Why Anthony Bourdain Had A Bone To Pick With Paula Deen

Anthony Bourdain's appreciation for different cultures and their cuisine is what he's remembered for most. But his disdain for celebrity chefs, whom he considered phony or detrimental to the cooking world, is also notable. While this was one of the major reasons for Bourdain's feud with Guy Fieri, the "Parts Unknown" host believed that both traits could be found within Paula Deen more than just about anyone. Bourdain constantly blasted the Southern chef for her unconventional recipes, once saying that Deen was the "most destructive influence on [Food Network]" in a 2011 tweet.

While it's unclear when Bourdain's beef with celebrity chef Paula Deen truly began, his belief that she was disingenuous and harmful was most notably expressed in a 2011 interview with TV Guide. "She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she's proud of the fact that her food is f***ing bad for you," Bourdain explained, "If I were on at seven at night [...] I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks." Even beyond that, Bourdain carried on his criticisms of the chef a year later when Deen announced that she had been living with type 2 diabetes for a few years, saying in an interview with Eater, "cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 Diabetes [...] It's in bad taste if nothing else."

Many are quick to assume that the "No Reservations" Host's stance on Paula Deen's cooking was an indictment of Southern cooking overall, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Beyond Bourdain's love for Waffle House (the South's premier breakfast chain), there are countless examples of the world traveler being absolutely fascinated by Southern cuisine. Instead, Bourdain believed that Paula Deen's cooking style was specifically reprehensible.

The New York chef was asked about this distinction between Paula Deen's cooking and true Southern cooking in a 2013 AMA on Reddit. "The South is where the greatest American traditional food comes from. It's the cradle of American gastronomy," Bourdain lauded before adding, "I reject the notion that what Paula was selling is traditional Southern food. Cheeseburger on a Krispie Kreme bun? Nobody's Grandma I ever heard of EVER made that s**t." Thus, while Bourdain was far from the only person to dislike Paula Deen in the cooking world, his stance against the chef was ultimately rooted in an appreciation for a style of cuisine that she was making a mockery of.