Lake Neuron

I am watching the latest episode of “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”, which I think premiered last week.

It’s a lot of fun — but completely atypical. Instead of the normal travelogue format, in this episode Bourdain goes home. You see, he hasn’t worked regularly as a chef in several years, since he became an author, TV host and president of the Rachael Ray Fan Club (that last item may have been just a wee bit sarcastic). But tonight, as premise for an episode, he goes back and works his old shift at Les Halles, a New York restaurant. It’s a wonderful, revealing episode about what makes a restaurant kitchen work and how that peculiar chemistry can be altered by the introduction of a new element — say, an older and out-of-practice chef trailing a TV crew.

Here, by the way, is Bourdain’s blog entry about the experience.

When I was writing my earlier post about Tony Bourdain’s old show “A Cook’s Tour” being re-run by Food Network, I wondered what Bourdain might think about the situation.

I need wonder no longer:

“They’re not putting the show back on because they like it. They’re trying to destroy me!” I theorized. People will surely comment on the striking - even horrifying - decline in my appearance since those few years ago - and will wonder why they would still watch someone who is clearly dying of some hideous hair whitening, skin puffing, tropical bloating disease. Or maybe they’re putting it back on as a deliberate strategy to break off and confuse a segment of potential audience who might otherwise be tuning in to the exciting new season of NO RESERVATIONS (the vastly superior and more expensive series on TRAVEL CHANNEL)! Maybe … maybe it’s vengeance for some of the Rachael Ray cracks. In fact…MAYBE it’s part of some secret deal to keep her on the network … some ultra hush-hush rider to her contract! I’ve been trying to buy those old shows back for ages - to make DVDs. They’ve refused to sell, sitting on them year after year. Until now. Coincidence? Or conspiracy?

The whole post is pretty funny. I loved the comparison of Guy Fieri to “Poochie” from “The Simpsons.” (Bourdain’s post does contain some strong language.)

The wry, cynical chef and author Anthony Bourdain has made a cottage industry out of bad-mouthing his former TV home, the Food Network. He is particularly critical of Rachael Ray, but mostly he’s upset that real chefs who used to dominate the network (including Bourdain’s friend Mario Batali) have to some extent been pushed out in favor of bubbly TV personalities and gimmickry. Much of it rings true; some of it, however, seems like it’s just for effect.

All of this is why it’s so funny that Food Network, apparently prompted by the success of Bourdain’s Travel Channel series “No Reservations,” has suddenly dug out and begun not only re-airing but heavily promoting Bourdain’s old Food Network show, “A Cook’s Tour.” If they had promoted the show this heavily on its original run, Bourdain might never have left!