An old quote where Anthony Bourdain called Henry Kissinger a 'murderous scumbag' is making the rounds on X

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

Michael Loccisano and Inga Kjer/Photothek via Getty Images

• Anthony Bourdain despised Henry Kissinger, and called him a "murderous scumbag" in his 2001 book.
• Screenshots of Bourdain's words are now making the rounds on X after Kissinger's death.
• In 2018 — the year he died —Bourdain said he did not regret his words.

The late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was famously unfiltered, and didn't mince any words when writing about former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

"Once you've been to Cambodia, you'll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands," wrote Bourdain in his 2001 book, "A Cook's Tour."

The book chronicles Bourdain's world travels, as he experienced different cultures and culinary traditions. His chapter on Cambodia chronicled the local delicacies Bourdain sampled, and also delved into the country's tragic history.

In it, Bourdain went on to call Kissinger a "treacherous, prevaricating, murderous scumbag" and even likened Kissinger to Slobodan Milošević, the former Serbian leader tried for crimes against humanity.

After Kissinger's death on Wednesday, Bourdain's words are now making the rounds on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Once you've been to Cambodia, you'll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands."

Anthony Bourdain pic.twitter.com/NtEu4YMOW7

— Emissary of Night 🔆🍉 (@EmissaryOfNight) November 30, 2023

A post by X user @EmissaryofNight has racked up over 800,000 views since it was posted on Wednesday evening. And screenshots of Bourdain's words have been posted under announcements of Kissinger's death on the platform.

Bourdain's criticism of Kissinger continued later in life. He told the New Yorker in 2017, "I'm a big believer in moral gray areas, but, when it comes to that guy, in my view he should not be able to eat at a restaurant in New York."

And in 2018, the last year of his life, Bourdain tweeted that he did not regret his words about Kissinger. That too, is being resurrected by users on the platform.

Love that Bourdain tweeted this right around halftime of the Eagles Patriots Super Bowl https://t.co/Do1C1OX9jB

— Ursula K LeBron (@killakow) November 30, 2023

Kissinger died aged 100 on Wednesday. As a former secretary of state and national security advisor, he was associated with US foreign policy decisions from the Vietnam War to China's opening to the world.

Bourdain's words reference Kissinger's role in devising a secret US bombing campaign on Cambodia, a neutral party, during the Vietnam War. The campaign's controversy led Congress to pass the War Powers Resolution, requiring consent from Congress for future armed conflicts.

An investigation by The Intercept published in May delved into U.S. military documents and found that Kissinger's actions could have led to more civilian casualties than previously acknowledged.

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