By Ed Diokno
The seventh season of the CNN travel and food documentary series Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown begins tonight (April 24, 2016) with a trip to Manila, capital of the Philippines. The show follows the best-selling author and chef as he travels the globe to discover the cultures and cuisines of lesser-known destinations.
Bourdain visited Manila unannounced last December, catching his fans and the local media by surprise. Exploring the city during the Christmas season, he traveled through its festive streets to try out local dishes including adobo, sisig and kare-kare. He also indulged in the popular sweet and milky dessert halo-halo. The episode opens with Bourdain’s visit to Jollibee, which he describes as “a fast-food wonder.”
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“I’m very close to a lot of Filipinos here in America – I have a sort of extended Filipino family,” he said.
Hmmm, that’s an intriguing statement. Perhaps, he’ll expand on that topic in the show.
“Filipinos like to eat and they like to cook – and they do it well.”
While in Manila, Bourdain’s every movement was chronicled by the social media-savvy Filipinos. Pinoy foodies and celebrity seekers were everywhere, following every Twitter and Facebook tip. One showed him at a Jollibee outlet; a lucky couple posed with him inside a Malate Korean restaurant. Adriatico Street quickly filled up seconds after a photo of him and some young Filipinos at a sidewalk beer garden appeared on Facebook. His popularity is undeniable.
(Ed Diokno writes a blog :Views From The Edge: news and analysis from an Asian American perspective.)
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RE: Anthony Bourdain: Filipinos love feeding people: Love watching his show! Darn it?I missed it!