{"id":41670,"date":"2015-07-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/?p=41670"},"modified":"2023-05-23T11:11:19","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T11:11:19","slug":"anthony-bourdain-returns-to-beirut-and-loves-this-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/41670\/anthony-bourdain-returns-to-beirut-and-loves-this-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Bourdain Returns To Beirut And ‘Loves This Place’"},"content":{"rendered":"It\u2019s easy to forget Beirut\u2019s charm. When you\u2019ve lived here your entire life the picturesque palm trees become so ordinary, the delightful old houses seem normal, the sight of the sea is common, and you forget how charming Beirut truly is.<\/big>


(Photo via David S. Holloway\/CNN)

Renowned chef, bestselling author, and Emmy winning television personality Anthony Bourdain<\/a> was in Beirut just before the 2006 conflict with Israel broke out, forcing him and his crew to leave; but Bourdain vowed that he\u2019d return. When he did, it was part of his travel and food show on CNN Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, when he shot the Season 5 finale in Beirut, accompanied by the Harley Davidson Lebanese crew who helped him get around, he also shared a meal with author and cultural editor of An-Nahar, Joumana Haddad, where they discussed the implications of living in a city like Beirut.

\u201cIt is something of a miracle that it [Beirut] works,\u201d says Bourdain routinely commenting on the dichotomy that exists in Beirut. He draws attention to things that seem so normal to us now, the visual disparity of the hijab and bikini-clad women all over the city, the modern buildings alongside the bullet-hole studded apartments from the days of the civil war. Bourdain loves it all. In fact, the city made such an impression that he briefly considered naming his daughter \u201cBeirut.\u201d