Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” episode 4 recap: Quebec is Canada's culinary capital
Skift Take
It's hard not to focus on the gluttony in this episode (enviously, not judgmentally). But this was about Quebecois identity and the changing face of Canada as much as it was about delicious food.
"I love Montreal," Anthony Bourdain states in a voice over at the beginning of tonight's episode of Parts Unknown. "It is my favorite place in Canada. The people who live there are tough, crazy bastards."
So begins what appears to be Bourdain's most gluttonous dive into a country so far in Parts Unknown. This episode, while billed in CNN's press materials as an exploration of Canada by rail, is so much a love letter to Quebec that the other provinces should file serious grievances with their broadcasting authorities.
Bourdain's first stop is ice fishing on the St. Lawrence River with Fred Morin and Dave McMillan, the chef and owner of Montreal's legendary Joe Beef restaurant. After a few minutes of pretending to fish they retreat to a five foot by five foot cabin on the ice and cook a meal over a wood burning
