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.
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.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
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