I've seen zero evidence of any nation on Earth other than Mexico even remotely having the slightest clue what Mexican food is about or even come close to reproducing it. It is perhaps the most misunderstood country and cuisine on Earth.
Anthony BourdainTokyo would probably be the foreign city if I had to eat one city's food for the rest of my life, every day. It would have to be Tokyo, and I think the majority of chefs you ask that question would answer the same way.
Anthony BourdainJust because we are not Italian, does not mean we cannot appreciate Michelangelo, it is the same with cuisine.
Anthony BourdainItโs an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where youโve been and whats happened. In the end, youโre just happy you were there - with your eyes open - and lived to see it.
Anthony BourdainIโm a big believer in winging it. Iโm a big believer that youโre never going to find perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one. Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss, I think, and Iโm always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary.
Anthony Bourdain