Anthony Bourdain Declares Waffle House Better Than French Laundry

Zero Point Zero Production, Inc.

Guided by chef Sean Brock through short-order diner traditions, Anthony Bourdain concludes that Waffle House's late-night comfort food surpasses elite fine dining.

AI-assisted summary of Sean Brock And Anthony Bourdain Eat At The Waffle House — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2015-11-12

Key ideas

Anthony Bourdain describes Waffle House as an irony-free cultural sanctuary that welcomes all patrons regardless of race, creed, or level of inebriation. (0:00)
Chef Sean Brock reveals that watching Waffle House short-order cooks handle chaotic late-night crowds at high speed was a primary inspiration for his culinary career. (0:25)
Brock guides Bourdain through Waffle House's hash brown terminology, advocating restraint and his signature combination: scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. (1:05)
After tasting Brock's curated opening course—a butter- and syrup-soaked pecan waffle—Bourdain declares the experience better than The French Laundry. (2:05)

Detailed notes

## Background Published by Zero Point Zero Production, Inc. on YouTube on November 12, 2015, this clip from Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown follows Anthony Bourdain and chef Sean Brock after a night of heavy drinking in Charleston. The page description frames the Waffle House as an irony-free Southern haven and beacon of hope welcoming anyone, regardless of race, creed, or level of intoxication.

## TL;DR Anthony Bourdain visits a late-night Waffle House under the guidance of chef Sean Brock, who reflects on how watching the frantic, open-kitchen short-order line in his youth inspired him to fall in love with cooking. Unfamiliar with the diner's specialized vernacular, Bourdain learns the precise shorthand for hash browns—ordering them scattered, covered, smothered, and chunked. Brock then curates an informal tasting menu starting with a butter-and-syrup-drenched pecan waffle, prompting Bourdain to declare the unpretentious comfort food even better than fine-dining institution The French Laundry.

## Atmosphere & style The scene exudes a warm, late-night camaraderie fueled by post-drink indulgence and mutual culinary respect. Bourdain brings a gritty, poetic reverence to the humble diner, while Brock acts as an eager, knowledgeable guide honoring his roots. Watching the exchange feels intimate, grounded, and deeply comforting, capturing the kinetic energy of a roadside flat-top griddle and the transcendent joy of unpretentious American comfort food.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) Anthony Bourdain describes Waffle House as an irony-free cultural sanctuary that welcomes all patrons regardless of race, creed, or level of inebriation. - [00:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=25s) Chef Sean Brock reveals that watching Waffle House short-order cooks handle chaotic late-night crowds at high speed was a primary inspiration for his culinary career. - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) Brock guides Bourdain through Waffle House's hash brown terminology, advocating restraint and his signature combination: scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. - [02:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=125s) After tasting Brock's curated opening course—a butter- and syrup-soaked pecan waffle—Bourdain declares the experience better than The French Laundry.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) Waffle House functions as a democratic cultural refuge and late-night haven across the American South, remaining open continuously without judgment. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=15s) The diner's warm yellow sign acts as a beacon of comfort and nourishment for anyone hungry, lost, or intoxicated. - [00:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=25s) The open-kitchen theater of high-velocity short-order cooking directly influenced Sean Brock's early passion for becoming a professional chef. - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=35s) Short-order cooks maintain intense operational pace while managing completely out-of-control late-night diner crowds. - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) Despite worldwide culinary travels, Bourdain enters Waffle House unfamiliar with its unique ordering shorthand and customs. - [01:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=75s) Brock advises moderation over excess when customizing hash browns, urging diners to establish and adhere to a single consistent formula. - [01:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=85s) The diner's hash brown vocabulary denotes specific preparations: 'scattered' for spread on the flat-top, 'smothered' with browned onions, 'covered' in melted cheese, and 'chunked' with hickory-smoked ham. - [01:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=98s) Rejecting Bourdain's proposal to skip waffles, Brock devises a structured diner 'tasting menu' reflecting kitchen strengths. - [01:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=110s) Brock's mandatory first course requires a pecan waffle generously coated in butter and homogenized syrup. - [02:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=125s) Bourdain and Brock conclude that Waffle House should not be evaluated against fine-dining conventions, with Bourdain playfully rating it above The French Laundry.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) The Irony-Free Zone and Childhood Inspiration

Anthony Bourdain introduces the Waffle House not merely as a roadside diner, but as a cultural sanctuary and an emotional refuge across the American South. In his opening reflections, he describes it as a welcoming haven that knows no social distinctions or judgment, remaining open around the clock to shelter anyone in need of comfort. As Anthony Bourdain puts it: “Where everybody, regardless of race, creed, color, or degree of inebriation, is welcomed.” Its glowing yellow sign serves as an open invitation to the hungry, the lost, and the thoroughly intoxicated, standing as a dependable institution that never closes its doors and never lets down its patrons.

For chef Sean Brock, the restaurant holds a profound, formative significance that shaped his entire culinary career. Growing up with an ambition to become a chef, Brock found the diner to be the only venue where the craft was executed directly before his eyes, operating as an open theater of high-speed short-order cooking. As Sean Brock explains: “This was action to me. I would see these people cooking at a pace and cooking for people who were completely out of control, and it was one of the things that really helped me fall in love with cooking.” The raw velocity of the line cooks managing orders in the face of chaotic late-night crowds left an indelible mark on his imagination.

- The restaurant operates continuously without closing, serving as a reliable fixture for late-night nourishment across the South. - Sean Brock credits the diner's high-speed, visible short-order line as an early catalyst for falling in love with professional cooking.

[01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) Decoding the Hash Brown Dialect and the Waffle House Tasting Menu

Despite his extensive global travels, Bourdain admits that he is completely inexperienced when it comes to the customs and coded lexicon of the Waffle House. Looking down at the hash brown options, he finds himself simultaneously tempted and overwhelmed by the diner's specialized shorthand. Brock advises him that moderation and restraint are key when navigating the diner's customizable toppings. Rather than ordering every available add-in, one must pinpoint their personal combination and stick to it permanently. Brock reveals that his own lifelong standard is "scattered, covered, smothered, chunked"—a formula Bourdain decodes as potatoes spread across the flat-top griddle, smothered in browned onions, covered in melted cheese, and chunked with pieces of hickory-smoked ham.

When Bourdain skeptically suggests skipping waffles entirely at a Waffle House, Brock immediately intervenes to curate a structured diner meal. Drawing on his fine-dining background, Brock formulates a bespoke Waffle House tasting menu designed to show off the kitchen's greatest strengths, mandating that the meal must open with a pecan waffle. The waffle is promptly blanketed in butter and drenched in homogenized syrup. Upon taking the first bite, Bourdain is completely won over by the decadent combination. Brock points out that the meal shouldn't be judged against conventional culinary prestige, to which Bourdain offers the ultimate endorsement:

> “See, you don't come here expecting The French Laundry. You come here expecting something amazing.” — Sean Brock

> “This is better than The French Laundry, man.” — Anthony Bourdain

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Sean Brock's Waffle House Strategy accDescr: Step-by-step progression of Sean Brock's recommended Waffle House order from the custom hash browns to the tasting menu course. subgraph HashBrowns["Hash Brown Jargon"] A["Scattered<br>(Spread on griddle)"] --> B["Covered & Smothered<br>(Cheese & browned onions)"] B --> C["Chunked<br>(Hickory-smoked ham)"] end subgraph TastingMenu["Chef's Tasting Menu"] D["Course 1: Pecan Waffle"] --> E["Slather with butter & homogenized syrup"] E --> F["Immediate indulgence"] end C -.-> D ```

- **Hash brown shorthand:** "Scattered" indicates spread across the flat-top griddle; "smothered" adds browned onions; "covered" melts cheese over the top; "chunked" mixes in diced hickory-smoked ham. - **Tasting menu concept:** Brock structures the late-night meal into an intentional tasting menu sequence, beginning mandatory service with a butter- and syrup-soaked pecan waffle.

## Mentioned Anthony Bourdain, Sean Brock, Waffle House, The French Laundry, Parts Unknown, Charleston, CNN, Zero Point Zero Production, Inc.

## Video description After Anthony Bourdain and Sean Brock finish many, many, many rounds of drinks, they visit the best/only choice for late-night dining in Charleston, the Waffle House, an irony free zone where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts; where everybody regardless of race, creed color or degree of inebriation, is welcomed. Its warm yellow glow a beacon of hope and salvation, inviting the hungry the lost the seriously hammered all across the south to come inside.

Check out Parts Unknown: http://www.cnn.com/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI)

中文简报

安东尼·波登称华夫饼屋胜过French Laundry 在主厨肖恩·布罗克的带领下体验快餐小吃店传统，安东尼·波登得出结论：华夫饼屋的深夜治愈美食超越了顶级精致餐饮。在主厨肖恩·布罗克（Sean Brock）的引领下，安东尼·波登（Anthony Bourdain）探访了一家深夜营业的华夫饼屋（Waffle House）。布罗克回忆起年轻时目睹开放式厨房里快餐操作台忙碌的情景，正是这激发了他对烹饪的热爱。由于不熟悉这家小吃店的专业黑话，波登学习了薯饼的精准点单缩写术语——点了分散、覆盖、焖煮并加肉块的做法。随后，布罗克精心搭配了一份非正式的品尝菜单，以浸透黄油和糖浆的山核桃华夫饼开场，这让波登直言，这种朴实无华的治愈美食甚至胜过精致餐饮殿堂The French Laundry。安东尼·波登将华夫饼屋描述为一个毫无讽刺意味的文化避风港，无论种族、信仰或醉酒程度如何，它都欢迎所有顾客。 (0:00) 主厨肖恩·布罗克透露，观看华夫饼屋的快餐厨师高速应对混乱的深夜客流，是他投身烹饪事业的主要灵感来源。 (0:25) 布罗克指导波登掌握华夫饼屋的薯饼术语，主张适度克制，并推荐了他的招牌组合：分散、焖煮、覆盖和加肉块。 (1:05) 在品尝了布罗克精心挑选的第一道菜品——一块浸透黄油和糖浆的山核桃华夫饼后，波登宣称这种体验比The French Laundry还要好。 (2:05)

Reading summary

Anthony Bourdain and chef Sean Brock frame the Waffle House as an egalitarian Southern sanctuary and a formative culinary theater, highlighting its distinct short-order traditions through a curated diner tasting menu. Cultural Sanctuary and Formative Kitchen Theater (0:00) Anthony Bourdain describes Waffle House as a 24-hour roadside haven and emotional refuge across the American South, characterized by its nonjudgmental hospitality toward all patrons regardless of race, creed, or degree of inebriation. The diner's ever-present yellow sign represents a dependable fixture that never closes its doors, offering shelter and comfort food at any hour. For Sean Brock, the diner functioned as an early catalyst for his culinary career. Aspiring to become a chef, Brock viewed the open kitchen as a direct, high-speed theater of short-order cooking. Witnessing cooks execute orders rapidly before unruly late-night crowds captured his imagination and helped foster his initial passion for professional cooking. Diner Vernacular and the Curated Tasting Menu (1:05) Despite his culinary background, Bourdain was uninitiated in the coded shorthand of the Waffle House menu. Brock emphasizes restraint when ordering hash browns, advising diners to settle on a dedicated formula rather than selecting every possible add-in. Brock's personal standard is ordering hash browns "scattered, covered, smothered, chunked"—a specific shorthand for potatoes spread across the flat-top griddle, topped with melted cheese, smothered in browned onions, and mixed with diced hickory-smoked ham. Rather than treating the stop as a casual bite, Brock constructs an intentional tasting menu drawing on his fine-dining sensibility, insisting the meal begin with a pecan waffle. Smothered in butter and homogenized syrup, the dish immediately won over Bourdain. Reflecting on Brock's observation that patrons visit the chain expecting something amazing rather than conventional fine dining, Bourdain enthusiastically declared the experience superior to The French Laundry. The diner's lasting appeal relies on high-speed execution, accessible comfort, and an enduring cultural role that Brock and Bourdain argue should be valued on its own terms rather than measured against traditional fine dining.

精炼阅读摘要

Anthony Bourdain与主厨Sean Brock将美式连锁快餐Waffle House定义为美国南方兼具文化包容性与情感慰藉的精神庇护所；该餐厅不仅通过全天候开放和公开的高速短工烹饪启迪了后者的厨艺生涯，其独特的餐点行话与订制化体验更展现出不逊于顶级精细餐饮的美食魅力。无门槛的文化避难所与厨艺启蒙 (0:00) 在Anthony Bourdain看来，Waffle House超越了普通路边餐馆的属性，是遍布美国南方的文化庇护所与无批判空间。该餐厅凭借全天候24小时营业的稳定模式，对所有顾客敞开大门，无论其种族、信仰、肤色或醉酒程度如何，均能在此获得接纳与充饥。其标志性的明黄色招牌因此成为夜间行人和失意者的可靠指引。对于主厨Sean Brock而言，该餐厅承载着深远的职业启蒙意义。在立志成为厨师的成长时期，Waffle House是Brock唯一能够近距离目睹烹饪过程的场所。餐厅内部开放式后厨的高速短工操作，以及厨师面对失控深夜客流时展现的节奏与应变力，直接点燃了他对专业烹饪的热情，成为塑造其职业生涯的关键起点。薯饼术语解码与主厨品鉴菜单设计 (1:05) 尽管Bourdain游历广泛，但他对Waffle House特有的代码化订餐术语并不熟悉。面对琳琅满目的配料选项，Brock提出点餐的核心在于克制与精准，主张食客应锁定属于自己的固定搭配。Brock展示了自己的常年标准组合——“scattered, covered, smothered, chunked”，即土豆饼在平底铁板上摊开煎制（scattered），覆上融化奶酪（covered），拌入焦糖洋葱（smothered），并混入切块山核桃木烟熏火腿（chunked）。针对Bourdain试图省略华夫饼的想法，Brock运用精细餐饮的逻辑为其定制了一套展现厨房核心实力的“品鉴菜单”，并强制将涂满黄油、淋透均质糖浆的山核桃华夫饼作为开胃第一道菜。Bourdain在品尝后高度认可其纯粹的美味，并评价其实际体验甚至超越了顶级餐厅The French Laundry，表明其魅力不应受传统高档餐饮标准的局限。该节目借由名厨对话，揭示了平民短工快餐在情感慰藉与风味深度上的独特价值，但在精细餐饮与快餐文化的对比评价上，主要依赖两位主厨的主观沉浸体验与个人偏好。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由制作公司 Zero Point Zero Production, Inc. 于 2015 年 11 月 12 日发布在 YouTube 平台上。根据页面简介，视频记录了安东尼·波登（Anthony Bourdain）与肖恩·布洛克（Sean Brock）在查尔斯顿经历多轮畅饮后，前往当地深夜用餐的唯一与最佳之选——华夫饼屋（Waffle House），体验这个对所有饥饿与微醺之人毫无偏见、敞开怀抱的温暖避风港。 ## TL;DR 在痛饮之后，安东尼·波登跟随时令名厨肖恩·布洛克走入南方的精神地标华夫饼屋。布洛克回忆起童年时隔着开放式铁板柜台观察短工厨师在混乱醉客间高速翻炒出餐的场景，正是这一充满张力的烹饪现场启蒙了他的厨师之路。面对复杂的点餐术语，布洛克向波登传授了土豆煎饼“scattered, covered, smothered, chunked”的经典点单秘诀，并打破波登不想吃华夫饼的念头，为其定制了一套以黄油糖浆浸透的碧根果华夫饼为开端的专属“品尝菜单”。波登在享受高热量碳水带来的极致抚慰后，心悦诚服地感叹这里甚至胜过米其林三星名店 The French Laundry。 ## Atmosphere & style 整段视频洋溢着深夜酒后特有的微醺感与松弛温情，昏黄温暖的餐厅灯光与铁板上的滋滋油烟交织出浓郁的市井烟火气。波登标志性的富有诗意与洞察力的旁白，搭配布洛克如数家珍的热情向导姿态，让原本粗犷的美式快餐升华为一场带有仪式感的深夜朝圣。观看时既能感受到好友间毫无防备的畅快大笑与碳水诱惑，又能体会到底层平民美食所带来的深沉安全感与精神慰藉。 ## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) 安东尼·波登与名厨肖恩·布洛克在查尔斯顿深夜探访华夫饼屋（Waffle House），盛赞其为南方所有饥饿、迷失与醉酒人群的包容避难所。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) 布洛克回忆华夫饼屋开放式铁板柜台是其童年唯一能近距离观察短工厨师实操的场所，直接启蒙了他的厨艺之路。 - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) 布洛克向华夫饼屋新手波登传授土豆煎饼黑话点餐哲学，并制定包含碧根果华夫饼的专属品尝菜单，波登甚至笑称其体验超越加州米其林名店The French Laundry。 ## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) 华夫饼屋被波登形容为一个没有冷嘲热讽的净土，不论种族、信仰、肤色或醉酒程度，向所有人敞开大门。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) 餐厅始终保持全天候营业，以温暖的黄色招牌灯光成为美国南方深夜醉客和夜班劳动者的精神避难所。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) 华夫饼屋的开放式长条铁板柜台，让年幼的肖恩·布洛克首次近距离见识到短工厨师的高压实操。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) 厨师面对柜台外失控醉汉依然保持高效翻炒的现场张力与烹饪节奏，点燃了布洛克成为厨师的职业热情。 - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) 尽管游历全球，波登承认自己对华夫饼屋错综复杂的点餐黑话体系感到陌生与困惑。 - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) 布洛克强调点土豆煎饼（hash browns）必须在丰富与克制间找到个人平衡，忌讳盲目贪全。 - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) 布洛克展示经典暗号组合“scattered, covered, smothered, chunked”，分别代表散开摊煎、加盖芝士、铺焦洋葱与加入厚切火腿块。 - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) 针对波登不想吃华夫饼的玩笑，布洛克为主厨量身打造华夫饼屋定制“品尝菜单”，首道即为浸泡黄油与糖浆的碧根果华夫饼。 - [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) 波登与布洛克盛赞华夫饼屋纯粹的惊艳感，甚至戏言这种高热量深夜碳水慰藉超越了加州知名米其林餐厅The French Laundry。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=0s) 醉客的避风港与厨艺启蒙之地深夜的查尔斯顿街头，安东尼·波登与名厨肖恩·布洛克在喝过无数轮酒后，走进了南方深夜餐饮的终极归宿——华夫饼屋（Waffle House）。对波登而言，这里散发着温暖黄色灯光的招牌是南方所有饥饿、迷失与烂醉之人的救赎灯塔。波登在旁白中赞叹道：“It is indeed marvelous. An irony-free zone where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. Where everybody, regardless of race, creed, color, or degree of inebriation, is welcomed.”（这里确实不可思议。一个没有冷嘲热讽的净土，一切皆美好，无处受伤害。无论种族、信仰、肤色或烂醉的程度如何，每个人都备受欢迎。）它永不关门，始终忠诚守候，为每一位食客提供安全感与饱腹的慰藉。这间餐厅对肖恩·布洛克更是有着非同寻常的意义。布洛克回忆起自己童年渴望成为一名厨师的时光，坦言华夫饼屋是他小时候唯一能近距离观察厨师实际烹饪的地方。在那条狭长的开放式铁板柜台前，短工厨师们以极高的节奏运转，面对柜台外那些因醉酒而彻底失控的顾客依然有条不紊地翻炒出餐。布洛克表示，正是这种充满张力与现场感的做菜节奏，真正点燃了他对烹饪的热爱。 - **全天候守候**：无论外界环境如何，华夫饼屋始终保持营业，成为南方深夜醉客和夜班人群的固定精神避难所。 - **开放式铁板厨房**：厨师在顾客面前高速操作，这种近距离的烹饪表演直接启蒙了布洛克的厨师生涯。 ### [01:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI&t=65s) 土豆饼暗号与超越米其林的“品尝菜单” 尽管波登走遍了全世界的大街小巷，但他承认自己对华夫饼屋的传统和门道完全是个新手，面对菜单上密密麻麻的专业点餐黑话感到既困惑又诱惑。布洛克向他传授点土豆煎饼（hash browns）的心得：你不能贪心全点，必须在丰富与克制之间找到专属于自己的平衡，并牢牢记住它。布洛克透露了他从第一天起就坚持的经典组合：“scattered, covered, smothered, chunked”——这意味着土豆丝在铁板上摊开煎至金黄酥脆（scattered），融化覆盖上芝士（covered），铺满炒至焦褐的洋葱（smothered），再加上大块的山核桃木烟熏火腿（chunked）。当波登半开玩笑地宣称自己来华夫饼屋其实不想吃华夫饼时，布洛克立刻打断了他，并以专业主厨的身份为波登量身定制了一套华夫饼屋专属的“品尝菜单”（tasting menu）。这套体验的开胃第一道就是碧根果华夫饼（pecan waffle）。他们将华夫饼抹满黄油，让它彻底浸泡在糖浆与均质植物油的浓郁汤汁中。品尝着热气腾腾、甜咸交织的华夫饼，布洛克感慨道：“See, you don't come here expecting The French Laundry. You come here expecting something amazing.”（看吧，你来这里不是为了期待吃上加州法式洗衣房餐厅那样的米其林大餐，你来这里期待的是一种纯粹的惊艳。）沉醉在油脂与碳水快乐中的波登随即大笑着赞同道：“This is better than The French Laundry, man.”（哥们，这比加州法式洗衣房餐厅强多了。） - **土豆煎饼的经典黑话组合**： - **Scattered**：土豆丝在铁板上充分散开，煎出最大面积的酥脆外壳。 - **Covered**：加盖融化的美式芝士。 - **Smothered**：加入大量炒至焦香的洋葱碎。 - **Chunked**：加入厚切的山核桃木烟熏火腿块。 - **大厨定制品尝菜单第一道**：碧根果华夫饼（Pecan Waffle），搭配足量的人造黄油与糖浆，带来最纯粹高热量的深夜抚慰。 ## Mentioned 安东尼·波登, 肖恩·布洛克, 华夫饼屋 (Waffle House), 加州法式洗衣房餐厅 (The French Laundry), 查尔斯顿 (Charleston), Parts Unknown ## Video description After Anthony Bourdain and Sean Brock finish many, many, many rounds of drinks, they visit the best/only choice for late-night dining in Charleston, the Waffle House, an irony free zone where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts; where everybody regardless of race, creed color or degree of inebriation, is welcomed. Its warm yellow glow a beacon of hope and salvation, inviting the hungry the lost the seriously hammered all across the south to come inside. Check out Parts Unknown: http://www.cnn.com/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bct8stbZafI)

Original transcript

[0:00] It is indeed marvelous. An irony-free zone where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. Where everybody, regardless of race, creed, color, or degree of inebriation, is welcomed. seriously hammered all across the South. to come inside, a place of safety and nourishment. It never closes. It is always, always faithful, always there for you. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with this place because I wanted to be a chef. This is the only place I've ever been to where I actually watched people cook. This was action to me. I would see these people cooking at a pace and cooking for people who were completely out of control, It was one of the things that really helped me fall in love with cooking. Waffle House. Yes. I can't believe I didn't know about this. I am unbelievably, in spite of my world travels, new to the wonders of the Waffle House and unfamiliar with its ways. The terminology, for instance, is new to me. Now look I'm looking at my hash brown and I am already confused and enticed. You can't go all in. You want everything. I need to make a choice. So there's a balance. And then when you find your balance, You memorize it. I go scattered and covered some other chunks. Which means I gather scattered on the griddle, heaped with brown onions, cheese and chunks of hickory smoked ham. That's my style. I've been doing that since day one. And I don't even know what that means. You know what I know? I don't want waffles at the Waffle House. bullshit and... You have to have... Waffles? Okay, you have the pecan waffle. So what I've devised as a chef is a tasting menu experience. where you can sit down and really experience what this place does. And you start out. first thing you have, pecan waffle. Really? Oh, the pecan waffle. You just crush it. You put every piece of - Slather it. - I want it to be swimming in syrup. and homogenized vegetable oil. - Oh, oh, that's good. That's good. - See, you don't come here expecting the French laundry. You come here expecting something amazing. This is better than the French lobby, man.