Today José Andrés and Eric Ripert have designated June 25th as Anthony Bourdain day. They ask that you post a toast to Anthony Bourdain on social media to celebrated his life. Today would have been his 63rd birthday. Rather than being sad over his death, they chose to celebrate his life.
I am not sure anything has given me as much despair and Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. Half of my DVR was filled with all of his Parts Unknown episodes. Last June I rewatched most of them while crying. Then I thought I could never watch them again and have been slowly deleting them over the past year. Just this week I began rewatching them again. I didn’t realize it had been a year since his death. Last June people reached out to me saying that they too were suffering mightily from the loss of Anthony Bourdain. People he had never met, he had touched in so many ways.
For me it was kind of the cyber version of when Princess Diana died. I was living in Tallahassee Florida and there was a bar near my house, I think it was like a TGIF sorta place. But in reality it was more like Cheers. I very rarely paid a tab. Everyone knew everyone and my tab was usually paid by some of the car salesman guys. Or maybe the bartender. Someone picked it up more often than not because I used to be kinda cute. And we would play trivia games (I usually won). And so when Princess Diana died, my immediate reaction was to get to my friends at the bar. We all sat there watching the news and crying. We didn’t know her, but we were all profoundly sad.
Despite what you might here, there are zero photos of me online. I am not cute anymore and when I was social media was not a thing. So I will not be posting my photo on social media today With a toast to Anthony Bourdain. But I hope that all of you will.
Instead, I’ll be making a donation to José Andrés amazing charity, World Central Kitchen. It’s unbelievable how much this man gives back to the world. If you would like to join me click the link.
Also, there is a post by Jason Rezaian on the Washington Post today about his experiences with Anthony Bourdain that is worth a read. You can read my coverage on the Jason Rezaian hostage situation here.
You are very much missed Anthony Bourdain.
“Where lies the final harbor, whence we unmoor no more? In what rapt ether sails the world, of which the weariest will never weary?” Herman Melville
I feel the same way Tamara. There was just no one like him. I was in such shock. He seemed to love life so much. I watched today and cried. Terrible loss.
Beautiful tribute T.T. I love the Melville quote. OBSESSED with Melville. Have you read The Divine Magnet ? A biography of his friendship with Hawthorne. Incredible book. I read Kitchen Confidential as a young man & was impressed with Anthony’s quick wit & sense of humor. Celebrating his life is a great idea. So few people honor the memory of a loved one while grieving their loss. Thanks for the uplifting reminder. I too need to practice celebrating life & not focus on the loss. Much love xo Marc
As I am in the midst of planning my October 20th anniversary trip to Paris, I can’t help but think of Anthony Bourdain. While we did not know him personally, a few of our chef friends did.
His loss left the world a sadder place.
Here’s to you Tony Boudain!
I think his death (and also, for me, Kate Spade) shows how hard Mental Illnes is to manage and live with…most (luckily) have no idea the anxiety, dispair and fear that those that suffer from depression and anxiety have to deal with EVERY DAY…even with Prescription Meds it is an upward slope…good doctors are few and far between even IF we can afford them….the death of Anthony Bourdain shows that no matter how great your life may seem there are demons you deal with that NO ONE knows about and basically can’t even imagine.
I miss him so much, I still dvr his shows but cant bear to watch them most of the time. Did you get the book CNN put out? It was not what I expected but it was beautiful to see, I had wondered about all of the friends he made all around the world and how they had reacted to his death.
I learned so much from this man I never met, he was one of a kind.
I will raise my glass to Anthony Bourdain this evening. A local restaurant had a Bourdain day dinner tonight. It had food and wine pairing that I suppose they thought we things he would have approved of. All proceeds were going to a mental health or suicide prevention charity – I don’t remember exactly which. When I first heard about it, I thought he would have hated that. But I guess if it helps prevent even one person from going down that same path it is worth it.
Tamara, I had a very different reaction to his death a year ago. Of course I was very sad, but I actually wanted to watch as many episodes of his show as I could. I have always thought he had a very soothing voice. Plus, as long as I could still watch him it was like my old friend (whom I’ve never met) was still alive. Isn’t it funny how we all cope with these sorts of things differently? I am glad they are still showing episodes. I like having him around.
I cannot express how much I loved AB. My goal was to try and get a job working on the show. I had the biggest crush on him and I loved his personality. AB has made me want to see so many other places in the world that I never thought of. It took me 11 months to finally watched the new shows. My mother was really worried about me after his death. No one can ever replace him. It pisses me off that Gordon Ramsey is doing a show similar. I hope that AB is finally at peace. Hopefully one day we can have a drink together.
Yes, I miss him, so damn strange. I’ve a wee bit of anger at him growing, be interesting to discover what my final thoughts will be on his final choice..
Thank you for posting this, Tamara. Anthony Bourdain was a fantastic chef and I loved his sense of humor so much, plus learning about all the cities/countries he traveled to, getting to live vicariously and learn about other cultures, knowing I will never visit any of them. I could not believe it when I heard he had passed from suicide. Funny, back in the older days of his shows, I used to worry about his smoking and him getting lung or heart disease someday – did NOT see his death coming at all (and that was not a slam against anyone who smokes at all – I was a heavy smoker until 5 years ago – it’s the worst habit I ever had to break and honestly, I still love the scent in the hair, just maybe not everything smelling like an ashtray). So, I raise my margarita glass to Mr. Bourdain and to you, Tamara – may your days get easier and brighter, may your heart feel lighter and fuller, and may your tomatoes be plentiful and juicy because there is absolutely nothing better in the entire world than homegrown tomatoes. – sorry this ia late post and his b-day is officially over, but I had to work super-late tonight.
I didn’t know this was Anthony Bourdain Day, but I would have been thrilled to lift a glass in his honor. Since I’m currently recovering from a very sneaky kidney stone, my drink of choice right now is Smart Water, which doesn’t seem worthy of Anthony somehow.
I was, and still am, furious at Anthony for leaving us. I know that’s a purely selfish reaction, because he must have been truly tormented to do what he did, and that breaks my heart. For me, the impact of his death felt like losing a very old friend. He was so down to earth, whether he was dining with famous chefs in a chateau, or sitting on the dirt floor of a humble hut sharing native cuisine. In fact, I think he preferred spending time with the locals.
Well, I’m still pissed off at you, Anthony, rightly or wrongly, but hope you finally found peace of mind. Bon appetit.
I’m still a little pissed too. I’m just now getting able to watch his shows again. I told my husband (ex now) that I wanted to go restaurant hopping with Tony in New Orleans. I could have shown him some wild places! When I opened my own restaurant having him come visit us was our goal. We never reached it. I loved his writing style and KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL let me know that I could write my book as I wanted to and get published. I’m still writing… .
I would love to read your book when you are done. Please let us know when it is ready.
I LOVED Tony. He was my everything and hall pass and my husband was cool with that. I’m sure if my husband was bi in anyway, Tony would have been his hall pass too. The day we heard about his passing we both wept in disbelief……….and this went on for like a week. I still keep a shelf of only his books; sad to think that there won’t be any more additions. #heartbroken
I was heartbroken by Anthony’s suicide as well. While working with Jose here in Wilmington after the hurricane I had the opportunity to pay my condolences to him on the loss of his dear friend. Men such as them are rare and precious. His loss dulls us all.
As they.* Duh.
You may not feel cute anymore but your are beautiful. logical & a joy to follow.
Thanks Sarah!
Thanks for this. I celebrated Bourdain Day by making scrambled eggs without anything added to make them fluffier — cream (my usual) or with water, the way Joe Pike makes them (yes, I know Joe Pike is a fictional character).
It still makes me cry to think of Eric Ripert finding his dear friend dead. Tony was a gifted chef and a genius writer, but it was his ability to see the wonder and find acceptance by people of such diverse, and often closed-off, cultures. My favorite part of Parts Unknown is him singing part of the theme song. 💔
I’d like to rewatch some episodes, particularly Italy, Libya, Cuba, and Charleston. And Thailand. Hell, probably all of them. But I’m just not ready yet. Comparing his death to Princess Diana’s is an apt comparison for me. Both occupied my mind and broke my heart.