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Bourdain Explains His Plan For the New York Food Hall

Photo: Raphael Brion / Eater.com

Anthony Bourdain goes into even more detail about that international street food market he is currently masterminding in an interview with Eater National. He calls it his "rebuke to fast food and the notion of the food court as a terrible place with the usual suspects," and plans to invite cooks and food vendors he knows from all over the world to set up shop in New York, to serve dishes that are fast and cheap but also good. The goal, Bourdain says, is "to force the idea that everyone should, in a perfect world, know what a good chicken rice is and have a good bowl of laksa in their life and be able to eat some good noodles. Enjoy these one-chef, one-dish stalls where there are three generations of cooks doing one item well." A "strong Singaporean Hawker center component" will be involved, and there may be some rotating stalls, with guest vendors and themes like "Spain Month."

Although rumors have been flying about the potential location of this massive project, Bourdain says he doesn't have a space lined up yet. He also emphasizes that this is not just a money making scheme:

I'm going to give everything I have. If I wanted to just sign up for the place to pick up a check, you would have seen my places at the airport years ago. Bourdain To Go. Look, it's ego. I see these places not as a potential profit center. I see them much more likely as a potential generator of ill will. You miss your flight and every place is closed except for the Bourdain To Go and the sandwich is crappy. I hate that guy now. Fucking deeply.
Do check out the full interview for Bourdain's whole, elaborate vision, plus more on the upcoming season of Parts Unknown, thought's on Time's Gods of Food, and book projects in the works.
· Anthony Bourdain on His NYC Food Market [~EN~]
· All Coverage of Anthony Bourdain [~ENY~]