Kitchen Confidential Updated Edition: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)

by Anthony Bourdain

Hardcover, 2007

Call number

647.95 B

Collection

Publication

Ecco (2007), Edition: Updated, 312 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Cooking & Food. Essays. Nonfiction. HTML:Anthony Bourdain, host of Parts Unknown, reveals "twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behavior and haute cuisine" in his breakout New York Times bestseller Kitchen Confidential. Bourdain spares no one's appetite when he told all about what happens behind the kitchen door. Bourdain uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable book, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From Bourdain's first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the east village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You'll beg the chef for more, please.… (more)

Media reviews

This is one bitter, nasty, searing, hard-to-swallow piece of work. But if you can choke the thing down, youll (sic) probably wake up grinning in the middle of the night. Bourdain is a force of unruly nature, a lifelong misanthrope and currently the executive chef at the Brasserie Les Halles, whose
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clientele, now that this book is out, must be accounted among the more courageous diners in New York.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member katydid-it
With an unapologetic look at the restaurant industry, Bourdain tells the secrets of what's really going on behind the kitchen doors when you go out to eat. And what goes on sounds like a heck of a lot of fun and adventure. This memoir discloses what Bourdain calls "twenty-five years of sex, drugs,
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bad behavior and haute cuisine." On the face of it, it's a mystery why anyone would get into the business: incredibly long hours and no holidays off, on the job accidents, lack of appreciation for your work, and strange co-workers. And yet Bourdain's passion for the food, respect for a job well done and the camaraderie in the kitchen inspire a sincere appreciation for the people who can hack it.

He’s brutally honest about the industry - to the point that it’s prompted some others in world to get quite irritated with him. He gives away some great secrets, such as: 1. Never order seafood on Monday nights because restaurants get their fish delivered on Thursdays, which makes it pretty old after the weekend; 2. Beware of “Specials” – they are how a lot of restaurants use up older ingredients and leftovers (so is brunch for that matter); 3. Butter and bread are usually recycled from other tables if they are unused.

You'll either love Bourdain or hate him. He disrespects vegetarians, uses offensive language, tells some bawdy stories, and is generally full of chutzpah. But he is one great story teller.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Kitchen Confidential is a hybrid - part memoir, part behind-the-scenes peek into the dark side of the restaurant business, and part love letter to food, cooking, and restaurant culture. Anthony Bourdain gives us some of his own history in the culinary business, shares the mistakes he's
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made, the people he's met, and the lessons he's learned. He gives advice on what items you're probably missing from your home kitchen, teaches a quick course in kitchen patois, and explains why you should never order the fish on a Monday, and he does it all in his brash and inimitable style.

You should definitely read this book if:
- You're a foodie. Even though, by Bourdain's standards, I am not "worthy" to eat garlic, I'm a bit of a foodie: I like reading about food, watching the Food Network, cooking, and eating. It's clear throughout the book that whatever his feelings on the restaurant business, Bourdain loves food, and that passion comes through loud and clear.

- You like "behind the scenes" non-fiction. Kitchen Confidential is an insider's point of view on a world that is right there, on the other side of the restaurant wall, but which most of us will never see, and it's thoroughly fascinating. It almost reads like an ethnography on restaurant culture, and it simultaneously made me daydream about becoming a chef, and want to run screaming and never step foot inside a restaurant again. Since I've read it, dining out has become a much more interesting experience.

- You like books read by the author. Although Bourdain is also a published novelist, the writing in this book is very personal and informal, like Bourdain is just sitting there, regaling you with hilarious tales of his adventures and shooting the shit over drinks. He writes like he talks, and so the audiobook doesn't feel like he's reading a book to you, so much as like he just sat down in front of a microphone and eight hours of stories came pouring out spontaneously.

You should avoid this book if:
- You like a structured, linear narrative flow. Kitchen Confidential is not a straight-up memoir; it jumps pretty frenetically from topic to topic and from time period to time period. It got a little confusing in places; Bourdain would do things like refer to his wife on one page and then his girlfriend a few pages later, and then leave it to the reader to figure out that the later chapter actually occurred before the former. I can pinpoint the beginning and end of Bourdain's professional timeline as described in the book, but as to the order of the events in the middle? No way. Once I got into the rhythm of the writing, I was fine, but approaching this book looking for a single cohesive story is going to land you in a world of confusion.

- You're easily offended. Bourdain is not at all shy about discussing drug use or sex, or calling people idiots when they're idiots, and there's plenty of all three in the restaurant industry. The book is also laced with swearing, and incidental bits of racism and sexism. These things didn't bother me - they're part of the subculture of the kitchen, and any attempt to bowdlerize them would have made the book feel inauthentic - but if you're sensitive to such things, you'll probably want to steer clear.

- You like to cherish your illusions about the sanctity, deliberation, and care with which your meals are prepared in sparkling clean, calm, and organized restaurant kitchens by dedicated, morally-upright, and careful chefs. Good luck with that. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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LibraryThing member YogiABB
I picked this book up in a bookstore a couple weeks ago. For years I've occasionally watchined Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show on the Food Network. He always seemed like a ready for anything, at ease guy as he goes around the world eating chopped lamb brains from street vendors and other
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adventuresome cusine. He looks like a guy who smokes and drinks too much and stays up too late and probably doesn't read his Bible every day. He also seems like a guy who can tell some good stories.

Kitchen Confidential came out ten years ago and is still in print. It is Bourdain's description of his career as a cook and chef and many observations on the restaurant industry. The man can write. It is one of those books where you start reading it and you can't stop. He says he wrote the book for the guys who work in restaurants. He tells a lot of stories about working in restaurants. I am sure that some of the stories are actually true. They are all entertaining.

I rate the book 4 stars out of 5 it is a darn good read.
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LibraryThing member agnesmack
On New Year’s Day, I was hungover at a friend’s house and looking for a light read. When I found Kitchen Confidential on his bookshelf I thought it’d be perfect. The fact that it took me 7 months to finish should tell you most of what you need to know about this book.

There were certainly
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things I liked. I do love to cook and it was interesting to get some insight into a professional cook/chef’s world. However, I felt like the biggest problem with this book was that he didn’t know who he was writing for. Portions of the book are written as though the reader knows nothing about professional cooking and goes over some very basic information. Others are written with tons of ‘inside jokes’ and terms that the average person would not know. Come on now, you have to know your audience. There isn’t much I dislike more than inconsistency in a book.

I also felt that Mr. Bourdain was annoying as hell. He was so damn proud of himself, and even his self-deprecating humor didn’t do much to convince me that he doesn’t think he’s the most fabulous person on the earth. The prose was overly complicated and it regularly took him forever to get to the point.

The sexism, racism and homophobia in this book really rubbed me the wrong way as well. He was completely unapologetic about it and insisted that it’s just ‘the way things are’ and that these people aren’t really racist – they just say racist things all the time! Duh! I was embarrassed by the way Mr. Bourdain felt the need to fall all over himself every time there was a mention of a successful woman in the kitchen, as though a few mentions of women makes up for all his sexism. It’s kind of like your neighborhood racist insisting that he’s not racist because he has himself a black friend!

All that said, there were some interesting chapters. I learned a few things and there wasn’t really a point where I considered giving up on this book. It just didn’t excite me enough to pick up on a regular basis.
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LibraryThing member melydia
The tagline for this book is something like "sex, drugs, and haute cuisine," and that about sums it up. Bourdain takes the reader on a journey through his culinary days, from dishwasher to head chef. This is not a good book for vegetarians, those offended by crude language, or anyone grossed out by
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frank descriptions of animal flesh. I found, in general, that these autobiographical essays entertained me thoroughly but also convinced me that I'd rather not experience such things first hand. Bourdain's average day makes me tired just thinking about it. While I appreciated the advice about restaurants and tips for would-be chefs, my favorite parts were unquestionably the anecdotes and adventures. Bourdain's cynical but generally amused and appreciative view of the crazy characters he's encountered never failed to make me smile. Sure, these are not people I'd want to associate with in person but they're fun to get to know vicariously. I will definitely have to pick up some of Bourdain's other books.
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LibraryThing member mpho3
Kitchen Confidential is wildly entertaining. However, Bourdain is like that alky friend you have - the motormouth one whose drunken rambles are intoxicating in and of themselves until you get tired of both him and his stories. You wait for him to wind down, but he never does because he loves the
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sound of his own voice too much. What makes it slightly forgivable is that Bourdain knows this of himself. Late in the book he declares himself to be, 'a bony, whippet-thin, gristly, tendony strip of humanity, and after two weeks of running up and down the steps at Teatro from prep kitchen to à la carte kitchen - like some hyperactive forest ranger, always trying to put out brush fires in order to avoid actual conflagrations - I looked as if I'd been breathing pure crack in some VC tiger cage for the last ten years.' The problem is that every sentence is like that, overflowing with hyperbole, allusions, similes and utter B.S. Several times while I was wending my way through the book, I just wanted to say 'enough already' and toss it far away from me except that I was using the Kindle app on my phone and heaving it across the room would have been bad for the electronics. But though I complain, I must admit that he often succeeded in making me laugh, and throughout much of the book, I felt immersed in the underbelly of the kitchen - just as he promised. I also appreciated the chapter entitled 'From Our Kitchen to Your Table,' which is chock full of trade 'secrets' that reveal what not to order at restaurants. Mind you, it isn't necessarily earth-shattering if you're already familiar with his now infamous piece, 'Don't Eat Before Reading This,' but since reading his work, I do find myself thinking a little more strategically when eating out. I am potentially interested in reading his follow up, A Cook's Tour, but given that my first reaction to finishing this one was a long sigh followed by a loudly uttered 'thank god,' I think it will be a long time before I'm ready to subject myself to his brand of manic locution again.
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LibraryThing member InDreamsAwake
The first half (funny and interesting) was much better than the second half (self-indulgent and boring). Brought back a lot of memories. I've worked with the characters Bourdain describes. I would recommend the audiobook. Bourdain, in addition to being a deadpan laugh riot, reads very well.
LibraryThing member ngennaro
If you are a fan of Tony on the Food Network you will enjoy this book. Its gives you a perspective of his life and reads just like he talks/editorializes on the show.
LibraryThing member jontseng
A wonderful book full of pungent, muscular prose which the author then failed to live up to in later works. A case of the write guy at the right time.
LibraryThing member smorton11
By sheer happenstance, my husband and I spent June 8th on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Tony’s home of many years (when he wasn’t traveling, which was rare). We were going to a concert in Brooklyn that night and decided to go the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) for the day. As we were
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driving to our “local” train station in NJ in rush hour traffic from our home west of Philadelphia, we listened to NPR, as we always do. And around 8AM, as we sat in Trenton traffic, we turned the volume up because we couldn’t believe what we had heard. Tony died. By his own hand. To my husband and I, this was unthinkable. We’d been watching No Reservations since we’d started dating. Our relationship had two television constants, Top Gear and Tony.

As we made our way into the city on NJ Transit as we’ve done countless times before, I took my usual news junkie status to a new level. My hero, he was gone. Gone without explanation. The BBC, CNN, NBC, ABC, NPR, no one had anything else to report except that which we already knew. He was gone. I texted my boss at the bookstore straight away and begged him to put the books in stock out on display with the staff pick blurbs I’d written for them ages ago. Medium Raw, my favorite summer read, Appetites, the only cookbook I cook out of, and, though I hadn’t read it, obviously we needed to order in Kitchen Confidential ASAP. Then I started dreading the fact that I’d be meeting with our publisher rep at the start of the week, the rep who handled his imprint for Harper Collins. I couldn’t bring myself to think straight.

I looked up whether or not we could get a reservation for a mid-afternoon meal at Les Halles, only to discover it had closed. Only months ago, we could have gone and didn’t. I kicked myself for it. When we walked past it later in the day, I saw the remembrances people had left. It inspired my first post two days later, Dear Tony. I debated whether or not I could bring myself to watch Parts Unknown anymore and when it turned out to be too tear-inducing, I decided to read the one book of his I didn’t want to, Kitchen Confidential.

I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. I was afraid it would talk too much about drug use and that I didn’t really want to read about, I’ve dealt with it enough in my family. I was afraid that the Tony writing was different than the Tony we’d come to know and love. And then, I decided to be brave and listen to him read it. I was on my way to London to visit my sister when I finally gave in. I still didn’t even own a copy of it. But after only five minutes, I realized I had nothing to worry about – Tony was still Tony – already a master storyteller, already with three novels to his name, already well on his way to not becoming, but staying himself, and then revealing that self to the world. And when I found a special edition of the book with all his notes and handwritten margin doodles at a bookshop in London, well, I had to have it.

Kitchen Confidential is, for anyone who has gotten to know Anthony Bourdain through his various shows, thoroughly him. The story isn’t linear or chronological (his never are, even Parts Unknown), and he is very open and honest about his periods of dishonesty and chef-poaching, honest about his privileged upbringing and squandering it, honest about the world of the professional kitchen. Honest and candid about his life and how he got to where he is, and the result, for anyone who, like me, had watched for years and never read, is heartbreaking.

Because in reading now, for the first time, it is impossible to disassociate the book with the end. It is impossible to ignore the fact that we will never have another Bourdain masterpiece. Impossible to forget that he’s no longer here to tell us stories on Sunday night. Impossible to understand how things went this way. Because as much as I wish I had known him, I didn’t. I didn’t know, I don’t know, what led him to do what he did. But I can read his works, reread, rewatch, and hope, beyond hope, that he has changed the world for the better.
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LibraryThing member miketroll
Subtitled "Adventures in the culinary underbelly".

A titillating exposé of life in the kitchens of some serious metropolitan retaurants. It's witty, frenetic and obviously embroidered for effect. You wouldn't be scared off eating out by this book and are not really meant to. But you might heed the
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good advice of not ordering fish on a Monday.
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LibraryThing member paghababian
Bourdain is a rock and roll star in today's culinary world, and this is the book that gave him that position. He may not be the most amazing of chefs, nor the classiest guy to work for, but he knows the ins and outs of the culinary world, especially New York. His willingness to talk about it in
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such specifics is, I think, something that has led to the culinary revolution that has taken place over the last 5 or so years.

At times, Bourdain comes across as arrogant or smug (which he definitely can be), but if you've watched his show "No Reservations," you can almost hear his voice, his cadences, in his writing. More authors need to learn how to do that.

Reading Kitchen Confidential made me sad that the sitcom based on the book was cancelled so quickly. I had really enjoyed it when it was on the air (2 or 3 years ago now), and I still think the exploits in this book are great entertainment.
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LibraryThing member shaska
How I LOVED this book! It's certainly not for everyone, but if you can appreciate a severely rough and brash sense of humor that you really would find in a commercial kitchen, this one will work it's way into your heart in no time. I couldn't put this down! He had me in hysterics because so much of
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it is.. sadly.. so true!
Thumbs up.
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LibraryThing member akritz
A funny read. who knew all that went into running a restaurant? Fortunately Bourdain's sarcasm and dark humor make it an enjoyable story. He certainly doesn't hold back - but that may be all the drugs and alcohol impairing his judgement. I now know what days to order fish, what not to eat for
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brunch, what the chef will think of my order, and what is going on behind the scenes.
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LibraryThing member maravedi
I think KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL takes on a different flavor to the working cook or chef, than it does to the layman. It talks about the things that our professional pride would "never" allow us to let happen, but everyone who's worked in the kitchen for any length of time has in fact seen happen. Not
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approved of, per se, but seen. It reminds us that we're not alone, that other people have had to deal with the bull and the crashing disappointments. It lets us laugh about the long hours, the weirdness, the pressure... it's a book that tells the world how we see ourselves, how we feel, and more than anything, why we do it.

And by the way people, brunch really is okay. But yeah, don't get the fish on Monday.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
Bourdain's balls-to-the-wall memoir of his time as a chef is intense, but it's also mesmerizing. It's a behind-the-scenes view of the hectic, cutthroat world of cooking. I don't envy the lives of the people in this world, but they do fascinate me. I can't imagine choosing a life where every weekend
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night is spent serving other people, who rarely appreciate your skill. Chefs and kitchen staff are hired and fired with the speed of a rapidly revolving door. Tempers flare easily and the consequences are rough. It's all drugs, sex, but no rock 'n' roll. Bourdain's writing style makes the crazy life enthralling. He is ruthless in his descriptions of people he has worked with, but he doesn't exclude himself from that same tough scrutiny. His passion for food is contagious. The language and descriptions are rough, so this isn't for everyone. But if you can take it, it's absolutely entertaining.
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LibraryThing member JeffV
Anthony Bourdain's debut book covers his life before his TV show, No Reservations. A memoir of sorts, it covers his rise in the often-seedy world of professional kitchens. The characters we meet through Bourdain aren't those most of would invite to dinner, but it seems we should forgive their many
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flaws and perhaps have them cook it. How a room full of drug-addled, foul-mouthed malcontents could orchestrate the symphony that is a busy kitchen to crank out high quality product is the main focus of the book.

Most of the revelations didn't surprise me much, but Bourdain tells interesting stories. One thing I wasn't aware of is the amount of raiding going on -- hiring away people from other restaurants to staff a new (or take-over) establishment. Bourdain doesn't really give much detail on how many left him (voluntarily) under such auspices.

Bourdain does scatter in some advice for the restaurant-goer (don't eat fish on Mondays) or the home chef who wants to improve (#1, fresh ingredients, #2, a good knife). I think he probably could have elaborated on that more..but maybe he felt he already stepped on enough toes. The book ends with Bourdain taking a job in Tokyo, but before his name-sake TV show appeared. He was perhaps a little jealous when he scoffed at the TV star chefs, I wonder what is take is on them now that he is also a personality? As far as personalities go, though, Anthony Bourdain is quite the character and I think I will make a greater effort to keep up with his show.
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LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Going into Kitchen Confidential I didn't have too many expectations. I knew vaguely who Anthony Bourdain was - a guy on some cable channel who jetted around the world eating the strangest stuff he could find and generally enjoying being Anthony Bourdain. Despite the attempt at a cautionary tale,
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that's the biggest message that comes across in KC - that it's good to be Anthony Bourdain no matter what idiotic and potentially life or career ending decisions he may have made. Others may try, but no one will exactly duplicate the mystical and dangerous journey that is his. Yes, Mr. Bourdain likes himself very, very much.

And he likes food. All manner of food so long as it fits his definition of honest. Three Michelin star, diety inspired bistro and street meat vendor are equally admired and lauded for their contributions to what he thinks is honest. Woe betide you however if you approach your craft from a different angle or with different intentions; Bourdain will let you know the error of your ways in no uncertain terms. Wanker.

The first few chapters of KC made me not want to set foot inside a restaurant again. Scary. Not that I didn't know it from previous reading (ok, ok it was one book, but still I sort of knew what a hellhole most kitchens really are), but this reinforced that. A few more chapters in and I amended my decision to only large restaurants with huge turnovers both of staff (but how will I know that?) and seats. The descriptions of life at The Rainbow Room was enough to put me off the place forever. Not that I plan to visit NYC at any time, but there it is.

So what was me, a decided non-foodie doing reading a book like this anyway? Well I am a foodie, albeit a non-typical one. No, I've never worked in a restaurant - never even been a waitress or taken your order at Micky D's. No, I do not have nor do I read food blogs. Ok, yes, I watch the Food Channel occasionally, but I know it's schlock and full of "personalities" rather than real cooks. Ok, yes, I read Bon Appetit and Wine Spectator, but I do it from the viewpoint of an eater rather than a cook. I'm not even a particularly adventurous eater. My motto is no fewer than two legs no more than four.

But I do know what I like and this book gave me a lot of information about how it's made and the kind of people who make it. Bourdain has a lot of experience and a decent turn of phrase (albeit a bit repetitive) and can spin a tale well. I wasn't put off by the vulgarity or the self-indulgent tone and I enjoyed it on the same level as pecan pie; one piece at a time - have too much and you end up sick and never wanting to eat pecan pie again.
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LibraryThing member StoutHearted
If you can read this, and still want to be a chef, you have truly found your calling. Bourdain describes the grueling work involved in running a restaurant, and it's enough to curl your hair: long hours, knife wounds, cranky waitstaff, and unreasonable demands from reastaurant owners in over their
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heads. He's very open about the seedy side of the business: how drugs and illegal immigration prop up many a restaurant. But he also points out the perks, like the booze and gourmet freebies chefs can snag as part of their brotherhood with fellow restaurant workers and bartenders. He dispenses advice like a true been-there-done-that mentor, tells you who to butter up, how to spot when your restaurant is failing and you should bail out, and suggests you learn different languages as the kitchen can be a mini-UN. His advice also is helpful for patons, like the best days to eat fish at a restaurant, and what the special of the day really means.

Bourdain makes no bones about the tough life of a chef, but his love for the job shines through. We're introduced to his soft side through his description of eating a fresh raw oyster just seconds out of the ocean and how it sent him on a journey through gourmet food. While it seems incredible that he worked in such grueling conditions and still has love for the job, he proudly talks of the challenges like he talks of his scarred-up chef's hands. He speaks frankly in tell-it-like-it-is language that is better for speed-reading than savoring. While he effects a cooler-than-thou persona, he's not afraid to tell embarrassing stories about himself, or use himself as an example of what not to do. All-in-all, an entertaining read not just for would-be chefs, but fascinating for anyone who loves to dine out.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
A memoir? An exposé? Perhaps some of both, this is the story, or some of the story of Anthony Bourdain's years as a chef. I'm having a really hard time describing what it is, and why I like it/don't like it.

I'll start with what I like. I found the descriptions of behind the scenes in a restaurant
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fascinating. Not romanticized at all. It is like seeing photos of models before they have been photoshopped. Lovely and real, and yet lovely because they are real and have "imperfections." I like his writing, probably for the same reason. I like his humor, although his crudeness makes me cringe.

What don't I like? Well, the foul language grows monotonous. It says something for his writing that I was willing to read through that. I realize that the language and foulness is part of the reality of his life and the lives of people who work in that realm. It wouldn't have been real without it, so here I am turning a "dislike" into a sort of a "like." Notice, I can't use the words "love," "adore," or "delight." The book was somewhat painful for me to read, which is OK. There is something beyond the language that makes me not love this book. I noticed it in another book of his I read as well. It is hard to keep track of where he is in his life during the writing. He seems to start from the beginning and be working chronologically, then it becomes difficult to tell. I'm not sure whether that is because during his drug using years he couldn't keep track himself, or whether it is intentional. It seems unclear whether he is a good chef (he claims not to be, but his actual descriptions of the work and restaurants indicate otherwise) or not. Is this purposeful? I'm not sure. Is he the jackass he makes himself out to be? I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm glad I've read the book, I probably won't read any more by Bourdain, but I may watch some of his shows.
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LibraryThing member ChristaJLS
As some one who has spent the past few years of her life running around restaurants, working my way through school I picked up this book hoping to laugh a little and read about someone whose been in way worse situations than me. For the first half of this book this is exactly what I got. Bourdain's
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rise from dishwasher to chef at the Rainbow Room really demonstrated Bourdain's love of food and how hard he was willing to work to become a chef.
After that however I found myself reading a disorganized jumble of anecdotes mixed with some self pity and too much pride. I got tired of reading Bourdain's pity party of working for managers who don't know what they're doing, applying for jobs that were beneath him and cooking food that was gasp not haute cuisine! You almost wanted to reach into the book, grab Bourdain, shake him and tell him to suck it up! Where had the drive, the ambition and the humour gone from earlier in the book? Oh and “sex, drugs and bad behaviour”? Only alluded too. They were just brief passages connecting stories that left you wanting more.
Bourdain gives us an honest account of his experience in the restaurant industry. Do not, however, assume this is everyone's experience. Sure there are things we would rather customers didn't know. But the restaurant industry I know isn't a top secret exclusive club. It's filled with a bunch of people, who even with the bad days enjoy what they do (yes even a lot of waiter's like what they do, despite what you may believe) and the chef's I know are proud of it!
Bourdain is a talented chef and I am a huge fan of his show No Reservations but this book left me wanting more. I wanted more of the “bad behaviour” he constantly refers to. I wanted more tips and tricks that aren't common knowledge for a lot of people (like owning a chef's knife – I own one, my mother owns one, my grandmother got one for Christmas). And I want less complaints about other staff in the restaurant (waiters, managers, hosts, runners etc). You're a team! Now act like it! If Bourdain can do all that, than I will happily pick up his next book and try again. Until then I'll stick with my own culinary adventure.
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LibraryThing member kikianika
A fun poke into the seedy culinary underbelly, from drugs to gluttony. An interesting insight into the non-glamorous life of a chef, and a great story. if you're interested in why you shouldn't order the shrimp cocktail at your favourite restaurant, this is the book for you.
LibraryThing member gwendolyndawson
Highly entertaining memoir about a gourmet chef and his various drug and alcohol-laced exploits. I'm interested in the restaurant industry, and there are plenty of insider tips for the industry in this book.
LibraryThing member mcglothlen
I didn't think this was the delight most people I know thought it was, but it was funny and that's something.
LibraryThing member missmaya
very entertaining book. I now mostly eat in restaurants on Tuesday or Wednesday night.

Pages

312

ISBN

0060899220 / 9780060899226

UPC

201560899220
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