Quotes by Anthony Bourdain

Tokyo would probably be the foreign city if I had to eat one citys food for the rest of my life, every day. It would have to be Tokyo, and I think the majority of chefs you ask that question would answer the same way.

People are generally proud of their food. A willingness to eat and drink with people without fear and prejudice... they open up to you in ways that somebody visiting who is driven by a story may not get.

Oh yes, theres lots of great food in America. But the fast food is about as destructive and evil as it gets. It celebrates a mentality of sloth, convenience, and a cheerful embrace of food we know is hurting us.

Im very proud of the Rome episode of No Reservations because it violated all the conventional wisdom about making television. Youre never, ever supposed to do a food or travel show in black and white.

Jiro Ono serves Edo-style traditional sushi, the same 20 or 30 pieces hes been making his whole life, and hes still unsatisfied with the quality and every day wakes up and trains to make the best. And that is as close to a religious experience in food as one is likely to get.

Meals make the society, hold the fabric together in lots of ways that were charming and interesting and intoxicating to me. The perfect meal, or the best meals, occur in a context that frequently has very little to do with the food itself.

As I see it, fast food outfits have targeted small children with their advertising in a very effective way. You know, its clowns and kids toys and bright colors and things like that.

Understand, when you eat meat, that something did die. You have an obligation to value it - not just the sirloin but also all those wonderful tough little bits.

Im very type-A, and many things in my life are about control and domination, but eating should be a submissive experience, where you let down your guard and enjoy the ride.

Peoples choice to become vegan, from people Ive spoken to, seems motivated by fear.

My mom had Julia Child and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook on top of the refrigerator, and she had a small repertoire of French dishes.

The Italians and Spanish, the Chinese and Vietnamese see food as part of a larger, more essential and pleasurable part of daily life. Not as an experience to be collected or bragged about - or as a ritual like filling up a car - but as something else that gives pleasure, like sex or music, or a good nap in the afternoon.

When I was writing Kitchen Confidential, I was in my 40s, I had never paid rent on time, I was 10 years behind on my taxes, I had never owned my own furniture or a car.

Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but its a start.

There are people with otherwise chaotic and disorganized lives, a certain type of person thats always found a home in the restaurant business in much the same way that a lot of people find a home in the military.

“You have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese.”