Goodbye to Anthony Bourdain's 'Parts Unknown'
“WHO GETS TO TELL THESE STORIES? THE ANSWER, IN THIS CASE, IS I DO. AT LEAST FOR NOW.”
Sitting on a cliff overlooking the Kenyan grasslands, those are the late Anthony Bourdain’s words at the end of the first episode of the last season of CNN’s Parts Unknown. It’s a melancholic reminder that this is the final season.
The first episode of Parts Unknown I ever watched was the Tripoli episode that aired back in 2013. Bourdain reported on the Italian influence, food traditions and, post-Gaddafi, post-war maelstrom taking place in Libya. At the time I was living in New York City dating a Libyan refugee. We were both enthusiastic to watch the episode; for him, to see a piece of his politically lapsing homeland; for me, a chance to visually soak up his history through my newly discovered favorite show. My friend’s personal, harrowing and comical anecdotes were added to Bourdain’s monologues. It became an emotional piece of documentary and, by cultivating a visual context, I was given a salient opportunity to foster a cultural understanding about the civil tension that surrounded my friend’s upbringing.
If you’ve never seen Parts Unknown, it’s a show that melds the relationship between culture, food, and politics. But it’s so much more than that. Yes, Bourdain used to be a chef but if you think his narration is solely about food, you’re wrong. What it’s really about is commensality and the conversations that flow forth when people are cared for enough to be heard.
There are reasons why Bourdain was so good at what he did. Bourdain’s narration was distinct, his personality coded with humor and wit. His tone was deeply passionate. Bourdain’s infinite curiosity allowed stories to organically unfold. His interactions were honest and his questions humble. Bourdain was the ultimate travel guide fueled by his own cultural empathy.
WHAT I LOVED MOST ABOUT PARTS UNKNOWN WAS THE AUTHENTICITY OF JOY, AND UN-SUGARCOATED DISTASTE. IT WAS CLEAR WHEN BOURDAIN LOVED A DISH AND APPARENT WHEN HE THOUGHT IT WAS SO-SO. REGARDLESS, HE SEEMED TO APPRECIATE THE EXPERIENCE.
The final season of Parts Unknown aired on Sept 23. The first episode is set in Kenya with comedian W. Kamau Bell as his travel companion. It’s as much about Bell, who’s of Kenyan heritage, and his exploration of Africa for the first time as it is about Kenya itself. In the episode, we learn about Kenyan and US trade sanctions in the textile industry. We learn about the Nairobi LGBT community, evolving acceptance, and what would seem to us to be antiquated laws that continue to oppress Kenyans’ sexual freedom. It’s also the only episode in the season that is fully narrated in Bourdain’s affable and sardonic monologue.
In the second episode, Bourdain is joined by friend Jose Andres as they travel through Andres home of Asturias, Spain. We learn about class division in Asturias over many meals of pea stew, white bean and sausage stew, grilled steak, cider, and multicolor molded cheese, of which Bourdain claims, “I can feel my syphilis clearing up.”
Episode three is oddly surreal as Bourdain is a guest at an Indonesian cremation and funeral ceremony. Among the gorgeous colorful parades, Bourdain seems withdrawn, or maybe reflective. Sitting on a Balian beach he asks, “All stories should end on a beach, all good ones anyway. Why should this one be any different?” Yet to air are West Texas and Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
PARTS UNKNOWN WAS A STAND-ALONE SHOW THAT LET YOU LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER, A LITTLE CLOSER, AT THOSE STORIES THAT MAKE PEOPLE. IT LOOKED AT CULTURES, FACES, AND TRADITIONS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE ON CAMERA. THE SERIES TEACHES THE WORLD TO RESPECT EACH OTHER, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WORK IN AND WITH FOOD. BECAUSE OFTEN THOSE PEOPLE ARE MIGRANT, REFUGEE OR LIVING IN COUNTRIES WHERE THEIR FREEDOM IS NOT A GUARANTEE.
This past summer, a movie called Blindspotting came out. It’s a movie that looks at race relations and gentrification in the Bay Area, specifically Oakland. The slang term blindspotting, coined by the writers and stars of the movie, refers to the aspects of someone or something we don’t naturally see, and the active work it takes to see those parts that aren’t immediately visible to us.
The ability to recognize the blindspots was something Bourdain was remarkably good at. He had the ability to see and look at people as their authentic selves and not at the prejudices and stereotypes that proceeded them. That’s what made Parts Unknown an incredible series; the viewer was forced to rethink their beliefs about people, culture and their food.
In a world with charging xenophobic and alt-right fascinations, Parts Unknown reminds us not to be afraid of people that don’t look like us. Every episode explores and exposes so much more about the country you’re visually traveling through. You learn about the diverse people, artists, writers, musicians, activists, teachers, talented youth and creative elders, and yes, chefs.
Fans paid tribute to Bourdain at now closed Brasserie Les Halles in New York City where Bourdain once worked as executive chef. Image Credit: Shutterstock /Donald Bowers Photography
When Tony died this June, it was the first time I felt truly affected by the death of someone I didn’t personally know. I was holding off watching the last season because I’ve been mourning the fact that there is so much that won’t be created without him. So many projects, docu-series, and stories that won’t exist without his narration revealing them. I wasn’t ready to stop hearing his voice or seeing the world through the beautiful cinematography of Parts Unknown. I felt similarly when Lucky Peach folded last year, or as I read about the numerous restaurants, cafes, taquerias in my hometown of San Francisco being pushed out. Where will those stories go now?
So if you haven’t seen an episode of Parts Unknown, I strongly urge you to. Because in doing so you’ll learn so much more about the world than you previously knew.
“So this is not the end? Life is a cycle, it’s a send-off. Heaven and hell are allegories, tears hold back the soul of the departed. Time is circular as is life. Death is just the beginning of another journey.” -Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown, Season 6, Episode 3.
You can learn more about Parts Unknown here.
