Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

2013 • CNN
4.7
1.27K reviews
TV-14
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Season 4 episodes (8)

1 Shanghai
9/28/14
Anthony Bourdain explores Shanghai by savoring classic, home-style cuisine at restaurants that include Chun and Fuchun Xiaolong and converses with locals who give their take on their country's booming economy and expanding global influence.
2 The Bronx
10/5/14
Bourdain explores the widely diverse cuisines and cultures found in the NYC borough just north of Manhattan. Bronx mainstays Afrika Bambaataa, Mellle Mel, and Baron Ambrosia help guide the host through the music, food, art, and other offerings of this often misunderstood part of the city.
3 Paraguay
10/12/14
An investigation into the puzzling history of the host's great, great, great, grandfather, Paraguayan emigrant Jean Bourdain, is a springboard to his first tour of this South American country, primarily comprised of jungle and desert land, which features a rich culture and savory local dishes that include Bife Koygua, Bori Bori, and Sopa Paraguaya.
4 Vietnam
10/19/14
Parts Unknown travels to the host's "first love," with a look at Hue, a city in central Vietnam, including excursions to the Dong Ba market, Vinh Moc tunnels, the Duyen Anh restaurant, and the Citadel. Sampled dishes include Com Hen, Bun Bo Hue and a special bird's nest soup.
5 Tanzania
10/26/14
Parts Unknown travels to Tanzania for an African safari adventure. Bourdain visits Zanzibar, a one-time slave trade hub and enjoys the island's famous foods, from mandazi to street food, including grilled seafood and the famous Zanzibari pizza. On an excursion to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, Bourdain comes face to face with lions, elephants, and the great migration.
6 Iran
11/2/14
Bourdain and his crew take their long-awaited inaugural trip to Iran exploring Tehran and Isfahan, and sites that include Imam Square, the Borje Milad, mosques, and ancient caravanserai. The cuisine includes Dizi, Fesenjan, Biryani, and Tahdig. Local guides for this tour include Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, who were subsequently detained by the Iranian government.
7 Massachusetts
11/9/14
In a departure for the series, Bourdain takes a trip to the Provincetown haunts of his post high school youth (The Atlantic House, The Lobster Pot) that marked the start of his culinary career, and he candidly discusses his descent into heroin addiction (and later recovery). He then heads to the western part of the state to throw light on the unexpected and exploding heroin problem in small town New England - discussing with residents exactly how this happened - and how they are learning to deal with it as a community.
8 Jamaica
11/16/14
Bourdain heads to Jamaica, a destination well known for delicious Caribbean delicacies and feel-good vibes. The host travels along the Northeast region of the island and explores life in Port Antonio and Winnifred Beach. He also delves into the importance of music legend Bob Marley, with his producer Chris Blackwell, and takes a side trip to the home of author Ian Fleming (the setting of James Bond novels). A main topic in this episode is the ever-burgeoning tourist industry and how it continues to affect the local population.

About this show

The Peabody and Emmy ® award winning CNN Original Series Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown follows the veteran chef and best-selling author as he travels the globe in a celebration of diverse foods and culture.

Ratings and reviews

4.7
1.27K reviews
A Google user
March 31, 2020
I love this show. All the places that Bourain took us, the people we met, the foods we were exposed to, the cultures around the world. It might be a bit hyperbolic of me to say that this show, and Anthony Bourdain's view of it, made a real difference in my life, but it is nonetheless true. The humanity of Bourdain made it all worth watching and said so much to the deepest part of me as a person. I will miss him, and all of that, so very very much. RIP Anthony. And thank you.
15 people found this review helpful
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Ezekiel Buchheit
December 1, 2014
Anthony Bourdain is living the dream I never knew I had. He makes me want to visit places that completely off my radar. He is fun articulate, down to Earth, a good host, a good guest, a little curmudgeonly. A dude you want to have a beer with. You can pick any episode at random and you will love it. It is ostensibly a food show - and some episodes are entirely about food But some episodes seem to forget they are a food show and spend half an episode in a stripper/robot/monster/techno show in Tokyo. I want this life.
63 people found this review helpful
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John Mayson
September 28, 2016
Tony set a high bar with his previous show and now this one. This episode was very well done. I felt the emotions of the Vietnamese people from their welcoming attitudes to their remembering past wars. Regardless of what you think of the president, that segment was thoughtful. It wasn't overly political. And I share Tony's desire that more Americans have passports and travel more. I know experiencing southeast Asia was life altering, in a good way, for me.
31 people found this review helpful
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