The Reason Anthony Bourdain Encouraged Ordering Pork At Restaurants

There has long been a stigma that pork is dirty due to pigs' alleged unsanitary habits, but according to chef Anthony Bourdain, poultry is the real meat to steer clear of.

"Chicken — America's favorite food — goes bad quickly; handled carelessly, it infects other foods with salmonella; and it bores the hell out of chefs," he wrote.

In Bourdain's words, "Pork, on the other hand, is cool." Besides supposedly being more sanitary, Bourdain claimed pork was more versatile and exciting to cook.

The statistics support Bourdain's argument. As of September 2024, the CDC reported there are only about 15 cases of trichinellosis in the United States per year.