Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Season 2 Episode 9

Our intrepid host must wonder what he did to get this gig. I watched enviously as Tony lay around his hut, surrounded by water, being brought food by boat.





It is no secret that Tony Bourdain loves pork. He eats it whenever he can. The restaurant is in a nondescript area, with a metal shop nearby. The pigs were prepared for the spit in a usual manner, but the secret was that they were basted with coconut milk. The look in Tony's eyes as he tasted the skin was unbelievable. I thought he was going to cry with joy. I am sure this trip was etched in his memory and that he has dreams about that pig.

Usually, I am entranced by Anthony's laid-back views on the places he visits, but I was disappointed by this episode, which started, promisingly enough, with brief glimpses of the country, people, and food of Indonesia, and Anthony hypothesizing as to the reasons immigrants came to the archipelago, but, whom, according to him, never left. It becomes a promise to the viewer to enchant and enthrall us.





We are shown a martial arts demonstration, a few local eateries, some scenery, a little city life, and a few chefs who came to the nation and never left, but we are never allowed to feel anything, much less understand why someone would want to remain there.





Anthony's usually curmudgeon demeanor is barely palpable, making the episode more like a painful rendition from a travel agency. Okay, he liked the place . . . we got it; but we didn't get the reasons. I learned a few things, but felt that Anthony reneged on his promise, and failed to prove his hypothesis.