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There are many food travel hosts, why is Bourdain so well-loved? Essentially, what are the key qualities that makes a fantastic food travel documentary?
Firstly, Bourdain’s love of food is clear. He’s not faking it. You need to love food to pursue a career as a chef, which he did. Bourdain once admitted that his love of food was kindled by a childhood family vacation in France, when he tried fresh oysters on a fisherman’s boat, straight from the ocean.
Of course, a good food travel host is charismatic. In Bourdain’s case, his charm is a mix of unpretentiousness, an exuberant curiosity of various cultures, and an earnest determination to uncover stories about different people from all walks of life.
Woman selling grilled vegetables. Image: Tracy Nguyen, Pexels
Finally, there’s genuine empathy. Bourdain connects with the people he met. He’s interested in their culture, their traditions, their country’s history and of course he’s never one to shy from talking politics.
Another key quality is the ability to ask the right questions. One simple question Bourdain asks anyone he met is this – what do you eat? Discussions about their secret mix of spices, why they cook the way they cook and the history behind the dishes they made erase all differences.
One last question that I would ask is this – why is the food travel documentary format important?
Through food journalism, a skilled host can explore various issues of culture, history, the human condition and political issues.
Buildings in Beirut. Image: Bertilvidet, Wikimedia Commons
In Bourdain’s case, the momentous episode that served to spur him to pursue his take on food journalism was when he visited Beirut for the first time in 2006.
Bourdain set out to record an interesting segment for his Travel Channel show “No Reservations”, but ended up capturing the moment when the people of Lebanon realised that their lives had abruptly been thrown into chaos as Iran declared war on Hezbollah.
Bourdain realised that he can do more than just another food travel entertainment show, that he has a responsibility to be part of the solution.
He came away from the experience determined to tell real stories about normal people trying to live their life despite their often trying circumstances.
He was not afraid to travel to conflict areas, to be vilified by certain segment of the public, to tell stories beyond those painted by media narratives.
In short, he was not afraid to get political in his food journalism.
Cover Image: Vendor walking in wet market. Image: Huy Phan, PexelsAudio Image: Katsu and ramen. Image: M.A. Janssen, Pexels
I'm Steven Jauw Waludin, a Melbourne-based journalist passionate about story-telling, writing and in-depth interviews. I've been published on The City Journal, FoodieS, Exquisite Media and Medium. Check out some audio, video and writing projects I've done.
