"Being a vegan is a first-world phenomenon, completely self-indulgent."
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Quote collection
Anthony Bourdain quotes (page 3 of 17)
337 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"I've long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we're talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime 'associates,' food, for me, has always been an adventure"
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"Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later."
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"You have an impeccable argument if you said that Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo are food capitals. They have a maximum amount of great stuff to eat in the smallest areas."
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"I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re 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 I’m always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary."
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"Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one's life."
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"Good food and good eating are about risk."
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"If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it's the restaurant business."
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"Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life - and travel - leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks - on your body or on your heart - are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt."
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"Let's at least acknowledge who is working in America right now and what our needs are, as well as the moral question of somebody who's been here 20 years, paying taxes to which they probably do not receive a refund, and not committing any crimes, working hard, and supporting an industry. Shouldn't there be some middle ground here? Shouldn't there be a way for them to be welcome in this country?"
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"The biggest empty space, the biggest gap in what should be a premier and always vibrant food scene in America is that we don't have hawker centers like they do in Singapore, basically food courts where mom and pop specialists can set up shop in fairly hygienic little stalls all up to health code making one dish they've been doing forever and ever."
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"I'm excited by any food that's prepared by someone who's proud of what they're doing, who puts a personal imprint on food."
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"Food is everything we are. It's an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It's inseparable from those from the get-go."
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"As you move through this life...you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life - and travel - leaves marks on you."
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"Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom...is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go. -Anthony Bourdain"
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"Only Texans and Jews understand brisket"
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"For me, the cooking life has been a long love affair, with moments both sublime and ridiculous."
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"No one understands and appreciates the American Dream of hard work leading to material rewards better than a non-American."
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"Garlic is divine. Few food items can taste so many distinct ways, handled correctly. Misuse of garlic is a crime...Please, treat your garlic with respect...Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic."
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"I don't have to agree with you to like you or respect you."
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