Parts Unknown

[Botch]

I've been following Anthony Bourdain since his book Kitchen Confidential, and tonight was the debut of his new show on CNN, Parts Unknown. It's not too much different from his last two shows on the cooking channels, but there's a bit more history, and politics, mixed in this time. His debut show takes place in Myanmar, and I wasn't too familiar with the country's history, nor its cuisine, but the show (hour-long) is filling in the gaps nicely. A very nice stop after CBS' 60 Minutes on a Sunday night! :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[heeman]

Thanks Botch!

Was unaware of his new show, I will have to check it out.

 

[Botch]

Another interesting episode tonight, he hit LA's Koreatown. Big history discussion on how, during the Rodney King riots, the LAPD pretty much left Koreatown to their own devices, with the majority of their businesses being either destroyed or abandoned, despite the Korean community pulling together for a pretty good "homeland defense".
Then he met up with an avante-garde artist who'd been hired to paint murals onto the hallways of some new startup called Facebook, was paid in stocks, and is now living The Life. That Life included driving Mr. Bourdain in his korean low-rider up Whittier

and then taking him to a Koreatown mecca, Sizzler. Learned how to make the ultimate taco: three italian meatballs into a crispy taco shell, covered with guac and sour cream, yum!

Anthony Bourdain has the best job in the world. I want it. :|

 

[MatthewB]

That episode in Myanmar on that train. Holy shit you couldn't pay me to ride that deathtrap. That chicken curry did look tasty though.

 

[Botch]

Tonight, O Canada! (specifically, Quebec)

He goes ice fishing with a couple of wiseacres, then gets wined & dined in a icefishing house, set up on concrete blocks, with great wines, a comfit (whose name I didn't recognize) of hare meat with a sauce made from it's blood, covered with shaved black truffles, and thick slab of fois gras grilled on top of the wood-fired, pot-bellied stove, yum!
Then, a grilled meat platter, outdoors, sitting on 2x8's stacked on milk cartons, in the center of a hockey rink. Fun stuff!

No doubt, there's probably plenty of "artistic liberty" on this series. But, having lived in Grand Forks ND for 3 years, there's a lot I recognize/can relate to. Including great restaurants nestled in amongst the frozen tundra (wish I could remember the name of the fantastic Mediterranian restaurant that became my hangout up there, along with most of the liberal arts profs from UND; it was destroyed in the '96 flood, don't know if it was resurrected ).

 

[MatthewB]

Last week in Koreatown looked like a good place to get mugged.

 

[Botch]

:text-bump:

Looking forward to watching tonight. Tony takes Route 66 through Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was stationed in Albuquerque for five years (actually lived two blocks off of Route 66 the first 9 months). Its where I feel I really became who I am; became a food fanatic, a chile-head, played in a band 2 to 4 nights every single week, learned to ski, and had probably the best job I'll ever have in my life (and was TDY twice a month, on average).
I'm not religious or superstitious, but there are two areas of the U.S. that just feel... magical is the best word I can come up with; the Black Hills of SD and New Mexico, and I still feel it when I visit. This'll be fun. :handgestures-thumbup:

EDIT: Had to do a bit of digging, I didn't think Route 66 actually went through Santa Fe. Some maps show that it did, but some:

...show it didn't. :think:

 

[PaulyT]

Yeah I always thought 66 pretty much followed what's now I-40 in NM. But I agree, the southwest has a certain feel to it, that's just different from the rest of the country. We tried to expose our kids to this a bit his summer without trip through AZ, UT, NM... I think they picked up on it a little.

 

[Flint]

NM is magical, the state caption of "Land of Enchantment" is 100% accurate. I was born there and lived there until I was 25 years old, and it still feels like a very special place well beyond just being where I grew up. I miss the magic.

 

[Botch]

I miss the magic.

Me too. Just finished the episode; I need to go back.

I've been toying with the idea of a winter residence, to escape the terrible inversion pollution here where I live now. I'd been poking around looking at properties in AZ, but after watching this show tonight, I may have to look into NM again too. I swore off the place when I left in '91 because of the crime, but a more rural location.... :shhh:

 

[Botch]

:text-bump:
Tonight I watched the "Sicily" episode for the first time. Right at the end he started improvising on the shaving of a just-shot pig with something about the Kardashians, he'll get sued tomorrow but I was laughing my ass off! :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:
He may also get sued by the Sicilian "fishing tour" industry, but he'll win and he provided a great service... :angry-tappingfoot:

 

[heeman]

I watched that episode last night also...........

Not everyone likes him, I have been a fan for years.

 

[Botch]

:text-bump:

Shanghai. New Season Premiere tonight.
A fascinating look at a fascinating city, and it didn't feel "communist" at all. Enormous pockets of wealth developing, and China has surpassed Japan as the top buyer on the planet for fine wines. There was also an interesting discussion about how "social media" has totally wiped out true, hooman interaction, just like us 'muricans.
It was especially interesting to see this after a segment on tonight's 60 Minutes about Alibaba, which just went public, a Chinese internet sales site that is already bigger than Amazon and eBay, combined. Formed by a tiny guy named Jack Meh (sp?) who credits his success by never doing business with "the guv'mint" (hmm). No degree whatsoever, he just got interested in "the internet" and made it work. Wow.

 

[Flint]

I've been to Shanghai four times and will be returning at least twice in the next 6 months. Amazing city. Huge, modern, huge, and... well... huge. The place is massive. There isn't a single shop, area, store, restaurant, or anything like that. There are thousands of shops, areas, stores, restaurants and everything. It is scary huge and makes everything in the US seem jokingly tiny in comparison.

I love the place, but it is overwhelming.

 

[DIYer]

who credits his success by never doing business with "the guv'mint" (hmm).

What d'ya mean "hmm"? :confusion-scratchheadyellow:

 

[Towen7]

who credits his success by never doing business with "the guv'mint" (hmm).

What d'ya mean "hmm"? :confusion-scratchheadyellow:

Because alibaba is a Chinese company. One would think that the Chinese government is involved in everything, especially a company THAT large/successful.

 

[Flint]

who credits his success by never doing business with "the guv'mint" (hmm).

What d'ya mean "hmm"? :confusion-scratchheadyellow:

Because alibaba is a Chinese company. One would think that the Chinese government is involved in everything, especially a company THAT large/successful.

DING! DING! DING! DING!

We have a winner!!!

The Chinese government controls all wealth accumulation of ALL of their citizens. In some cases it has done much to save their economy by encouraging more people to get into the middle class, and not any higher, but in most cases it is very limiting and draconian. Take restaurants... since so many people can open good restaurants, if you happen to open one which is incredibly successful and decide to open another, and another, and another... at a certain point (usually after three locations) the government will stop you and not allow you a permit for the forth. Why? Because you are reducing competition from others who want to get into the middle class who can do the job at least safely and well enough to make a living.

Alibaba was allowed to do its thing because it was a way for China to have a proper business which competes, heck - it even exceeds, the likes of eBay, Amazon, and Craigslists. They needed that as there is so little true innovation in that country and all of the greatest business ideas are imported. They need to stop the big western businesses from moving into their countries if they want to ever create a self-sustained economy.

Like I said, on the one hand I completely understand their motives, but on the other it stifles entrepreneurship.

 

[DIYer]

Because alibaba is a Chinese company. One would think that the Chinese government is involved in everything, especially a company THAT large/successful.

So this confirms that large/successful business is possible when the gov isn't minding private citizen's business. Botch, is that what you meant?

 

[Towen7]

Or... It's a complete line of BS from an information based company that wants to do business with the US. A nation that is a little spooked about our OWN government spying on us and what US companies do with our data/private info.

 

[DIYer]

They need to stop the big western businesses from moving into their countries if they want to ever create a self-sustained economy.

Like I said, on the one hand I completely understand their motives, but on the other it stifles entrepreneurship.

Or... It's a complete line of BS from an information based company that wants to do business with the US. A nation that is a little spooked about our OWN government spying on us and what US companies do with our data/private info.

What I get from the two quoted posts above is that China, a socialist nation, is adapting US model of business, capitalism, to become more of self-sustained economy while US, a capitalist economic system, is adapting Chinese model of governing, socialism, to become more like them. Am I in alignment with you guys?