What does it mean to cook food well….

I recently moved to Brooklyn, New York, with my new wife Ashley. One of our favorite shows to watch is No Reservations – hosted by the no frills, brassy chef Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain is releasing his newest book to paperback and offering a challenge to all aspiring writers to write an introduction. I wanted to share her work. She eloquently answers the prompt, and more importantly, offers an insight into food that we all love – the comforts from home.

I am going to do a quick shameless promotion. (I know what you must all think….John, you haven’t posted in over a year and now you are promoting your wife. Shame on you!). However, I hope you’ll take a few moments to read the words she has shared with me.

Anthony "Tony" Bourdain

A fresh transplant to N.Y.C, I recently found myself in the awkward act of reading and standing on the subway. Gripping my copy of Medium Raw, I maintain an unlady-like surfer’s stance as the F-train swerves. Bourdain’s unapologetic reflections on food, travel and culture energize my commuter’s soul. Self-consciously, I wonder what my fellow riders think of my book choice. What is it that compels me, the girl in the preppy outfit, to consume the work of the bad-ass Bourdain?

We certainly don’t relate on a personal level. Sorry, Tony. I am a 24 year old home cook, who has never, and will never, work in a commercial kitchen. I cry easily. I don’t smoke. My worst crime to date is rear ending a Mercedes and I get tipsy at wine tastings.

But, when an episode of No Reservations comes across my screen, I am transported. My middle aged dad is also hooked. We shamefully maintain a teenage texting banter…

“Did you see that wheel of Reggiano Parm.???! SICK! We must go!

“That chicken looks tasty. Ah, the crispy skin!”

The man with his thumb on the blackberry is Herb, my dad, and he is a good cook. He is known for reincarnating Tupperwares of congealed leftovers into mouthwatering feasts. He roasts potatoes to perfection, has an intuitive sense of when a steak is cooked to medium-rare, and continually improves his cannon of recipes. Recently, my mom reported being forced to repeatedly eat my dad’s lemon chicken. “It takes 15 minutes under the broiler and it is SO juicy!” he offers as a counter.

He is drawn to food that is down-right simple, with flavors that are surprisingly complex.

Despite being the son of a Midwestern farmer, he would be a terrible spokesperson for the organic food movement; he abhors the fussy, over-priced nature of high-end food stores and some farmers markets. He prefers to shop at the international market where prices are good-to-cheap and the variety is expansive.

By no means is his view from the kitchen perfect, but when he diligently sent my brother to college armed with the skills and recipes for dishes he could make on his own, I was reminded of my appreciation for him as a cook. Without being pushy, he often cooks seasonally and has quietly kept a kitchen garden for years. A number of our family traditions culminate around the table, delighting in the reliable dishes that he produces. His plates usually balance protein, starch and include a vegetable or at least a fresh ear of sweet corn. The freezer is full of his famous bolognese sauce and prepared stocks, known in our house as “liquid gold.”

He is a host of contradictions—content to eat the same dish every week, but also willing to dream about exploring the culinary world with me…only if we can eat at the quaint, hole in the wall restaurants like Anthony Bourdain. That is where he will find his bliss—perfectly simple, satisfying, and timeless food.

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If you like her work, check it out on

http://bourdainmediumraw.com/essays/view/1706