bourdain does baltimore

Anthony Bourdain visits my hometown on an upcoming episode of No Reservations. I always feel a pinch of pride when I see my old stomping grounds on the tube. One of the fun things about leaving your hometown is finding out what outsiders think of your hometown. Within the caucasian-dominated suburbs of jersey, I've learned the difference between "being from Maryland" and "being from Baltimore". If you are from Maryland, they envision rolling green suburbs, lacrosse, preppy people, Johns Hopkins, and tourist spots in the Harbor. If you're from Baltimore, they envision you grew up as a hoodrat rubbing shoulders with Avon, Stringer and Marlo. I'm exaggerating...but not by a lot.

Much of the reputation that Baltimore enjoys (or suffers from) nationally is derived from crime stats and TV shows. The majority of these TV shows are "urban": Fox's "Roc", NBC's "Homocide" and HBO's "The Wire" (all among my favorites). The one exception is FoodTV's "Ace of Cakes". Its refreshing to escape into the whimsy of Charm City Cakes instead of Bodymore, Murderland. I mean, what's happier than cakes?