Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations “Thailand”

Anthony Bourdains’ trip to Thailand didn’t start off as he, the crew or the families of the crew were hoping for. They arrived during a political uprising that gave them a few production delays, but they did their best to stay out of the way of the tension in the streets. After contemplating if they stay or go; the show went on.

Anthony’s first stop for food was breakfast at a Bangkok restaurant called Jok Prince. At Jok Prince, Tony eats a classic Bangkok breakfast of jok (rice porridge) with pork offal and eggs, garnished with chilies and hot sauce.

Next was an interview recap with Eric Rivera… Eric was interview back in 2008 when No Reservations was selecting a person to travel with Tony. Eric didn’t win, but he made an impression on Tony. Since Eric wanted to travel to Thailand to fight a well known fighter (Jom Pop), there was no better time than now for Eric to make the trip with Tony.

No Reservations also arrived during the festival of Songkran (Thia, Buddisht New Year) in which the main activity is throwing water at people. Everywhere you go you get water thrown on you, squirted from water guns and buckets soaking you down. It was obvious that Eric and Tony had some fun walking the streets during all of this.

After a bowl of noodles with Tony’s tour guide Gong at the train station, they head off on a hot and packed train to catch a boat to the coast. The idea was to take a boat to the mud banks and catch some cockles. It didn’t turn out to be that easy. The cockle farmers/fisherman slide across a board digging out the cockles from the mud. Tony gave it a try, but didn’t have much luck… instead getting stuck in the mud with his cameramen. They were going to head off to cook the cockles in an elevated hut, but the winds got cranked up and they decided to head back.

Tony’s next stop was the Amphawa Floating Market. A floating market on the banks of the Mae Klong River where Tony and Gong sit on steps at water’s edge and eat yam ruam mit (spicy mixed salad) and fried shrimp cake.

After the visit to Amphawa Tony heads back to Bangkok to have a meal with local celebrity chef McDang. They visit Tang Jai Yoo in Bangkok’s Chinatown to eat Chinese-style roast suckling pig.

Next it’s fight time. Before the fight though it’s tradition for everyone to have some food from all the local vendors who pull up carts next to the stadium. Tony and Eric go to Likit Gai Yang next to the stadium for a meal of gai yang, a very popular Isan-style grilled chicken dish and green papaya salad. Eric goes on to explain that his size doesn’t matter in muai thai fighting. It’s all about experience.. and the guy he’s going up against is good.

After the fight both fighters sit down with Tony for a meal and discuss how Eric and the Thia fighter Jom met through Facebook. Even though they fought each other it’s all good in the end. Friends before and friends after.