UPDATE! From penny pincher to prince: Tony Bourdain pledges to pay $10,000 to essay contest winner

Just a few hours ago, I wrote that Tony Bourdain is holding an essay contest, the winner of which will get his or her own chapter in the forthcoming paperback edition of Medium Raw. Which is all fine and fucking dandy, except for the fact that he wasn't offering to...

By Lori Midson

July 8, 2010

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Just a few hours ago, I wrote that Tony Bourdain is holding an essay contest, the winner of which will get his or her own chapter in the forthcoming paperback edition of Medium Raw. Which is all fine and fucking dandy, except for the fact that he wasn't offering to pay the author-to-be for their prose. And that, people, is just plain wrong.

But according to Eater.com writer Raphael Brion, who also raked Bourdain over the coals for his cheapskate ways, Bourdain has reconsidered his position -- big time -- pledging to hand over a whopping $10,000 check to the writer who best answers the question, "What does it mean to cook food well?"

Christ, that's more than most book-deal advances, not to mention a remarkably altruistic gesture on Bourdain's part.

With that kind of monetary motivation, what the hell are you waiting for?

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