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“When your objective is to get footage that illustrates a story—in this case how much destruction and tragedy exists in a place—it puts you in the awkward position of witnessing human suffering as a goal.”
― Tom Vitale, In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain

“Tony had an addictive personality and was without doubt a workaholic, choosing to travel over 250 days a year for as long as I’d known him. Whenever I used to suggest he take some time off, Tony would say, “Television is a cruel mistress. She does not let you cheat on her, even for a while.”
― Tom Vitale, In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain

“This episode had the potential to do what Tony had always aimed for and I was proudest of: challenge stereotypes while resisting the othering of people we met by treating them with dignity, respect, and approaching a complex situation with an open mind. The Iran episode also served as a reminder of what could happen to the people we leave behind.”
― Tom Vitale, In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain

“Sharing a meal put people at ease, helped them forget the cameras were there, and inspired them to open up about their lives. Most importantly, food had become our cover, at least as far as I was concerned. In Iran and Laos, it was actually thought we were CIA like in the movie Argo. And in certain ways they were right. If it wasn’t for the cover of a “food show,” we never would have been able to get to the places we did. Season after season while planning the shoots, food had morphed from the show’s raison d’être to almost an afterthought. By the end, it was a show about people far more than one about food.”
― Tom Vitale, In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain