Tuesday, 08 June 2010 07:15 Ryan Sloane

Everyone's favorite globetrotting, trash talking, Rachel Ray-hating chef, Anthony Bourdain spoke to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Monday night to discuss among other things, his new book "Medium Rare," the differences between American and Asian food courts, and his hatred of the hamburger.

For those who missed the interview, you owe it to yourself to check it out (see below), because if there's a guy whose passion for food and integrity on the subject are unquestionable and unparalleled, it's Bourdain. He goes into the downright unsettling preparation involved in bringing fast food hamburger meat to market, including a dip in an ammonia bath and why he says eating a hot dog constitutes "implied consent."

But he also touches on the more logical aspect of why people choose to eat the fast food combo meals instead of inching their way out of their comfort zones and trying something that can not only be an adventure, but can also be a way of discovering new tastes and textures, regardless of whether or not it's actually any better for you. This complacency that Americans have by and large toward food is beginning to change.

You see it every day in the aisles of your supermarkets. Think back to what the shelves looked like in the "Asian food" aisle of your supermarket about ten years ago. And think of what they look like now. Destruction is instant, but progress takes time.

Bourdain has always been a pretty cut and dry guy when it comes to his outlook on food. It doesn't have to be exotic or complicated. It doesn't even necessarily have to be good for you. But it does have to taste good. And that represents the biggest problem facing American palates today. We've replaced "good" with "good enough."

The problem is "good enough" just isn't good enough anymore