I finally get it!

Although I'll never be the kind of chick he'd consider for a companion (I have texture, or "mouth feel," issues...not to mention a husband!), I'm now an Anthony Bourdain convert -unabashedly so, even!

I don't know when -or in whom- the change happened (the producers, maybe?), but the arrogance & agitation I once found so off-putting a decade(-ish) ago has just vanished.

Besides being a quite chilled out human being, I found Anthony Bourdain to be a kind, open, & generous man; attributes he must have had all along, as evidenced by his long-standing, deep friendships with folks from all over the world.

His sheer enjoyment of good food & company was utterly contagious. So much so that I found myself imagining trying foods I'd normally never even consider.

I'm rather like him in the respect that I prefer to be turned on to the locals' favorite hangouts, delis & pubs instead of touristy/hyped spots. Those few times when traditional, regional foods were not to be found, I felt his disappointment keenly.

And the Sicilian "sploosh" debacle was simply awful!

All in all, I've experienced such a reversal in my opinion of the man that I might just give his earlier series' another go!