Anthony Bourdain V. Alton Brown: Feasting on No Asphalt Reservations
Alton, lookout!
It’s no surprise that the Travel Channel’s Anthony Bourdain and Food Network’s Alton Brown share the same initials. They also happen to share the same show (kind of) and are utilized by their respective networks in the same way (sorta). That Alton Brown is basically the more sober, more geeky version of Mr. Bourdain should come as a surprise to no one watching food-based travelogues this summer on cable (and I must at this point add: if you aren’t watching food-based travelogues on cable this summer, what exactly are you watching — it couldn’t be more compelling television, for anyone who opts to nourish themselves with foodstuffs). The delicious comparisons after the jump…
First and foremost, I’ve always been a fan of the Food Network. I mean, it’s so perfect: televised food doled out in easy to swallow portions. It’s like going to the best restaurant ever with the most elaborate menu, but not having to worry about the bill, wearing a jacket, or eating anything. Everyone becomes an adventurous diner when the food in question is nothing more than an inedible series of pixels. Over the past year or so I’ve realized that this formula has its limitations. Eventually it would be nice to actually eat something, or at the very least feel like you have the ability to eat something without having to personally know Mario Batali — Michael Stipe. And so, we’re given the food travelogue. It’s everything we love about food on television, only presented as an exploration of the world. Suddenly it isn’t about a really kind fat woman putting felony-levels of butter into a cake mix in some fake kitchen in a television studio, but about a really kind fat woman putting felony-levels of butter into a cake mix in a real kitchen somewhere in the deep south. We’re never going to visit this woman to eat her cardiac-arrest-inducing confection, but we could!
This of course brings us to No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, where our hero travels the earth looking for food. Good food. Bad food. Anything that has a story behind it and provides some sort of sensory experience. I love this show because I love Anthony Bourdain. I love that he drinks a lot and smokes a lot and is willing to go anywhere and eat anything. I like his show because it shows me, a guy who has spent far too little time traveling, that I should probably get off my ass and go experience something — even if I don’t have the stomach for things like stinky tofu or fried testicles. It doesn’t hurt matters that he’s a fairly charming host and a great writer thus making his narration on the series far more poetic than what the subject matter requires. Then again, maybe it’s just the right amount of poetic as No Reservations frequently goes to some of the most exotic locales on the planet and always seems to avoid the tourist clichés.
A few weeks ago, a friend asked if I was going to watch Feasting on Asphalt on the Food Network. I said I didn’t know what he was talking about. He explained that last summer Food Network ran the miniseries, which featured Good Eats host Alton Brown riding motorcycle across America and eating “road food” (i.e. diners, stands, bar-b-que, camping, etc.). My interest was piqued and was able to catch it in reruns over the next week or so leading up to the new series where our hero would drive his bike up the Mississippi river (they only take back roads and never eat at any type of chain).
It’s a really great show, and was my first introduction to the talents of Mr. Brown, who like Mr. Bourdain is incredibly charismatic, though in a completely different way. It took me a few episodes to warm up to his personality as he certainly has the tendency to initially come off as slightly annoying or at the very least a tad too brainy for his own good. These feelings were fleeting and I soon found myself in awe of his ability to converse with every manner of cook, patron, and passerby he came across as he and his crew made their way through the real America. He also gets to eat a ton of great food; not exotic food, but classically made comfort food prepared by cooks who have been using the same techniques for generations. It’s greatly entertaining to watch and does an impeccable job of getting you interested in your immediate surrounding.
No Reservations makes us realize that the world is huge and it is packed with far more experiences than for what any one man could ever hope. Feasting on Asphalt makes us realize that our country is huge and is packed with people who know how to cook really well. It’s the type of show that can make you feel guilty for hitting the Subway for a turkey sandwich when there are probably scores of small food stands and restaurants within a stones throw that can dish up a meal not only far more delicious but with a better story behind it — if only we’d ask.
The two hosts couldn’t be more different in terms of personality. Bourdain is acid tongued and has no problem letting people know he hates them (especially certain people on the Food Network). Brown is the nice guy, always with something positive to say. Together, their shows provide the perfect sweet and sour combination of food and travel anywhere on television. One begs you to get out of the country and go exploring while the other says if that’s too taxing, try exploring your own backyard. Together they’re the best one-two punch of the summer.
Feasting on Asphalt shows frequently throughout the week on Food Network.
Tags: Food Network, Travel
