Scan barcode
Reviews
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Updated Edition) by Anthony Bourdain
bergsteiger's review
4.0
When a friend lent me this book I was skeptical. A book about the cooking industry? Boring. But out of respect I read it and have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
Bourdain is the Edward Abbey of describing food. Like Abbey's vivid descriptions of the seemingly bland desert, Bourdain takes foods you don't normally think about in any great detail and gives it a sensory quality that makes you want to go out and try some right now.
He also possesses a cynical, self-deprecating humor that leads us through both his early years as a chef and the industry as he experienced it in the 70s, 80s and 90s in Provincetown and New York. He conveys the experience well, so that an "outsider" can understand and appreciate what the industry was like in that time and place.
It is a little unpolished at times and often disjointed, keeping it out of 5 star territory, but it is a great read. I tried to start his second book and got about halfway through, but the authenticity was lacking (as was any clear plot line) and the disjointedness was even more jarring, but this first book is a keeper. Solid 4 stars.
Bourdain is the Edward Abbey of describing food. Like Abbey's vivid descriptions of the seemingly bland desert, Bourdain takes foods you don't normally think about in any great detail and gives it a sensory quality that makes you want to go out and try some right now.
He also possesses a cynical, self-deprecating humor that leads us through both his early years as a chef and the industry as he experienced it in the 70s, 80s and 90s in Provincetown and New York. He conveys the experience well, so that an "outsider" can understand and appreciate what the industry was like in that time and place.
It is a little unpolished at times and often disjointed, keeping it out of 5 star territory, but it is a great read. I tried to start his second book and got about halfway through, but the authenticity was lacking (as was any clear plot line) and the disjointedness was even more jarring, but this first book is a keeper. Solid 4 stars.
vanillabbt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I picked up this read in an effort to learn more and understand the true underlying of the culinary world, and to be able to gain perspective on my partner's career. 🥹 For a biography, Kitchen Confidential is surprisingly easy to read. As a stranger to cooking, I never knew any technical terms or ingredients (aside from what I've heard through conversations with my partner), and to have this book break down cooking into such simple terms is truly a godsend. Kitchen Confidential touches on multiple topics, from the attitudes of being a chef to personal management — it is a guide for anyone who is keen on pursing the culinary arts. I liked how real and raw Anthony Bourdain is in this book and he does not mince his words at all. His honesty in his experiences, especially when talking about his addiction, helped me to understand the vices that chefs take on to cope with the stresses of the industry. I would definitely recommend this to anyone curious about joining the culinary world (or just gaining further perspective on it). ✨ The only reason why it's a 3.5 for me is because I don't really enjoy nonfiction as a genre but this book balances it with anecdotes, which I'm thankful for!
singem1's review
4.0
This was great. It was like stepping into the secret world of what a restaurant kitchen is like. I briefly worked at a hotel with attached restaurant and helped in the kitchen and many of the stories or ways the staff act are pretty spot on. A restaurant kitchen is its own world with many cultures mixed together. It is wild.
The descriptions of the foods and learning about kitchen life and culture were so good. I found myself jotting down ingredients and foods to try. Also places I want to visit just for the food alone. Bourdain was a very good writer in my opinion and I am putting his other books on my To Read shelf. This was a win for me.
The descriptions of the foods and learning about kitchen life and culture were so good. I found myself jotting down ingredients and foods to try. Also places I want to visit just for the food alone. Bourdain was a very good writer in my opinion and I am putting his other books on my To Read shelf. This was a win for me.
hollietoftx's review
The narrator (and author) came across as very preachy and arrogant and it did not make for nice listening.