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funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
funny
reflective
fast-paced
I never want to read the word "penis" in the context of a book about food service ever again. Oh my GOD.
Ok, context: I've worked in fine dining for 10 years. I've worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and for James Beard Award-winning chefs. I've experienced the absolute dregs of humanity (ever tried to tell a guest that they can't have something they want? Sometimes, they start screaming at you and calling you stupid in the middle of your workplace. )
This book was absolutely insufferable.
I love industry-focused books, both fiction and non. Workhorse being one I really enjoyed, as it was pretty down to earth and still managed to reflect a lot of experiences I've had in this industry. But my God this one was a SLOG to get through.
The author spends what feels like 80% of the book name-dropping famous chefs, or celebrities he's seen in restaurants, and I find it fundamentally gross that he gleefully reveals so much personal information about them. It reeks of desperation to be relevant and in-the-know. A huge part of working in fine dining is serving famous people and keeping that high level of confidentiality and discretion. This just feels weird and exploitative of the position.
Anyway, back to my opening point: why was that one guy taking his dick out in the restaurant so often? And why, oh why, did we need to know about every single instance??
This book is trying so hard to be something it's not, while also making a complete farce of how trying and exhausting and fun and communal and rewarding this industry can be. It's a proverbial stew of contradictions, and that's what makes it wonderful and why we stay in it for so long.
Ok, context: I've worked in fine dining for 10 years. I've worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and for James Beard Award-winning chefs. I've experienced the absolute dregs of humanity (ever tried to tell a guest that they can't have something they want? Sometimes, they start screaming at you and calling you stupid in the middle of your workplace. )
This book was absolutely insufferable.
I love industry-focused books, both fiction and non. Workhorse being one I really enjoyed, as it was pretty down to earth and still managed to reflect a lot of experiences I've had in this industry. But my God this one was a SLOG to get through.
The author spends what feels like 80% of the book name-dropping famous chefs, or celebrities he's seen in restaurants, and I find it fundamentally gross that he gleefully reveals so much personal information about them. It reeks of desperation to be relevant and in-the-know. A huge part of working in fine dining is serving famous people and keeping that high level of confidentiality and discretion. This just feels weird and exploitative of the position.
Anyway, back to my opening point: why was that one guy taking his dick out in the restaurant so often? And why, oh why, did we need to know about every single instance??
This book is trying so hard to be something it's not, while also making a complete farce of how trying and exhausting and fun and communal and rewarding this industry can be. It's a proverbial stew of contradictions, and that's what makes it wonderful and why we stay in it for so long.
Just not interested right now. May come back, TBD
slow-paced
The paragraphs of lists, the name dropping, and the inappropriatelly fond reflections on rampant alcohol, drug, and sexual abuse take away from any iota of charm in this book. Absolutely dripping with self importance and condescension and a slog to get through.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Quite honestly, it was so gross. I thought this was going to be a cool listen about the different people you encounter in the NYC restaurant scene when all it was was a detailed explanation of all of the sex the restaurant staff was having
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced