Synopsis: Bourdain enlists the help of chef José Andrés, his friend and a native of Asturias, to guide him the through the food and culture of this mountainous region on Spain’s northern coast. Bourdain and Andrés drink cider and travel up the Picos de Europa mountain range to the remote town of Bulnes. They also search for the highly coveted first salmon of the season. As Andrés shows Bourdain around, he reflects on the joyful experience of returning home.
On the beauty of Asturias:
Bourdain: “José, this is an enchanted country, and in fact this region of the country is the most extraordinary place I have ever been.” Andrés (pretending to throw money): “Give me the dollars! Dollar bills!” Bourdain: “The mountains, the sea … It’s amazing.” Andrés: “I’m throwing you the bills—if I had hundreds!” Bourdain: “You stuff it in the G-string, my friend.”
On arriving at Casa Guillermina after a long hike:
“It’s beautiful. I expect to be accosted by some Keebler elves at any minute: ‘We welcome you to munchkinland, munchkinland …’”
On drinking cider:
Bourdain: “So it goes with seafood?” Andrés: “It’s the biggest partnership in the history of mankind, by far.” Bourdain: “Wow. Strong words.”
Andrés: “You see how apples and seafood go? Because this is very acidic, it goes so well with the saltiness. It’s unbelievable. It’s a perfect match.” Bourdain: “It’s like ebony and ivory, living together in harmony.” Andrés (laughing): “Where do you come up with this?” Bourdain: “That’s, I think, Sir Paul McCartney—one of his more insipid lines.”
On eating Asturian cheese:
Bourdain: “You think you could do a cheese-themed theme park?” Andrés: “That could be fun.” Bourdain: “Giant volcano of cheese. Take little boats around it with a fondue pot.”
Andrés: “And you know one thing? It’s full of penicillin, man. No one ever gets sick if you really eat these cheeses.” Bourdain: “I feel my syphilis clearing right up.”
Guests weigh in:
Andrés to Bourdain: “I mean you show all of us that it’s worth it to go to the end of the world for the right food and for the right stories.”
Andrés (on the Asturian art of pouring cider): “To me this is probably one of the most difficult things to do. Look at how he’s hitting the rim of the glass. Look at all of the oxygen they’re putting. I mean, I love this tradition. He doesn’t even look at the glass! C’mon! He’s like a Jedi!”
Pablo García (frontman of the band Pablo und Destruktion, on the typical Asturian): “There is another saying, Asturiano borracho, loco, y cristiano (Asturians are drunk, crazy, and Christian).”
García (on the Celtic influence on Asturian music): “I think that music is about identity. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, and they listened to a lot of Celtic music.”