Sri Lanka Is Spooky

This week on "No Reservations," Anthony Bourdain steps out of his domain of culinary comfort and into the town of Colombo, a mysterious town in Sri Lanka. Tony is at once uneasy in this strange town--his hotel has fully armed guards walking the adjacent beach, and there are hundreds of crows everywhere. To escape his creeping sense of fear and disdain, Bourdain takes a trip with a Baltimore native of Sri Lanka descent--a laid-back guy named Skiz. Skiz still has family in the old country, and Anthony is brimming to find out about the culture.

We find that Sri Lanka is and was the head of the most exotic spice trade: cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, clove and ginger are all native to the land, and although Bourdain is very appreciative of the country's bountiful aromas, being so close to the equator has the poor host stranded in a heat coma. He retreats to a valley of lower altitude where a Sri Lankan chef describes to Anthony the significance of curry and all of its flavors (mild to very spicy) and colors (yellow, red, dark brown.) The spices used within chicken, beef and pork in Sri Lanka cuisine are meant to create an equilibrium in the palate, a fact which stimulates Bourdain enough to try the street vendor version of a curried dish—mixed with egg and vegetables and eaten as is tradition in the car with Skiz.

After a bountiful meal the next day of traditional food cooked in banana leaves and a discussion about a schism between Burgher and Senegalese people, Bourdain visits a part of town on the coast where a building of community, faith, and recreation for children is offered free to improve morale after the Tsunami of 2004. Skiz finally invites Anthony to a family meal of crabs and the best handmade curry from his grandmother Leela, for she has had careful, delicious recipes ingrained in her brain since her time as young woman.