Anthony Bourdain On Gwyneth Paltrow: “That One Bitch Who Refuses To Eat Ham”

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by Michael dEstries June 10, 2009
Categories: Eats
Tags: , .

bourdainAnthony Bourdain is the host of Travel Channel’s No Reservations, and the man behind Kitchen Confidential — he’s also apparently not a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow.

While on a panel with fellow foodie Mario Batali at Seattle’s Paramount theater last weekend, Bourdain poked fun at Batali’s PBS series Spain… On the Road Again; which featured the chef and Paltrow on a culinary tour of Spain. “Why would you go to Spain with the one bitch who refuses to eat ham?” The Seattle Weekly reports Bourdain asked about Paltrow.

Now, we all know Paltrow has fallen off the vegetarian diet since, but at the time of filming she still was full-on VEG.

Bourdain also had some choice words for fans of Batali’s former home network: “The people who watch the Food Network,” he said, “are the ones with a gallon of soda and a bag of Cheetos going, ‘oh, I could make that.’”

Pompous? Yes. An ass? Yes. Joking? Probably. Either way, referring to a woman as “that one bitch” and mocking her for being a vegetarian won’t win you many fans.

via FanCast

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

View all posts by Michael dEstries →
  • megan

    Actually, calling out Paltrow as ‘the one bitch who refuses to eat ham’ is exactly the sort of thing that DOES garner Bourdain new fans, and inspires even more devout devotion from his current fans.

    • JW

      AMEN….. Look you can eat whatever you want. HOWEVER as humans we are carnivores. End of story. AND you don’t see ‘normal’ people going around saying.. ‘Oh I eat meat and veg’ BUT you always hear (mostly woman) prance around like it is some sort of high society bull crap ‘Oh…. no, I am a vegetarian; I don’t eat THAT’. And “THAT” is what you are supposed to be eating in the first place. We are not plant eaters people (exclusively anyway) so get your head out of your butt and enjoy life, have a balanced diet, and stop taking SUPPLEMENTS to offset what you SHOULD be eating in the first place.

      JW

      • Adrian

        Yeah, you’re completely missing the point. A) He’s right — who’d want to take a vegetarian on a televised culinary tour of the home of the world’s most amazing hams? B) This is exactly the kind of quote Bourdain fans love him for. Made me like him even more. C) Gwyneth Paltrow acts like a complete bitch. Keep it up, Tony.

  • http://RawfoodsRetreat.com Erin Raw Foods

    What a jerk. I’ve never even heard of this loser. Granted she might be one lol, but to say that it just wrong.

    He needs a major attitude adjustment. I feel sorry for his wife (if he has one)

    E

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1607567928 marie

      Anthony is out of control..yes..but he is as nice mix of intelligence, and indiganance..that makes him oh so charming..

  • Mo

    I haven’t seen much of Bourdain, but what little I have seen of him tells me he’s a douche.

    • Chris H.

      I have to agree with you. I saw a short bit of his tv program recently with him eating “fetus stew” and appearing to thoroughly enjoy the perversity of it. He is one self-absorbed, legend-in-his-own-mind, kinda guy.

  • http://elainevigneault.com Elaine Vigneault

    I can’t think of anything more disgusting than Bourdain, Paltrow, and dead pig.

  • http://robertsonsofmumbai.blogspot.com JMS Robertson

    Well, I can see his point – pork is pretty much a mainstay of Spanish cuisine, and to not feature it would not be giving a complete picture of Spanish cuisine. Anyone who had been to Spain will know that you are served pork for breakfast, lunch and dinner half of the time! I am sure that he said it for a joke and shock value, as he does have a sarcastic sense of humour. He is wildly popular, Erin, and I am sure this will not cause any massive decline in his fans. If the rest of us were filmed all day long, we would surely be caught making the off-colour joke every now and again. I say lighten up! I love this site and I love Anthony as well, even if he does not share the same views as some of the rest of us regarding animal products. He is a connoessiour of good food, and with that, I think we can all meet in the middle and learn something from each other, in my humble opinion.

  • http://www.ecorazzi.com Michael Andre d’Estries

    @JMS — I think he was kidding as well — though taken out of context from the vibe of the evening, it sounds very condescending. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

  • aember

    I have to agree with JMS! His remarks on ANY day, taken out of context, are likely to come off poorly. As an ex-NY’er with NY relatives, I can tell you this is NY humor. NY’ers have little use for “political correctness”. They say what’s on their mind, just for the shock value. Humor is in-your-face, sarcastic, & insulting, Don Rickles style. You don’t take yourself too seriously in NY, or you invite a good-natured yet heavily snarky ribbing. We love Tony Bourdain for his streetwise attitude and his love for good eats. It takes all kinds to make the world go round, y’know? I miss NYC.

    Any foodie knows he’s right. Who would take a person to Spain who won’t eat pork–HAM, of all things? In SPAIN? Fugettaboutit!

    But hey, Tony, I DO NOT drink soda & eat Cheetos! Capiche?

  • http://anziulewicz.livejournal.com Chuck Anziulewicz

    Who can blame Anthony Bourdain for calling out Gwyneth Paltrow? She goes to Spain with Mario Batali and WON’T EAT THE HAM? For God’s sake, the finest ham in the Known Universe is found in Spain.

    Personally I find Anthony Bourdain to be a breath of fresh air. He is an unapologetic drinker, smoker (well, at least until recently), and consumer of all manner of mind-altering substances. He is one relentlessly cynical sonofobitch. And best of all, he knows the restaurant biz. ANYONE who has ever toyed with the idea of opening a restaurant needs to read his book, “Kitchen Confidential;” I guarantee that in 98% of cases that book will scare away anyone from EVER considering the idea ever again.

  • Pingback: Anthony Bourdain On Gwyneth Paltrow: A Ham Refusing Bitch

  • ryan

    If you don’t know Bourdain, then you don’t know his supreme snarkiness…this is why we love him…this is why he is a God. Rock on Tony.

  • chibby

    He can’t stand Rachel Rae either. and I can’t stand either women as well. but I looove Bourdain. i think it’s ridiculous that a person on a strict diet would go on a show about tasting different types of food. ridiculous and pretentious.

  • faustianbargain

    there he goes off again…insulting women of at least three(if not more) major religions of the world. wanker.

  • Dr. Bourdain

    Anthony Bourdain rules. This is exactly the kind of behavior that garners him new fans and keeps fans like myself loving him.

  • Topanga

    amber and JMS: I am a vegan and my nationality is Chilean – lived there until 15 years ago.

    Chile, like Spain, is a country whose cuisine has meat in its very essence. So does this mean that I shouldn’t ever set foot in Chile again- or move back there for that matter – because I am a non-meat eater?

    There are vegans, macros, etc…in every country, AND even in cultures that see meat as the focus of their cuisines. There are millions of things veggies can eat in these countries, and numerous vegan/vegetarian restaurants. And to suggest that it is ludicrous for a veg to visit these countries is in itself ludicrous.

    Chuck has a point though; it seems a little out of place for her to do a food show set in a heavy meat-eating country. However, I think she did provide a nice balance to the others. Gave the veg perspective and showed us what we CAN eat when we visit Spain.

    Just my two cents.

    • JW

      I have to ask. Why? Why would you not eat meat? You ARE a meat eater; that is the type of animal you are, basic fact. SO this is a decision that you have made and have to make a conscious effort (against nature and instinct). So why?

      It is your right (I have a couple vegetarians in the family as a note). I just don’t get it, not even a little.

      As a side not my sister-in-law… Vegetarian for like 20 years… Many of us laugh our asses off in the background because during holidays some of the dishes made with lets say meat stock she goes CRAZY for… Not knowing that it has animal fat / animal product in it…. LOL…. Just goes to show that nature takes over LOL….. Anyway just thought I would ask.

      • Task

        Wow, could you be any more rude? She is a vegan and you feed her meat stock?

  • CatB

    @Topanga, I doubt they have a problem with you setting foot in Chile. They might have a problem with Mario Batali taking you, a vegan, to a country where a main diet staple is pork to make a food special.

    And in addition to not eating meat, didn’t Paltrow used to have a very strict diet? Strict dietary restrictions and food specials don’t seem like good bed fellows.

  • Suasoria

    There used to be a food blog called “Hezbollah Tofu” that started in response to Bourdain’s comment:

    “Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn…Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food.”

    The goal was to veganize his recipes and raise a bunch of cash, then send Farm Sanctuary a check in Bourdain’s name.

    Setting aside his blatant disrespect for the ethics of eating and his insistence on hunting and killing at least one animal per episode, he just seems to get off on criticizing other people’s diet/lifestyle choices. I find it creepy.

    As for Batali, he seems anything but irritated by vegans. He’s chummy with plenty of them – Michael Stipe being one of them:
    http://www.sundancechannel.com/iconoclasts/#/episode/210227764

  • Robert B

    I think he has a point about Paltrow not being the best possible choice for an eating trip to Spain. That said, this habit of referring to women as “bitches” is misogynistic as well as a tired attempt by a white guy to use ghetto language to show what? How cool he is? Kind of sad for an over-50 man. And doesn’t he have a daughter? Feel bad for her having a dad who is so casually sexist.

  • http://livebythefoma.blogspot yellojkt

    Au contraire. Makes him love me more. I have tickets to see him speak at the Food Network Festival and I hope he takes no prisoners.

  • Mark

    I don’t agree with his comments but I heard he was joking. Paltrow has said worse without using profanities. Her past xenophobic generalizations are kind of sad for a woman over 30. And yes, she has a daughter and son. Hopefully, they won’t pick up the same attitude from their mom.

    • e jerry powell

      Hon, look at who her mother is.

  • Becs

    Ya know, I just don’t really care for Bourdain, but I also don’t particularly like Paltrow. I can see his point about bringing a veg to spain, but I’m going to assume Batali did it for a reason, possibly like Topanga said; to add an alternative viewpoint. And if that was the case, who’s Bourdain to judge.

    The real reason I probably dislike him so much is for his obnoxious comments about vegans in the past. I’d never heard of him or cared about him before that. As a chef i realize that you have a artistic vision to fulfill, and you’re going to make what you want to eat but isn’t there also a need to make your customers happy. Vegans aren’t the only people out there who want to ask questions about the ingredients, substitute items, or have something specially made for them. I work in a restaurant and everyday I have someone who’s gluten free, or lactose intolerant, or salt sensitive. So Bourdain can have his pure enjoyment of food, I’ll enjoy my pure food, and I hope he’ll stop picking on people and things that have nothing to do with him.

  • Steph

    I think Batali’s choice of Paltrow was primarily for ratings. If she added an alternative viewpoint, good, but there were probably better, though less famous, choices who could have brought more to the show. Regarding Bourdain, him and Paltrow seem a good match in the picking on people and things that have nothing to do with them category. They should seriously consider going on tour together.

  • Michele

    just to clarify, gp isn’t a full vegetarian. she eats fish and poultry on the show.

  • http://www.twitter.com/misstayva Miss Tayva

    HAAAAAA!

    I ripped on Gwynneth for the same exact reason!

    I started watching this show, thinking it would be a great program about Spain and its food. Damn, I love Spain and its food.

    Anyway, that twatwaffle Paltrow totally ruined the show for me. I had to change the channel.

    She was being a complete know-all for the duration of the show… well, for what I watched. Right, she lived in Spain for a short period of time. Still, she was blatantly annoying.

    The way she talked to Batali was… strange. Made me think that he is desperate for friends.

    I agree. If you’re in Spain, eat the damn chorizo, and eat the damn ham. To not do so should be considered a mortal sin.

    Have any of you ever read her newsletter? Good god. She makes me ill.

  • Dionne Tarver

    I agree with Bourdain-get over his honesty. They still show Spain…On The Road Again on public television and I thought that I was the only one that found Gwenyth Paltrow to be super annoying. Every show she talks about what she can eat and what she cannot eat-She takes a little bite of everything then shoves it down Batali’s mouth. Batali should brought along an actress less annoying and not make faces when confronted with food she cannot eat. If I am eating a big ass piece of pork, I don’t want to hear about how you can’t eat that. Now this Gwenyth thinks she is Martha Stewart cooking a simple meal of chicken and fingerling potatoes on her crappy GOOP-Can anyone say Overrated Actress

  • nck

    You know, he thinks Batali is a god and GP is a annoying bitch…..so its obvious he is a smart guy.

    But he is absofarginlutely annoying with all his CONSTANT remarks about his drinking and druggying. Dude, it you want to drink and snort shit up that huge nose of yours, go right ahead.. but PLEASE STOP thinking its cool to let people know what a rebel you are…youre not. Just STFU, talk shit about others and stop with the “oh, I’m so cocked” remarks……..jerk.

  • http://www.usdebtclock.org/ Chef Boyardee

    Anthony Bourdain is just a typical whining wise ass liberal. Andrew Zimmern is much better.

  • JB

    I wonder how many of the “Bourdain haters” have worked as professional cooks. I am not saying it is right but the truth is vegetarians are generally despised in most restaurants. Most would never admit it to the public. the past. I qualify this statement with over 20 years of food service experience and have worked with a few of the food network darlings in On the same note affronts to taste such as “TGIMCFUNSTERS” are equally despised and given the choice, most professional cooks would choose real whole,than the “mondo burger with extreme poppers” or what ever. I personally lean to a veggie heavy diet, yet in Spain I will do as the Spanish. Anthony is to food as The Clash was to music. To gain good insite to the beast read his Kitchen Confidential, and you will never order fish on Monday.

  • Bram

    Frankly, I don’t think Bourdain gives a darn what people think about his beliefs. He’s honest, straight forward and tells it like it is, which is pretty refreshing. And he’s quite honest about his disdain for vegetarians and vegans. I’d much rather be facing an Anthony Bourdain than the majority of actors, who spin everything they say or do for the benefit of their careers. As for his popularity, I really don’t think he’s too concerned, do you?

  • John

    I wonder how Bourdain, however imperfect and arrogantly liberal that he is could tolerate being within one mile or less of Batali…? As hard as several of these TV glamour chefs are hard to take, the monumentally beyond hubris ridden, imperious and self-inflated know it all Batali is quite possibly the worst. The dickhead orange Crocs only add to his pathetic persona. And that’s saying a great deal in the face of several of these horse’s petunias.

    As to schmucko Zimmern…… Gimme a freakin’ break. Oh ya, Andrew Zimmern, the ignorant/imperious NYC schmuck who loves to chow down on trout testes, rat anus, bat guano………., all smothered in skunk snot sauce and considers himself a “Minnesotan” – how insulting. Outside of Batali, if there’s anything, yes, anything more revolting and disgusting than the NYC schmuck who constantly is jones’n for excrement that not even a starving hyena would sniff, let alone eat, I simply cannot imagine.

    How far we have fallen as a nation when we subject ourselves to these disgusting single-helix atavaists. Then again……….., Obama is “president”. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid and take these scum out!

  • PJ

    bourdain is great. and is totally dead on for calling a spade a spade. or in this case a biotch a biotch. good for him for not pandering to hollywood elite like other hosts. she is an anti american snob who raises her children in england because she said post 9/11 patriotism was “scary” and she didn’t want them growing up here. then she laughs herself all the way to the bank cashing her checks she makes off of films americans pay to see her. I can give a rats arse what she eats.

  • Pen Poison

    I am a fan of Anthony Bourdain but he is not being a hypocrite about his disdain of vegetarians. he has been consistent. Paltrow is a poor choice as a travel companion. As someone said, she is an anti-American snob and not a very good actress.

    Listen when you are traveling the world and where the choice of food is eat meat or die. You eat meat. Get over it! Man survived in the past by eating on meat.

    Most areas of the world do not have luxury of choice to eat vegetarians. Stop being so holier than thou.

    Support PETA (people eating tasty animals).

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QQDZBQN4XTQXUA6LW3JEOS6YPQ Malt Whisky

    “…mocking her for being a vegetarian won’t win you many fans.” Ha ha, good one. In fact, calling a spade a spade won him legions of fans. You can’t see the forest for the trees, Destries.

  • e jerry powell

    HOLLA!

  • e jerry powell

    Really? You’re not trying hard enough.

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