Anthony Bourdain Explores 'Next Levels of Porn'

CYBERSPACE—Anthony Bourdain’s hit CNN program Parts Unknown made a stop in Seattle, Washington, this past weekend, as the seventh episode of Bourdain’s 10th season of the show explored, in addition to Bourdain’s staple culinary adventures,  Seattle’s music scene, legal marijuana growers and—porn. Of course, this being Seattle — home of Amazon and, in nearby Redmond, the Microsoft Corporation, Bourdain found a technological angle to the local Seattle porn business. Virtual reality porn, to be specific. Bourdain devoted a segment of his program to an interview with Jesse Adams and Jen McEwen, the cofounders of self-described adult app store MiKandi.  That means not only did a Bourdain get a peek at their online porn apps, he experienced the latest in cutting-edge virtual reality porn—as his cameras rolled. The scene unraveled as one of the most awkward ever on Bourdain’s shows, so much so that Condé Nast Traveler magazine online rated it the show’s “WTF Moment” of the week. Bourdain leads into his segment with Adams and McEwen by asking if they know the number-one searched porn term in the Seattle area. The answer, according to an incredulous Bourdain, is “stepmom.” “Who wants to fuck their stepmom?” Bourdain wonders aloud. But before Adams and McEwen have the chance to answer his presumably rhetorical question, Bourdain introduces them to the CNN audience as “two nice people who’ve chosen the porn business as a way to make a living.” He then goes on to describe MiKandi as  “the world’s first mobile app store for masturbators and aficionados of graphic erotica.” Bourdain lauds the MiKandi creators for “looking ahead” to “the next levels of porn.” To be specific, “personalized, interactive, virtual reality porn.” And that’s a genre to which Bourdain apparently gives his endorsement. “I can tell you, my friends,” he says, “it’s chillingly realistic.” McEwen tells Bourdain that virtual reality porn is “very important” for MiKandi customers because “they’re looking for more unique experiences.”  In fact, she adds, “a lot of people say they discovered their sexuality and their identity through stuff like this.” And then she asks Bourdain, “You want to see some VR porn?” Bourdain rarely turns down any offer of a new experience on his show, so he gamely dons the VR goggles—and does his best to sit with his hands at his sides, keeping a straight face for the next 30 seconds or so. “Yeah,” says a sheepish Bourdain. “That’s kind of scary. Season 10, Episode 7 of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown can now be rented from iTunes or Amazon.com.