Why Anthony Bourdain Was Never Concerned About Eating Pork

Celebrity chef and popular TV personality Anthony Bourdain was the kind of man who had both an incredibly unique persona and the kind of appeal that was hard to explain; he was a man who didn't mince his words or try to be politically correct. Plus, Bourdain went out of his way to explore exotic cuisines and introduce his fans to dishes from different cultures, offering them a glimpse into everything that's out there. 

One of the things that made Bourdain really popular was an essay that he penned for the New Yorker in 1999 entitled "Don't Eat Before Reading This." He went behind-the-scenes to take his readers for a fascinating ride in the world of restaurants, dropping truth bombs such as it's a bad idea to feast on fish on Monday if you're after fresh food. Bourdain also revealed his thoughts on pork in the piece and said that he's not too picky about the meat. He had a pretty solid explanation for his logic, too. 

Basically, Bourdain explained that things changed considerably over the years, making it safer to order pork dishes. He also knew that when in a dilemma at a restaurant, many customers order chicken dishes as opposed to an option such as pork. But Bourdain felt that chicken was incredibly boring and in terms of food safety, pork scored more points compared to chicken.

Why? Well, Bourdain said that farmers got a lot better at taking care of pigs than they used to be (via Money Versed). "Farmers stopped feeding garbage to pigs decades ago, and even if you eat pork rare you're more likely to win the Lotto than to contract trichinosis," he revealed. No way! 

Full disclosure: Bourdain personally loved pork. On an episode of his popular travel show, No Reservations, the chef went on many exciting culinary adventures devouring pork dishes in different countries (via the Travel Channel). For example, Bourdain enjoyed pig heart in Australia, and even tried a "pig and boar crossbreed" in Austria. Adventurous much?