Cooking with Anthony Bourdain by Vijay Matheswaran

Cooking with Anthony Bourdain by Vijay Matheswaran

What thoughts I have of you tonight, Tony,

as I begin dinner this warm evening.

With a paring knife and plastic-wrapped meat,

pale potatoes and tired tomatoes

and wilting bunches of ugly spinach.

I saw you, Tony, hovering by me,

horror in your eyes. Disgust creased your face

as you seethed, ‘This is not the way to eat!

Screamingly fresh fruit, pristine pearl onions

and cold cuts and cumin and curry leaves

slapped with gooey, smelly French cheese – now that,

my friend, is how you learn to cook and eat!’

I heard you tonight, Tony, as you said

those words, and images ran through my head.

Chopping and peeling and sautéing and

dicing: images of hard work indeed

that stayed with me as I got my car keys

and floored it to the closest pizza place.

Vijay Matheswaran was born in Chennai, India. He is currently a PhD candidate at Wichita State University, and previously worked as a journalist in India.