Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

In this episode of Parts Unknown, Tony travels to Minas Gerais, Brazil – the place he’s always heard about in his travels all over this country where people say are where the best cooks come from. Tony’s here to embark on a culinary adventure into the heart of Mineiran gastronomy, and the centerpiece of Brazilian food, culture, and heartland.

In this episode of Parts Unknown, Tony travels to Nashville, Tennessee. This is Tony’s first proper trip to the Music City, and he’ll learn why it’s one the nation’s fastest growing cities. Like any city with massive growth, the food scene in Nashville has also taken off.

Before establishing himself in the States as one of America’s most respected sushi masters, Masayoshi “Masa” Takayama was raised like many other Japanese boys of the baby boomer generation. His parents ran a fish shop in the small, modest city of Nasushiobara – about 2 hours north of Tokyo and worlds away from the ambitious buzz of the capital.

In this special episode of Parts Unknown, Tony’s Roman holiday takes a cinematic turn. Shot in anamorphic widescreen – a first for the show – this episode is an homage to Italian films of the 1960s and 1970s. This is not a show about the classical Rome, the Rome of the Coliseum, Julius Caesar, or the Roman Empire.

Set all of your stereotypes and clichés aside – this is not the Houston you were expecting. Or the one you thought you knew, the one you pigeonholed long ago. There will be no cowboys, no country boys, no tall boys, no oil gazillionaires and no pickup trucks. Well, maybe some pickups – we can’t make any promises.

In this episode of Parts Unknown, Tony revisits one of his favorite places on earth – Vietnam, the 14th most populous country in the world with more than 90 million inhabitants. The country is in the middle of a revolution where capitalism is flooding into a nominally communist society, fields are disappearing under new industrial parks, and villagers are flocking to booming cities.

The province of Sichuan sits in China’s southwestern hinterland. Far from the fast paced and polluted cities of the east coast it is often referred to as “China’s Breadbasket” for its abundant and fertile lands. The Sichuanese are also known for prioritizing their cuisine and food over punctuality and ambition which is a reputation they embrace.

In this episode of Parts Unknown, Tony travels to London for a relaxing visit with old friends and a meal at his favorite restaurant in the world. Well, that was the idea anyway…. What happened upon his arrival did not change the itinerary but did change the mood and subject matter of the conversations he would have along the way.