anthony bourdain on rachael ray

I have alternately praised and damned Anthony Bourdain more times than I can count. Kitchen Confidential got me through my rather disastrous final months at the California Culinary Academy, and colored my appreciation for both my stints on the line at Aqua. I have enormous respect for the old man, and so we attended his appearance tonight at City Arts and Lectures with the expectation that something worthy of his old cranky self would emerge.

We weren’t disappointed.

There were quite a few bon mots, but probably the best was after he admitted to having been changed by his travel – he owned up to being softer now, less cynical. In light of that, he was asked, is there anything Food Network “bobble head” Rachael Ray could do to get into Bourdain’s notoriously slim good graces?

His reply was a deadpanned, “no.” He paused for the audience’s guffaws to subside. And then this: “Well… I do suppose she could crack open a bottle of Old Crow during one of her shows…”

More laughter.

“That, and maybe pistol-whipping Lindsay Lohan.”

He’s mellowing gracefully, and it’s good to see.