Tokyo and Anthony Bourdain, a Culinary Love Story
Throughout his celebrated status as a Chef, writer, and TV host - Anthony Bourdain brought his down-to-earth, relatable, witty, and brazen storytelling through the world of food and travel journalism. Introducing viewers to the various specialties and overlooked culinary habits from the far corners of ‘Parts Unknown'
Over the span of his colorful career, he visited Japan multiple times. Told Business insider in 2013 "Japan is endlessly, endlessly interesting to me, and even after going on nine filming trips there, I don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface and I don’t think I ever will. For him, Tokyo never ceased to surprise him and always gave him something to look forward to with each visit.
Never hesitating to declare his love for Tokyo, he famously wrote in his blog “If I had to eat only in one city for the rest of my life, Tokyo would be it. Most chefs I know would agree with me. For those with restless, curious minds, fascinated by layer upon layer of things, flavors, tastes and customs which we will never fully be able to understand, Tokyo is deliciously unknowable.”
On his go-to Japanese dishes. “Oh, god. It’s hard to pick,” he said. “Give me some good uni,” or sea urchin, “a really good soba,” or buckwheat noodles, “with duck dipping sauce — duck dipping dressing is really amazing— and I adore good yakitori,” the grilled chicken skewers.
As an honorable mention, egg salad sandwiches from Lawson, “At Lawson’s, you can dig into their unnaturally fluffy, insanely delicious, incongruously addictive egg salad sandwiches. I love them. Layer after layer after layer of awesome.”
We at Sabukaru regard Bourdain as a huge source of inspiration for why we do what we do, and for us to continuously keep exploring with a sense of perpetual curiosity, unraveling the plethora of charms, and as he once described “an endless variety of flavors, tastes and customs.”
“I’m sure I could spend the rest of my life there, learn the language, and still die happily ignorant.”
