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Q&A | Anthony Bourdain to heat up KC Tuesday

By CORY STREETER
The Kansas City Star

Down-to-earth chef turned author and Travel Channel host Anthony Bourdain stops in Kansas City Tuesday for “A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Conditions.”

He’ll headline an evening presentation at the Midland, 1228 Main St., and attend a sold-out reception at Bristol Seafood Grill downtown. We recently chatted with Bourdain about travel, food and more.

What do you talk about at “A Cook’s Tour” events?

Mostly about what I’ve learned, travel tips, anecdotal stuff, what I’ve kind of noticed — if there’s a common thread between great food cultures around the world, which, increasingly, there seems to be.

In your heart, do you see yourself as more of a chef or a writer?

Certainly for 28 years — my whole life since I was 17 — I worked in the restaurant business. … I was in a very blue-collar profession, and I guess after all those years of doing that and thinking it’s all I would ever be doing … I see myself as a very lucky cook who gets to tell stories for a living.

Is it more of the story behind the food that you enjoy?

Yeah, sure. I’m not a food critic. I’m at least as interested, if not more interested, in who’s cooking than what’s cooking.

When you’re on these tours, like the one that is bringing you to Kansas City, is it tough to see a city for what it’s actually like?

Really, it’s impossible. If I’m on book tour, I’m in town for one, maybe two nights. I get a very distorted (view). … If anything, it’s useful for establishing contacts in the future and getting a very vague sense of places that I might want to come back to or places that I have yet to visit. It’s maddening, especially when I come into town with a lot going on.

So a second trip is when you go tracking down all the places you go?

Even on the third trip, it’s an impossible mission, when you’re talking places like Tokyo or San Francisco. One of the frustrating things of making the show (“No Reservations”) is no matter who we reach out to, no matter how well we research, how many times I’ve been there, we’re going to miss so much stuff. Generally, when I’m in town for a while, I want to know where locals go. I don’t care about the most famous place. I certainly don’t care about the best place. You know, where do locals go at night when they’re drunk and need comfort food?

Are there any food kicks that you get on?

I’m on a yakitori jag. There’s sort of an underground scene of casual Japanese restaurants for entirely Japanese clientele. It’s very specific to Japan; you almost never see Westerners. It’s very casual, usually with beer, maybe sake, and a lot of it is little bits of chicken parts cooked on skewers over charcoal. Absolutely delicious. And casual, which is really important to me. I think there’s a fine dining backlash. I think a lot of the nonsense is being bled out of the restaurant scene, and it’s really a joy to get really, really good ingredients and authentic food without the nonsense and the pretense.

Does it bother you when Americans are traveling and they’re not willing to enter a culture? Take using chopsticks, for example.

There’s a trying and failing that’s OK. I think being inept at chopsticks is completely OK. At least enthusiastically try. I mean, for God’s sake, they’ve been cooking for 6,000 years (in China); there are hundreds of millions of people that eat with chopsticks. It’s fun. … Some of the best food in the world is eaten with chopsticks.

You witnessed conflict firsthand when shooting “No Reservations” in Beirut. Are there any areas in the world that you want to go to but don’t have access?

Ethiopia is a dodgy political situation. We’re hoping to shoot there this season.

I would really love to shoot in Iran. The food is supposed to be fantastic. The government, the official attitude, is hostile, to say the least, but I’ve heard from other Westerners that on the ground the people are hospitable and nice. But the political situation there should make it impossible. I mean, they’re actively supporting people that are killing Americans, so I couldn’t in good conscience go.

I’d love to go back to Beirut. I’m heartbroken that we had to leave before doing the show we wanted to do. Cuba is difficult, but we’re going to try.

You’re also a music fan. Does traditional music go hand-in-hand with the traditional food?

It depends. One of the things I like about Babbo, Mario Batali’s restaurant in New York, is sitting there and eating really terrific Italian food and wonderful Italian wines, and yet he insists on playing the Rolling Stones at concert hall pitch. (Laughs.) I don’t think there are any hard-and-fast rules for music. It all depends on the mood and the situation. A lot of dining situations almost require bad music. Like really cheesy Chinese pop songs for certain casual dining situations in Hong Kong, for instance. Good music would be inappropriate.

On the road, do you ever eat American fast food, or would you rather starve?

I’ve got to really be desperate. I mean, it would be an early morning on book tour in an airport, when there’s nothing but Mickey D’s, there’s no other option and I need coffee and something in my stomach. And I’d probably wear a bag over my head because I would be just mortified to be caught eating it.

You have differing opinions on a lot of celebrity chefs. Here’s a different twist on it: If Britney Spears became a chef, would you ever try her food?

So you’re talking someone that’s as stupid and talentless and messed up as Britney Spears cooking? Hasn’t it happened already? (Laughs.) I think we have a pretty good idea what that creature would look like if that happened. It would be called “Semi-Homemade,” and she has a show on Food Network already.

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