Photo credit: Bobby Fisher
Anthony Bourdain is quite appealing to a variety of markets. His tv show, bjj passion and worldly experience make him a competent talker on a variety of subjects.
Recently AV Club had the pleasure of interviewing him. Of course jiu-jitsu plays even into his families cooking habits so when asked Did your personal philosophy toward food change when you became a father? he reflected on his wife’s habits:
“My wife was easy because she trains jiu-jitsu all the time. She’s pretty much on a completely different diet. I always just threw meat at her and she’s happy on a 100 percent protein diet, so we seldom ate together. My daughter, her best friend Jacques, and assorted others who are coming in and out of the house… look, when you have a child you’re no longer the star of the movie. I cook for my daughter when I’m home. I stick with family classics, the stuff I liked as a kid that I’m reasonably sure she’s going to like or proven favorites and then also for her school lunches we do a challenge. She loves cooking shows—unfortunately not mine so much. She loves Alton Brown and Andrew Zimmern. They’re gods to her. She wants to be on, you know, Chopped Junior. I would try to send her to school with something interesting that those other kids definitely don’t have, so I’m sure she’s the first kid to show up in class with sushi or spam musubi. She takes pride in showing up with stuff that other kids envy or are freaked out by, so I send her to school with grilled octopus.”
When talking about his own diet for bjj competitions he had a very similar philosophy.
AVC: Much of your Instagram account is you training for jiu-jitsu. Have your trainers introduced you to a wider world of Brazilian cooking?
AB: Not really. When you’re training for jiu-jitsu, particularly if you’re training for a competition, you have to be pretty prescribed in the variety of what you eat. If I’m training I’m cutting weight for a competition. I’m hard. I’m pretty much eating animal protein and that’s it. No rice, no beans, certainly no sweets. So no, I already had a deep and abiding love for Brazilian food. Jiu-jitsu hasn’t exactly been helpful in that regard. It did introduce me to the miracle of the acai fruit, because all the jiu-jitsu people very much believe in the magical powers of acai, and I do like a good acai bowl, and there’s a recipe for one in my book. But yeah, if you’re training in a combat sport, deliciousness takes a backseat. You’re definitely not eating Szechuan.
Bourdain also shared his 5 cent’s worth on UFC 205:
AB: Who’s going to win it? I don’t know, I would guess McGregor, but if you ask me Nate Diaz vs. McGregor III? [Diaz is] going to beat him like a rented mule. Diaz is the best five-round fighter. Look, Diaz is going to murder McGregor next time. I think he won the last fight. I thought he was running for the last three rounds, looking at the clock, turning his back with the look of a beaten man on his face, watching in terror as McGregor, in spite of the hammering he got in the first two rounds, just got stronger and stronger. I know Nate a little bit, and look, Stockton, man. Stockton all the way. Always pick the guy from Stockton.
Reprinted from Appetites by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever
Acai Bowl
Serves two
1/2 to 3/4 cup acai juice, Sambazon brand preferred
2 bananas, peeled
7 oz. frozen unsweetened acai puree, Sambazon brand preferred
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries or raspberries
1/2 cup granola, for garnish (optional)
1/4 cup cacao nibs, for garnish (optional)
Vitamix or other blender with a fairly strong motorPlace the acai juice and one of the bananas in the blender’s pitcher, then add the frozen acai puree, blueberries, and strawberries on top so that the blades suck in the frozen items. Pulse as needed to form a smooth sorbet, scraping down the sides of the pitcher with a spatula as necessary.
Slice the remaining banana. Divide the mixture between two bowls and top each with the garnishes. Serve immediately.
Read more on the recipe origin story here and if you’re curious about the non jiu jitsu related sections of the AV Club interview you can read those here.
