Chuck Williams: Waffle House - a beacon of hope?

Many of us have been there -- a Waffle House at an ungodly hour where the hashbrowns were not the only thing scattered, smothered and covered.

At 2 a.m., it can be a place of joy or necessity.

Well, it seems like something many of us take for granted has now been discovered by a globe-trotting chef, and he told the world about it on CNN Sunday night.

Anthony Bourdain, host of "Parts Unknown," can be found dining in places like Borneo, Cuba, Budapest, Madagascar, Miami, Vietnam and Thailand.

Sunday night his show featured Charleston, S.C. And Bourdain and Southern chef Sean Brock did what many of us do after a night on the town -- they went to Waffle House. The reaction from Bourdain to this slice of Southern culture was priceless.

Bourdain did what he does best -- and the reason many of us watch him on a regular basis -- he married the cuisine and culture.

"Where everybody, regardless of race, creed, color or degree of inebriation is welcome," Bourdain said of the Waffle House.

That sums up the nearly 2,100 Waffle House restaurants nicely.

He even called your neighborhood Waffle House "a beacon of hope inviting the hungry, the lost the seriously hammered all across the South to come inside, a place of safety and nourishment."

That is not exactly how I would have said it, but I get it.

It was interesting to watch Bourdain's take on such a Southern tradition. It's place we see off most interstate exits and long heavily traveled streets. We duck into a Waffle House early in the morning or very late at night.

It's usually consistent and comfortable, in a strange and twisted sort of way.

"In spite of my world travels," Bourdain explained, "I am new to the wonders of Waffle House." That alone made for interesting television when Brock and Bourdain began to discuss how to order the hashbrowns. The terminology -- the same terms many of us take for granted -- were lost on Bourdain.

Brock explained it well.

"There is a balance. And when you find your balance, you memorize it," Brock said of the hashbrowns. "I go scattered, smothered, covered and chunked."

Of course, that is scattered on the grill, smothered in onions, covered in cheese and chunked with ham.

Oh, the irony of someone of Bourdain's stature falling in love with something as simple as waffles and potatoes. Bourdain even called it an "irony-free zone."

The Bourdain Waffle House video is now making its rounds on Facebook.

Do yourself a favor and watch it.

For sure, most of us can say, "Been there, done that."

Chuck Williams, senior reporter, chwilliams@ledger-enquirer.com

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Chuck Williams: Waffle House - a beacon of hope? ."