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Over his decades-long on-screen career, Anthony Bourdain ate everything from still-beating cobra heart to Namibian warthog rectum. Even some of his self-professed favorite foods were unconventional delicacies like offal, and the French fish head soup that transported Anthony Bourdain back to his childhood. Yet, it was none other than American fast food that Bourdain named as the most outrageous fare in the world.
As he shared in a 2011 interview with National Geographic, “There’s really nothing more outrageous or appalling than what we do in America. I mean, really. Some of the stuff … the KFC Double Down, the Cinnabun, the deep-fried macaroni and cheese. We are really the only people who enthusiastically celebrate how quickly we are killing ourselves.”
This isn’t to say that he disliked all American cuisine. The chef was an outspoken fan of regional classics; rentier de cochon was Anthony Bourdain’s favorite meal in the state of Louisiana, and he was also a fan of the Chicago-style hot dog. As he went on to tell the outlet, “… there’s lots of great food in America. But the fast food is about as destructive and evil as it gets. It celebrates a mentality of sloth, convenience, and a cheerful embrace of food we know is hurting us.” Echoing this point several years later, during a 2016 interview with Conan O’Brien, Bourdain infamously named faux-retro burger joint Johnny Rockets as serving the most “soul-destroying” meal he ever ate.
Anthony Bourdain was against fast food — with some exceptions
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It’s worth mentioning that Anthony Bourdain had a soft spot for In-N-Out Burger and Waffle House. Popeyes also provided mac and cheese that Anthony Bourdain loved on the down low. During the aforementioned Conan O’Brien interview, Bourdain also admitted that during bouts of the late-night munchies, he sometimes relented, pulled on a hoodie, and snuck into a KFC for a taste of the quick stuff, undetected — a mission made even trickier in light of his sardonic public criticism of the Colonel. Still, this anecdote largely serves to reiterate Bourdain’s earlier point about American fast food culture being steeped in settling, laziness, and a lowering of culinary and health standards.
Ultimately, the key distinction for Bourdain wasn’t that fast-casual food is inherently less worthy, but that if a gourmand is going to gratuitously chow down on greasy, carb-loaded fare, it should be an experience in pleasure. Alas, a lot of American fast food isn’t just unhealthy, but it actually tastes pretty lousy a lot of the time. Plus, part of conscious consumerism is considering where that dollar goes after you walk away with a full stomach. Quoth Bourdain: “There’s nothing wrong with a curly fry or meat on a stick or macaroni and cheese. I just prefer for it to be good, and I like to give my money to a locally owned and operated small business than some massive corporation. That’s a personal preference.”
Dining and Cooking