"Parts Unknown" remains CNN's highest rated show. Americans and others from around the world will learn what Cuba can offer travelers that may be different from what they've been told in the past. Tourists from outside the U.S., of course, have freely visited Cuba for many years.
There have never been more people angling to become the next Bourdain with the help of social media and digital cameras, but he's held his spot as the king of travel and food media. This series is another way to enforce his stature and keep interest in "Parts Unknown" high as the series rolls on.
Bourdain's enthusiasm for a destination defines the tone of an episode, and this is one in which clearly all involved were more than happy to be there.
Anthony Bourdain and ZPZ take their inquisitive, open approach home for an honest, if not somewhat troubling, look at America's changing suburbs. The tactfulness in which the show examines such an issue should be a lesson for news and entertainment programs.
This is simply the best episode of season three with Bourdain eloquently explaining the culture, politics, and food of Iran and, as only he has a knack to do, break down the barriers between Western viewers and their misperceptions of a nation that they would also likely love.
Even while irresponsibly drinking and indulgently snacking, Bourdain gives viewers a better idea of what's happening inside present-day Russia than any news segment we've ever seen.