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While other travel shows serve up aspirations with high gloss, Bourdains travelogue was gritty and raw.
Many viewers will want to revisit the show after seeing the new documentaryRoadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.
Along for the journey is Bourdains former boss Philippe Lajaunie owner of Brasserie Les Halles (now closed).
They start in Yangon, chowing down on street food with the three-piece Burmese punk band Side Effect.
Mishaps on both Burmese planes and trains are not, shall we say, unheard of, he explains.
In the first-season finale, he finally makes it happen but not without hardships.
We were extorted, detained, and threatened daily.
The meager catch they retrieve is made into tiger-fish limboke steamed in banana leaves.
He commemorates the trip with a traditional Thaisak yanttattoo.
Once you love it, you love it forever.
The episode exudes that joy throughout.
Iran (Season 4, Episode 6)
Many of the essential episodes ofParts Unknownsurprised us.
You tend to kill your guests with kindness here, he says.
Here, the guests share that they would love to be seen as humans and not as enemies.
One jokes, Were not the axis of evil.
Just normal evil like everyone else.
Its a victim of bad reputation, bad history, Bourdain says in voice-over.
Marseille as it turns out, exactly the kind of place I like.
The meal at Le Petit Nice Passedat, a three-Michelin-star restaurant next to a nude beach, shows why.
Chef Gerald Passedat serves the pair a deconstructed four-course menu of the regions famous bouillabaisse.
The episode is filled with silly banter showing the obvious bromance between Bourdain and Ripert.
Were left with the knowledge that the oft-maligned Marseille should be a beloved destination.
This time, hes enjoying bun oc, a snail noodle soup from Bun Oc Pho Co. Bourdain next heads to a local market as black limos adorned with Vietnamese flags glide by.
Crowds of rain-soaked locals shriek and clap as the door opens and Barack Obama emerges smiling and waving.
Hes greeted by Bourdain and shares that he grew up with similar markets in Jakarta.
They head inside and slide their lanky bodies onto the blue plastic stools at Bun Cha Huong Lien.
Obama reassures him, answering confidently, Yes, progress is not a straight line.
There will be moments in any given part of the world where things are terrible.
But having said all that, I think things are going to work out.
Another meal is enjoyed at Sugimura, Masas brother Kazuos restaurant.
Not particularly, he replies.
At Masas family home in Nasushiobara, they enjoy a heaping pile of fresh sushi.
His mother quips, This is better than Masas sushi.
In West Virginia, Bourdain seeks to look past the regional stereotypes to understand the complex local character.
Both have happened to me, Bourdain narrates.
The best thing, the happiest thing, and also the loneliest thing in the world.
Its a strange quote to start an episode that was shot and directed by his girlfriend, Asia Argento.
Cinematographer Christopher Doyle also joins the team for this episode.
Hes the artist behind many haunting scenes in one of Bourdains favorite films,In the Mood for Love.
Together they explore the disappearing Hong Kong of local artisans, handmade noodles, and fishing villages.
We learn that tourism is limited in the country to protect its environment and culture.
Bhutan is a good welfare state where the people are taken care of.
At Burning Lake, they burn incense as an offering.
Aronofsky remarks of Bhutan, Glad it hasnt been fucked up yet by the world.
Bourdain remarks, You bite into it, just a flood of flavor explodes.
Some of the best parts of the series are moments like this, when Bourdain is unquestionably loved.
