The ninth season of Parts Unknown premieres this weekend, and for the first episode, Anthony Bourdain is returning to Los Angeles. The last time they did a show in L.A., he says, they pretended everyone who lived there was Korean. This time they’re doing the same thing with Mexicans, Latinos, and Chicanos by exploring the absolutely incredible Mexican and Central American cuisine the city has to offer.
During his journey around L.A., Bourdain meets up with Danny Trejo, Chef Ray Garcia from Broken Spanish, tattoo artist Mister Cartoon, comedian Al Madrigal, and OC Weekly editor, Gustavo Arellano to try the best Mexican food in the city. From high-end Mexican cuisine to street molitas and taquitos, Bourdain tries all sorts of delicious fare.
And now I’m so, so hungry. As per usual, it’s impossible (and probably wildly irresponsible) to watch Parts Unknown hungry.
It’s an episode that feels very pertinent during a time in our country when anti-immigrant sentiments are running high, and walls are being proposed to separate us from our neighbors to the south. And in exploring the Mexican food and culture in Los Angeles, Bourdain doesn’t shy away from immigration issues here. In a clip from the show, he acknowledges that one in ten Angelinos of Mexican descent are undocumented. But, he asks on the Parts Unknown website, “whatever your opinion on immigration policy, who we let in and how many—these are questions for honest debate—let us at least acknowledge who is working and living here NOW, and look in our hearts. Ask ourselves what we would do—who we would be—without them.”
Parts Unknown premieres at 9 p.m. EST/PST on Sunday, April 30 on CNN.
