On his 2016 state visit to Vietnam, in addition to meeting dignitaries and officials, then-President Barack Obama was slated to have dinner with chef, writer, and TV personality Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain had pitched his show, No Reservations, as his way of combining his love of travel with his professional expertise—a “when-in-Rome avidity with which he partakes of local custom and cuisine” (315). He deliberately pursued the most authentic and obscure experiences possible, offering a level of immersion unusual for the genre. Bourdain began as a writer, with his expose of the restaurant industry, Kitchen Confidential, making him a sensation in 2001. But his television show was the fulfillment of his greatest dreams. Vietnam was one of his favorite destinations, dating back to an early love of Graham Greene’s novel The Quiet American, which is set in that country. For his dinner with Obama, Bourdain suggested a casual dining experience at a noodle restaurant. The president luxuriated in the rare opportunity to take in the scenery in a public space rather than a private dining room.

In his own 2016 meeting with Bourdain, Keefe is struck by his muscular frame from a regular Brazilian martial arts exercise routine, and by his devotion to every detail of his work.