Anthony Bourdain Claps Back At Critics Who Say Chefs Should Stay Out Of Politics
How vocal celebrities should be about their political views has been up for debate for some time now, and even more so since the election. When they do speak out, it often results in push-back from critics who tell actors, models, and even chefs to "stay in their lane." But if you ask Anthony Bourdain, he has a simple response to those who wish he'd stay silent: "F*ck that."
In a TimesTalk event hosted by the New York Times and the New School, Bourdain spoke about his upcoming documentary, "Wasted! The Story of Food Waste." The film educates viewers on the issue of food waste in this country, and how we can individually make changes that will add up (Step one: Pick the ugly tomato).
During the talk, Bourdain said not wasting food is a "moral imperative," which led the moderator to bring up José Andrés' recent efforts in Puerto Rico and Tom Colicchio's lobbying work as political acts. Bourdain didn't mince words when it came to a response:
"F*uck that. There is nothing, look, is there anything on this planet more political than food? No there is not. Who eats? Who doesn't eat? Who is cooking? Who's eating?"
Why are we eating the things that we eat? What got us to this point where we are eating a lot of pickles or dried and preserved food? What does this tell us about, you know, ourselves? … Who is picking the produce? Who is cutting the meat? Who is shipping the meat? Who is putting it in the boxes? So every time I hear that online, and I hear it a lot, you know, 'Stick with food, man. Stop talking about politics.'"
As he points out, food is inherently political, especially in the context of food waste, conservation, and food insecurity. And since food is, you know, needed for survival and all that, it's probably a topic of conversation that shouldn't be silenced.
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