No doubt man. I didn't watch his shows a lot, but had a respect for him. I was shocked to hear of not only his death, but that it was suicide.
Anthony was a regular here in Vancouver BC,met him a ton of times in local markets. Sad Day. Its really hit a lot of the local chefs hard.
Serious bummer when I saw the headline this morning. It's hard to reckon how someone gets to that point, especially with so much to offer and so much going for him. I'll miss his no-BS approach to food at every level.
I wish I could say that it was a surprise, but it's not an unexpected bookend. The man had more demons than hairs in his head, and he bared them all. I'm arrogant enough to see myself as peers with most everyone, so I don't use words like "hero" a lot. He was definitely a hero of mine though. His work will live on though, and he'll continue to be an inspiration. For all his faults, he championed a lifestyle, and set of values that you can't help but admire, and strive towards. To move, see, explore. Go off the beaten track. Meet people. Embrace difference and bond over what's common. Stand your ground, but don't take yourself too seriously. Eat good food. Drink better liquor. Cheers to Anthony Bourdain.
Normally these types of things don't bother me. Partly because I'm calloused. Partly because it's simply far too common these days. But I heard this on the radio yesterday morning and was legit stunned for about 10 seconds or so. As he gained popularity in recent years, I sort of lost interest but 10 years or so, I was a big fan of his books, both fiction and non-fiction. I really got into his writing style and particularly his honesty. Long before he was eating with Presidents and Hollywood snobs, he was just a cook who had kicked every drug known to man, and was brutally honest about himself. He'd get up early after working until 1 or 2 am, smoke a few cigarettes and write for a few hours. Then go to work and do it all again. There was no rich uncle or family connection that got him his fame. He had the balls to write some edgy stuff and send it in unsolicited to the New Yorker. That one act of stepping out led 100% to his fame. Hard not to pull for a guy who at one point was digging paint chips out of his carpet and smoking them on the off chance they were a dropped crack rock, and then built himself up to winning basically every award available to him. He wasn't perfect. I don't worship him or want to be like him, but I hate that he checked out the way he did. He wasn't greedy or arrogant--he remained self-deprecating to the end. He always remembered where he came from, and that's a pretty attractive trait in a person. I read that he once said, "I feel like I've stolen a really nice car, and I keep looking in the rearview mirror for flashing lights, but so far I'm good." How many of us could say the same thing if we really counted our blessings and looked at our lives? That's a pretty darn good outlook on life when you get down to it. I can relate to that because sometimes I think my life is so good, that I feel like I'm getting away with something and any day now, the other shoe is going to drop. In the end, though, it wasn't enough to get him through one lonely, dark night too many.
We are doing this cow in his honor because this event would have never happened it it was not inspired by him.
RIP. Suicide is a hard thing to deal with. My older brother hung himself. My mom was the one who found him. Mom called me and told me about it, and I had to get my younger brother out of church to tell him the news. I watched them carry him out in a body bag. Not a fun experience. I also knew 4 other people that did that. Definitely hard to deal with.
It is. It's become increasingly common as well. Sadly. For those of you that have been fortunate enough to not have to deal with actual depression, it's something you can't relate to. It's not like a feeling of being sad or down. It's an all-consuming, suffocating blanket, that literally robs you of life. You can even be laughing with friends while simultaneously feeling an incredible despair of impending doom. It is almost always illogical and goes against all reason but it is there nonetheless, and just as real. Get some help if you need it. Unlike most things in life, depression is really one of those things where talking it out with the right person actually helps.
Depression is no different than hypertension, forget about the stigma that goes along with a mental illness label. Bad headache, get your blood pressure checked. Anergia when you are usually out buschcraftin' all day, get it checked. Both respond to the appropriate treatment regimen and it is not always pharmaceuticals that get you back on track. The key is identifying that there is a problem. The hole is never too deep to ascend.
This kind of hits hard......here at home for me.....Anthony Bordain was a percussionist for local 90' artist Mazzy Starr......LONG before he was a youtube foodie. Both of them were Club Kids in the local Vancouver music scene in the early 90's. its weird seeing global food celebrities, that are locals, pass on......it impacts a lot of people ,.....
It is ironic that the very DAY before his death, I was sitting around with a few friends of mine, and we were talking about what a great life he had. What a job! Go around the world eating great food, and drinking great drinks, beers, wines, etc, and they writing, and doing a show about it! What could be better??? Even a seemingly perfect job, and lifestyle can't suppress the internal demons some have. We've seen it time, and time again. RIP.
