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Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material
Most diners believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. The truth is more brutal. More likely, writes Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, that elegant three-star concoction is the collaborative effort of a team of "wacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts, and psychopaths," in all likelihood pierced or tattooed and incapable of uttering a sentence without an expletive or a foreign phrase. Such is the muscular view of the culinary trenches from one who's been groveling in them, with obvious sadomasochistic pleasure, for more than 20 years. CIA-trained Bourdain, currently the executive chef of the celebrated Les Halles, wrote two culinary mysteries before his first (and infamous) New Yorker essay launched this frank confessional about the lusty and larcenous real lives of cooks and restaurateurs. He is obscenely eloquent, unapologetically opinionated, and a damn fine storyteller--a Jack Kerouac of the kitchen. Those without the stomach for this kind of joyride should note his opening caveat: "There will be horror stories. Heavy drinking, drugs, screwing in the dry-goods area, unappetizing industry-wide practices. Talking about why you probably shouldn't order fish on a Monday, why those who favor well-done get the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, and why seafood frittata is not a wise brunch selection.... But I'm simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I've seen it." --Sumi Hahn
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| It Is Anthony |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I like Bourdain on his tv shows. He has a bit of arrogance and holier than thou attitude, but if you watch aot of it is persona more than actuality, and he really is insightful, humorous and entertaining.
This book is just the same with the same qualities. Yes, to some degree he can vcome acroos a bit roguh but ultimately this book is humorous, entertaining and eye opening. Have there been other, probably better, expose on thee business? Of course but that does not mean this book is not good in its own right.
Some of the things are dsiturbing, but most things about restaurants can be. I know I ejoyed this and my cousin, who has sepnt many years in the restaurant business, enjoed it as well when we were discussing books.
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| Fiendishly delightful |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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By all accounts, this should be a lousy book. The life story of a middle-aged, former substance-abusing, self-described SOB and good-but-not-great chef. In the hands of most people, this would be a rambling, uninteresting memoir that would never see the light of day. The fact that Bourdain pulls it off so brilliantly speaks to his ability as a writer and his unpretentious, anti-hero personality.
This book made Bourdain famous, but ironically I found this book because he is famous. I enjoy his TV show, and I happened to see this book in the bookstore so I picked it up. As I was paying for it, the cashier mentioned that she'd just bought it for a friend for Christmas and couldn't stop reading it herself. That added to my already-present optimism that this would be a good read.
Bourdain presents a fascinating glimpse into the world of cooking, as seen through the filter of his own experience. He is perfectly candid about the fact that the pirate ship-like working atmosphere he has experienced--full of drugs, sex, testosterone, and booze--is likely a reflection of his own personality. He goes to such pains to "keep it real" that he even provides a glimpse into the operations of chefs other than himself, whom he freely admits are more talented and successful than him. All the while, the reader has the pleasure of enjoying the ever witty, sarcastic, and brutally honest company of Bourdain as he strolls down memory lane and creates his portrayal of the culinary industry.
A wonderfully crafted, page-turning, guilty-pleasure kind of book, reading it will never allow you to look at eating in a restaurant in the same way ever again. In an age where cooking as become more glamorous and high profile, where cooking shows of all ilks appear on multiple networks, Bourdain's experiences have a bit of a feel of a nostalgic look at times gone by. Bourdain clearly appreciates the irony of becoming the very thing he made a habit of ridiculing: the celebrity chef. Yet, throughout it all, Bourdain shows a single-minded honesty, curiosity, and passion for food which makes him oddly engaging despite his vices. This, plus his quirky personality and interesting anecdotes make for a highly memorable and enjoyable read.
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| Entertaining, Hyperbole or Not |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Whether or not this account is 100% factual, it IS 100% entertaining, provided one has the stomach for such debauchery. Sure, there's a bit of "Hey, look at me!" but it takes a healthy share of that to even bother writing down one's memoirs. If Chef Bourdain is to be believed, it takes that same well-fed ego to become a chef, so it's hardly unexpected.
As someone who can barely scramble an egg without courting disaster, I found it fascinating. Many friends who have WORKED in the cooking industry (not just attended culinary school and aspired to Bourdain's status), have touted its accuracy, so who am I to question?
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| Fun, but no "must read" for aspiring chefs |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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When I started culinary school, I was told that this book was a "must read" for anyone who wanted to be a chef. I bought it, but never read it. Finally, this year, I decided to bust through it. While it is fairly enjoyable, I hardly think it is a "must read" for any aspiring chef.
Maybe I got lucky, but my experience working in restaurants is nothing like what Bourdain described. Maybe it's because I'm not in New York City, and maybe it's because it's no longer the 1980s, but the freakish work environment he described is pretty out of date. Besides, let's keep in mind that Bourdain never worked in the finest kitchens in NYC: he's a bistro cook. Sure, restaurant kitchens may still be a bit more "crude" than the professional offices of their patrons, but they're not the oozing dens of sin that Bourdain tries to describe. Read the book for the entertainment value, but remember that this is really just him reminiscing a bygone era.
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| An interesting read |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Anthony Bourdain is sort of a cynical character and portrays this dark, drug infested culinary life. I think he is a little jaded and not all kitchens are like the ones he worked in. Some are though. It was a good read (not for young readers due to language/adult references) and held my interest to the end. As a new professional chef, it gives you a bit of a reality check and some good advice for succeeding in the field. As with anything, though, take it with a grain of salt.
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