Andrew Zimmern And Anthony Bourdain Always Argued About This

Celebrity chefs Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern shared a close relationship. After Bourdain died by suicide in 2018, Zimmern spoke about his friend. He told Eater, "Tony was a close friend of mine and it was a beautiful relationship... He was an incredible sounding board, a gracious and kind friend to me." Zimmern also said he believed that his friend was an inspiring man who could motivate other people in many ways. 

Zimmern added that Bourdain was a "brilliant social commentator" and was original in the way he approached his work. For him, Bourdain's energy was infectious. He told People, "Everyone wanted to be around him and he was just a symphony of a human being." Yet, while the two chefs did get along like a house on fire, there was something that they could never quite agree on. Zimmern revealed more about this in a recent interview, revealing there was one claim, in particular, the two always argued about. Here's what we learned.

In an interview, Andrew Zimmern was asked about his thoughts on how, in Anthony Bourdain's book "Kitchen Confidential," he claimed he was not really a chef; he was a cook. Zimmern said that he always fought with Bourdain about that statement (via YouTube). "I disagreed with him tremendously on that. I would argue with him about it all the time," Zimmern revealed. 

He added that Bourdain most definitely had managed to earn respect and appreciation as a chef and a leader in the restaurant industry, as well as outside it. Also, as far as Zimmern is concerned, Bourdain was a culinary icon who knew a lot about the restaurant industry because he had hustled really hard to get there.

Hours after Bourdain's death, Zimmern wrote a heartfelt tribute to Bourdain. It read,"He raised up the humblest aspects of our community, from the prep cook to the rural farmer on the far side of the planet, and he hung out with the cultural royalty of our generation." For Bourdain, it was important to showcase those whose hard work was often invisible and ignored.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).