Anthony Bourdain Blasts Rachael Ray's Doughnut Deal
Posted on October 11, 2007
Anthony Bourdain, he of the brilliant cuisine and the caustic mouth, has blasted Rachael Ray's new deal with Dunkin' Donuts. Bourdain turned on Ray in an interview in Outside magazine.
Today reports that Bourdain said in an interview with Outside:
"She's got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books - I'm guessing she's not hurting for money. She's hugely influential, particularly with children. And she's endorsing Dunkin' Donuts. It's like endorsing crack for kids."
He also says, "I'm not a very ethical guy. I don't have a lot of principles. But somehow that seems to me over the line. Juvenile diabetes has exploded. Half of Americans don't have necks. And she's up there saying, 'Eat some [bleeping] Dunkin' Donuts. You look great in that swimsuit - eat another doughnut!' That's evil."
Oh, please. It's not like Rachel is doing an ad for crack or crystal meth. Or even for cigarettes. So Rachael gets some die-hard Krispy Kreme fans to switch to Dunkin' Donuts. So what? And if Bourdain really cared about people's health, he wouldn't have used the example of how someone looks in a bikini to bolster his argument.
Remember, he didn't like it when overweight people dined in his restaurant and has compared vegans to Hezbollah. He's just shooting off his mouth, as usual. Or maybe he hasn't been offered any lucrative endorsement deals lately. He's always bagging on Rocco DiSpirito for his deals. But Rocco DiSpirito is a great chef -- and he's absolutely darling. Or maybe, as a former heroin and cocaine (and LSD and mushrooms and...you get the idea) addict he feels the need to reform everyone around him, whether they need reforming or not. A two pack a day smoker, Bourdain has some funny ideas about healthy habits.
And speaking of Anthony Bourdain, did you see the Top Chef reunion show last night with all the clips? One particularly hilarious clip showed Chef Tom Colicchio just beaming with joy when Howie sliced Bourdain into tiny verbal pieces by by quoting his own book at him to prove him wrong. It was priceless.