S08.E03: Sichuan with Eric Ripert

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One week hiatus due to the Presidential debates!

Quote

Michelin star chef and all around good sport Eric Ripert is introduced to China and Sichuan province by host and good friend Bourdain. Bourdain takes Ripert to the Sichuan province capital, Chengdu, testing his endurance with mouth-numbing, sinisterly spicy meals like green peppercorn fish. They also visit the world’s largest stone Buddha, seek out a local favorite rabbit head snack, and visit a legendary distillery for some Baijiu, a fermented sorghum wine.

[NewDigs]

Tony + Eric = win win win

I'm in.

(loved the Tony show when they went back and worked the line)

[buttersister]

Buddhist Eric at the biggest Buddha? Chengdu food? Thanks, TV.

[Hana Chan]

Poor Eric. The level of heat in real Sichuan food is a real shock if you aren't prepared for it (and build up a certain level of tolerance for). I remember my first Sichuan hot pot and thought that I was going to melt through my chair halfway through. Or spontaneously burst into flames.

[halopub]

True. True. After my first ma la guo, I felt thoroughly sweated out and couldn't remember ever breathing that well in my adult life.

The editing and story framing seemed less natural than usual. Maybe it was all those purposely frenetic callbacks to the performer - but Ripert did look ill and puffy at times. Good on him for being an incredibly good sport with Bourdain's friendly "torture." Even with a decent tolerance, I can't imagine taking on that much endless Szechuan cooking and also survive all that Baijiu.

While I found the episode to be a bit more disjointed than I would have liked, I dug individual sections. Chipper Ripert wandering around by himself; the two chefs at the cooking school; the refined take on family Szechuan cooking and the idyllic pastoral setting at the end.

Knowing as many bunny people as I do, I could have done without the rabbit snack and the brain talk but I recognize that these chefs have a very different perspective in regards to animal proteins that aren't pork, beef or poultry. It didn't help, though, that this episode was on the same day as the rabbit chapter of "A Chef's Life."

Edited to add: Ripert has tweeted a couple photos from the Chengdu trip, including a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the restaurant segments was filmed.

Edited October 18, 2016 by halopub
Added link

[Snarklepuss]

Tony and Eric should do a mini TV series together.  I said that a few years ago after I saw them do an in-person performance together and I still feel that way.  Eric is the perfect sweet/idealistic counterpoint to Tony's hard/jaded personality.  I felt sorry for Eric and I agreed with him about his face changing due to all the heat.  I could not have tolerated half of what he went through.  Eric is such a sweet, humble person.  He could be the stereotype of the stratosphere snob chef but he's not.  He is willing to be a student and learn.  I truly admire him.

[NowVoyager]

7 hours ago, halopub said:

Ripert has tweeted a couple photos from the Chengdu trip, including a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the restaurant segments was filmed.

Tony totally deserved that picture on Eric's twitter of him sleeping with his mouth open! Lol!

Poor Eric.... (*snicker!*) As rough as it looked while he was eating, the woeful gazes of  anticipatory  pain before each meal just tickled me so.

I found it ironic that with all the random streetfood Tony consumes---rabbit's heads & pickled chicken's feet, no problem--- it was the hotel's "Western" breakfast that made him sick.

Edited October 18, 2016 by NowVoyager

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awwww, Eric is always such a good sport. I read his memoir 32 Yolks earlier this year and his sunny disposition is even more of a surprise considering his shitty childhood. I would love to hang out with him because his positive attitude is so infectious. Even Bourdain seems less cranky when he's around him.

I didn't mind the disparate sections of this episode. I'd rather they take the time to show a variety of things instead of trying to find a way to connect them more cohesively. I'm totally fine with Tony & Eric eating together then Eric cheerfully wandering the streets (and being so amiable about people asking to teach pictures with him) and then seeing Tony & Eric having dinner again and then Tony & Eric at Chinese cooking school with basically no transitions between them.

Heh, I was surprised that Bourdain didn't mention how far they climbed to get to that restaurant after seeing the stone Buddha. He was panting by the time they arrived so I was sure he was going to complain about how many stairs there were.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Bourdain's blog on Sichuan

[halopub]

11 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

I found it ironic that with all the random streetfood Tony consumes---rabbit's heads & pickled chicken's feet, no problem--- it was the hotel's "Western" breakfast that made him sick.

He has said this before, including to non-adventurous eater Anderson Cooper. Bourdain's argument is that street vendors and neighborhood restaurants have to worry more about dealing with irate customers.

11 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I didn't mind the disparate sections of this episode. I'd rather they take the time to show a variety of things instead of trying to find a way to connect them more cohesively. I'm totally fine with Tony & Eric eating together then Eric cheerfully wandering the streets (and being so amiable about people asking to teach pictures with him) and then seeing Tony & Eric having dinner again and then Tony & Eric at Chinese cooking school with basically no transitions between them.

I agree that variety is preferable over cohesion here. I could have done without the performer flashbacks, though, that they used to simulate Ripert's discomfort.

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Bourdain's blog on Sichuan

Heh. The "owl" restaurant. Too bad the burgers don't get great reviews.

[biakbiak]

I rewatched this today, it’s on Netflix, oh I loved them together! 

Eric’s face when eating spicy food is still funny. 

[NowVoyager]

Watching this episode now on CNN. The tv guide says it's the Berlin episode, but it's not. Truly wonderful; one of my favorite all time episodes. The food, the culture, the friendship... just marvelous! I keep briefly forgetting what happened... or maybe I just don't want to accept it. ?