Food, Politics, and Journalism: Anthony Bourdain’s Legacy

FEATURING ARUN GUPTA – Anthony Bourdain, the famed celebrity chef and award winning TV host of CNN’s Parts Unknown was found dead in his hotel room in France over the weekend. His death by apparent suicide was a shock to fans of his show and his many books all over the world.

What set Bourdain apart was his unique approach to food as informed by its context, history, and the broader cultural and political forces that shape it and the people who grow, process, serve, and eat it.

Through his extensive travels Bourdain introduced Americans to the complexities of the lives of non-Americans, such as raising the context of the Israeli occupation when showcasing Palestinian food, or the legacy of Henry Kissinger in the context of Cambodian cuisine, or reminding us of the importance of honoring immigrant labor in US restaurants. In the last months of his life he became a male ally of the #MeToo movement.

To read Arun Gupta’s article on Anthony Bourdain HERE.

Arun Gupta, a regular news correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali. He’s an investigative journalist who has written for dozens of publications including the Washington Post, the Guardian, The Nation, Salon, and Raw Story. He is also author of the forthcoming book, “Bacon as a Weapon of Mass Destruction.”