Ruth Bourdain Gets His/Her Very First Interview

Two great tastes that taste great together.

Winning an almost-instant following in the fickle and feckless world of Twitter is no easy feat, but it's much easier if you're particularly adept at both Photoshop and slaughtering sacred cows. Thus has Ruth Bourdain become the latest Twitter phenomenon: a mash-up of Ruth Reichl's twee tweets and Anthony Bourdain's potty mouth, @ruthbourdain has gained 2,318 followers since first tweeting on March 3. Today's latest post: "Fresh bong juice, the scent whirling in the air. Matzo brei, melting lardo (treif shmeif). Raspberries plump like Nigella's boobs. Spring!"

Who exactly is behind Ruth Bourdain remains a mystery, but today Food News Journal has an interview with whoever it is. The interview yields few clues, including gender, but does reveal that the person in question is -- surprise! -- a writer, is a big fan of both Reichl and Bourdain, thinks "food people take themselves way too seriously" and was directly contacted by a "completely perplexed" Rick Bayless after tweeting about a "grueling yoga session with @Rick_bayless" during which he twisted Ruth into the "inverted quesadilla" pose. "I tried to DM him back to explain that this was just a parody," Bourdain explains, "but he doesn't follow Ruth, so there's no way to set him straight. C'est la Internet."

For her part, Reichl seems to have a sense of humor about the send-up: "@kimseverson Flo Fab as @ruthbourdain? Now THAT would be a surprise!"

[Via the Food Section]