Althouse: Anthony Bourdain goes to Waffle House.

June 9, 2018

Anthony Bourdain goes to Waffle House.

Via Meade (so I'm sorry if I'm not hat-tipping someone I should).

And sorry the audio so rough.

91 comments:

mccullough said...: Entertain us; 6/9/18, 9:47 AM
ga6 said...: My headline would read: "Ex heroin junkie kills himself leaving behind an 11 year old daughter, selfish to the end"; 6/9/18, 9:50 AM
mockturtle said...: I've never been to Waffle House but I've seen the commercials and they make me gag.; 6/9/18, 9:52 AM
Lexington Green said...: Waffle House is reliably good.; 6/9/18, 9:54 AM
Mark said...: If he wanted to (and did) wipe himself away from existence, why should any of us perpetuate it?; 6/9/18, 10:05 AM
donald said...: I go once a month. It’s really good and cheap.; 6/9/18, 10:06 AM
Mr. D said...: That's entertainment. RIP.; 6/9/18, 10:07 AM
Rob said...: The censorship makes it difficult to hear, but what Bourdain says is, "Umami means in Japanese, literally it means, 'I will fuck you for a bite of that burger.'"; 6/9/18, 10:07 AM
David Begley said...: I ate at The French Laundry in Napa back in the 80’s before it was famous and super expensive but I have never eaten at a Waffle House.; 6/9/18, 10:17 AM
William said...: I just st don't see how you could make a living out of eating meals like that and remain 1) thin and 2) depressed.; 6/9/18, 10:20 AM
Ann Althouse said...: How did he not get fat? A nonissue now that he's dead. But I'd prefer not to use this post to rehash the suicide. Can't we just eat our waffle? And hash. And thin-cut pork chop and pattie melt?; 6/9/18, 10:23 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I mean can't we just eat our waffle and hash and thin-cut pork chop and pattie melt and stay thin?

What's the secret? If it's just throwing up, I'm out.; 6/9/18, 10:24 AM
CWJ said...: Ah, but did he ever go to White Castle?; 6/9/18, 10:29 AM
Wince said...: Althouse said...
And sorry the audio so rough.

So why did you leave out the part where they break into song?; 6/9/18, 10:32 AM
mccullough said...: This is now a video about a celebrity chef, who we all know will hang himself, eating at Waffle House. Entertain us.; 6/9/18, 10:35 AM
Sebastian said...: "What's the secret?"

The secret is being a man, a tall, healthy man.; 6/9/18, 10:36 AM
David Begley said...: He did some kind of karate. There was an episode on that. And, of course, he jumped the bones of his young girlfriend.; 6/9/18, 10:39 AM
Loren W Laurent said...: After the Celebrity Suicide comes the Suicide Porn.

Let's see if we can see the penetration of depression in these clips, now that we know the ending.

We need a clip of him talking about Death so that we can get The Money Shot.

-LWL; 6/9/18, 10:41 AM
Virgil Hilts said...: You can eat like this and stay thin (even lose weight) provided you do Time-Restricted Eating. The best diet I have ever been on. Also, if you're a woman and do the snarf & barf on regular basis your teeth will give you away and may never return to normal (I think - could be wrong); if they do not, it's like having an indelible "I'm a bulimic" tattoo.; 6/9/18, 10:46 AM
MathMom said...: We eat at Waffle House frequently. Their hours are "We are Open". Even during hurricanes. There is a Waffle House Index that tells how bad a storm is by whether a Waffle House had to close.

We have an epic establishment in Houston called Taste of Texas. If you want steak, you go choose the steak you like in their refrigerator, they pin the number on the steak and your waiter writes that on your order. You get the steak you asked for.

They have a salad bar that goes on for about a block. I've never seen such a comprehensive salad bar, fresh baked bread, and lovely presentation as there.

They have a four-layer chocolate cake slice that weighs 1.5 lbs., and is delivered to your table propped up with a fork and a white chocolate straw. (This photo is from online, sorry about the quality.) This cake always comes home in a takeout box and requires the assistance of three other family members pecking away at it for a week to finish.

If you go with four people and don't drink any alcohol, you can plan on spending upwards of $300 for dinner.

When Mother's Day came and I was in an online class all day. When it was finished, I was hungry and asked my husband if we could go someplace really nice for Mother's Day.

We went to Waffle House. It was great.; 6/9/18, 10:47 AM
Unknown said...: My 21 yo daughter posted a picture of Anthony and her having lunch together on FB today. I have now idea of the circumstances, but she does a lot of event work in Baltimore.; 6/9/18, 10:51 AM
AMDG said...: All Waffle Houses are the same. If the demand is there they will not expand a restaurant, they will,open another on nearby.; 6/9/18, 10:53 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “What's the secret? If it's just throwing up, I'm out.“

A good metabolism and maybe he ate that way only once a day and fasted the rest of the day.; 6/9/18, 11:09 AM
Oh Yea said...: He also liked Skyline Chili: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2e5eio (starts at 3:00) Both are great at 2 AM.; 6/9/18, 11:10 AM
sane_voter said...: Even if I only had one meal a day I could not eat like Bourdain ate.; 6/9/18, 11:19 AM
sane_voter said...: Bourdain was an interesting character. He loved the food of all deplorables, including the USA ones.; 6/9/18, 11:21 AM
rehajm said...: The welcome and the food are heartier at Waffle House.; 6/9/18, 11:30 AM
Temujin said...: I'm originally from the north/midwest, but I've spent the last 25 years or so in the South. And I love the South. The people are wonderful, the climate is great, a slew of beautiful cities, history, and of course, the best college football in the nation. But I've never understood the Waffle House thing. But it is an institution here. Ate at one once, on a drive from Atlanta to Asheville. Had to get something in my gut. I was far from either city and came upon a strip with either Waffle House or BK. I chose Waffle House. That was the first and last time for me. Seeing Bourdain's video, I'm reminded why.

I suppose I'll never be a true Southerner if I don't like Waffle House. (the best breakfasts are at truck stops around the midwest, and everybody knows that.) Plus- I grew up on Detroit Coney Island's, and I am sure there's some people out there who would eat at one of those and long for a Waffle House instead.; 6/9/18, 11:46 AM
YoungHegelian said...: I et at the closest WH near me in MD, in Urbana, jes' yestiddy. Mostly though, I eat at La Maison de Waffle when I'm visiting my Mammy in 'Bammy. There are three WHs in my home town, & another one off of I-65 in a small town adjacent. It's thus possible to pick a point, draw a 12 mile circle & have 4 WHs in that radius.

It really is impossible to beat the All-Star plate for value for the money. It really is.; 6/9/18, 11:48 AM
rhhardin said...: I always think Alexander Borodin when Anthony Bourdain is mentioned. I didn't know the latter, not having a TV; and not much of the former except his music wasn't to my taste. He might as well have been a famous woman composer, as far as quality goes.; 6/9/18, 11:48 AM
William said...: This is Anthony and Sean Brock, one of Charleston's best food guys. They'd both had a few pops prior to their visit to the Waffle House here in town. Anyone from the South knows that the Waffle House is a grand place to go when one is in a certain frame of mind.

The interaction of Sean and Anthony with respect to the pork chops is one of the best non-scripted, food-oriented bits every to make it to video. I laugh every time I see it and think of the fun with our local food folks that Anthony had when he was here in Charleston.

I'll miss Anthony, but am glad to have experienced part of his soul whilst he was among us. Maybe, Anthony, I'll see you on the other side. Hope so.; 6/9/18, 11:52 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: I wish there was a Waffle House near me, but there is a Cracker Barrel, whose breakfasts are delicious. I’m a northern girl, but I love cheesy grits and biscuits and gravy after trying them years ago in Georgia.; 6/9/18, 12:01 PM
robother said...: I found the best patty melt of my life in Saguache Colorado last fall. I made a point of going through there again this spring on the way to viewing the cranes, and it wasn't a fluke. Something primal about those American 50s "comfort" foods that, done right, transcends comfort. Eat 'em every couple days, you're gonna fall over dead in your 60s (or before). But what a way to go.; 6/9/18, 12:05 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: After watching the video, I’d say the Cracker Barrel might be a step up from the Waffle House.; 6/9/18, 12:10 PM
Amexpat said...: Saw the episode where he goes to Buenos Aires. May shed some light on why he did what he did. In a contrived visit to a shrink (many go to them there) he talks about his depression, loneliness and his narcissism. They whole thing is well done.
Link:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x54lvbc; 6/9/18, 12:11 PM
Art in LA said...: I've enjoyed my two or three visits to Waffle House ... yes, food for all comers. I will miss Bourdain ...; 6/9/18, 12:20 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: I've always hated all cooking shows, and I've never celebrated even one celebrity chef.; 6/9/18, 12:22 PM
eddie willers said...: I suppose I'll never be a true Southerner if I don't like Waffle House.

That's probably true. Or maybe you didn't eat their breakfast.
As Jeff Foxworthy said, eat what they know.; 6/9/18, 12:26 PM
gadfly said...: When I am near a Waffle House at breakfast time, I only order their plain waffle or pecan waffle with lots of syrup. Otherwise the food is mediocre. Cooks taking orders from servers yelling them out is amazing to me.; 6/9/18, 12:27 PM
TwoAndAHalfCents said...: I think Cracker Barrel is several steps up, Inga. And I share your love of properly made cheese grits!; 6/9/18, 12:35 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @Inga,

I wish there was a Waffle House near me, but there is a Cracker Barrel, whose breakfasts are delicious.

Cracker Barrel is much beloved in the South, too. Cracker Barrel is more family, sit-down, after-church-y, kind of place. That isn't the ambiance of a Waffle House.

If you need material for the Great American Novel, go to a Waffle House in the South at graveyard shift. It will provide you a broad palette.; 6/9/18, 12:40 PM
Robert Cook said...: Waffle House is Harry Crews country.; 6/9/18, 12:46 PM
YoungHegelian said...: I watched the video again, since I hadn't seen it for a long time & had forgotten details.

Waffle House could have paid millions of dollars to an advertising agency & still not come up with as effective of an ad for its brand as that interview was.; 6/9/18, 12:55 PM
gilbar said...: cracker barrel is good food, but it's presumptuous
you're never going to go into a cracker barrel at 2 in the afternoon; and be entertained through you meal listening to the cook and the waitress talk about how the other cook her parole, 'cause she was In Love With THAT GUY. {Casa Grande Az. 2005}; 6/9/18, 1:01 PM
madAsHell said...: That Waffle House?

I discovered Waffle House in the 80's when I was frequently traveling across the country. McDonalds was making me literally sick, and I had to eat some place else. Thankfully, there are (were?) Waffle Houses spread across Interstate-80 in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho.

They had good coffee too!!; 6/9/18, 1:26 PM
fivewheels said...: Love Waffle House, but never actually cared for the waffles there.

For a while I was worried that it would become condescending, insincere praise for all things proletarian and "common," but when he rejected the Heinz 57, it made everything else seem genuine. It's key to the bit working.; 6/9/18, 1:29 PM
mockturtle said...: Gadfly writes: Cooks taking orders from servers yelling them out is amazing to me.

Reminds me of a joke I heard once. At a diner, a customer ordered chicken soup and the waitress yelled back to the cook, "One chicken!" A few minutes later, the customer said he changed his mind and wanted pea soup, instead. He heard, "Hold up the chicken and make it pea!"; 6/9/18, 1:37 PM
Roger Sweeny said...: The saddest part of that Buenos Aires/therapy episode is when he says the only person he can communicate with is his 8-year-old daughter. She's now 11 and I wonder if he feared he was losing even that.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x54lvbc; 6/9/18, 1:43 PM
Amexpat said...: How did he not get fat?

We only see him taking a few bits. I doubts he finished every plate served to him.; 6/9/18, 1:52 PM
Jason said...: How did he not get fat?

Drink lots of water.

And also, dysentery. But I repeat myself.; 6/9/18, 1:58 PM
Michael said...: Watching the short order cooks in a loaded WH is mesmerizing. They have 10 or more orders going, the orders are shouted out and without acknowledging the cooks set to work on them. Pure concentration, professionalism, mayhem, butter, a stunning display of work well done. I love it. I prefer the pecan waffle with a side of sausage. No normal person dislikes WH.; 6/9/18, 2:13 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Anyone can eat like that and stay thin. The key is not eating like that most of the time. Or you can be like one relative I had who had a wild metabolism, ate like a horse, and naturally stayed at about a 19 BMI.; 6/9/18, 2:14 PM
YoungHegelian said...: An actual sign at one of the WH in my home town in Alabama.

I guess they wanted to increase profit by adding adjunct services onto their core competency.

Gives new meaning to the term "Grand Slam Breakfast".; 6/9/18, 2:24 PM
Bilwick said...: "This meal is an abomination! It's so awful I feel like hanging myself!"; 6/9/18, 2:28 PM
Darkisland said...: Lexington,

No, not reliably good, reliably superb.

Limited and simple menu but if it is what you are after nobody, nobody, does it better

John Henry; 6/9/18, 2:33 PM
Darkisland said...: Harry Crews?

Cook, you seem like a man of highly redfined tastes

I'm a big Harry Crews and Waffle House fan.

I am assuming you meant your comment as a compliment to both. Right?

John Henry; 6/9/18, 2:41 PM
AZ Bob said...: Cool is only skin deep.; 6/9/18, 2:48 PM
Fernandinande said...: Slumming is so 1943, but junkies like sugar and a glass of syrup will hit the spot.; 6/9/18, 2:53 PM
Terry Resort said...: Their waffles taste weird.; 6/9/18, 2:57 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Can we put some brakes on the Bourdain-i-alizing? I'm becoming a bigger fan of the Jewish tradition of keeping suicides from being buried in the same cemetery. And the Althouse contention that suicide is a form of murder. How about instead of eulogizing Bourdain we talk about how wonderful that kid of his must be? Direct all these Bourdainergies to her instead.

I was just at lunch with someone discussing this and the take-away was as follows: Contrast Bourdain's send-off to Krauthammer's. People have free will in how they choose to exit. A belt around the neck in the middle of some heavy, seemingly healthy large-scale engagement with so many people is crass. And there are enough people feeling sad for him. People that do this make me angry, the shock value of it alone. Would you pine this way over a lover who just up and left after decades of involvement, without a trace or a way to contact them? You would eventually and quite rightly feel that they should be made to fuck off.

Fuck Bourdain and whoever else thinks that this is the proper way to leave everyone else hanging.; 6/9/18, 3:00 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: “What's the secret? If it's just throwing up, I'm out.“

Cocaine. Or twelve cups of coffee.

Either way I'm not buying the idea that his metabolism really remained that fast in his fifties - no matter how unquieted his brain might have been.; 6/9/18, 3:03 PM
AMDG said...: What has 32 teeth and 8 legs?

The night shift at the Waffle House!; 6/9/18, 3:03 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: It's hard to find a place that knows of the proper way to do grits. Probably even in the South, I imagine. But who knows if the first grits I had and really liked are the way they're "supposed to" be, anyway?

Maple syrup is good with just about anything. I put it on strawberry ice cream and add fresh, big blueberries.

Our own chicken n'waffles trend got started up here back in about 2004.; 6/9/18, 3:07 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: I don't believe I've ever been to a Cracker Barrel. Or ever would.

I remember driving with my parents and brother for several hours late at night back from a trip to Chicago. Along the way, we'd see the big-box "family style" cafe dining joints. My brother and dad would quietly assign them more appropriate names. Country Buffet became the Country Barf-it.

Dunkin' Donuts became Dunkin Dog Nuts.

Good times.; 6/9/18, 3:10 PM
Lyle said...: Trump is like a right-of-center Bourdain. Both good people; 6/9/18, 3:22 PM
traditionalguy said...: Waffle Houses are designed to be the bright warm kitchen that you knew as a child with your Momma cooking breakfast on the hot stove just to order for you, all the while expressing warmth and kindness. It is a Psyop that works. And the other customers sitting next to you are usually friendly and will have conversations with strangers.

Add in that their coffee is very good and their bacon crisp and the hash browns are optional with grits, and voila, you are in deplorable Heaven.; 6/9/18, 3:44 PM
Jay Vogt said...: I don't mean to damn Anthony Bourdain with faint praise. I thought he was a pretty interesting guy. And, I'm sad for both he and those closest to him.

However, from what I saw on his best day he was merely a pretender to the throne of Calvin Trillin. The Waffle House treatment in a perfect example.

You can't do the south without doing Waffle House. Zero chance the come up with some stupid name change gimmick; 6/9/18, 3:49 PM
Anonymous said...: Great place but clear out by midnight. The midnight to 8 am shift is not for
those of delicate disposition.; 6/9/18, 4:52 PM
James K said...: yes, food for all comers

But do they let you come in, use the restrooms, and sit for hours without ordering anything? I hear that's the gold standard business practice now.; 6/9/18, 5:22 PM
Robert Cook said...: "I am assuming you meant your comment as a compliment to both. Right?"

Well, more as a observation of reality, but yes.; 6/9/18, 5:35 PM
Ralph L said...: Krispy Kreme used to be the place to hang out late, but they've gone upmarket.; 6/9/18, 6:36 PM
tim in vermont said...: Waffle House is authentic prole food, which is why I only go there around midnight or the wee hours on long road trips. Last time my friend and I put about five bucks through the jukebox and got the waitress singing along, so that was nice.; 6/9/18, 6:56 PM
glenn said...: Anthony’s show in Paris with Eric Ripert was a masterpiece. Joel Rublichon saying he’d have a good potato for his last meal, Eric with tears in his eyes at the flavors on his plate in a little place run by a young chef. Magic. Causing a fight at that roadside Cuban place not so much.
Dad said never speak Ill of the dead.; 6/9/18, 7:08 PM
tim in vermont said...: It's definitely time for another road trip. Retired life is great, I should have retired at 30!; 6/9/18, 7:13 PM
David Begley said...: Right now CNN is running old episodes. Trying to cash in since their highest rated show just lost its star. Puke.; 6/9/18, 8:42 PM
Jim Gust said...: I love the Waffle House, eat there whenever I can, but I don't often get the chance anymore. The hash browns are fantastic, and they practically give them away.

I used to go to Cracker Barrel after church. Unfortunately, I stopped going to church, so I haven't been there in a long time. In CT they tend to have long wait times for a table.; 6/9/18, 8:56 PM
Ken B said...: Rose McGowan has tried to make this all about her.; 6/9/18, 9:02 PM
Mr. Groovington said...: That link to Bourdain in Buenos Aires is odd. I’ve been there twice in the last five years. The first time I asked a Latina from Guatemala to join me, the second time a Toronto lady. I love it and if I could have been born anywhere, I would be there.

An anecdote. At some point in the piece linked above there’s a carnival act in yellow and blue. This signifies Boca, a neighbourhood. Also the home of one of the most notorious ‘futbol’ clubs in the world, Boca Juniors. The Guardian newspaper had a piece some years ago stating that the number one sporting event you had to see before you die was the Superclasico, the match between Boca Juniors and River Plate. It’s also a battle between classes, with River representing the monied. I went four years ago and it was the event of a lifetime. One huge riot, embattled police, fires, a hundred thousand chanting, dancing, fighting, and here and there fucking.

You need VIP seats safe for gringos or you’ll be targeted. These are easily arranged through a five star hotel who’ll provide security to get you through the day-long procession to the match, during the game, and through the post game riots. The River jersey, with its diagonal red stripe, is a beautiful thing to take home.

I can’t recommend it enough. Nothing in sports compares.; 6/9/18, 9:59 PM
Loren W Laurent said...: I think of Waffle House as Comfort Food.

It obviously didn't work for him.

-LWL; 6/9/18, 10:08 PM
walter said...: PPPT,
I think discussing his child is important.
But it might also glean insight into how effed up his mind was to do this.
I mentioned in another post that NPR had a post-mortem via a colleague who mentioned, unsolicited, addiction issues.
I haven't seen a word on tox screen results..which all things considered would be customary.; 6/10/18, 12:01 AM
walter said...: Sounds lovely sodal,
Lots of crazy shit can undercut the beloved sports..; 6/10/18, 12:05 AM
Darrell said...: I can’t recommend it enough. Nothing in sports compares.

I think I'll take a pass. I was at the Disco Demolition, though. Fan stupidity is universal.; 6/10/18, 12:47 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I've never eaten at a Waffle House. Something about the generic name made it seem dicey. And my first job was at an International House of Pancakes (in 1969). I also worked a summer job at a south Jersey diner — a classic diner (not a chain) — so I know what those cooks are like.; 6/10/18, 5:53 AM
mezzrow said...: A picture of young Althouse in her diner outfit would do much to establish some deplorable cred. It keeps you balanced. A NYC art major with some diner stories is much more interesting than one without diner stories. I ran retail milk routes (remember the milkman?) every summer for guys going on vacation through the early 70's while I was going to music school and subbing in the local orchestra the rest of the year. The money was so very much better than gigging during the summer. Now a milkman is like a living buggy whip.

Yes, I have stories. I bet you a twenty that your diner's owners were Greek.; 6/10/18, 7:03 AM
tim in vermont said...: Theft by Finding is full of IHOP stories. They took place after her tenure, alas.; 6/10/18, 7:39 AM
mockturtle said...: And my first job was at an International House of Pancakes (in 1969).

I worked one summer at a doughnut shop when very young and to this day I don't like doughnuts. Just having to smell them all day was enough. As they discarded all the unsold doughnuts at the end of the day, they were mine for the taking but the interest wasn't there. Still isn't.; 6/10/18, 8:44 AM
DanTheMan said...: >>so I know what those cooks are like.

So you knew what some cooks were like...in one restaurant...40 years ago.; 6/10/18, 9:20 AM
Robert Cook said...: ”Trump is like a right-of-center Bourdain. Both good people.”

Words fail.; 6/10/18, 9:30 AM
Bilwick said...: I'm guessing Cookie and other "progressive" State-shtuppers might like Trump better if he were more like one of those mass murderers he and his ideological gang tend to admire and defend (Stalin in the 1930s, Uncle Ho in the 1960s, Castro 'til his death, Che even unto this day, etc.). If Trump just killed and imprisoned more people--as long as it were the "right" people and the "right" cause (the Common Good is always a reliable shibboleth)--the usual socialist nitwits would have Trump's poster on their dorm walls.; 6/10/18, 1:23 PM
Robert Cook said...: You guess wrong, William.; 6/11/18, 7:18 AM
SweatBee said...: I actually really like the pork chop at Waffle House.

I've had too many overcooked, stringy, bland pork chops at allegedly-fancy restaurants that I have a rule against ordering pork chops at restaurants. One night my kids wanted to eat at WH and nothing really sounded good. I think I had a headache or something; at any rate, for some reason I ordered the pork chop and it was delicious. Now the pork chop has replaced the patty melt as my default order at Waffle House.

I've never worked up the nerve to try the T-bone, though. I'll leave that one for the truckers.; 6/11/18, 9:22 AM