Ofter you see what you want to see in the world. As much as I adore Bourdain, I have to admit he was undoubtably jaded and there were trips where that colored everything. For many, depression comes in waves and lasts for periods of time. He showed a lot of the good and bad in these places, but everywhere has a bit of both.
Bourdain put out an incredible body of work overcoming a lot of lifelong issues and I still love his show. Its just recently seeing someone like Rick Stein in the Mediterranean I realized its completely possible to do an area justice while also highlighting its best features. I feel like Anthony Bourdain with his rebel image would worry about being seen as a sellout or too bourgeois if he went to a fancy restaurant in Sicily (unless he went ironically and didn't enjoy it). I question my perception of some countries I know only/mostly from Parts Unknown now.
He did go to some really fancy places in some episodes, the kind with one-of-a-kind $300 appetizers and multi-thousand dollar wines with their own climate-controlled storage facility.
But he also went to Waffle House and enjoyed it. And hiked through the jungle to eat and drink (mostly drink) at a local festival and sleep in a hallway with the rest of the locals.
That was what really impressed a lot of us - he seemed to get along with everyone and to value and accept their differences. The food often seemed to be largely an excuse to explore and show that message.
