I’ve had two heroes in my life: Indiana Jones and Anthony Bourdain. Even though I always wanted to tip the fedora and carry a whip, that wasn’t reality. Bourdain, on the other hand, was real to me.
Many of my Sunday evenings over the last decade or so were spent daydreaming and wishing I was somewhere else.
Bourdain’s voice was on the TV in the background while I ran to the stove just as dinner was starting to burn, grabbing a sip of my drink while rewinding the parts I missed. The frequent-flyer miles I put on the DVR would be worth a trip to Lisbon, at the very least. I watched and listened as if he were speaking the travel gospel, never wanting to miss any of his insights.
I’ve read or listened to all his books, watched all his shows, and even seen him speak twice at the Ohio Theater in Columbus. I trusted Uncle Tone (mob voice, an Eddie Huang reference). He told stories that shaped my perspective on life. Where to go, yeah, but also why to go there, why to eat there, and why it’s great or terrible. Oh, the people I would meet and the stories I would create because of him...
He earned the type of credibility that you can gain only through life’s character scars.
"Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind."
Listen, I fall for an IG ass pic too, but in an age of “the gram” and overproduced lifestyle shots, he was refreshingly real. He told a story that we could relate to. He made it cool. We all believed it. He influenced culture. He made me want to take action, grab a book and a bag to SEA, and plop down on a 12-inch chair. I’ll take the spicy noodle soup and a Beer Lao. That’s a big deal, and that’s why he’ll be revered. So much so that President Obama did the same thing in 2016. Maybe for political capital, or maybe just because Tone said so.
If he taught me anything, it was to go see for myself. Become your legend. “Maktub.” You can’t have perspective without putting in the work. Hands like Tyrone...
It’s been more than six months now, and it’s still hard to watch him on streaming services or read the latest gossip. He made a mark, and even today he’s still relevant. I don’t see a world where that changes.
All love.
RIP, Uncle Tony.