‘He saw what we did as a great approach to modern Chinese food’: five years after Anthony Bourdain’s death, he still influences chefs in Hong Kong
- Whether through his writing or his on-screen charisma, Anthony Bourdain had a profound impact on many of those who read his books or watched his shows
- On the fifth anniversary of his death, three Hong Kong-based chefs reflect on how Bourdain influenced their lives and careers
“I feel like I’ve lost a friend.”
On June 9, 2018, this was heard time and again as people woke up to the news of the death of Anthony Bourdain.
The American chef, writer and documentarian had spent two decades travelling the globe, eating local food, chronicling the characters and cultures he met in his signature style: always open-minded, gracious and non-judgemental.
You’d watch him on shows like the Travel Channel’s No Reservations and could picture yourself pulling up a plastic stool next to him at a noodle stall.
He had become a cultural icon, someone who transcended generations. You could love him, but so could your teenage kids. He defined cool in a way that only the truly cool can. Never knowingly – and certainly never, ever taking himself seriously.
So, when he took his own life at the age of 61, in a hotel in western France during shooting for what would be the final season of his CNN show, Parts Unknown, the shock was seismic.
