Remembering Anthony Bourdain

I wonder if Anthony Bourdain had any idea how much he was respected, admired, and loved before he took his life on June 8?

Anthony Bourdain

I didn't know Bourdain other than through his TV persona in his programs on The Travel Channel (No Reservations) and CNN (Parts Unknown). I hadn't read his bestselling books, although I can see how his writing skills carried over into his shows. They flowed from one scene to the next to a satisfying conclusion.

Bourdain definitely had a screen presence—a slender 6-foot-4, wavy gray hair, and tattooed torso. He exuded a self-confidence that he was willing to try most anything. A zest for making the most out of life. Perhaps because he had erased the demons of drugs and alcohol from his body.

I liked his honest and straightforward opinions. He was fresh and blunt. He didn't try curry favor. He was true to himself and his viewers. A mutual respect. 

Bourdain was an excellent interviewer, never getting in the way of interviewee and allowing them to express their thoughts because he was also a listener and learner. He didn't seek out the rich and famous as he was comfortable with everyday folks. He had a sense of humor but it wasn't meanspirited toward others.

Although he bordered on being bold and brash at times, displaying what Southerners might refer to as a New York attitude, there was an empathy inside that revealed how much he cared about others.

And Bourdain allowed viewers to experience vicariously the pleasures of travel to various destinations, taste exotic foods and drinks, observe other cultures, and, in the process, bring the world closer together because of his humanity.

Here are a few remembrances and tributes about the 61-year-old chef, raconteur, and writer:

• The Best Writing in Memoriam of Anthony Bourdain
• Celebrities react to Bourdain's passing
• Bourdain recalling his "unhappy soul" in interview
• How Anthony Bourdain inspired the careers of so many
• Val Kilmer blasts Anthony Bourdain for "selfish" suicide
• Bourdain's mother says she never thought he'd die by suicide
• North Dakota Olive Garden Reviewer Recalls How Anthony Bourdain Saved Her From Scorn
• What Anthony Bourdain understood about authenticity
• 14 Things You Didn't Know About Anthony Bourdain
• NYC Chefs mourn Anthony Bourdain with touching tributes
• Anthony Bourdain's most memorable quotes
• CNN pays tribute to Anthony Bourdain by airing last three episodes of 'Parts Unknown'

Until the next time . . .

Just a Quote

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

While doing some research on Emerson on the Internet, I found a site that contained 692 quotes from the famous Transcendental poet. essayist and philosopher. From my point of view, he's great for quotes.

And others are great for quotes about life and death -- and everything in between.

What I enjoy about quotes is that they contain nuggets of truth (or falsehood) that a person can ponder one at a time. Instead of being bombarded with numerous ideas and insights in one reading, we can take that one quote and concentrate on its meaning. It's not nearly as confusing.

I generally leave a quote on my Facebook page every morning that I find humorous, enlightening, wise, or simply stupid. My latest novel, Shooting Star, contains quotes from the legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

Since this blog primarily focuses on reading and writing, here are a few quotes I'd like to share:

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." -- Mark Twain

"You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you've got something to say." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe." -- Gustave Flaubert

 

 

"The two most engaging powers of a good author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new." -- William M. Thackeray

 

 

"Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity." -- William Zinsser

 

 

"They can't yank novelist like they can pitcher. Novelist has to go the full nine, even if it kills him." -- Ernest Hemingway

 

 

And to close with Mr. Emerson, "People do not deserve to have good writing, they are so pleased with the bad."

Until the next time...