Find out author Anthony Bourdain's favorite authors, favorite books, favorite restaurants, and what his favorite word is.

What are your favorite books/who are your favorite authors?

The Friends of Eddie Coyle: George V. Higgins.
The Quiet American: Graham Greene.
Ashenden: Somerset Maugham.
Dispatches: Michael Herr.
Between Meals: A. J. Leibling.
Lolita: Vladimir Nabokov.
Montaigne and Orwell.

What are your favorite chefs and restaurants?

St. John  in London (chef Fergus Henderson) ...Etxebarri (St. Sebastian).  Takashi and Yakitori Totto in NYC. Chefs Michael White, Eric Ripert, Dave Chang, April Bloomfield, Gabrielle Hamilton, Cesare Casella, Joe Beef and Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal....Sukibayashi Jiro in Tokyo (chef Jiro Ono),  the meal I regret not having--the Escoffier menu at Next in Chicago. Willie Mae's Scotch House, NOLA.


What have you been reading this summer?

How to Live (A Life of Montaigne): Sarah Bakewell.
Jack Pendarvis: Your Body Is Changing.
Waiting for new Daniel Woodrell.
Cambodia's Curse: Joel Brinkley.
Mark Twain Autobiography


What have you been eating this summer?

Been shooting in Iraq, Turkey, Cajun Country, Singapore, Hong Kong, Montreal, San Francisco, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Los Angeles. Vacationed in Lombardy. Ate a lot of pasta and salumi.

Do you have any writing rituals or habits? Where and when do you write?

On a legal pad in pen on the road. At home: early on computer. Very early.


What are your favorite words? And what are your least favorite words?

Favorite: F***.
Least favorite: Mouth-watering. Foodie.

What are your favorite foods to cook at home? What do you order when
you go out to eat?

At home? A fat rib steak bone-in. (to cook) I love making pasta. A simple braised stew: rabbit or cheap cut of beef.
To order out: Burgers. Chinese. Peking Duck. Fried Rice. Sushi. Pizza.