You won't find Anthony Bourdain hosting his own televised cooking competition.
At least not anytime soon.
The New York chef and author admits to watching all of TV's current culinary throw-downs and even sat in as a guest judge on Bravo's food series "Top Chef" during its Season Three premiere in June.
But Bourdain, 51, said life is too short to end up with a show like Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen" on Fox, a program he calls "grotesque and not about the food at all."
"First of all, none of the contestants can cook," Bourdain added in a phone interview from British Columbia. "They would be unhirable as dishwashers in any restaurant I've ever worked in. They are completely, transparently incompetent. You don't even see anyone cooking on that show. It is just Gordon yelling at these poor nitwits who are standing around waiting for the ax to fall."
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Despite a no-nonsense attitude suited perfectly for a competition like "Top Chef," Bourdain has taken a very different path when it comes to making television.
Since 2005, the brutally honest kitchen master has hosted "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel, an adventure series that transports viewers to far-off destinations in a quest for vittles both unique and intriguing.
New episodes for the series begin Monday night. Bourdain — who rose to fame as author of the book "Kitchen Confidential" — says he is still as excited as ever about his on-screen occupation.
"I have a very happy relationship with the Travel Channel," he said. "I am working with really good friends who I have worked with for years. They have given me unparalleled and unimaginable latitude to do whatever the hell I want, so I am certainly not going anywhere. I don't have a lot to complain about. Who gets to do what I do?"
Bourdain's latest series of excursions will include stops in Tahiti; Hong Kong; Cleveland; and Tuscany, Italy, each locale handpicked by Bourdain for its renowned cuisine or to satisfy his own personal curiosities.
The first episode kicks off in Shanghai, China, and ends with Bourdain traveling through the Himalayas in search of tasty, Tibetan delicacies.
"China is always fantastic," Bourdain said. "It is a bottomless pit of interesting, delicious food. They did everything first and it is always so fascinating, the architecture, the culture. They've been doing everything for so much longer.
"If you look at a country like China, it is so huge. We've done two shows there now, but there are at least eight regional cuisines in China alone. I could easily spend the rest of my life making television there. We won't ever run out of places to visit."
Bourdain said that not all of his trips have been winners. Sicily was "great for food" but a "misery" for making television, as was his Season One journey to Uzbekistan.
"(Uzbekistan) was a hostile government," he said. "People don't like cameras. Cameras mean security forces. The food wasn't great and the people weren't friendly. That was a deadly combination."
Bad experiences aside, Bourdain contends he still has one of the best jobs on television.
"More often than not, people are a hell of a lot nicer than I thought," he said. "I've learned to just relax and let things happen and to not be afraid of street food. Eat what's offered in good cheer. Drink what the locals drink, as much as they drink and eat what they eat and you will make friends and see the world in a good way."
On TV
"No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain
• When: 7 p.m. Monday on the Travel Channel.
• Read more: Read the full transcript of the Star's interview with Bourdain at regulus2. azstarnet.com/ blogs/remote controlled.