A Cook's Tour S02E06 - The Struggle For The Soul Of America, 1 of 2

[Lisanab]

omg, how wasted was Tony when he made this?

[vonkiser]

Yea sorry tom, your not really impressing anyone by the fact that you think the mall of America is some eating mecca of the world.

[SethHesio]

Personally tomthefunky, I think we should just 69 eachother until one of us wins..

[cshubs]

The bobble head looks like the Fonz.

[almondburfi]

I WANT THAT BOBBLE HEAD.

[iselfnoone]

The MOA is for tourists, and Saigon is in SAINT PAUL!

[tomthefunky]

That mall employs literally thousands of people. Food workers, electricians, carpenters, iron workers, security people, mom's that can work part-time, teenagers, immigrants, retirees. Who cares if it's tacky. If people aren't working Tony, they don't have the money to afford bone marrow, and sea urchin. Oh yeah, and the average ordinary American isn't a celebrity chef paid to travel around the world and sample each cultures delights.

[SethHesio]

@tomthefunky We should all strive to be better than the mall and eat good food. You don't have to work/eat in soulless places, there are other options.

[tomthefunky]

@SethHesio: A food court in a mall is supposed to have "soulless" places. It's no different then a highway rest stop. People are there to shop, not eat. And there are plenty of healthy options in the average mall today anyway. Why does Tony look down on mall food when he praises pub grub and hot dog's in NYC? He's a hypocrite. The guy just isn't that bright.

And who are you to decide what is a soulless place anyway? I'm a New Yorker and I think Mall of America is pretty fucking spectacular.

[SethHesio]

@tomthefunky You're really confused if you liken fast food multinationals to street food. Street food is a totally different idea.

[SethHesio]

@tomthefunky You're a New Yorker, so what does that mean? Does that mean you're qualified to think better?

[tomthefunky]

@SethHesio: Yes, I am qualified to think better. Why? Because I live in the most vibrant, sophisticated city in the world. It's the cultural capital of America. Nothing impresses us. But the Mall of America impresses me. Does that answer your question?

[SethHesio]

@tomthefunky You live in the in the most sophisticated city in the USA, that means precisely dick, because you can be just another opinionated prick who uses that monicker to further themselves. The Mall of America impresses you. That alone is enough for me to know that you are impressed by big shiny loud things. Are you in construction? Do you appreciate how much work it took to get the whole thing done?

[tomthefunky]

@SethHesio: Yes, I do appreciate how much work it took to get the whole thing done. That's why I said I was fucking impressed with it, you putz. I also said that I appreciate how many people it employs. You have the reading comprehension skills of a toddler.

Why don't you enlighten me as to what kind of restaurant belongs in a mall? Because last time I was in one, it was full of choices. Shit, there were plenty of choices to choose from. Most of them were chains but so fucking what. It's a mall

[JustinCase10261]

@tomthefunky hang on hang on, im going to bombard you with words that sound smarter than their meanings! you coulda said ur whole fuckin paragraph in half your efforts if you didnt try to have a pissing contest via thesaurus. and amongst all those huge words he lays out a "putz" LOL...love it

[SethHesio]

@tomthefunky Thirdly the problem here isn't that Bourdain isn't bright. The problem is that you think you are. The mall is a blank canvas, it can be a great place with good eats, but it's far easier, quick and more profitable to have a cheap, nasty bunch of fast food places. Shit heaps like McDonalds, KFC, Burger Kings. "Food" that kills you. Bourdain makes a good point. You may be making a good point for the devil but you're doing it badly and you're, of course, dead wrong.

[tomthefunky]

@SethHesio: "The mall is a blank canvas" Exactly. So wouldn't you expect fast food joints to predominate? Anybody is free to open whatever kind of restaurant they wish. Why do you think fast food predominates? Because that's what people want, silly. It's the free market at work. If someone wants a better restaurant, all they have to do GO FIND ONE!!!

News flash to SethHesio: Nobody wants expensive restaurants in malls. Get that though your thick fucking skull.

[SethHesio]

@tomthefunky Nope you're wrong. You see it as either expensive high end restaurants or multinational fast food chains. You're kidding yourself and other people if you write as if you're a bright person, because from what you say here you have a very small grasp on things. New York is a great place, and you're not a true New Yorker, they're smarter than you.

[catanduva33]

Thanks so much for posting. This has a similar feel to No Reservations. Definitely the best show TFN ever had.

[TAK3T2]

great brother. keep sharing.

[Ziegut]

Thank you for the laughs dear Tony and Flying Hot Pot..I was having a rather depressing day!!

[bardsinister]

I'd love a Bourdain bobblehead! Walleye pike on a stick made me laugh, but the deep-fried cheesecake sounded revolting.

[stan5150]

I literally work across the highway from the Mall of America....I just have to laugh at this episode!!!! :)