Once again, we take a step back and look at Anthony Bourdain’s passion for Vietnamese Food.
"Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain," a special documentary about him, is gaining traction once again this year, marking the sixth anniversary of Anthony Bourdain's passing. Vietnamese audiences are paying attention to this story, not only because of the world's most influential chef but also because of how Anthony always held Vietnam "close to his heart." Multiple times, he shared the tales of his "love for Vietnam" on the world's most renowned television programs. Sharing to the world, the complexity and the beauty of Vietnamese cuisine and warmth welcoming of Vietnamese people.
Anthony Bourdain Vietnamese Food – Roadrunner: A film About Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain discovered Vietnam quite early, almost immediately after they decided to create a reality TV show about the culinary and cultural journey around the world. The first country he and his team chose was Japan. However, they faced quite a rough start. Ideas were not flowing and the show was not moving forward. Anthony Bourdain, the reowned chef, didn't even know how to begin his story. However, everything began to change when they arrived in Vietnam. Anothony Bourdain and Vietnamese food was truly a match made in heaven.
His companion recalls: "Anthony was cheerful and less skeptical. When we visited a floating market in the Mekong Delta, Tony (Anthony Bourdain's nickname) ordered a cup of coffee sold on a boat and praised its delicious, intricate flavor, surpassing that of any Starbucks."
As they journeyed across the country, from the North to the South, the people, landscapes, and cuisine of Vietnam gradually became vivid through Anthony's narration. "I love Vietnam, perhaps it's an irresistible charm. It feels like the first time you meet the love of your life, and she exudes an intoxicating fragrance that makes you feel overjoyed. With that opportunity, I feel like she's the woman I want to be with for the rest of my life. I have a wish to stay in Vietnam forever."
The journey was later aired on one of Anthony Bourdain's two most famous television shows, "Parts Unknown" (on CNN), and was acclaimed as one of the best episodes.
In 2016, Anthony's story with Vietnam was further highlighted when he and former U.S. President Barack Obama sat down to enjoy a meal of bun cha, costing only $6, in Hanoi during Obama's visit to Vietnam.
Anthony Bourdain Vietnamese Food – Anthony Bourdain with President Obama
To create his own culinary and cultural television programs, Anthony and his team traveled around the world for 20 years. Along that journey, he "encountered" Vietnam and fell in love with it. Later, he shared with CNN Travel: "My first trip to Vietnam truly changed my life, perhaps because everything was so new and different from what I knew, from the world I grew up in. The food, culture, landscapes, and flavors all blended together inseparably. Vietnam felt like another planet, a planet with so many delicious dishes, drawing me in and never letting go."
Bourdain’s Love for Vietnamese Food:
In the documentary film "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain," his colleagues explained his lightning-struck love for Vietnam, saying: "Perhaps it stems from one of Tony's top three favorite films, 'Apocalypse Now.' The film, which won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival directed by Francis Ford Coppola, set in the backdrop of the Vietnam War, left a profound impression on Anthony about a land filled with mystery and allure, a tropical land brimming with monsoon winds. Thus, when he first set foot in the S-shaped land, he knew, from that moment, Vietnam wasn't just a backdrop in a movie or a tale in a book, but a place he had seen with his own eyes, felt with his own senses.
Anthony loved Vietnam in very ordinary corners: street food stalls, modest drink vendors by the river, or the myriad of colorful stalls on floating markets, etc. On world-renowned food and travel forums, images of Anthony sitting on the sidewalk enjoying Hanoi's humble offerings quickly spread far and wide.
Anthony Bourdain Vietnamese Food – Bourdain at a street food stall
One of Anthony's unforgettable culinary memories in Hanoi took place at Lương Ngọc Quyến snail noodles stall. In a clip aired by CNN in September 2016, Anthony appeared at a roadside snail noodle stall, sitting on a low plastic stool, skillfully wielding chopsticks like a local and announcing: "I've officially arrived in Hanoi."
This was his first meal in the capital. After the first bite, Anthony had to marvel at the "miracle," and as the meal ended, he remarked: Snail noodles are something the Vietnamese excel at, better than any other country.
Still on noodles, when Anthony returned to Vietnam and wandered into Đông Ba Market (Huế), his senses were once again captivated.
"If we were to rank Huế's delicacies, beef noodle soup deserves the top spot," Anthony remarked while sitting on a stool, slurping a bowl of beef noodles in the misty morning air. "The broth is meticulously prepared by simmering bones, fragrant with lemongrass, spices, and shrimp paste. The noodles are accompanied by tender beef, crab sausage, pig's feet, and blood sausage, along with countless herbs like shredded banana flowers, cilantro, scallions, bean sprouts, and lime. This is truly the best noodle soup in the world. The bowl of beef noodles from this stall carries a subtle flavor and intricate cooking technique, just like dining at a French restaurant. It's truly remarkable!"
Source(s):
https://tienphong.vn/viet-nam-da-thay-doi-cuoc-doi-anthony-bourdain-post1564058.tpo
Author: Phú/Martin
