Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Updated Edition) by Anthony Bourdain

16 reviews

kurtwombat's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative tense fast-paced

5.0

I’ve watched Anthony Bourdain’s food/travel show on and off for years, enjoying his long cool languid demeanor and hip, inquisitive voice. What provokes is the sense that there is a vigorously lived life idling beneath the surface. In KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL a younger than TV age Bourdain provides a florid splash of his adrenaline-fueled life as a chef. The pace is fast like his kitchens and is at turns shocking and hilarious--feeling like Jim Carroll’s BASKETBALL DIARIES meets Upton Sinclair’s THE JUNGLE delivered by Spalding Gray on speed. Because of his sad passing I had stayed clear of his shows and hesitated picking up this book. Enraptured, my concerns fell away as I realized every page celebrates his life and passion.  The book will teach you about different foods and may encourage you to learn more but you don’t have to care about food at all to enjoy KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL.  Able to pinpoint the childhood meal that ignited his interest in food, soup served cold, that love never wavers despite page after page working insane hours under grueling conditions in crazy environments for little pay. Does that sound like fun, probably not, but it certainly is.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Vomit, Bullying, Body shaming, Infidelity, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, and Toxic relationship

The graphic warnings I gave above are definitely referenced in the book but are not condoned but rather just to describe the atmosphere of this kind of workplace.

taracloudclark's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

I noticed a friend of mine posting about Bourdain often. I knew almost nothing about him, so I decided to take in a book by him. First, Bourdain is sexy as hell. How did I never know this?! He also gives great voice to his own words. Makes me want to be in the NY restaurant culture. Second, this is such a fun read. A bit vulgar for milder tastes, but such a great insight into the biz. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Body horror, Bullying, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cursing, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

cibani's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Alcohol, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, and Drug use

litliz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Sexual content, Cursing, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Bullying, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment

hmetwade's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Medical content, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Drug use, and Sexual violence

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative reflective tense medium-paced

2.5

My son, a bartender, wanted me to read this.  I was not an Anthony Bourdain fan, having never read any of his books, nor watched his shows.  This book didn't make me a fan, either.  

I think I would have liked it if I'd read it in the early 2000s when it was first published.  As a forty-something person, I would have enjoyed this book's rough, vulgar, stream-of-consciousness.  But reading it in 2023 was a different experience.  I found the repeated descriptions of substance abuse, criminal activity, and swearing tiring and boring.  

The book's best parts were the detailed descriptions of what it takes to manage and run a restaurant and the incredible skill and timing of the people working on the line.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Violence, Drug use, Sexism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Cursing, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Vomit

crssmith's review

adventurous dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Racial slurs

kellyofcali's review

challenging dark funny informative inspiring tense medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this book - it's interesting, while I was very aware OF Anthony Bourdain, I don't think I knew much about him, and this is very much him unfiltered (or feels that way) - which both makes you like him more, and less, and feel very sad for what eventually happened to him. It's both a great book for people who love food and restaurants and a terrible one, as it's very honest (and often gross) but the man just loves food.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Addiction, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Drug use

Minor: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

mandaraffe's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Racism, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Blood, Cursing, Sexism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal death and Racial slurs

Minor: Suicide

kumquats87's review

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

4.5

Reading this just reminded me of how much I miss his unique voice.

Also, don’t order the fish on Mondays.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Excrement, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Sexism