Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Collection 1 [DVD]

I have read Anthony's books first. Then I saw one of his TV shows "by accident" while switching through the channels. I wanted more. So I rent all DVDs during my last vacation in the US and watched them in a row.Now, one year later, I wanted to see some of his shows again as I am interested in visiting some of the places he went, and as I am also a hunter for good local food and specialites, I decided to buy all his DVDs here on Amazon. And I have soooo much fun with them.You see other views of a country, not the typical tourist paths. Food you wouldn't dare to touch or put it in your mouth - he does it for us. Great guy. Can't wait to go to Sicily and try that strange fried meat-parts hidden under a towel from these old men on the streets, too. Or the melon gelly with pistachios and dark chocolate bits.... Yummie!These are short movies you can watch several times. They are fun, interesting, educational and like a nice trip to a foreign world in times you get "itchy feet" and wanna do at least some couchvacation....Buy all at once, because you will like the first, and then you regret you have to pay extra postal service for the others.... ;-)Have funJoey

My heart is broken. I normally don’t follow the ‘stars’ or designers, however Anthony Bordaine was someone so special, talented and ‘real’, I could not stop the tears from flowing upon hearing of his untimely death. So, the only bare-minimal comfort I could obtain was to immediately rush to Amazon and purchase this set of Season 1 videos, the same videos that introduced me to Anthony, years ago. Two days after his death, and tears still in my eyes, here comes my delivery of this box set. Can I sit and laugh and enjoy them today? No. It may be a very long time before I can bring myself to watch these. But what is important is that I now own a small piece of ‘Anthony’s world, a few moments of his life, and talent, captured forever on a few plastic discs. God bless you our dear Anthony, I pray your soul is finally at peace. We will always treasure you, and miss you, and your work.

Having watched No Reservations for a long time and traveled to many areas, I think Tony Bourdain is the best travel host on TV. He is real!!No tourist garbage, real people and a look at what really exists.He has the ability to laugh at himself and those people that hate him. I like the fact that he cusses, he drinks and will try almost anything. He also is not afraid to show genuine feeling when the situation is appropiate.I purchased two volumes of his programs and will purchase the third in a few days when it becomes available.I especially like his take on going bamboo! I have done that and will return soon to that life. Damn, he had that right!Keep rockin Tony, you got it right.

I have watched "No Reservations" since it premiered on the Travel Channel. I have also read all of Bourdain's nonfiction books, and I recommend both this series and his books to anyone serious about different cultures and the foods they eat.It is no surprise, then, that overall I give the material on this DVD set five stars, but have to take away a star for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious problem with this set is that it isn't complete, as has been noted by others. It would certainly have been better (even if it was somewhat pricier) if it was complete; likewise some extras (outtakes, commentary, etc.) would have been a welcome, though not strictly necessary, addition. I do have a cautionary tale about my set specifically: mine came without the Iceland and Vietnam DVD, which happen to be, in my opinion, the best two shows of the series. In its place I got an additional copy of the Sicily and Las Vegas DVD, which is the weakest of the four discs in my opinion. Fortunately I had bought the Vietnam and Iceland episodes as separate (and much more expensive) single show DVD's, but it is an annoyance nonetheless.Without question this is my favorite travel show. I think Bourdain better than other hosts goes out of his way to unearth the fundamental nature of the places he visits (most notably in the excellent Malaysia episode) and truly values and respects the people he meets, despite his acerbic and sarcastic nature. While there are views where we differ, I know that Tony Bourdain and the "No Reservations" staff are fundamentally straight shooters who excel off the beaten path of cuisine and culture. While there are things I would obviously change about this set, it is an excellent value, and any reservations I have are in no way related to the actual content of these four DVD's.I truly recommend this set with no reservations.

Between gifts and self-purchases, I now own all of the No Reservations. I find them fun to watch, especially with others. When I have gatherings, which are usually food-centered, sometimes my friends would ask for me to play one. Also, one of my friends happen to be traveling to three places that there were episodes for, so I offered to lend them to her to watch prior to her trip. Because they're short, compared to a movie, it's less of a commitment when you just have 30-40 minutes to kill. Some episodes are better than others.

I've been an Anthony Bourdain fan for years, both his recipes and his literature and of course this travel show. (his restaurant, Les Halles, is also one of my favorites). This is the best deal obviously of the A. B. DVD's out there. You get 8 shows for $18.99. Why they would market each individual show when you have a pack like this I have no idea. I hope they continue to pack these together like this as I'll keep purchasing them. I would also hope that they would provide the uncensored, European versions also. Funny how we Americans allow ourselves less freedom than the European countries we primarily came from initially...