06.25.2025 | Bourdain Day

It is sunny, hot and humid here in the Carondelet Garden in south Saint Louis.  Clouds may move in this afternoon with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible.  A little bit cooler, if you can call the mid-90s cooler.  Winds are out of the South at 5 to 10 MPH.
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​In memory of Anthony Bourdain
June 25, 1956 — June 8, 2018
 
Today would have been Anthony Bourdain’s 69th birthday.  He was a complex, incredible person.  We’ve seen him in person several times and he’s the guy on television but calmer.  He was an introvert who lived an extrovert’s life.  I understand that.  He had his demons, and they caught up to him and we lost a true culinary and, more importantly, literary star.  Today we celebrate something he would have HATED! 
 
So, to celebrate Bourdain Day go somewhere unfamiliar. Talk to someone new. Eat something outside your comfort zone. Take yourself on a weird little solo date. Host a party where everyone brings a dish inspired by their favorite episode. In Tony’s words: “Open your mind, get up of the couch, move.”

​“People confuse me. Food doesn't.”  

​“If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food, it's a plus for everybody.”