Kitchen Confidential

Mr Bourdain comes across as something of a tortured soul totally at odds with most aspects of being a regular functioning human being, this in itself is why I love this book soo much. He has a gift for story telling and self effacing behavior that I find very appealing in a writer and for that matter a person. Very true to himself. The book fires along at great pace through his life starting from a brief look at his childhood and some of his formulative inspirations, interspersed with foodie bits, all the way through his early cooking years in Provincetown and what became a very chequered career filled with full on substance fuelled misadventures. Dealing with life on the fringes he stumbles from one mad job\situation to the next as he struggles with his inner demons and various addictions. Carving up a reputation as a force to be reckoned with he crashes his way through the new york culinary scene leaving a trail of destruction in his wake think Fear And Loathing and your on the right tracks. What I find most appealing about this book is how he comes across as having a lot of depth of personality and is able throughout to be reflective, understanding on a deeper level his potential, regularly defacing his own bad behaviour showing growth and understanding of his flaws despite being hopelessly bound by them as many of us are, (speaking personally). He is great at describing time and place making this reader feel and sense the energy of the life. He meets some fascinating, darkly charming characters with lots of funny, wicked moments and tales. Even though I have no doubht he made a lot of mistakes and upset a few people on route. I didnt have him down as a bad or malicious person at any stage, he did what was necessary to survive in a difficult business and survive he did with gusto! This versatility is perhaps one of his greatest strengths, his ability to adapt and keep rolling on. I found him also to show a deeper understanding of the human condition, what makes us all tick or motivations and drives, out of this awareness comes a kindness and sense of humility that I found appealing in his character. All in all a very entertaining book!

The first half of the book went down very quickly and flawlessly, but towards the middle/end, repetitions, incongruencies, and narrative stagnation took their toll. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice book, and cooks will definitely relate and find it much more enticing. I possibly was influenced by my high expectations due to my sympathy for Bourdain.

Outstanding read. My book of the year.

Satisfactory

I absolutely loved this book. I first heard about AB when a friend of mine bought the book when it first came out. He is a real foodie and knew of the author from his days at Brasserie Les Halle in NYC. I started following his food / travel programmes and have become a real convert to all things food! The honesty of the man is the first thing that grabbed me, his self deprecating style is unique and appreciated by someone who can equally see his own flaws. The dark humour drips throughout the read. It is narrated as much as written and flows really well. As a person that spent his early life in the meat industry in London, the comparisons that are drawn are absolutely spot on and truly show that the food industry certainly attracts a particular personality. This is a book that anyone who has a modicum of interest in food can enjoy, and I would really like everyone to read what a wonderful bloke Anthony Bourdain was. I regret that he left this earth too early, but his life lives on in his writings. I have already purchased Medium Raw, so watch this space for my review!

O k

Anthony Bourdain's 'Kitchen Confidential' gives a fly-on-the-wall (figuratively, not in terms of Health and Hygiene) insight into the chaotic, sweat inducing, competitive, bad tempered, cauldrons of New York restaurant kitchens that seem to attract a broad spectrum of the world's dissidents,transients, odd-balls, argumentative types, and wierdos. Everything is big in New York from the buildings, automobiles, mass of humanity, size in general of restaurants, and meal portions. Miss Piggy gave excellent advice on the food size front when she pouted out "Never eat more than you can carry." Another factor in New York eating is that the percentage of those cooking meals at home must surely be the smallest anywhere in the world which is evident in the relative sparsity of large grocery retailers. To cope with a large concentrated population, many living in tiny apartments barely big enough for a bed and armchair, eat out for much of the time, and restaurants are plentiful and larger than the average. It is in these commercial, busy, large and almost round the clock, 7/24 eating establishments that Anthony Bourdain learnt and perfected his culinary skills which this excellent book interestingly details. His passion for food is obvious as he once mused "To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese, is a life not worth living."

Excellent value, fast shipping. Thank you very much.

A classic grimy account of the NY culinary scene from the late 80s to 90s.

Read it

I had to slow myself down in the last chapter as I realised the book is coming to an end. I finished and wanted more but resigned to the fact it won't be. As a former line cook, much of the book resonated well, had me laughing, gasping, wondering how the heck does this world operate so gritty, when the plates that come out look so pretty. Great read.

I wanted to keep this book for a later holiday read but that’s not going to happen ! I can’t put it down.

🔷 Stile unico: Il libro di Anthony Bourdain offre uno sguardo crudo e senza censure sul mondo della cucina professionale, con uno stile di scrittura coinvolgente e un tono autentico che cattura il lettore dall'inizio alla fine. 🔷 Racconti affascinanti: Le storie di Bourdain sulla vita in cucina, le sue esperienze con chef e ristoratori, e le sue osservazioni sulla cultura culinaria sono incredibilmente affascinanti e spesso divertenti. 🔷 Educativo e provocatorio: Oltre ad essere un racconto personale, il libro offre anche una riflessione sulla gastronomia, il lavoro nelle cucine e le sfide che molti chef affrontano, portando alla luce gli aspetti meno glamour di questo mondo. 🔷 Iconico: Questo libro ha definito la carriera di Bourdain e ha lasciato un'impronta indelebile nella cultura gastronomica, diventando un must-read per chiunque sia appassionato di cucina. 🍽️📚 Kitchen Confidential è una lettura imperdibile per chi è curioso di scoprire i retroscena delle cucine professionali e l'affascinante mondo che ci si nasconde dietro.