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People Are Remembering Anthony Bourdain’s Smoldering Disdain For Henry Kissinger In The Wake Of The Widely Loathed Nixon Guy Finally Dying

The late Anthony Bourdain has previously made headlines for his devastatingly spot-on opinion of Vladimir Putin and his side-eye for those who praise the British monarchy. In light of the divisive Henry Kissinger’s death, as well, Bourdain’s withering words are now making the rounds again.

For reasons known mostly to D.C., of course, ex-Secretary of State Kissinger (under Nixon and Ford) was coddled with the utmost respect despite his legacy of greenlighting attacks and invasions that led to the massacre of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Cambodia and Bangladesh. During Bourdain’s travels, he witnessed the lasting effects of these horrors, and in his early aughts book, A Cook’s Tour, he let his thoughts on Kissinger fly:

“Once you’ve been to Cambodia, you will never again be able to open a newspaper and read about that treacherous, prevaricating, murderous scumbag sitting down for a nice chat with Charlie Rose or attending some black-tie affair for a new glossy magazine without choking. Witness what Henry did in Cambodia — the fruits of his genius for statesmanship — and you will never understand why he’s not sitting in the dock at The Hague next to [Serbian President Slobodan] Milošević.”

He wasn’t done yet. In this clip from CNN’s Parts Unknown, Bourdain discussed how he’d love to give Kissinger a good sucker punch:

Additionally, The New Yorker notes how Bourdain bristled at the idea of being referred to as “a statesman” for his informative travels.

“I’m not going to the White House Correspondents’ dinner. I don’t need to be laughing it up with Henry Kissinger,” he insisted while adding, “In my view he should not be able to eat at a restaurant in New York.”

Going back to the first quote mentioned above, Bourdain reflected upon his words in early 2018 (a few months prior to his own death) while writing, “Frequently, I’ve come to regret things I’ve said. This, from 2001, is not one of those times.”

These remarks have been resurrected in the wake of Kissinger’s passing. Some are even calling them a “eulogy” that was ahead of its time:

Also, it looks like there might be a void to be filled now:

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