RIP Anthony Bourdain

I thought Ripert found him in the hotel

 

Exactly, I'm just puzzled he didn't see any signs of suicide leading up to his death,

 

That was years ago though.

 

So true. Such a loss to this world. Rest in peace, A. Bourdain

 

Once a pickle, always one. i.e. the hole inside never goes away...

 

Such a damn bummer to wake up to this morning. By all accounts, he just seemed like such a cool guy to be around. Someone you'd love to have a beer or 10 with. Watching his shows helped me to open up (slightly) my very picky eating habits.

I can't begin to imagine what goes through the mind of someone even contemplating suicide...what it takes to get to the point of where living isn't worth it any more. Regardless of if a person has so much going for them like Anthony Bourdain or Kate Spade, it's something so much more powerful than that. The ability to hide it as well...

He'll be missed by millions for what he showed us weekly...the parts of the world no one knew or cared about and why they were so awesome.

Rest in peace.

 

Too sad. His show is a form of journalism that we desperately need. And its not just visiting countries that don't get much coverage. Even in the US, his episodes on places like West Virginia, Mississippi, etc.. were great forms of journalism. He's one of the few that made an attempt to actually connect with rural America in a way that humanizes people and reminds us that we are in fact all part of the same country.

 

Holy...wow. This one hits hard as I have been a fan and admirer of his for awhile.

Truly saddened by this. RIP

 

I'm not usually one to get broken up over celebrity deaths but damn if this one doesn't hurt. His shows, especially Parts Unknown, have been appointment viewing for me for years. I always thought that it was imbued with a sense of curiosity and a deep respect for the people and places of the world. It was clear that beneath his cynical exterior, there was always an amazement that he got to do this for a living.

I can't imagine the pain he must've been to do this in spite of an 11-year-old daughter, a new relationship and the likelihood that he'd be discovered by his partner in crime Eric Ripert. Depression scares the **** out of me because both of my folks have suffered through varying degrees of it, from treatable to debilitating. I've never felt anything close to what Bourdain must've been going through, but it must've been crippling in a way that words fail.

 

Damn. Been a huge fan of his for a long time.

Still don't see why some people don't like him unless I missed some off camera stuff but on his show he was always respectful of the people/culture that he was in.

 

For the longest time he'd bash on H-town's 'foodie' scene but that all changed once he did a show on it...

 

What did he say to bash Houston's food scene?

 

Most people outside of Texas can't fathom that we are probably the most cultural and economically diverse city in the country. All you hear now is how surprised chefs are about of food culture. We've taken major leaps and people have just started taking us seriously as a world class food city.

 

One of the best episodes I saw recently is his episode in Massachusetts on the heroin epidemic and how he personally related to it given his own past use of heroin.

That's journalism that is so hard to replace. And in a time where our journalism quality has sunk to some pretty bad lows, it only makes this loss even harder.

 

This is from a couple of years ago: https://www.eater.com/2016/11/20/11902862/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown-buenos-aires-recap

5. On what has brought him to psychotherapy: "Well, things have been happening. I will find myself in an airport, for instance, and I'll order an airport hamburger. It's an insignificant thing, it's a small thing, it's a hamburger, but it's not a good one. Suddenly I look at the hamburger and I find myself in a spiral of depression that can last for days."

7. On his recurring dream: "I've had this dream again that I've had for as long as I can remember. I'm stuck in a vast old Victorian hotel with endless rooms and hallways trying to check out, but I can't. I spend a lot of time in hotels, but this one is menacing because I just can't leave it. And then there's another part to this dream, always, where I'm trying to go home but I can't quite remember where that is."

11. On feeling out of place: "I feel like Quasimodo the hunchback of Notre Dame — if he stayed in nice hotel suites with high thread count sheets, that would be me. I feel kind of like a freak, and I feel very isolated."

12. On struggling with communication: "I communicate for a living, but I'm terrible with communicating with people I care about. I'm good with my daughter. An eight-year-old is about my level of communication skills, so that works out. But beyond, that I'm really terrible."

25. On being depressed: "There's the evil cheeseburger, the evil hamburger that sets me off; suddenly, I'm depressed for days. It's like that with the good stuff, too. I have a couple of happy minutes there where I'm thinking life is pretty good."

 

Never watched any of his shows, but I might have to now unfortunate that it's after he passed . Sad sad stuff.

I struggle with depression to varying degrees on a daily basis. I do the right things as best as I can. I try not to isolate. I have a pretty terrific girlfriend who is supportive and is a nurse, so she gets it. I see a therapist once every few weeks. I go to Al-Anon meetings. I take medicine. I meditate for 10 mins 1-2 times a day.

I struggle with sleep, neck pain. etc.

Just feels better typing all of that out, even if none of you truly know me.

 

And this is exactly why a lot of us are sad. I hope you can see that. He seemed like a man willing to look his pre-conceived notions in the mirror, challenge them and change them when warranted. His episode on Houston was one of the best hours of television devoted to our hometown and I don't think it would've been nearly as good as it was had the city and its people not changed years of his preconceptions during filming.

Yeah, he bashed a lot of things in his life but that's part of what made him enthralling. Compelling artists and figures are rarely boring.

 

Man, this sucks, and proves that things in life should come in moderation- even the good things. All we saw was a drea, job of traveling and eating in these wonderful destinations and failed to realize that all that traveling weighs on you with no sense of home and the constant hotel to airport transport.

This guy has seen the most beautiful of places and some of the most depressing of ones in war torn countries, he's reported on all of them. Only he will know why he took his own life. It's hard to make sense of it since he gave up cigarettes, started training, lived a healthier lifestyle, has a beautiful wife and just had a daughter not all that long ago. This sucks for the world, the aspiring journalist that wants to be neutral in their writings and most of all for his family and friends. The guy bridged people like I've never seen and this world is in a worse state without him.

 

What's that about an evil airport hamburger being tied to depression? I will be sure to stay away from airport hamburgers.

I enjoyed the hell out of the man on camera. Didn't know much about the man off camera. Apparently, he wasn't having as good a time as the man on camera. I guess looks can be deceiving. Such a shame. He was a window into other cultures and cuisine. Now, that window has been closed and boarded over. We all lost today. So long, Anthony Bourdain. RIP

The next article I read after this **** news this morning is "Mitt Romney predicts Trump will 'easily' win re-election". Umm...no thanks!