Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Anthony Bourdain


So I finally sucked it up and watched Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations on the Travel Channel. Not only am I addicted to the show now, but it has also renewed my faith in the Travel Channel. I was so impressed by his show that I not only watched the marathons on TV, but also online as well as purchasing his book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.


I grabbed Kitchen Confidential for one my five hundred flights that I have had to take in the past few months. It was incredible. The sarcasm, wit, humor, crassness, and absolute brazen truth that appears on Bourdain's show is all there in his writing. The book attempts to expose the real life going ons of a working kitchen. The things that most people sitting down to a nice steak dinner wouldn't even think (or perhaps wouldn't want to think) about. In addition to providing insight into the life behind the kitchen doors, it also chronicles Bourdain's history into becoming a chef. Reading just his history one would think that we were looking at the autobiography of a ex-heroin, junkie rock star, rather than a chef who now makes a living traveling the world looking at all kinds of foods.


I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick read, mainly due to its ease. The words literally flow off the paper and make reading the book quite enjoyable. The humor is also something that kept me along for the ride. Bourdain doesn't spare any details, gross, crass, or otherwise. It is this sense of openness that gives the book that something extra. While I understand that I am only getting a second hand version of a working kitchen, and will never fully appreciate what truly goes on in one - it was extremely interesting to hear about. Definitely check this book out it you are a fan of the show or just plan interested

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