The 'Grandma Rule' Anthony Bourdain Always Followed When Traveling

Acclaimed chef Anthony Bourdain was often viewed as a contrarian. Whether he was critiquing his longtime rival Guy Fieri's restaurant or affirming his hatred for the fall food trend of pumpkin spice lattes, he wasn't shy about castigating things he didn't like. Yet, those harsh judgments were primarily reserved for culinary icons that had already made a name for themselves. When traveling to remote locations to film "No Reservations" and "Parts Unknown," he humbled himself, embodying what he described as the "grandma rule."

"As a traveler, I believe in the 'Grandma rule' — meaning when I go to Grandma's house, I eat what Grandma puts on the table," Bourdain once said during a keynote address at a Global Leadership Summit hosted by EF. "I may not like Grandma's food. It may even conflict with my personal beliefs. But I'm going to eat it."

While he most certainly had personal critiques about food he was served on during his travels, he silenced his inner opinions and refused to utter a negative word when graced with someone's hospitality — even if that meant eating a meal that would make some folks squirm. "If I find myself in a rice farmer's one-room hut out in the Mekong delta and my earnest host suddenly appears with a platter of puppy heads, I'm gonna eat it," Bourdain said. "It'll be really tough for me. But I will eat anything rather than offend my host."

It's pretty easy to disparage or hesitate to try food you might be unfamiliar with. And while Anthony Bourdain never hesitated to call out restaurant chains he disliked or popular food trends he regarded as appalling, when traveling abroad, he followed the "grandma rule" and kept his criticisms to himself. Taking chefs with egos the size of Rhode Island to task was one thing. Disrespecting a person who extended an invitation to share what they had was not an option.

"It's very personal, food, especially in a situation where people have very little," Bourdain said (via EF). "They worked for that food. It means a lot to them. You're getting the best they have to offer." He may not have liked the iguana tamales he ate on his travels, but he made his best effort to seem grateful for the chance to share a meal with folks who were proud to serve him their food.

Bourdain emphasized that forgoing the gift of food in someone's home, especially when traveling to places with different cultures and food traditions, is tantamount to rejecting their entire way of life. "If you say 'No, no, no,' you're not just saying, 'I'm not touching your food,'" Bourdain said. "You're also saying, 'I'm not interested in pursuing any kind of relationship with you.' You've said a lot by saying 'Ick.'"