A Life Well Fed

When my younger brother and I were growing up in WA we only ever wanted to emulate one person, footballer Malcolm Blight. We would spend an inordinate amount of hours down Medina Oval and the backyard practising the AFL Legend’s movements, especially his capacity to kick and handball on both sides of the body. After Countdown on the ABC on Sunday night there was always The Winners, our connection to the muddy grounds, massive feral crowds in Melbourne and the superstar from North Melbourne. We barracked for St Kilda but it didn’t matter. After the show and dinner was over, it was into the tiny hallway of our housing commission home and either with a pair of rolled up socks or a “Nerf Ball”, it was “on” for young and old!

The goals consisted of the loungeroom door and the bathroom door. Commentary came from both of us, which was tough because it turned out to be Blight v Blight, anyway it didn’t matter 🙂 , 2 minutes into the game the physicality escalated and cracks in the asbestos walls would start appearing until the old man would berate us from the kitchen, “cut it out or I’ll come out there and give you an Albany!” If you have a spare few minutes, this will explain what he meant:

How NOT to Conduct a Family Holiday

Dreaming of living someone else’s life has always been a curiosity for me over the years. Not that I’m ungrateful for my own life, because I’m absolutely not, despite how dysfunctional it’s actually been 🙂 I’ve met some inspirational people, made some great friends and have a family to love. But just occasionally I’ve wandered off into dreamland and kind of wondered what it would be like to have lived the life of say, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Kelly Slater, Sir David Attenborough, Robert De Niro, or Michael Leunig for instance?

The book that started me off on these fantasies was the Australian classic, My Brother Jack by George Johnson. Part of a trilogy, it is a truly epic journey from the suburbs of Melbourne to war correspondent, to working as a journalist for The Argus (The Age), writing in the UK and eventually living in Greece with his wife Charmian Clift, also a prolific writer. Johnson’s writing simply took you to all parts of the world, but so effortlessly. No name dropping, or exaggerations, just what he saw and felt. These were lives well filled.

Of all my favourite “lives to lead” I reckon I’ve now settled on Anthony Bourdain the late chef, journalist and traveller. He encapsulates the rock star with the travel writing so uniquely, that I want to pack up and head to the airport every time I connect with him.

I’ve only ever seen his documentary series, Parts Unknown which was his last and ran for 5 x years. He also produced a few other TV series, probably the award winning, No Reservations being his most popular. He also wrote a dozen cook books and a few fiction books, including a graphic novel.

The latest book, World Travel, is a collection of stories from Parts Unknown, and edited with his long- time assistant, Laurie Woolever posthumously. What separated Bordain from any other chef was firstly his respect for the culture and history of the food and secondly his willingness to try anything, and I mean anything! But more than that, he was first and foremost an unbelievable communicator. The book takes you to approximately 45 countries, from war torn, to poverty-stricken to the most extravagant of places. All the while Bourdain takes it in his stride and tells you how it is, in his distinctive New York dialect. It’s a simple recipe for success…… authentic people and uncomplicated, passionate conversations whilst feasting on amazing cuisine.

It’s difficult to summarise Bourdain’s style and writing. I’d call it economic, generous to a “T” with who and what he writes about and littered with excitement and anticiation. Here are a few excerpts:

“What do you do when left with nothing but guts and hooves and odd bits? Figure out how to transform them into delicious things of course. At this, the Portuguese excel.”

“Those who know me even a little bit are familiar with my unholy attraction to the mutant hot dog.”

“Meat, cheese, fat and bread-it’s an immortal combination.”

(After eating too much cheese in The French Alps) “You’re going to have a big cannonball of crap lodged up your butt like a baby head. The size of a freaking baby head. You will understand the agony of delivery.”

“Lagos: Nigeria’s megacity. One of the most dynamic, unrestrained and energetic expressions of free-market capitalism and do-it-yourself entrepreneurship on the planet. Buy, sell, trade hustle and claw. Make your own way, any way you can. They say you have to have three hustles. With ridiculously overburdened infrastructure and a history of egregiously bent leadership, they have long ago learned, ain’t nobody going to help you in this world. Pick up a broom, a hammer. Buy a taxi, a truck, a billion dollar company, and get to work.”

(Croatia) “If you know me at all, you know it’s all about this: slow, slow, slowly simmering ragu of veal, along with several other cuts that will remain secret. This has been going on all day, since before sunrise, carefully tended, and stirred constantly. Then the rice: more gentle, careful stirring, cooked to just right, a sprinkling of cheese from the Island of Pag, of course, and the scent coming off this thing fills the yard, driving anything, man and beast alike, mad with desire. This is the single best mouthful of food I’ve had in this country.”

I’m not a foodie. My philosophy has always been a “see-food eat-food” diet, however I do love tasty food if I don’t have to cook it. In the Parts Unknown TV series, Bourdain never gets bogged down on what’s going into the food, but more-so he lets the camera do the work, often with these amazing overhead shots of the cooking process within these extraordinary kitchens mostly in the middle of nowhere. You soon start drooling mind you, but his focus is mostly on talking and listening to locals and that’s what comes through in this book.

If you enjoy travelling (in a couple of years) I would highly recommend taking this book with you. What I love about it, besides the eating recommendations, is that there is a lot of succinct advice around airports, taxis, public transport and general logistical “watch-outs”. For Lynda and I, these are the bits we appreciate the most as we usually have accommodation already booked. The internet has superseded much of Lonely Planet’s books, but you can’t beat good healthy common sense tips, and they are prevalent throughout this book.

Great art is often the result of what gets left out as opposed to what gets crammed in. Bourdain had that innate sense in his TV show and this book. The fact he was one of the world’s best chefs is irrelevant because it wasn’t what drove him. He had a genuine curiosity for people and their culture that could put them at ease immediately. He could be tough but according to his road crew they would have done anything for him. He died in 2018 but he has left behind an enormous legacy and trail I intend following upon retirement…..if I get out of lockdown 🙂

If you haven’t seen Parts Unknown before, this is his trip to Rome and a classic example of how Bourdain intelligently combines history, his love of cinema, his constant desire to get away from any touristy spots and mouth watering food. All this accompanied by stunning cinematography. This is also the episode where he meets and falls in love with actress Asia Argento.