Chef/author/TV host Anthony Bourdain talked to ADA members about world cuisine, the obesity epidemic and cooties.
As fans of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations on the Travel Channel, we were delighted when we heard he would be speaking at the closing session of the 2010 American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in Boston. But we were also a little surprised by the ADA’s choice of the irreverent chef/author/TV personality as a speaker. As Bourdain himself said with a broad smile: “I don’t know if I’m the right guy to speak at a conference with the word ‘nutrition’ in it.”
However, in light of the global focus of this year’s annual gathering of registered dietitians, Bourdain proved a good choice, with his witty talk entitled “How to Stop Worrying and Enjoy Globalization.” (By 2050, nonwhites will constitute the majority of the U.S. population, noted ADA President Judy Rodriguez, explaining the conference’s emphasis on world culture.) Bourdain’s adventures abroad have taught him that the best foods in the world usually are not the result of prosperous times, but rather hardship and hunger — from feijoada, a stew initially for the poor that is now Brazil’s national dish, to what we consider French haute cuisine, such as coq au vin, duck confit and escargot. “Do you think the first person to serve and eat a snail was a gourmet?” he asked.
Bourdain dispensed tips on how to eat while traveling, encouraging attendees to zero in on local specialties in lieu of familiar American chains or non-native foods like “Indonesian pasta Bolognese.” When asked about the obesity epidemic, Bourdain says he doesn’t think “Uncle Sam should step in and say, ‘Put the burger down.’ ” But he admits that it might be necessary, citing the Krispy Kreme cheeseburger, the increase of child obesity and the number of military-age men and women too overweight or obese to enlist. He also revealed the inspiration for his new interest in healthy eating: his 3-year-old daughter. His solution for keeping her away from fast food — implying that those restaurants are responsible for “cootie outbreaks” — made us smile.
Earlier in the conference, photojournalist Peter Menzel and TV news producer Faith D’Aluisio provided insight into what people around the globe are consuming. The couple showed images from their books, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats (Material World, 2007), in which 30 families are photographed with their weekly meals, and What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets (Material World, 2010), featuring photos of 80 people in 30 countries with what they eat in a day, from a Masai woman who lives mostly on maize meal and milk to a vegan shivambu practitioner in India who drinks her own urine.
We enjoyed the presentations on global eating and left the conference inspired to be more adventurous with our food choices. (Although we definitely draw the line at urine.)
Do you try local cuisine when you travel or do you tend to seek out familiar fare?