Isms Issue May | Page 38

Street Food with Anthony Bourdain I May 2017 You’ve eaten at more places around the world than most people ever will; what had been your most memorable food experience while traveling? There’s been a lot of them but eating with Paul Bocuse was remarkable. It was an epic meal with someone I’d idol- ized since I was a young man, and he’s one of the greatest chefs in the world. During the meal, I was very aware that this was a once-in- a-lifetime experience; to eat with the chef himself, with all of those incredibly elaborate, luxurious courses. I was very aware when I was eating it, how fortunate I was. It was an amazing experience. If I had one meal left to me in life though it would be in Tokyo at Sukiyabashi Jiro. It is the best—if not, one of the best—sushi bars in the world and I’m a sucker for really great, traditional, high-end sushi. What’s the strangest dish you’ve eaten? Yakitori is prepared by boiling the chicken meat in soy sauce and concentrated rice glucose, before it’s coated in flour and Saki. I don’t even know what strange means anymore, as I’ve been travelling for 14 years. It’s entirely each person’s perspective. I am constantly shocked by what we eat in this country though; like, the Cinnabon. You must spend a lot of time off the trail. What do you think of rotten fermented food? I don’t eat it. Some places try harder than others for sure, but you never feel better after a meal than you did before it, so I take advantage of my time on a plane to sleep. I like arriving in any country hungry, so I can eat there when I get on the ground. Do you have a favorite street kitchen or is it too hard to choose? I’m actually happiest eating street food, whether it’s in Mexico or Vietnam. I like eating at casual street food stalls in Asia or Latin America. I like yakitori; I like pho from Vietnam very much; I like the chicken rice in Singapore and the tacos in Mexico. They’re all delicious. 40 .isms I May 2017 [ THE PREPARATION OF YAKITORI INVOLVES SKEWERING THE MEAT WITH KUSHI (A TYPE OF SKEWERD CHICKEN) AND IS TYPICALLY MADE OF STEEL, BAMBOO, OR SIMILAR MATERIALS. AFTERWARDS, THEY ARE GRILLED OVER A CHARCOAL FIRE. DURING OR AFTER COOKING, THE MEAT IS TYPICALLY SEASONED ] .isms I May 2017 41