I am a barely-adequate cook, much less a chef. But Parts Unknown wasn’t really about cooking. It was about getting to know the locals, including their food. I learned so much about unfamiliar places, including in the US, from watching his show. It was funny, smart, a little snarky, often beautiful, and it always shone with a true appreciation for the people he was with.
I once heard a Bourdain interview on, IIRC, Fresh Air, and he talked about some mental health struggles in the past. This is a reminder for those of us who’ve been diagnosed with depression that we are never cured. It waxes and wanes, and like any other chronic condition, must be managed. It’s important to know the early warning signs of a flareup.
Wow, thanks for sharing that. Sandra Lee has just impressed me with her grace. Bourdain really cut loose on her over the years, so it’s impressive that she appears to have no ill will towards him.
I vaguely remember him from my undergrad days. He was a few classes after (younger) and then left after 2 years, but got his cooking bug back then and ultimately returned to school at CIA (the culinary institute). Such a loss.
From CNN:
Tonight, June 8th at 10 o’clock, CNN will air a special report on the life and legacy of our colleague Anthony Bourdain. “Remembering Anthony Bourdain” will feature tributes from members of the CNN family reflecting on the impact of the uniquely gifted storyteller.
Tomorrow, starting at 8 p.m. ET, there will be a marathon of Bourdain’s favorite “Parts Unknown” episodes with a special introduction from Anderson Cooper.
On Sunday, June 10th, the previously scheduled episode of Parts Unknown featuring Berlin airs at 9amET, with a special introduction by Anderson Cooper.
That’s followed by Remembering Anthony Bourdain at 10pm ET Sunday.
S2 adored Bourdain, both for the food and his willingness to sit and really listen to people form all corners of the world. I sensed that his demons were always on his shoulder, but he kept forging ahead. Bourdain has a lot to do with S2’s passion for travel and cooking.
“Bourdain has a lot to do with S2’s passion for travel and cooking.”
My kids as well. They grew up on Bourdain books and shows. Interesting and varied food, travel off the beaten path, the appreciation for different cultures, the commonality of mankind despite those differences shared through a good meal. He helped impart all that and more and definitely influenced both my kids.
I liked that he was brash, and edgy, and open about the mistakes he made in his past. He would admit when he was wrong. He wasn’t full of crap and overly worried about his image.
So, so, sorry and sad.
For his family, for his fans, and for every family with a loved one fighting this insidious disease that feels more vulnerable today. And there are a lot that courageously fight daily, under the desolate umbrella of “I have no hope.”
I only watched part of one of his shows because as others mentioned, I didn’t care a bit for his brash personality and I’m not a cooking fan even though we enjoy local foods when we travel.
However, with the two suicides coming so close together and hitting a wide variety of fame (and add those in very recent past from various singers/actors (even back to Robin Williams), etc), I seriously wonder if we’re going to have to worry more at the high school level. We address the subject pretty frankly at school now (not “right now” since our school is finished for the year, but in general “now” vs when I first started at school).
So sad. What a waste. A complete tragedy. It just goes to show, money and fame do not necessarily inspire happiness. I feel for his daughter Now, if Rose McGowan would just shut her ‘piehole’…this is not her moment
It is clear from examples throughout history that money and fame are not sufficient to counter mental illness or suicide. Anyone who has not experienced depression, another mental illness, or suicidal thoughts is lucky.
I try to put myself in their shoes, but it is difficult because we don’t live their lives or inhabit their heads… I think a lot about Kurt Cobain. You had so much money. You know that you are depressed in Seattle. You have a very young daughter (ok, granted, also a messed up wife). Why not just hop on a private plane and jet off to anywhere? Absolutely anywhere… Sunny, not rainy. Lie on the beach. Feel the sun on your face. Talk to strangers. Smile. Maybe write a fabulous new song. Just. live. one. more. day… And Bourdain. In Strasbourg, such a cool, interesting city. Isn’t there anywhere there that you could go to lift the veil of darkness that night, even for a brief moment, in order to survive just one more day?
I’m still in shock. What I loved about him is that even though he was a very privileged man who would go and mingle with the locals and truly seemed interested.
“Why not just hop on a private plane and jet off to anywhere? Absolutely anywhere… Sunny, not rainy. Lie on the beach. Feel the sun on your face. Talk to strangers. Smile. Maybe write a fabulous new song. Just. live. one. more. day”
I’ve thought the same things but I assume their sadness/depression follows them wherever they go.
Another one that hit me hard recently was the suicide of Avicii. A 28 year old Swedish DJ/musician who was at the top of his game and bowed out a few years back because he wasn’t happy. He did the traveling thing, spending time with friends/family. Sounds like he really tried to get away from the EDM scene and the fandom and tried to get healthy. Was still pursued by the darkness that haunted him. So young, so talented. That one crushed me, too.
Avicii suffered from some serious GI issues (partly brought on by drinking)… When I first saw news of his death I thought that his stomach issues caused it.
Maybe they were destined for greatness for a shining moment. And, maybe people remember them exactly for that. James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Kerouac, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Arthur Rimbaud, the list goes on… Would we see them the same way, if they were still alive today?
I’m not saying that Bourdain compares to those folks in accomplishment, but I hope that you get my drift,…
The CNN coverage tonight beginning with Anderson Cooper at 8pm is wonderful and emotional. Anderson’s brother died by suicide 30 years ago and he still is dealing with it .
As @beerme noted, there will be more coverage tonight at 10pm EST.
This is true for famous people, but it doesn’t apply at all to those we’ve had in school who have ended it all (or tried to). One young lad was devastated by a Type I Diabetes diagnosis and didn’t want to live with it. Some who have survived have mentioned feeling totally alone thinking everyone else was “with it” or “knew what they were doing” and they weren’t/didn’t. Some who “succeeded” we’ll never really know, esp one young gal quite honestly seemed to have it “all together.” I haven’t really gotten the “stressed” feeling from any of those. They hide it.
Then there’s the whole drug addiction group. I think they hide things by their excessive use, though some have outright told me they get involved because that group is so accepting of everyone. Whether they mean to OD or not is anyone’s guess.
Maybe for the “burning the candle at both ends” group that’s their way of hiding from true inner feelings? (Meaning those who are depressed, not every Type A person.)
@whatisyourquest that isn’t how depression works. The rain doesn’t make us depressed. The sun doesn’t cure depression.
I’ve been depressed in sunny Florida and California. I’ve not been depressed in the dead of winter in Michigan when the sun hasn’t shined for 2 weeks.
Please, please, please don’t confuse sadness or some mild seasonal depression for major depressive disorder. They’re two fundamentally different things and they do things to your brain that you can’t understand unless you’ve been through it.
I objectively have everything I need to live a happy life. I have a wonderful beyond words husband, the most supportive parents one can imagine, I live with my best friend who brings enormous joy to my life, I work a dream job and can easily pay my bills and still have enough left over to go on vacation. Yet, there are days when I can’t get out of bed. I wake Mr R up at 4 AM regularly having panic attacks about nothing logical. I’ve panicked and sent my advisor more than one email in the middle of the night saying I should drop out of my program because I’m just not good enough. (Luckily she has the patience of a saint and walks me back from the metaphorical ledge.)
I haven’t had suicidal thoughts in a long time. But when I did, absolutely nothing logical was going to talk me back. I stopped eating and dropped down to 126 lb (I’m 6’ tall). I was hospitalized to both put on weight and get my mental health under some control. I’m lucky that I was correctly diagnosed with MDD and not anorexia (I didn’t have body dysmorphia so no eating disorder- which has a different treatment than MDD).
When you have depression, it’s not as simple as “oh hey, I’ll go hop a plane!” Kind of hard to do that when you can’t even get out of bed.