> I really enjoyed AB's show, but I worry people take the wrong thing from it -- they engage in low key herofication[1] of the specific cook or restaurant, rather than learn the names of a few dishes to try at a cafe where they might not give a damn if some American has a good experience or even comes back.
You didn't address me directly, but in case you did, that's an uncharitable interpretation of my story. If you weren't, you're probably right - I worry about the same. People just watching the show and only going to the places he did, and not doing any of their own cultural exploration.
For the record, I spent 2 weeks in Vietnam, and I spent most of that time just wandering the streets of Saigon and Hanoi, following my nose, seeing a delicious bowl of soup, and pulling up a chair, or coming up to a nighttime Banh Mi vendor, and pointing and grunting at the fillings I wanted.
In amongst that, I also did some research of specific places I wanted to visit, and The Lunch Lady was on the list. Even if she wasn't exceptional (even for a place as steeped in culinary quality as Vietnam), which she was, there is something to be said for a parasocial connection with someone's experience. Mild heroification is still meaningful emotionally. Whether he would be upset by this or not, I got to sit in the same chair as Bourdain and have the same experience as someone who I admired and who's thought process resonated with me. That meant something to me. That feeling was real, and my memory of the spot is richer and more vivid because of that connection.
Anything can be taken too far. I admire Elon Musk's bold strategic vision in rockets and electric cars, but I have no interest in blanketly giving my life to defend his horrible ideas on cave submarines, car-sized city tunnels, flamethrowers, or twitter moderation policy. Unlike seemingly a million of his followers who would also just as blindly defend him from credible sexual harassment allegations.