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Anthony Bourdain.

The man needs no introduction.

Who doesn’t know Bourdain?

One of the most famous Celebrity Chef’s of the world, he was recently in Melbourne during the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival to perform two shows.

Us, Bourdain and the Spotlight.

At the end of the night, the crowd was allowed a Q&A session with the man himself and I’ve taken the liberty to compile some of them here.

Obviously, a lot of the questions and answers, you may have heard all before (he is quite consistent with his answers), but I thought I would share it with you anyway 🙂

We were also lucky enough to partake in the “Meet and Greet” session (as we bought the VIP tickets 😛 of $150 per person), and I was so nervous, I didn’t know what to do.

One part of me wanted to hug him, and the other part wanted to run around him and beg him to take me with him on his travels 😀

The Q&A below is a mix of questions raised at the auditorium and my questions that I managed to get out stutteringly to Anthony Bourdain.

No Holds Barred – Q&A with Anthony Bourdain

What has been your best meal in Melbourne?
It’s something that simply cannot be replicated. We were at Di Stasio’s crib drinking, and Tetsuya Wakuda just threw a few bits and pieces together and we ate and laughed and watched the sunset.

What is your best meal ever?
Noodles from a chipped porcelain bowl in the heart of Chiang Mai.

Food that you will never eat again?
Fermented shark in Iceland.

Ever fall sick? (This has been summarised)
3 times in the 10 years he’s been on the road, with the particular standout, being after he ate the unwashed “Warthog rectum (poop-Shute)” he ate in Namibia.

Last meal or Bucket List?
Cooking meat pie with Keith Richards!

What are your thoughts on Durian?
Smells like your dead grandmother. But I love it. Wouldn’t want to stay with anyone who’s eaten it, be stuck in the car with them with the windows up or live above a durian seller, but I love it.

Malaysia?
Great place. Just finished filming in Penang, which is an amazing place. Great contender for one of the best street foods I’ve had.
Will probably head back to KK [sic] (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah) as well, as I’ve promised them I’d be there for the Harvest Festival.

Nasi Kandar?
It is amazing! It shouldn’t work, but it does and it tastes so good.

Philosophy on life? (This has been summarised)

  • Respect the food and culture you have entered. Be mindful of how much effort it takes someone to put something on your plate.
  • Don’t scorn what people place in front of you. Eat it, unless you’re allergic from it, it’s not going to kill you. Be respectful to your host and eat everything on your plate.
  • I don’t understand the whole vegetarians and vegans thing.
  • I won’t ever eat dogs or cats. I’ve gotten out of eating it for the last 10 years. Close shaves, but I just can’t.

Guilty Pleasures?
Oh my. Ermm… Mac ‘n’ Cheese from KFC! Every now and again, I like to go undercover, put on my hoodie and get some Mac ‘n’ Cheese from KFC. I don’t know what it is, it’s probably not even Mac or Cheese. That’s the thing about Twitter, right. It’s hard to keep a low profile. I go in, and as I’m walking out with my stash, in the branded KFC bag, some guy will stop me and say, “HEY! Your Anthony Bourdain!”, and uploads it immediately on Twitter! I can’t even say it’s not me!

What are your thoughts on Food Bloggers?
Man! We need them! These are the people we rely on for our show to work! If we enter an unfamiliar country/location, we usually get the food bloggers from that area and research. We speak with them, liaise with them and get them to be our fixers for the show! We need food bloggers!

And with that, I shall conclude our amazing night out. There were quite a few more questions that were asked, but I’m not going to list them all down!

Listening to Anthony was an amazing and eye-opening experience. I learnt quite a few tips and enjoyed his story telling and adventures. I can’t wait to catch the next season of No Reservations!