Travel Channel star and ex-gonzo chef Anthony Bourdain has stirred a lot of pots in his time - not all of them in kitchens. He's also seen and eaten things we can only dream about - or suffer nightmares over.

During an early morning phone conversation last week (with his two-year-old daughter occasionally cooing in the background), Bourdain was gracious, funny, thoughtful and game for any and all questions.

Here are some excerpts; for a smoking hot and freshly served helping of Bourdain's well-oiled mouth and brain, check out his speaking engagement Saturday at the Palace.

What goes on during an "Evening with Anthony Bourdain"?

I pretty much make it up as I go along, depending on how it's going and what I feel like that night. I'll start out talking and at some point stop and start taking questions from the audience.

I'll take as many and for as long as there's energy in the crowd and people are asking crazy, provocative, drunk or interesting questions. I usually get a pretty eclectic crowd, so it's kind of like "make your own show" - the show will be as good as the crowd. If it starts to wind down to "What's your favorite color?" I'm going to call it a night.

What do you know about Columbus? Are you planning to shoot any segments here for No Reservations?

I don't know really anything about Columbus, but we might be shooting a quick segment there as part of a larger show about the Heartland.

While eating street food in Shanghai on No Reservations, you said something like, "pleasure tonight, but I'll be leaking like the Exxon Valdez tomorrow." Why eat so much street food?

Generally, if locals are eating it in large numbers, it's probably good. That street cart is not still in business from poisoning its neighbors. I've found that touristy restaurants are much more likely to give you a problem - they don't expect you to hang around; you're off on a cruise ship the next day and not there to complain.

And as far as getting seriously ill, it's only happened twice in eight years of television.

Is it safe to say that African warthog anus was the worst thing you ever ate?

It probably gave me the most prolonged unpleasant feeling. But as for single worst-tasting mouthful ... that rotten shark in Iceland - that was pretty offensive. So those are my top two.

Do you watch other Travel Channel shows?

I watch Zimmern [of Bizarre Foods] from time to time. I love the tribal shows with Mark and Olly, like Living with the Mek. I like Samantha Brown personally, but obviously I'm not a cruise ship guy.

As for Man vs. Food, I worry about that kid. I'm mesmerized by the show, I watch it. I don't know how he does it and how much longer he can keep doing it. I told some people at the network, "You're going to kill that kid - you're going to kill him, and then you're going to burn in hell."

You've been an outspoken critic of the Food Network and its disconnection from actual cooking. What do you think about [FN Senior VP of programming and production] Bob Tuschman?

That's a guy with a face for radio. I can't believe he puts himself on The Next Food Network Star - that would terrify me out of television if I saw that. He can smile and frown at the same time. He's kind of like a comic book villain from Batman.

There's something strangely upsetting about watching him. He's very blunt about the true ugly priorities of Food Network when he's explaining to those contestants what it's going to take to be the next Food Network star - and the word cooking seldom comes up [laughs hard].

What are your thoughts on molecular gastronomy?

It's a word - like "foodie" - I'd like to see the end of. They're meaningless. It's terribly misused by people explaining why they don't like it, but as [friend and superstar chef] David Chang pointed out, even baking is molecular gastronomy.

Is it true you have a feud with [locavore pioneer] Alice Waters?

I wouldn't say it's a feud. I think it's impossible to really disagree that the world that Alice would like us to live in would probably be a much better place.

I guess some of her tone and timing and the certainty with which she proselytizes, particularly in times of financial difficulty for so many people, obviously rubs me the wrong way. And if nothing else, I think a spirited discussion and poking holes in sacred cows is both useful and often funny.

Whose idea was it for you to pose naked while holding a bone in front of yourself in your photo for My Last Supper [a book about the last-meal preferences of famous chefs]?

Yeah [laughs], I got really conned there in a sense, because me and [chef and Le Bernardin owner] Eric Ripert - we were both very friendly with the photographer - and Eric and I were like [speaks in dumb guy voice], "Yeah, I'll do it naked if you do it naked. Yeah, sure thing man, just open some tequila."

So I show up, have a couple of shots and do it, and then the book arrives and there's Eric [really cracking up] looking very distinguished in a full jacket and everything; so Eric pooched out at the last minute and I owe him one.

What's your favorite junk food or guilty pleasure?

That horrible, horrible, horrible macaroni and cheese at KFC. It's disgusting, but I've really got a weakness for it and once a year I'll break down and - I'll put a bag over my head - sneak in to get that sh--.

How much do you travel and how long can you keep filming No Reservations?

I travel for the better part of 10 months - two weeks out of every month minimum.

How long can I keep it up? The show's doing really well and I'm having a really good time. I have as much creative freedom as anyone in the history of television has ever had.

I have the best job in the world; I get to work with friends; I get to rip off my favorite directors - we're all film junkies here - so if I'm on a Wong Kar-wai jag, I get to go to China and imitate his style. To the extent that I see even the possibility of that equation changing, that would be that.

What's a typical day like at home in NYC?

A perfect day at home if I've been traveling a lot is to spend the day in my pajamas on the floor with my daughter watching cartoons, playing, going to the park. Call out for pizza, catch up on Mad Men, if I'm lucky enough that she takes a nap. It's like my soap opera.

What was the last good meal you ate?

A wonderful and inspiring meal at Marea, a high-test NYC Italian seafood restaurant

What about the last transcendent meal?

Mind-blowing sushi from Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo

Last good book you read?

Tim Butcher's Blood River (about the Congo)

Upcoming projects?

A possible No Reservations on the Congo, and "Alternate Universe" - two-minute poking-fun web cartoons for hard-core fans

Preferred hangover cure?

A couple of aspirins, some Coca-Cola and then (after reigniting his appetite) some good Kung Pao chicken or spicy leftovers

What do you cook at home?

Simple one-pot meals, like Boeuf Bourguignon, soups, steak au poivre and wild mushroom risotto