Center for Consumer Freedom

“I think people are concerned with what they’re eating,” declared activist chef Alice Waters at a recent Connecticut Forum. “And a lot has to do with celebrity chefs who have brought attention to food.” She’s right: Chef stardom has led people to focus more on their meals. But as co-panelist Anthony Bourdain demonstrated moments later, not everyone shares the same dinnertime values.

It’s no secret which of these outspoken culinary icons we favor. Bourdain’s thoughts on vegetarianism are right up our alley, while Waters’ apocalyptic conspiracy theories are… not so much. But as this celebrity chef standoff demonstrates, food priorities are a matter of taste: 

Waters: I’m not trying to tell people what to eat. I want them to know where their food comes from. I want them to know how it’s being made, how it’s being produced. …

I want people to pay attention to this. And so you can have the hot dog on the train, but you better ask them where they got the hot dog. And I want to know that it’s a grass-fed beef hot dog. That’s what’s important. Where did the bun come from, and where did the flour come from?

Bourdain: I don’t care about the bun – Is it a good hot dog? That’s all I want to know… As a chef I’m not your dietitian or your ethicist, I’m in the pleasure business. My responsibility is to give you the tastiest tomato, not the most cruelty-free tomato. Not the most local tomato. Not the most organic tomato. Just the most delicious tomato that I can afford under the circumstances…After that, you’re on your own.

Click here to watch the whole segment.