No Reservations Season 6 Episode 1: Panama
The new season of Anthony Bourdain No Reservations begins with Tony wearing a bullet-proof vest, surrounded by Panama state police using machetes to break open kilos of cocaine. As Tony watches the destruction he quips “somewhere an aging supermodel is crying.”
The first episode of season six is centered on Panama. Tony and the crew arrive in a small plane in Sambu. As he narrates he tells the audience he had no expectations of Panama and “so far, so good”. Tony meets a local chef who takes him to a restaurant where locals eat. In Panama the favorite snack food is ceviche. Tony and the chef try a number of ceviches made from fresh fish. The chef tells Tony ceviche is especially good for hangovers. Tony visits a fine dining restaurant with guests, sampling the ceviche and coconut flavored drinks. Tony finds the food delicious and the people of Panama laid back.
Next Tony visits Panama’s local Chinatown district. Tony discovers the menu is much the same as western chinese food. Choosing from a varied menu featuring stir fried tripe, won ton soup and roast pork, Tony and his tour guide feast on roast duck. Tony and his crew take a trip on the railway which is parallel to the canal. They arrive at a restaurant surrounded by water, known for its fresh seafood specialties of lobster and crab. Tony enjoys both but favors their stewed octopus dish.
In the next scene we get a brief history of former dictator of Panama Manuel Noriega and his asylum in Panama. Noriega took control of a poor section of Panama and set up shop there. The government gives Tony and the crew a tour of Noriega’s home. Tony comments after twenty years uninhabited the house is pretty much a mess and says “I feel so Geraldo, so Al Capone’s vault”. As the tour guide mentions Noriega was a Buddhist, Tony remarks Noriega was a bad Buddhist.
Tony is taken to a secret location by the Panama state police. Geared up in bullet-proof vests, the police have recently seized 12 tons of cocaine and are destroying 6 tons of cocaine out in the middle of nowhere. Tony, who has a history of drug abuse years ago, is shocked at the idea he will destroy cocaine. Tony snickers “crack is whack” as he chops away at a kilo. Machetes fly as the police and Tony hack away at the kilos of cocaine. Kilos are piled together and set on fire, creating quite a bonfire.
Tony visits the poverty stricken neighborhood where Noriega lived. His guide suggests Tony and the crew wear bullet-proof vests because of gang activity and drive-by shootings. Yet Tony finds the people in the neighborhood smiling and friendly. He visits a small restaurant the locals frequent. The chef insists Tony try the soup. Tony gives the chef a thumbs up on the soup, making the chef smile broadly. Tony feasts on fried fish and tamales with chicken and pork.
Tony meets with an expert jungle guide who will be taking Tony and the crew up the river to the Darien Gap. First they have a simple meal of fried fish, coconut rice and beans. After a three and a half hour trip up the river forge their way through the thick jungle. They arrive at Darien Gap to meet one of the last tribal groups in Panama. As they hack their way through the jungle, Tony comments on the extreme humidity saying “its like trying to breathe through soup”. They arrive at Darien Gap and the guide takes them to a clearing where two tribal members are building a wooden boat by hand. Tony and the crew arrive at the village. The tribal members paint Tony and crew with tribal ink, then prepare a meal of roast pork, yucca and plantains. After the meal members of the tribe play music and dance as Tony watches in admiration of the tribal way of life.
