Freedom Fighting from the Kitchen

In the current issue of Doublethink, Baylen Linnekin, founder of the libertarian blog “To the People,” asks the burning question: “Is Anthony Bourdain a libertarian?” To get to the answer, you’ll need to read the interview of the celebrity chief and TV travel host. But to whet your appetite (no pun intended), consider these choice bits of Bourdain in his own words:

On New York City’s smoking ban:

“We’re in such a headlong rush to become the next Singapore, I find [it] horrifying and completely, well, un-American.”

On poverty:

“I think glamorizing poverty — as long as they wear cute, indigenous clothes and look good from the tour boat — I think is a danger we should be aware of…I think it is smug to suggest indigenous people would be better off without television or modern clothes if that’s something they would very much like. They would like to see their children educated. They would like to have a roof over their heads. They would like the things that we take for granted.”

On globalization:

“The places that I’ve seen that are multi-ethnic, places like Singapore and Malaysia, where the ethnic populations are almost indistinguishable, yet they manage to hold on to bits of traditional cultures, as well as the wonderful melting between those cultures, in a general way that’s what the future looks like. The future looks like Singapore and Malaysia. At least ethnically and foodwise.”

There’s much more. Read on. It’ll be worth your time.