Man's touching story about the time he met Anthony Bourdain goes viral

An emotional tribute to Bourdain by someone who once met him briefly has gone viral. Photo / Getty Images

People all over the world are mourning the loss of Anthony Bourdain, acclaimed chef, TV host and one of the greatest storytellers of his generation.

Tributes are pouring in from all parts of the globe, from celebrities who knew him closely and from those whose lives he touched even without meeting them.

A Twitter user's post has gone viral after he shared the brief minutes he spent with Bourdain and the lasting impression the chef made on him.

"I met Anthony Bourdain only once, while waiting in line at a food festival. Instead of hello he said "hey kid, you hungry?" and it was like I'd bumped into an old friend," Twitter user @toastasaurus posted earlier today, following news of Bourdain's tragic death.

I met Anthony Bourdain only once, while waiting in line at a food festival. Instead of hello he said "hey kid, you hungry?" and it was like I'd bumped into an old friend.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

"He spent the ten minutes listening to me talk about the home country of my parents, Trinidad & Tobago, with the utmost engagement. Like an ambassador studying up, ready to go."

He spent the ten minutes listening to me talk about the home country of my parents, Trinidad & Tobago, with the utmost engagement. Like an ambassador studying up, ready to go.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

The Twitter user says he was touched by how genuinely enthusiastic Bourdain sounded.

He recommended Trinidad & Tobago, his home, as a destination to Bourdain and, to his surprise, the chef did visit.

I wanted him so badly to visit there. I felt I could trust him to see what I saw in Trinidad, as if the heart of the country would be safe in his hands as a person and traveler. You trusted him with Your Heritage.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

We left the line with longanisa in hand. He clinked his beer bottle to mine and thanked me for my time like he'd had an appointment with me all along. I watched him slope off to happily try another line hoping so hard he'd visit my people.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

"He did, ultimately. My whole family watched it. Practically the whole island did. It was like the president visiting your home country. We all watched as Tony Bourdain spoke of the island as if he'd fallen in love with it. I hope he did.

He did, ultimately. My whole family watched it. Practically the whole island did. It was like the president visiting your home country. We all watched as Tony Bourdain spoke of the island as if he'd fallen in love with it. I hope he did.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

"I think many of us trusted him to do that, to fall in love with the places we came from and to understand why we lived there or why we left there. We trusted him to see us as people first. Not curiosities," the Twitter user added.

Sometimes I like to pretend that my ten minutes convinced him to visit. But that was his charm, really, that he met passion with passion. That he understood the complexity of people just as well as he understood the complexity of food.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

Sometimes the strange thing about the architecture of fame is that you almost feel someone you admire is the totality of their being. The parts of them that change you are the parts you focus on, and whatever pain he battled was not part of that.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

I'm sorry that such levels of pain is a country we shared. We have all lost an ambassador today. Anyways, I guess that's all I wanted to say.

Goodbye, Anthony Bourdain. Thank you for visiting my beloved island.

— shivana sookdeo (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018

The story has since been shared nearly 20,000 times. Social media users have pointed it out as an example of Bourdain's character.

OMG, yes. This. I'm from India, and his was the only show that has ever managed to pull off the "white man in India" trope with absolute dignity and empathy. He was SO curious about my country and my food without EVER being condescending. God, now I might start crying.

— March hare (@marchhare152) June 8, 2018

If this doesn’t sum up the impact he had on countless people all over the world, I don’t know what does. What a wonderful and fitting tribute.

— Billy Mendofik (@AquariunWino) June 8, 2018

this made me cry. the loveliest thing I've read in the wake of his death.

— Kelly 4 Dayz (@kjxoxo) June 8, 2018

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