My Thoughts on Anthony Bourdain While in Cape Town

This adventure had been planned for more than a year in advance and one of the things I wanted to best prepare was my mindset. Some way or another, I ended up watching Anthony Bourdain's show Parts Unknown. I spent many hours watching it looking forward to the views, the food, and the conversations. I wanted to learn how to travel "properly" Bourdain was certainly someone who spoke his mind, for better or worse, and did not care what you thought about it. He said some things I loved and said some things I didn't like but yet he still inspired me. How?

Bourdain showed me how a meal is about more than just the food. A meal is about the powerful connections between human beings that form in a dialogue on our lives over that meal. Bourdain would ask tough questions about life and the politics of the countries he visited over local dishes. Quite often, he praised food made in local kitchens over food found in fancy restaurants. We can learn the humility in that. That when we travel, we should make friends over meals and if we should be blessed, it will be a home-cooked meal. 

I have taken these lessons from Bourdain to my adventure here. So far, I have been in a few different restaurants ranging from nice kosher restaurants to behind the corner shops. I had delicious lamb curry and rice from a kosher restaurant called Avrons Place. I very much recommend. I had a nice chat about life in Cape Town with some relatives. Over the weekend, we had a big family Shabbat meal (16 people in attendance) and we talked about everything ranging from other travels to issues of the day in South Africa. I'll be having more meals and some beers with relatives while I am in Cape Town. Here in Observatory, I went into the little market with a new friend who knows the place and had chicken, pap (a maize porridge), and vegetables. I got to talk over this dish about local African foods and what many people eat. I finished the pap which apparently surprised many in this tiny eating establishment. They weren't used to Americans finishing pap, or their food in general. Sometimes finishing your plate can say more about you than what you say or wear. I have been welcomed to return.

Now, some of what Bourdain ate whilst abroad I may try to avoid and would more than likely play the kosher card. But nevertheless, this is the impact Bourdain had on me. He showed that we can break down barriers over food. That even though I have white skin, I am welcomed to go back to a place that predominantly caters to black Africans could say a lot. Let us learn from Bourdain and take food more seriously than we do. In the U.S., we waste so much food and to put it bluntly, we eat a lot of crap. Let's take more pride in the dishes we serve and the food we put in our bellies as well as the connections that we make over these meals. This is what he would have wanted and this is something we can all do. 

Rest in Peace Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018)

At the very least, you inspired me to see the good in everyone. 

~Noah Goldman