I am big fan of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Tonight (10pm EST) is another episode where he travels to Columbia and I will guess that the magic ingredient won’t be powered, but groundup. And I am talking about Chorizo! He is also writing a blog. I am always fascinated by his show because he has transformed the classic “cooking show” into a cultural influencer, opening my eyes to food that i would never have thought existed. Its the culinary version of Wild Kingdom.

If you saw last week’s episode I am certain that you have a greater respect for him that before as a man. Sure he is cool in that late-night all-night rock and roll celebrity-chef style, you know, the kind that roll off the line at 3:30 am in the Big Apple, grab a cab to some hole in the wall that serves insane food at 4 am, tosses back a shot of bourbon to clear the fire orders in his head and then pops a bottle of 2005 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape because its a great red wine to pair with anything and because he just spent 18 hours on the line and really doesn’t want to make any decisions. That kind of guy. Reminds me of myself really, as a younger man, when I was living in NYC in the 80’s, waiting tables and tending bar at such storied locations as il Tres Merle, Flutie’s. Private Eyes, or Paladium.

Anyway, on the first episode of the season Tony was visibly moved by the story he became part of during his journey into Laos. Now I am no pussy by any means, and just because I can swirl a wine glass with the big boys doesnt prohibit me from shedding a tear or two in compassion for the people I saw on the show. Go get it here from iTunes.Buy the whole season pass while you are at it.

Hats off to Bourdain and crew for another great season of television. Go buy Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.) or Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking and support the blog. Wine isnt cheap ya know.