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Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain
daumari's review against another edition
3.0
More like a collection of essays on various topics (mostly opinions on other chefs, restaurateurs, and how he himself has changed since the [b:Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly|33313|Kitchen Confidential Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly|Anthony Bourdain|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433739086s/33313.jpg|4219] days), Bourdain's voice still comes through- biting, bracing, but sometimes thoughtfully tender, especially the chapter about his daughter.
I feel like my ebook copy (through the Nook store @ Barnes & Noble) had a slight rearranging of chapters, though- read through what seemed like the end, copyright, etc. with 20 pages to go... then the segment where he describes a clandestine dinner with ortolans, which some reviews note as the opening. Following that was a chapter on where the rogue's gallery of KC is now. Did the nook copy for anyone else have these two displace chapters?
edit: Took a peek using Amazon's preview, and it looks like displacing "The Sitdown" (prologue) from the beginning to the second to last essay is the only difference. Still, am curious if this discrepancy will show up if I open it in other nook apps, or if that was just on my phone...
I feel like my ebook copy (through the Nook store @ Barnes & Noble) had a slight rearranging of chapters, though- read through what seemed like the end, copyright, etc. with 20 pages to go... then the segment where he describes a clandestine dinner with ortolans, which some reviews note as the opening. Following that was a chapter on where the rogue's gallery of KC is now. Did the nook copy for anyone else have these two displace chapters?
edit: Took a peek using Amazon's preview, and it looks like displacing "The Sitdown" (prologue) from the beginning to the second to last essay is the only difference. Still, am curious if this discrepancy will show up if I open it in other nook apps, or if that was just on my phone...
hannahboice's review against another edition
3.0
He was a very interesting chef and entertainer but I enjoyed the stories where he spoke highly of people a lot more than the ones where he bashed people.
bhnmt61's review against another edition
4.0
A half-dozen of these essays-- especially the beginning section of the one titled "Lust" and the one about the guy who prepares 700 pounds of fish every day-- were stellar, and a bunch more were interesting and well worth reading. But a few of them required more knowledge of the world of chefs and fine dining than I have, so I probably didn't get the full impact. As always, I am blown away by what a good writer he was.
claudiaelangella's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.25
tasuskind's review against another edition
3.0
Random stream-of-conciousness writing from Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential. Amusing in places, reads like a good conversation with the author. Not as much dirt as Kitchen Confidential, but he sure speaks his mind.
cinchona's review against another edition
4.0
Tony may be mellowing in his old age, but like a fine wine, he's just getting better. Tons of food porn. Some old-fashioned snark. Some new fatherly reflection. Somehow, Bourdain the cynic manages to be upbeat.
emrodav's review
3.0
Somewhere around 2.5 stars.
Anthony Bourdain was great at being pithy and irreverent, but could also be so tiresome and needlessly mean.
This collection of unrelated essays featured some interesting pieces, including a love letter to Hanoi (and the pho you can eat there) and thoughts on the changing restaurant landscape. Some others are less compelling (for me at least), including the awful description of eating a whole bird.
I just found the book less than wonderful. Bourdain was a great storyteller, but I find after reading (actually listening but whatever) to this book, that I think it’s something I could’ve skipped and been just as happy.
Anthony Bourdain was great at being pithy and irreverent, but could also be so tiresome and needlessly mean.
This collection of unrelated essays featured some interesting pieces, including a love letter to Hanoi (and the pho you can eat there) and thoughts on the changing restaurant landscape. Some others are less compelling (for me at least), including the awful description of eating a whole bird.
I just found the book less than wonderful. Bourdain was a great storyteller, but I find after reading (actually listening but whatever) to this book, that I think it’s something I could’ve skipped and been just as happy.