Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel Channel)

common sense media says

Foodie's world travels get pretty spicy.


parents & educators say
  • 50% say language is an issue
  • 50% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the free-spirited Bourdain often mentions past drug use and sexual escapades during his conversations with locals. Other than that, the show does a good job of giving viewers an insider's look at new places and cultures.

Positive messages: Encourages broadening your mind through travel and learning about foreign cultures.
Positive role models: Bourdain has a tough exterior, a dirty mouth, and occasionally reminisces about drinking, drug use, and sex. But he's also incredibly respectful of different cultures and the people who welcome him into their homes and restaurants.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Bourdain is happy to talk to the people he meets on his travels about his sexual exploits.
Language: "Hell" is used; "f--k" is bleeped out.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Bourdain samples local brews and cocktails (and sometimes appears visibly drunk or hungover) and discusses past drug use.

More on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about how food is prepared by different cultures. How are cooking techniques passed down through the generations? What spices can you find in Chinese food? Indian food? What is prevalent in dishes made in Brazil, Ireland, or France?

What's the story?

What's the story?

In ANTHONY BOURDAIN: NO RESERVATIONS, the chef and author (of Kitchen Confidential, The Nasty Bits, A Cook's Tour, and more) crisscrosses the globe in search of the food that typifies the world's cultures. Each week, viewers tag along with Bourdain as he gets the inside dish on local eats in places like Beirut, Indonesia, Korea, Miami, Sweden, and Puerto Rico. On each trip, Bourdain not only indulges in native flavors but also tags along with fishermen, farmers, and food merchants as they go about their daily business, taking in local customs and engaging people he meets in conversation about their homeland and cuisine. During his visit to Peru, for example, Bourdain visited a shaman when the altitude got to him, sampled homemade ceviche with a popular restaurateur, and hopped aboard a fishing boat to go in search of piranha.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Outgoing and wry, Bourdain does a good job of keeping the energy up and introducing viewers to cultures they might not have been exposed to before. But he often makes remarks that might give some parents pause (not to mention make them want to preview episodes before letting kids tune in). When sampling the ceviche, for example, he said that next time he should smoke a joint to counteract the dish's acidity. And when his local host gave him coca leaves to alleviate his headache, he made a reference to snorting cocaine in the '80s.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: Travel Channel
Cast: Anthony Bourdain
Genre: Reality TV
Where to watch: Travel Channel

This review was written by Lucy Maher
 
 

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What parents & educators say

6
Based on 4 parent & educator reviews:
  • 50% say language is an issue
  • 50% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking

Most useful reviews by all members

 
HE'S AN ARROGANT IDIOT

Plague
parent
 
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
One of my favorite shows on the Travel Channel, next to Bizarre Foods and Ghost Adventures. Talks a lot about exotic cuisines and cultures in a cool and somewhat educational way. Anthony never seizes to please.

RockTheCasbah
teen, 16 years old
 
Delightful
I love this show. It is fantasmic! There is alot of drinking, but, hey, he's an adult, and it's fine if your kids understand that they can't drink. Actually, I've never heard anything about A.B.'S sexual exploits, but maybe it's just me.

 
Anthony is entertaining, provocative & captivating
I love this show..I just watched 6 of them in a row, one after the other...I love to travel and have done quite a bit of it myself...All I know is, I would love to be his traveling companion....this is definitely an adult show...very well done in every way....kudos to you Anthony...

genericscreenname1
teen, 17 years old
 
Best show on the travel channel.

adjaja
teen, 15 years old
 
Awesome Show
I think it is great. Very educational, while having a funnish twist. Great! ISSUES: There are some mentions of sex, like I was watching an episode today that said, "some things are just not meant to be, like seeing your parents have sex or watching an old lady bathe." He frequently uses the word d*** & a**. other words are beeped.

h2owomen
parent
 
bad for families
he smokes and gets drunk through the whole show

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