Rice-a-Roni ... the San Francisco treat!
Posted on 08/10/2009 8:59:02 PM PDT by Artemis Webb
Let me come right out and say it. I love San Francisco. I am helpless and unwavering in my affection--in spite of every effort over the years to find fault, to dismiss, to sneer. And there's surely lots to sneer at, San Francisco and the Bay being pretty much the epicenter of so many of my most cherished aversions: political correctness, veganism, rich hippies, sanctimoniousness about food, food fetishism, animal rights terrorists, gastro-dogma, and loud locavores who actually get their produce flown in from Chino Farms in San Diego. But at this point, I bore even myself railing against the above. Hell, I'm not even bitter about San Francisco taking the lead in banning smoking anymore. They won that battle long ago. Game over. I guess it's like any love that's true--sooner or later you learn to accept the good, bad and silly all together. It's all part of the package when you know, without any question, that you want the package. It doesn't even matter if one's love is returned. Okay ... it does still drive me berserko watching a blissed out St. Alice, burning up a few cords of firewood (in Berkeley no less!) to cook two eggs for an unusually credulous Lesley Stahl. But in general, I got it all wrong, didn't I? It may be the town of Alice Waters but it's also home to Dirty Harry. The Grateful Dead? Yes. But also the Dead Kennedys. The excrutiating and treacherous lite FM sounds of the Jefferson Starship? True enough. But also Blue Cheer, the Count Five, Big Brother, Sly and Family Stone and the greatest band that never was: the Brian Jonestown Massacre. None of these entities could have come from--or taken root--anywhere else.
I don't think you could have one San Francisco without the other. If the San Francisco area weren't the perceived headquarters of anti-foie gras forces, I doubt very much there'd be an opposing force doing something as crazy as developing a foie gras vodka. I don't know that a less crunchy community would require a stuck-joyously-in-time museum of beef like House of Prime Rib. It's like a yin and yang thing ... a balance, man, one thing creates a need for another. San Francisco, underneath a gossamer thin veneer of granola is in fact, a two-fisted drinking town, a place of oversized martinis, silver zeppelins overloaded with bleeding slabs of meat, restaurants you could call "institutions" that defiantly refuse to suck, and in an ever tidier, cleaner, Disneyfied world--where even New York's Times Square looks like a theme park, still, a delightfully nasty, dirty, beautiful, carnivorous, vice-filled town.
That would be a fair description.
Can’t stand her, either.
I like watching him on Top Chef. Bourdain's greatest line on Top Chef was season 2. He sayed Mikey was the love child of Charles Manson and Betty Crocker. Also on eating the dinner Bourdain asked Collicio “What type of crack house are you running?” Another quote from Bourdain was “Despite its pure Flinstonian Execution…”
Bourdain is refreshingly authentic. He’s not given to kowtowing to the crowd, and although I hate his liberal streak, he is down to earth enough to be a better watching experience than most else that is on TV.
I could have done without the cooking eggs and stuff in the dirt of Africa....but then, I think so could have Tony.
Have you ever followed Tony on eGullet? It is funny, that is a forum like FR but all foodie related that he chats on.. he really hates her and most TV chefs.. with the exception of the greats and Ramsey.. I so respect that... he sees through all the pop culture bs and into just saying, what is good, what respects good cooking and appreciation of food... he knows what he knows, no BS about it..
Tony isn’t a liberal in the least.. if anything, a libertarian.. imagine Jeremy Clarkson, completely engulfed in socialist society rebelling yet can only speak in the stereotype terms. If you follow Tony on eGullet, he is so anti-Liberal it isn’t even funny.. his hatred of hippies is deep and genuine.
<gastro-dogma
I love it. The dude’s got a way with words.
Not so happy about being called ‘the Hezbollah-like splinter faction of vegetarians,’ but no one’s perfect. I may be vegan, but I still like watching other people enjoy what they chose to eat and Bourdain does it with the best of them.
me too LOL......but then again, I haven't been able to watch "Rachael" since she went Hollywood on us.....
San Francisco is a wonderful city, with only a single problem — the citizenry.
Man, I love Tony Bourdain’s writings!
I used to live in the Bay Area. I remember the good ol’ days of Herb Caen, Charlie McCabe and Stan Delaplane, of the Gilroy garlic festival, Henry Cowell Redwoods state park, riding BART to the Presidio, and cruising Highway 17 to Felton, Boulder Creek and Santa Cruz.
But then the fascist Leftist thugs and craven, deluded freaks destroyed it all.
I went there last year to visit, and it was still The City I remember, if I just looked at the hills, Bay, bridge and architecture!
Ed
Tony probably doesn’t realize it but he is searching, burned out and lost. The only way he will be found is when he comes face to face with Jesus Christ. I care about him, pray for him and hope that some day soon he will see the incredible, utterly fantastic light of The LORD!
He did have a nice visit with Emeril while in New Orleans. I was surprised about that.
Nonsense. He's entertaining as hell.
I don't believe you're Old School. I suspect that you're from the school they tore down to build the old school. (lol)
God, in his infinite wisdom, saw to it that the neutron bomb was created.
San Francisco is the perfect opportunity to use it.
Yeah Bourdain buried the hatchet with Emeril. He now decries Emeril's treatment at the hands of the Food Network stating that "Emeril built that network". He points out that Emeril is a successful business man who treats his employees well.
The Emeril shtick still gets on my last nerve but Bourdain did give me pause to reconsider Emeril Lagasse the man.
Surely you jest. He likened a fence on our southern border to the Berlin wall.
He makes some valid points but I would still prefer the U.S. to get a handle on the situation. I don't have an issue with LEGAL immigration.
He just loooved Cuba, with its tranquility and lack of stress.
Bourdain is a very likely guy on TV.
But he really needs to disclose how he doesn’t gain tons of weight eighting all that food. He must not eat for days before and after taping each show.
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