The Popular Hotel Service Anthony Bourdain Made A Point To Avoid Utilizing At All Costs
Gregarious and opinionated, globe-trotting celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was just as outspoken about the things he hated as he was about those he loved. He called the third slice of bread in a club sandwich a "satanic invention," said he would rather eat warthog anus again than suffer Chicken McNuggets, and declared that he would like to see the Pumpkin Spice craze (per Eater) "drowned in its own blood." That's just the food and drink — he was also very open about the fear and disgust that mimes provoked in him. On the travel front, there was one hotel service that Bourdain avoided without fail: Breakfast buffets.
What's not to love about having all your favorite breakfast items laid out for you after a good night's sleep at your hotel? No messing about choosing from a menu or waiting for someone to cook to order, just grab a plate and have at it. The hotel buffet can feel like a particular treat when it is included in the price of your room, especially if you go back for an extra plate or two. Yet like Rick Steves, who also suggested ditching the popular breakfast option while touring Europe, Bourdain was strongly against it. We all know that he was a guy who liked to eat as locals did, no matter how unpalatable some of the dishes might seem to the less adventurous. So the reason behind his breakfast buffet beef might surprise you: food hygiene.
More likely to get sick from hotel buffets than street food?
In 2014, Anthony Bourdain discussed his travels in India for "Parts Unknown" with CNN's Anderson Cooper. The interviewer revealed that he felt concerned about hygiene when it came to street food while visiting the country. Bourdain dismissed the idea, suggesting that while street eats might mean more time on the toilet, hotel buffet food was the real "killer."
When you think about it, that makes some sense. You are partaking in a communal breakfast experience where food items are sitting out for an indeterminate amount of time before you arrive. The free-for-all nature of the arrangement means you don't know whether someone else has been manhandling or sneezing all over your grub before you add it to your plate. In 2021, former hotel worker Brandi August blew the whistle on buffets and told followers which breakfast foods to avoid eating.
Foodborne illnesses are no joke and food hygiene experts recommend a cautious approach to a hotel buffet. First, case it out to make sure staff are keeping the place clean and the food top-ups fresh. Take extra caution with items that should be served cold or hot, and not lukewarm in either case; that can be one-way ticket to food poisoning. Also keep an eye on what your fellow diners are doing, and swerve dishes that they've been contaminating with ladles or tongs from other pots or touched with their hands.
Eating locally is more culturally rewarding than hotel breakfast
Aside from the possibility of getting sick from a hotel buffet, Anthony Bourdain also had strong cultural reasons for skipping the all-you-can-eat breakfast. He always avoided tourist traps and restaurants catering for tour groups because he wanted the most authentic travel experience. Rick Steves is rarely as adventurous as Bourdain in his destinations or his eating habits, but he has also offered similar advice (per his website): "Increase the character and lower the price by joining the local crowd at the corner café for your coffee and croissant."
It is easy and convenient to use a hotel buffet, especially when the ubiquitous continental breakfast offers just about everything you could want for the most important meal of the day. We all have certain preferences regarding food we associate with breakfast, but breaking with tradition opens up a world of possibilities beyond the hotel doors. As for Bourdain, the chef was partial to classics like bacon and coffee, but he also found one of his favorite breakfast alternatives in Mexico City. Fonda Margarita is a cherished family-run breakfast joint known for its"frijoles negro con huevos" (refried beans with egg) and "chicharron en verde" (pork rinds in a spicy green sauce). Here Bourdain ate just about everything on the menu including "guisados", a hearty meat stew with fresh tortillas. "Probably the best breakfast ever? Maybe." He declared, and it is just one example of what might await if you skip the hotel buffet.