Anthony Bourdain Blasts Rachael Ray's Doughnut Deal
Anthony Bourdain, he of the brilliant cuisine and the caustic mouth has blasted Rachael Ray's new deal with Dunkin' Donuts.
RACHAEL Ray is getting a royal dunkin' from Anthony Bourdain for her big-bucks endorsement deal with Dunkin' Donuts. The prickly chef and "Kitchen Confidential" author says of the Food Network cutie in next month's Outside magazine: "She's got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books - I'm guessing she's not hurting for money. She's hugely influential, particularly with children. And she's endorsing Dunkin' Donuts. It's like endorsing crack for kids."
Bourdain adds: "I'm not a very ethical guy. I don't have a lot of principles. But somehow that seems to me over the line. Juvenile diabetes has exploded. Half of Americans don't have necks. And she's up there saying, 'Eat some [bleeping] Dunkin' Donuts. You look great in that swimsuit - eat another doughnut!' That's evil." Ray's rep shot back: "Anyone who knows Rachael [sic] and watches her on TV is aware she promotes balance and moderation, instead of living life in extremes. Her work addressing kids' and families' nutritional needs speaks for itself so we respectfully disagree with Anthony's opinion."
Oh, please. It's not like Rachel is doing an ad for crack or crystal meth. Or even for cigarettes. So Rachael gets some die-hard Krispy Kreme fans to switch to Dunkin' Donuts. So what? And if Bourdain really cared about people's health, he wouldn't have used the example of how someone looks in a bikini to bolster his argument. Remember, he didn't like it when overweight people dined in his restaurant and has compared vegans to Hezbollah. He's just shooting off his mouth, as usual. Or maybe he hasn't been offered any lucrative endorsement deals lately. He's always bagging on Rocco DiSpirito for his deals. But Rocco DiSpirito is a great chef -- and he's absolutely darling. Or maybe, as a former heroin and cocaine (and LSD and mushrooms and...you get the idea) addict he feels the need to reform everyone around him, whether they need reforming or not. A two pack a day smoker, Bourdain has some funny ideas about healthy habits.
And speaking of Anthony Bourdain, did you see the Top Chef reunion show last night with all the clips? One particularly hilarious clip showed Chef Tom Colicchio just beaming with joy when Howie sliced Bourdain into tiny verbal pieces by by quoting his own book at him to prove him wrong. It was priceless.
Anthony Bourdain, he of the brilliant cuisine and the caustic mouth has 