I’ve been traveling seriously since I was 15, the son of two airline workers, way back when companion passes actually meant something. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to visit every continent and many cities, and on occasion, when the trip is beyond special, I tend to get some ink put in me locally, so I can see where I’ve been in the mirror. This was one of those times.
My best friend Brad Stuart and I had just won a contest with the (now) infamous WOW Air; they were sending us around the world for 2 months to make travel films for them, many of them you are watching now. We were literally living our dream, becoming our own personal Anthony Bourdain’s, who we tried to model our lives after. Then, all of the sudden, our guru of travel took his own life, right in the middle of our trip, and sent us in a strange, dark spiral.
Nothing seemed to make sense those days following his death. We simply couldn’t understand how someone we looked up to, who we thought lived the life perfected, was so tormented that he would end his own life. It really, truly destroyed us, and making daily videos about how great travel is seemed to take on a strange burden and sour tone.
Then, as if in a dream, I remembered the one time I met my idol at a mixer in NYC. It was in a restaurant downtown, I was invited through a chef friend of mine, and honestly didn’t even know Bourdain was going to be there. I was at a window with a beautiful piece of cake, plated perfectly, that seemed to glow in the street light through the window. I placed it on the bank, and took out my phone, and started to take pictures of it, trying to capture how very perfect it was, feeling the need to share it immediately on social media. I must have been doing it for a pretty long time, because I felt this wall of a human standing next to me just staring. It was Anthony Bourdain, holding a similar piece of half eaten cake, staring at me. Half smiling, half disgusted, in a way he could only pull off, he opened his mouth.
“Hey.” he said in a velvet tone, “just eat the cake.” and walked away.
I laughed at myself. Just eat the cake. Here I was so absorbed in this pastry I didn’t even realize my idol was in the room a foot away from me. I was so absorbed by this ridiculous pastry that I forgot to be in the moment. Just eat the cake. It struck me like lighting and immediately reminded me to enjoy life, to not overthink it, to just, well, eat the damn cake.
I stopped being perplexed by Bourdain’s suicide and decided to take his advice and just eat the cake.
It was in Berlin that I reached out to Michelle Nicole who was doing a residency at a cool little ink parlor in the ReuterKiez called Toe Loop. I had seen her work on Insta and felt an immediate connection. I explained what I was after and she made time for me. There, in the back of the parlor, I laid down and let her throw ink into my right bicep, a pretty little slice of cake, that now always catches my eye when my arm swings down the street. A happy little reminder to not overthink the world, to not put too much importance in what you find sacred, and to always just enjoy the moment because at the end of the day it’s just cake. Just fucking eat it.
Thanks Anthony, thanks Michelle, thanks buddy Brad, and thanks for reading.
That was definitely a monumental moment.Taken skin deep!!🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
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To the bone! 😉
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Thanks for sharing this. As a fan of Anthony, this helped as I still think of him often. He was a inspiration to me to want to travel this beautiful world we live in.
Kim😊
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Thanks for writing Kim … yeah, I dont know about you but it was a serious guy punch… really fucked me up and left me wondering what was the point … but then … just like that, a lovely memory changed my whole perception … and that I believe is the power of travel, to change your perception no matter where you are coming from. Happy travels!
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I can’t bring myself to watch any of his shows, and I have all episodes all the way from “A Cook’s Tour”, yet I remember his voice, his laugh, his words. I try to read all articles about him and so far, yours has managed to capture his personality in very few words like none has.
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Wow. Well this might be the greatest compliment I’ve ever received. He was definitely someone I looked up to, for better or worse, and we would always like to meet our idols and have them acknowledge your work. But I’ll be honest, your comment makes me realize that the real gift is connecting with a fellow fan. I very much appreciate your words Anne. Travel on.
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You can’t just eat the cake. You have to get a tattoo and brag about a brush with fame online.
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Hardly a brag Christopher, in fact, I’m pointing out the fact that I was more interested in a pastry then an actual human interaction, regardless of who was in the room. That’s the point if it wasn’t clear. And Anthony is hardly the most famous person I know if you know anything about my work. Fame is an illusion, and the cake is a lie;) Thanks for taking the time to comment however. It is appreciated!
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What a joke. Basically, Anthony called you out as a hipster Dbag and you memorialized it with a stupid tattoo. Pathetic.
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Hipster Dbags are going to do Hipster Dbags things;) You bring up a good point however Tom … I too used to hate the word “hipster”, but not really sure why. Hipsters had this connotation of being arrogant, “better than”, and elitist, and while hipster can be those things, like anyone, they are also cultured, affluent, and creative by nature. I can easily see how someone could mistake someone that is consumed by an aspect of culture as being pretentious. People used to make fun of “nerds” the same way, now they’re cool. “Hipster” I imagine will go through the same evolution. As far from being a Douchebag (thanks for capitalizing it, perhaps a subtle form of respect Tom?), that’s just silly. I was just taking a picture of a piece of cake. I wouldn’t have the career I do if I was a douche bag. Again though, thank you for commenting Tom … further proving the point I think Anthony was trying to make that regardless what the flavor of the cake is, take a bite and try to enjoy it, even if it’s shit cake.
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Thanks, I’m off the hook!
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The hook was in your mind Nancy;)
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Thank you…Bourdain would be pleased I’m sure…Let’s all enjoy and eat a piece of fucking cake.
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Ha. Wish I knew him better. But yeah … slices for everyone. 😉 thanks for reading.
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