Gordon Ramsay accused of being the anti-Anthony Bourdain with his new Nat Geo food travel show
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National Geographic announced Wednesday that the Fox reality star will travel the world with his new show Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, described as an “anthropology-through-cuisine expedition.” But one aspect of Nat Geo's description of the series has stirred controversy. Nat Geo said Ramsay will be "tracking down high-octane traditions, pastimes and customs that are specific to the region in hopes of discovering the undiscovered; and, finally, testing Ramsay against the locals, pitting his own interpretations of regional dishes against the tried-and-true classics." Eddie Huang, the Fresh Off the Boat inspiration who hosts his own food and travel show Huang's World on Viceland, tweeted: "the last thing the food world needs right now is Gordon Ramsay going to foreign countries showing 'locals he can cook their cuisines better than they can.'" Eater's Chris Fuhrmeister added: "Having already demoralized countless culinary professionals with his expletive-laden verbal outbursts on series such as Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and 24 Hours to Hell & Back, Ramsay now wants to parachute into foreign food cultures and show the locals he can cook their cuisines better than they can." The Washington Post's Tim Carman, meanwhile, said of the backlash: "The sound you hear is Bourdain, who died in June, trying to convince St. Peter to give him a day pass so he can come back and slap some sense into Ramsay, who apparently didn’t read the Columbusing memo on white men 'discovering the undiscovered.'" As he points out, Bourdain "never made the mistake of upstaging the cultures or people he featured in his programs." When Bourdain died last month, Ramsay tweeted: "He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food."
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TOPICS: Gordon Ramsay, National Geographic, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Anthony Bourdain, Reality TV
