I had to stop by the Union Square Barnes & Noble on my way home from work last night to catch a discussion between Michael Ruhlman and Anthony Bourdain. I’m a long time fan of Bourdain, specifically of Kitchen Confidential, his subsequent travel shows and rants about The Food Network and their personalities. I had been reading Ruhlman’s blog every now and then to catch Bourdain’s guest appearances until I started watching The Next Iron Chef, for which Ruhlman was a judge and commentator via his blog.
The introduction was a tad heavy on the fluffing but the two authors kept it real on travel, cooking and producing good television around those topics. They also had some funny and interesting comments on the celebrity chef. BN.com will have at some point has a video of the discussion.
Bourdain: Guy Fieri, you know…20% more gel…20% more Rastafari…can we put him on a skateboard…with the glasses around his head: ratings gold.
Ruhlman: Apparently, he’s very popular. I don’t know…
Bourdain: So is chlamydia.
Ruhlman: Did you really quit smoking?
Bourdain: Yes.
Bourdain: That’s what a pair of 7 1/2 month old lungs in the house does to you.
Ruhlman: You have some redeeming characteristics after all.
Bourdain: Shut the fuck up.