Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

I love this show. All the places that Bourain took us, the people we met, the foods we were exposed to, the cultures around the world. It might be a bit hyperbolic of me to say that this show, and Anthony Bourdain's view of it, made a real difference in my life, but it is nonetheless true. The humanity of Bourdain made it all worth watching and said so much to the deepest part of me as a person. I will miss him, and all of that, so very very much. RIP Anthony. And thank you.

Anthony Bourdain is living the dream I never knew I had. He makes me want to visit places that completely off my radar. He is fun articulate, down to Earth, a good host, a good guest, a little curmudgeonly. A dude you want to have a beer with. You can pick any episode at random and you will love it. It is ostensibly a food show - and some episodes are entirely about food But some episodes seem to forget they are a food show and spend half an episode in a stripper/robot/monster/techno show in Tokyo. I want this life.

Tony set a high bar with his previous show and now this one. This episode was very well done. I felt the emotions of the Vietnamese people from their welcoming attitudes to their remembering past wars. Regardless of what you think of the president, that segment was thoughtful. It wasn't overly political. And I share Tony's desire that more Americans have passports and travel more. I know experiencing southeast Asia was life altering, in a good way, for me.