On the season finale of "Parts Unknown" Anthony Bourdain samples a new adventure in Congo

soundoff (4 Responses)

1. Ms Maggie
   

   Andrew, – You have obviously never travelled, much less lived, in the 3rd world,, and apparently neither have
   those "close to 490" others. You either know the # or you don't. ..what is " close to" ? You have no idea what you're talking and complaining about. I'm at "war" with ignorance and judgmental closed minds.
   Over 40 years ago I lived in W Africa (Jan '67-Dec '69) and end of '69- to Apr '70 basically hitchhiked and took
   deck passage from Cote d'Ivoire, up through Niger, Burkina Faso (then Haute Volta), Mali, down to Togo, Dahomey (now Benin), to Cameroun, Congo (both of them), up the Congo River to Kisangani, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and brief stops in Ethiopia and Egypt; not to mention during tenure surviving a bush taxi ride
   thru the Biafran war zone.
   When "on the road" there, some of the best food was locally cooked.. however that may be. When on the road, my favorite is "Agouti" (field rat) splayed on a rack and roasted over a fire of whatever wood that could be gathered-
   fire-roasted goat, sheep, boar, fried plantains, carefully washed raw veggies, others sautéed.. and so on.
   much better food than most of the cht (fat, refined salt and sugars) foisted on the American public. The point : with limited resources, one eats "local".
   To end this smackdown – I am not overweight, still fit and only been "sick" 3 times in 40+ years. I don't abuse the health care system because of bad diet. I am healthy because of good nutrition – however it is acquired and has to be prepared with available resources and utensils.

   June 16, 2013 at 12:25 am | Report abuse | Reply
2. Andrew Kaye
   

   o whom it may concern,
   Having been a long time follower of Anthony Bordain's writings and television shows I found the inhumane treatment of the chickens that were about to grace his table while fulfilling a dream of boating down the Congo. The treatment of these animals was barbaric and lacking any morals whatsoever. I doubt that the local peoples would have sawed at the chickens throat with a dull knife while the bird was still alive. And then, as a rite of (adolescent) passage the process continued with each member of the crew. Disgusting..I was waiting for them to drink the chickens blood. Anyone heard of wringing the chickens neck to keep the animals suffering to a minimum..or was this a contest to see who could kill the animal with a " knife duller than a spoon"
   I and close to 490 people already..will no longer watch this show.
   A public apology is in order.. this was uncalled for.
   Andrew Kaye

   June 10, 2013 at 7:48 pm | Report abuse | Reply