Anthony Bourdain Against the World

Kayla Johnson
Sep 9, 2018 · 3 min read
Eating noodles in a Vietnamese restaurant

Anthony Bourdain born and raised in New Jersey found his calling when he took his first bite of an oyster. Mr.Bourdain was in love at first sight and from that moment on he knew his calling. He stated food touched him ‘’ viscerally, instinctively,spiritually and even in some small way sexually… Food had power. It could astonish, shock, excite, delight and impress’’. Mr. Bourdain knew he connected with food in a spiritual way but he had no idea this was the begining to the rest of his career.


He started as a head chef and his fame only grew from there. He published several books in ten different languages. Mr. Bourdain aired in famous television network series like TV network and CNN. He was known all over the world as the famous travel guru that has it all. Little did fans know Mr. Bourdain was struggling with many uncertainties in his life. At a young age he started experimenting with drugs. He believed he was invincible and he could stop at any time.

He would start his day and end his day with a cigarette. He got to the point he was smoking nearly a pack a day. He ended up having a daughter that meant the world to him. He told fans he quit his cigarette habit for her to set a good example. He wanted nothing more in life than to be a good dad for his daughter. In 2016 he and his wife tragically broke up and being a single dad was hard on Mr. Bourdain.

A typical day would start with Mr. Bourdain doing LSD and filming a show in Hong Kong. He would try all the local hot spot restaurants. He had a way of talking to people and describing his experience that was like no other tv host. Just from watching his television shows fans could not tell he was on drugs. It seemed like there was not a drug Mr. Bourdain was not willing to try. He would go off stage and do cocaine, heroin and crack. He believed in living his life to the fullest.

Anthony Bourdain smoking a cigarette.

Depression hit Mr. Bourdain like a rock sinking in the ocean. Some days he felt like he couldn’t get up. He was stuck in a daze and just wanted to disappear. He was struggling to be a good dad and be an excellent tv host. He couldn’t find balance in his life. The drugs were also dragging him down. He looked to friends for support and even got sober for a while. He felt like life was finally getting better when he fell back into depression.

Mr. Bourdain’s life came to a tragic fall when he hung himself. He was in a ‘’dark mood’’ the days leading to his death said his friend Eric Ripert. Mr. Bourdain and Eric were traveling in France eating exotic food for CNN when he passed. His friend stated that ‘’Mr. Bourdain was the last person he expected this to happen to’’. On the outside it appeared Mr. Bourdain had it all when he was really struggling a battle with depression. On the day Mr. Bourdain passed it was stated he was not any drugs. He had reached the breaking point in his life that would change the world.

People all over the world were mourning the death of Anthony Bourdain. The other side of Mr. Bourdain was becoming known to the public. From Mr. Bourdain’s death fans learned from to not take life for granted and to never judge a person when you don’t know what they are going through. The fans also saw the real side of Anthony Bourdain. The side that was broken down and fighting for a chance at life.

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