Bourdain gets himself into a city-state in the Season 10 opener of ‘Parts Unknown’

In the 10th season premiere of “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” the host visits a place with a rich food culture and a way of life that would be a definite cause for debate in this country. Airing Sunday, Oct. 1, on CNN, the opening episode takes the chef, author and world traveler to Singapore, the sovereign city-state on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, to sample the cuisine, meet the locals and learn more about a society where quality of life is at its highest, but personal freedoms are not. The visuals in this episode show an ultra-clean city with palm tree-lined streets, where business thrives, crime is almost nonexistent and citizens are clearly prosperous, as evidenced by busy shopping malls, restaurants and night life. But look around and there are surveillance cameras everywhere, a constant reminder that this is a semi-authoritarian government with tight controls over everything, including a right most valued by Americans. “Freedom of speech is most definitely constrained,” Bourdain says. “What you can see and read on the internet, through official circles anyway, is definitely constrained. But you never see police or army in the street. You do not see the foot of the government on your neck in an overt or oppressive way. Just the same, there’s a sense that if you want the party to go on and the money to keep coming in and all of these benefits to happen, there are certain things you most definitely don’t want to do, and speaking your mind might well be one of them.” The city’s food scene has roots in several Asian cultures, mainly Chinese, Malay and Indian, although high-end French and Italian restaurants are also very present. Very popular are the city’s many food courts, where the dishes are reasonable, and Bourdain found a few local favorites to his liking. What book are you currently reading? "The new Donald Ray Pollock book (The Heavenly Table') is about to arrive. I'm really looking forward to reading that." What did you have for dinner last night? "Last night I ate at the saloon across the street. I had a bacon cheeseburger. I've been away from home. I've been in Italy for a while, so a bacon cheeseburger and a pint of beer at a saloon was exactly what I needed." What is your next project? "I go back on the road to start shooting another season of 'Parts Unknown' in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to it." When was your last vacation, where and why? "I was in Italv. Well, I spent some time with my daughter on Long Island, but I spent 10 days in Italy recently, floating around off the coast on a catamaran."