Anthony Bourdain was a father, chef, writer, and television host that grabbed the minds and hearts of his audience and challenged them to rethink food, travel, and life altogether. His biting intellect and sardonic humor made him a great American philosopher of the 21st Century. Here, some of his most inspiring, hysterical, influential, and honest quotes about travel, food, and culture.
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks–on your body or on your heart—are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.” — The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones
“You can dress brunch up with all the focaccia, smoked salmon, and caviar in the world, but it’s still breakfast.” —"Don’t Eat Before Reading This" The New Yorker
“If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.
"Looking at these photographs, I know that I will never understand the world I live in or fully know the places I’ve been. I’ve learned for sure only what I don’t know—and how much I have to learn.” – No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach
“If you ask people simple things like ‘what food makes you happy,’ they also start telling you these rather extraordinary things that they might not tell a journalist in a hurry.” — Podcast interview with David Remnick of The New Yorker
“No one who orders a Kobe slider wants the unctuous, fatty experience of ordering a Kobe steak. What they want is bragging rights in front of their princes of douchedom around them so they can all high five. It’s part of the ‘bro’ culture I find troubling.”— Town & Country
“No one has ever felt better after eating plane food. I think people only eat it because they're bored. I don't eat on planes. I like to arrive hungry.” — Bon Appetit
“If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel — as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them — wherever you go.”
― from Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
