9 benefits of Morning Workouts

In the second reading of Bourdain’s cook tour, he continues exploring different countries and cultures through food. Reading the different descriptions of foods from Bourdain’s point of view opened my mind to the possibility of trying different foods as well as put of my interest in other foods. What was interesting in this second part of my reading was his expression of his genuine feelings about certain foods. Normally, one would not want to be disrespectful of another’s culture by explicitly displaying their disappointment or loathing for it. Bourdain reveals his genuine feeling and thoughts to the reader whilst still showing respect for foods and cultures wether he likes the food or not. A really good example is when he visits Japan and has to eat Japanese natto, which is really popular and loved by the Japanese. He clearly hated the natto and the mountain potato and said he would rather eat his dead pet Pucci. However, he still remains composed in the eyes of his guests showing them respect.

As I was enjoying reading and learning about the different kinds of foods eaten around the world. I was surprised to find that there are some foods that cut across different cultures either cooked in a similar way or completely different way. There were some foods that I myself would consider a taboo because of cultural background. This made me question the extent to which one is willing to go in eating and appreciating other foods and cultures. What was interesting in this book is that no matter how disgusting and unappealing the food looked like, Bourdain was able to eat the food without showing disgust becausue he knew that these foods were delicacies to those people and hence he had to be respectful. That is a very important aspect of the book, appreciating and respecting what people eat. For the most part of the book, I was disgusted at some foods and tradions that accompanied them. I couldn’t imagine how Bourdain managed to endure them and even love some foods! Sheep’s testicles ? Frogs? And snakes? But Bourdain helped me understand and come to terms with the fact that everyone is different, and has different preferences. Just like his conclusion, which states that there is no such thing as a “perfect meal”. A meal can be considered perfect depending on the situation and on the individual.