( CNN ) -- Before I set out to travel this world , 12 years ago , I used to believe that the human race as a whole was basically a few steps above wolves . That given the slightest change in circumstances , we would all , sooner or later , tear each other to shreds . That we were , at root , self-interested , cowardly , envious and potentially dangerous in groups . I have since come to believe -- after many meals with many different people in many , many different places -- that though there is no shortage of people who would do us harm , we are essentially good . That the world is , in fact , filled with mostly good and decent people who are simply doing the best they can . Everybody , it turns out , is proud of their food ( when they have it ) . They enjoy sharing it with others ( if they can ) . They love their children . They like a good joke . Sitting at the table has allowed me a privileged perspective and access that others , looking principally for `` the story , '' do not , I believe , always get . People feel free , with a goofy American guy who has expressed interest only in their food and what they do for fun , to tell stories about themselves -- to let their guard down , to be and to reveal , on occasion , their truest selves . I am not a journalist . I am not a foreign correspondent . I am , at best , an essayist and enthusiast . An amateur . I hope to show you what people are like at the table , at home , in their businesses , at play . And when and if , later , you read about or see the places I 've been on the news , you 'll have a better idea of who , exactly , lives there . `` Parts Unknown '' is supposed to be about food , culture and travel -- as seen through the prism of food . We will learn along with you . When we look at familiar locations , we hope to look at them from a lesser-known perspective , examine aspects unfamiliar to most . People , wherever they live , are not statistics . They are not abstractions . Bad things happen to good people all the time . When they do , hopefully , you 'll have a better idea who , and what , on a human scale , is involved . I 'm not saying that sitting down with people and sharing a plate is the answer to world peace . Not by a long shot . But it ca n't hurt . Anthony Bourdain . Hotel El Minzah , Tangier .
`` Anthony Bourdain : Parts Unknown '' takes you across the globe to exotic destinations . The CNN personality will share his unique perspective and insights while traveling the world . Bourdain : `` People , wherever they live , are not statistics . They are not abstractions '' He hopes to show `` what people are like at the table , at home , in their businesses , at play ''