Anthony Bourdain not only helped us travel from the comfort of our living room but he also sparked that fire for travel within most of us. From Instagram captions to openers at functions Mr Bourdain has been quoted and will be quoted till the end of time. But this here is written to showcase some of his best quotes and why is the best at what he does.
They go as follows – “It was never my intention to be a reporter, a critic, an advocate. It was also never my intention to provide audiences with ‘everything’ they needed to know about a place – or even a balanced or comprehensive overview. I am a storyteller. I go places, I come back. I tell you how the places made me feel.”
“Through the use of some powerful tools like great photography, skillful editing, sound mixing, colour correction, music (which is often composed specifically for the purpose) and brilliant producers, I can – in the very best cases – make you feel a bit like I did at the time. At least I hope so. It’s a manipulative process. It’s also a deeply satisfying one.”
“Who gets to tell the stories? This is a question asked often. The answer, in this case, for better or worse, is, ‘I do.’ At least this time out. I do my best. I look. I listen. But in the end, I know: it’s my story, not Kamau’s, not Kenya’s, or Kenyans’. Those stories are yet to be heard.”
Though Bourdain is being self-reflective here, not giving explicit advice to anyone, we reckon we can all learn from his humility. Why? It captures something we all often forget – destination guides are just stories. Well written ones maybe, but stories. Glimpses through a certain lens. This is evident in the ‘naive’ myths Australians believe about Europe’s drinking culture, as well as the ‘classy’ myths we believe about its beaches, for instance.
