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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
oh i so loved to finally read this.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
inspiring
fast-paced
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
2.5 / 5 rounded down.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I went into this book wanting to give it 5 stars. I loved Anthony Bourdain's shows as a kid, and I've always found his particular "voice" captivating - whether through text or narration. This book, however, really missed the mark for me. Anthony Bourdain died way too soon, and the world is worse off for it; he didn't pull any punches on his reviews, and I won't either.
I understand that this book helped usher in a new era. A fresh voice in a world of phony TV chef-erie and microwaved meals. Yet I can't help but point out how repetitive this book would get. He reminisces on his early days as a chef, fucking "anything with a skirt", doing any drug he could get his hands on, in the same way you'd expect a washed up-once-prom king might write about his time playing varsity football in high school. Over and over and over again. New restaurant, same debauchery, new restaurant, more yelling, new restaurant, same chaos, (sex joke) (dick joke) (sex joke with a dick joke) .. the kitchen is an ecosystem you just can't undeeerrstaaaand man.
Ironically, the highlights of this book came almost every single time he took a step away writing about his own life and instead waxed poetic about others' food, culture, or restaurants. This is where his narrative voice shines through supremely, a clear sign of what's to come for his career. The only trouble is how aggravatingly rare that is in the first half of the book. Bourdain wears his flaws on his sleeve, that's no mystery. He's pompous. He's full-of-himself. He's self-aware of his silver spoon upbringing, which makes him better for it. He's fought his way through the culinary world's flames, and he's better than you.
This book is for people who worked in the culinary industry, or those who can speak French. He says as much in the introduction, and you ought to believe him. The majority of the early chapters felt more like a self-indulgent exercise in demonstrating just how many fancy French dishes he knows, ingredients he can list off, or techniques he can name. You can spend twice as long reading this book while actively googling half the words on each page, or you can just go to the Culinary Institute of America before you read.
If you're outside the culinary world looking in, I'd highly advise just reading the chapters focused on Tokyo or other restaurants he enjoys - then go watch The Bear. What you'll miss out on are the accounts where he was young, he'd have sex, he's punk rock, he'd do a lot of drugs, he'd have more sex, he'd make crude jokes in mixed languages, he's a pirate in charge of a ship, he's a thief in the night, he's a rebel with no cause, oh and by the way he'd have sex while doing drugs.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I went into this book wanting to give it 5 stars. I loved Anthony Bourdain's shows as a kid, and I've always found his particular "voice" captivating - whether through text or narration. This book, however, really missed the mark for me. Anthony Bourdain died way too soon, and the world is worse off for it; he didn't pull any punches on his reviews, and I won't either.
I understand that this book helped usher in a new era. A fresh voice in a world of phony TV chef-erie and microwaved meals. Yet I can't help but point out how repetitive this book would get. He reminisces on his early days as a chef, fucking "anything with a skirt", doing any drug he could get his hands on, in the same way you'd expect a washed up-once-prom king might write about his time playing varsity football in high school. Over and over and over again. New restaurant, same debauchery, new restaurant, more yelling, new restaurant, same chaos, (sex joke) (dick joke) (sex joke with a dick joke) .. the kitchen is an ecosystem you just can't undeeerrstaaaand man.
Ironically, the highlights of this book came almost every single time he took a step away writing about his own life and instead waxed poetic about others' food, culture, or restaurants. This is where his narrative voice shines through supremely, a clear sign of what's to come for his career. The only trouble is how aggravatingly rare that is in the first half of the book. Bourdain wears his flaws on his sleeve, that's no mystery. He's pompous. He's full-of-himself. He's self-aware of his silver spoon upbringing, which makes him better for it. He's fought his way through the culinary world's flames, and he's better than you.
This book is for people who worked in the culinary industry, or those who can speak French. He says as much in the introduction, and you ought to believe him. The majority of the early chapters felt more like a self-indulgent exercise in demonstrating just how many fancy French dishes he knows, ingredients he can list off, or techniques he can name. You can spend twice as long reading this book while actively googling half the words on each page, or you can just go to the Culinary Institute of America before you read.
If you're outside the culinary world looking in, I'd highly advise just reading the chapters focused on Tokyo or other restaurants he enjoys - then go watch The Bear. What you'll miss out on are the accounts where he was young, he'd have sex, he's punk rock, he'd do a lot of drugs, he'd have more sex, he'd make crude jokes in mixed languages, he's a pirate in charge of a ship, he's a thief in the night, he's a rebel with no cause, oh and by the way he'd have sex while doing drugs.
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
I really did not like this book. However, in defense of the book, I am not a huge Anthony Bourdain fan so that may have colored my thinking.
A fun read but it lost steam after the halfway mark. Plenty of witty comments and anecdotes delivered in the classic Bourdain style.
dark
funny
informative