J'aime Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain: Best-selling author, Executive chef at Les Halles, TV host of No Reservations, Top Chef guest judge. When I heard that he was speaking at GW, I begged Alex to go. Lucky for me, Alex got us half-off tickets to this sold out talk.

Bourdain is just as hilarious, quick-witted, crude, and passionate about food in person as he is on television and through his writing. There were so many great moments, but I'll share some of my favorites:

• Responding to which country he loves the most after traveling around the globe, Bourdain declared that it was Vietnam.
  
• Urging people to travel and be open to trying foods that people prepare for them (something I need to take to heart)
• Deriding vegetarians and glorifying bacon
• Describing how he would prevent his newborn daughter from ever eating McDonalds
  
• Admitting that Russian grandmothers could drink him under the table and carry him home; and giving cures to hangovers
• Giving people tips on how to find the best local food-- make a unsubstantiated claim that some random restaurant is the best in a city on Chowhound.com, watch food bloggers tear you apart, and wait for their recommendations proving you wrong.
  
• Making Rachel Ray jokes and praising Hung (winner of Top Chef season 3)
  

I was of course excited to have him sign my book and take a picture.

Me: I loved your chapter on Vietnam, we just went there last winter. My mom makes the best Vietnamese food.
Bourdain: I wish I had a Vietnamese mom!