Dietz, director of the fabulous Maryland Film Festival, added this: "I heard a chunk of your discussion -- one of my favorite segments -- as you were discussing Bourdain's lazy take on B'more. Isn't it ironic that we shut down filmmaking in Maryland just as THE WIRE went off the air, ensuring that its very particular picture of Baltimore would be the last one standing?
Comments
I think you guys are pretty funny ... Bourdain came to my town, Cleveland, and shot a whole special there. And there was much rending of clothing because he didn't focus on the "cool" restaurants, or show off the sites that the city fathers wanted shown off. But that's part of the appeal of his show, because he DOESN'T always do the touristy thing. Like his show on Jamaica, which definitely did not show the pretty side of the island. Look, I've been to Baltimore, and it is a lovely city with really nice people ... I thought his profile of your city was interesting and thoughtful. Yes, he could have done a whole hour on Baltimore, and probably should have ... but still, he showed a really interesting side of Baltimore, and while it may not cause hordes of tourists to descend on the city ... it may actually convince some people TO come to the city to see the place and sample some of the interesting food he tried. Certainly my mouth was watering with the lake trout ... Get over it. Get rid of your inferiority complex. Every city's got one, other than NYC, LA, San Fran and a few others (even Chicago suffers from one, because it's 'not New York City'). Embrace your city fully, warts and all ... and feel the pride that those interviewed on the show felt for Baltimore. Because they made it clear, and he repeated it, that all those people he talked to LOVED their city. And sometimes, that shows more character than showcasing the sites that the convention and visitors bureau wants to show. Besides, if you want that sort of coverage, book Samantha Brown, or maybe that Guy Fieri dude.
Posted by: Chris | August 4, 2009 4:07 PM
Just listened to the podcast of last week’s interview, and wanted to make a clarification.
Yes, Bourdain’s piece on Baltimore was shot and set in a way reminiscent of “The Wire.” But it’s not the lazy decision it was made out to be on your program -- it’s the cinematic device used in every episode of “No Reservations” to give each one a distinct look. There have been episodes influenced by Bond films, Coppola films, literature, etc. It's a planned part of the production and a signature of the show's style.
While it may not excuse the narrow focus of his visit to Baltimore (and keep in mind, the constraints of doing three cities in one episode had to influence this, too), it does help explain his approach.
Posted by: Greg Wyshynski | August 7, 2009 9:58 AM