Special Parts Unknown Episode Reflects on Anthony Bourdain's Impact on Food and Travel
Skift Take
We don't quite have the words to describe the overwhelming mark Bourdain left on the travel industry and world. But we will say that he helped change the conversation about what traveling should look like, what we should get out of it, and how we should feed ourselves along the way.
This Sunday's special episode of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" might be difficult viewing for some of the late TV host and personality's long-time fans. The show will include highlights of Bourdain in his element over the years, such as talking to groups of marginalized people, gorging on street food and delicacies, and connecting food to the history and current reality of a place. While the episode will reinforce that Bourdain's show will soon come to an end, his impact on food, travel television, and trends isn't going away.
Bourdain died on June 8 at age 61 while filming a "Parts Unknown" episode in Strasbourg, France. Bourdain, who started out as a chef, would go on to write his 2000 book "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly," and contribute to many other publications. He later had a 15-year TV career including 12 seasons of "Parts Unknown," which premiered in 2013. The show won nine Primetime Emmy Awards and received 29 Emmy nominations, and also won a Peabody Award in 2013.
Sunday's episode on CNN, titled "Bourdain's Impact," will take viewers back to some of Bourdain's most memorable "Parts Unknown" destinations including Iran, Cuba, Lebanon, and Russia while also touching on historic moments such as his interview and dinner with President Obama in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2016. The show will also include behind-the-scenes interviews with Bourdain about the making of "Parts Unkno
