Okay, but now it seems to be primarily about Anthony Bourdain

skepticskeptical

I decided to watch some of the episodes of Parts Unknown after learning of Anthony Bourdain´s tragic suicide by hanging. This has made the series seem, to me, more about him than about the ostensible subjects of the episodes. In Tokyo, for example, he at one point says that he wants to kill the members of some popular music group which he hates (I did not recognize the name) along with anyone who likes them, and that their very existence makes him want to kill himself. Very unsettling, viewed in the context of his recent self-inflicted death.

Other episodes are considerably less disturbing, which makes it possible to review the series as a series. I decided to focus on the episodes concerned with places which I have already visited and found that Bourdain does offer new perspectives, always illuminating aspects which I never noticed or did not encounter in my travels. Buenos Aires is a good example. Bourdain´s snapshot is mostly of meat-eating construction workers, with a big emphasis on human suffering. My view was quite different: Buenos Aires was glamorous with its tango and delicious gnocchis and, yes, beef, but also chicken milanesa, mariscos, salads and excellent wine, alfajores and flan. None of that is shown in the episode, making it a not very good tourism promotional. I ¨learned¨ that psychotherapy is big in Argentina (news to me), and Bourdain sits in a session for the viewer to observe, which again is a bit eerie, given his eventual suicide.

Is the series worthwhile? It is quirky and offers Bourdain´s unique perspective. He seems to be omnivorous and so cannot really be trusted for judging culinary quality. Everything is ¨good¨, ¨really good¨, ¨tasty¨, ¨delicious¨ or ¨wonderful¨. That´s the extent of his critical vocabulary when it comes to trying new dishes. Has he ever disliked a dish? I have to wonder.

As far as a travelogue, I am pretty sure that episodes such as Buenos Aires would deter people from visiting the place and are certainly not used to promote travel by tourism agencies. I might watch some more of this series but, to be honest, it´s more because I am trying to figure out how and why someone who spent the last eight years of his life doing whatever he wanted, traveling all over the world and meeting new people and eating delicious food, would have taken his life. Very sad story.

score 6/10

skepticskeptical 13 May 2019

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4850941/