Anthony Bourdain - Eine Frage des Geschmacks

1. He's got the gig you always wanted.

2. He won the Lou Reed look-alike contest and you only took second place.

3. Two words: "Free oysters".

4. No one has the right to be in that kinda shape with a 3-pack-a-day habit and a well-documented history of substance abuse...I mean NO ONE!! You eat organic bean sprouts and never bought a carton of Marlboros in your life, and you still look like Sydney Greenstreet anyway.

5. Anyone who can properly pronounce the word "geoduck" probably also knows how to correctly enunciate the word "nuclear" and, as such, deserves your immediate enmity. (NOTE-- If you are currently serving as President of the United States, move this reason to #1 on your list).

6. He gets to say words like f**k and m**herf***er and s**t on national TV and has his mouth washed out with primo vodka, 30-year old single malt scotch and absinthe. Your mom used Lava soap on you.

7. His advance team finds the coolest underground joints in the world while you're Mapquesting the local Applebee's.

8. He gets to do the funniest show on TV and doesn't have to worry about the "Seinfeld curse" since Jason Alexander still has not appeared as a guest on the show.

9. His new movie stinks...Oh..I'm sorry...that's the other "No Reservations".

10. Three words: "More free oysters".

Easily the coolest travel and/or food show you'll ever see. And for all the badass showmanship, the gooey caramel center of "No Reservations" is Bourdain's subliminal message that our world ain't a sandwich...it's a banquet.

No reservations is essentially the same as parts unknown, but it feels much more authentic with a lower budget and a smaller camera crew that's much less experienced. If you're looking for Anthony Bourdain genuinely going somewhere and experiencing food and life there, then this is it. It focuses much more on food than parts unknown. However, it's less fun overall than its newer counterpart.

It is interesting and very entertaining. You don't expect some things and the insights about foreign culture are original when compared to other shows. Sure some things are said with sarcasm or hyperbole, but that s how he writes his narrative.

Cool show. Cool guy. The production values are good BTW. Remember, in these types of narrated shows most stuff is intentional.

The show is original and every episode is different. See the episode on Russia if you want to see the show at its best.

Final rating: 10 out of 10 and the best show on the travel channel for all the above reasons.

Anthony Bourdain does something no one else does. He shows how the regular people live and gives us a glimpse into the real culture and real thoughts of people in other countries. It is a glimpse that is not filtered through the over-simplified American media machine. It provides context through the brief history segments on each show, then goes on to tell it like it is. This is a form of bravery we don't see on our televisions, news, etc. which is largely controlled by corporate interests. It is a breath of fresh air! Through getting to know the real story, and the real people, he is creating understanding, and conditions for peace in the world. Thank you Anthony Bourdain! We just purchased every show you have ever made.

I'm sorry to see this series go away, but I'm eternally grateful to Anthony Bourdain, and the Travel Channel for creating this series. This is one of the (if not the) best cultural food program ever created. It's fun and educational at the same time, and certainly as good of a guide for travel destination as any.

Anthony Bourdain brings humor to the story at the expense of his own pride, but is a gracious host to others who appear on his show. He's a good role model on how to be a good host, and a guest at the same time.

The program also showed that there are some food that're worth traveling to eat. If I'm traveling to those countries, I'd definitely would make plans to experience the gastronomic delight featured on some of the episodes.

There aren't any bad episodes in this series, but some episodes had more significant impact from a personal point of view. Needless to say that this series is highly recommended for would be travelers to the featured destinations, but is also highly recommended just for its pure entertainment values.