I'm not normally one for the melodrama and feigned tears surrounding most celebrity passings, especially when it comes to crafting any sort of eulogy to the loss of someone I've never met...at least, not usually. As disheartening and surprising as it was to lose some of the celebrities who have passed these recent years, the suicide of Anthony Bourdain is the one that hits especially close for me. This is a man, who for better or for worse, played an extremely crucial role in shaping how I've approached travel throughout my life. I've sat in the same restaurants he has in cities as far off as Osaka, as well as my own hometown of Vegas, and I've been known to watch and re-watch old episodes out of either pre-emptive research or nostalgic reminiscings.
Not only are there restaurants I may never have set foot in, like Jiyu Ken curryhouse above, which Anthony visited in an episode of No Reservations I studiously watched prior to visiting Osaka, but I've since recommended this same place to my friend, Sam, who went during her own visit to the city, creating a sort of snowball effect wherein random foreign women, thanks to Bourdain, started proliferating the business. I like to think that his show has had a similar effect on many of the restaurants and especially some of the countries he's highlighted over the years with the lens of his camera crew, as well as opening people's awareness to foods they may not have otherwise sampled. The curry was, after all, absolutely delicious, and there's something uncanny and surreal about sitting in the same establishment as a person whose approach drastically inspired your own. The same woman who's characteristic hairstyle and presence was featured with respect in his episode was there during my visit, graciously allowing my photos.
Bourdain was an archetype of traveling ethos, but he was also a man. Flawed, hurt, as human as the rest of us. He was pretty earnest about that, including footage of accidental ATV-rollings or red-faced late-night drunken tom-foolery, but that endeared him all the more to those of us who felt like we got to know him through the artifice of television and interviews, watching as he got to know his hosts and sampled their food and drink with gusto and respect. I, myself, have sat with strangers, sharing bottles and meals, in most of the countries I've ever visited, thanks to Bourdain's inspiration. He inspired me to try to see each place through the eyes of locals, to enmesh myself as deeply as possible with my inevitably foreign presence. I've made friends with a sushi chef in Inagekaigan who gifted me with a painting he made, or ridden cable cars and tried century egg with a friendly Aussie in Hong Kong, because people don't have to be scary. They're just people. And we all have our burdens to bear... but those precious moments in between, when we can come together over a cold (or sometimes hot) drink, a meal, and some laughter are the most precious of all.
I have no doubt that the man will be missed, and I'm so very sorry for the loss of all his friends and family. Suicide can be a surprisingly sneaky enemy, as the many losses over the recent years so painfully demonstrate. Just because someone seems to be doing well and has all the trappings of success does not mean that they're going to be happy. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to someone!
The suicide prevention lifeline is there for you if you need it, but if you're not into talking on the phone with a stranger, you can use the Crisis Textline to reach out and communicate without having to trigger any social anxiety issues you may have. Please don't let your depression convince you that you're being a bother or that it's not worth reaching out. You're worth it.
💙
XOXO,
NAU
