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A review by brittrivera
A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines by Anthony Bourdain
4.0
"What is love? Love is eating twenty-four ounces of raw fish at four in the morning."
Anthony Bourdain is a personal hero of mine. He has my dream job: he travels the world eating, meeting interesting people, and getting incredibly drunk. And he has opinions. I agree with most of them, but even when I don't I find incredibly interesting and educated. A modern day Hemingway. I like that his book, and show for that matter, includes the history and culture of the country he travels to as well as food. And he knows how privileged he is. Unlike many people who write books going to other countries to "experience life", Bourdain knows that he is a lucky bastard despite all the times he complains about having camera crews following him around.
It's funny how clear Bourdain's voice rings in the first few chapters after hearing so many of his voice-overs from his television shows. However, the more I got into the book, the less I focused on him and the more I could get into the story. Some of the stories were better than others, but I very much enjoyed the chapters on Vietnam. The country has officially been added to the "List of Countries I Want to Visit Because Anthony Bourdain Said So" along with Mexico, Japan, and Spain (the country Bourdain has claimed is his favorite place to eat).
Do not read this book when you are hungry. Even if you attempt to eat food while reading this book it's not a worthwhile experience because nothing will come close to the delicacies he is describing.
"I'd recently returned from Cambodia, where a chicken can be the difference between life and death. These people in their comfortable suburban digs were carping about cruelty to animals but suggesting that everyone in the world, from suburban Yuppies to starving Cambodian cyclo driver, start buying organic vegetables and expensive soy substances...Being able to read these words, no matter how stupid, offensive, or wrongheaded, is a privilege, your reading skills the end product of a level of education most of the world will never enjoy."
"Perfection is something you never actually attain. It's something you search for. Once you reach it, it's not perfect. You lost it. It's gone."
Anthony Bourdain is a personal hero of mine. He has my dream job: he travels the world eating, meeting interesting people, and getting incredibly drunk. And he has opinions. I agree with most of them, but even when I don't I find incredibly interesting and educated. A modern day Hemingway. I like that his book, and show for that matter, includes the history and culture of the country he travels to as well as food. And he knows how privileged he is. Unlike many people who write books going to other countries to "experience life", Bourdain knows that he is a lucky bastard despite all the times he complains about having camera crews following him around.
It's funny how clear Bourdain's voice rings in the first few chapters after hearing so many of his voice-overs from his television shows. However, the more I got into the book, the less I focused on him and the more I could get into the story. Some of the stories were better than others, but I very much enjoyed the chapters on Vietnam. The country has officially been added to the "List of Countries I Want to Visit Because Anthony Bourdain Said So" along with Mexico, Japan, and Spain (the country Bourdain has claimed is his favorite place to eat).
Do not read this book when you are hungry. Even if you attempt to eat food while reading this book it's not a worthwhile experience because nothing will come close to the delicacies he is describing.
"I'd recently returned from Cambodia, where a chicken can be the difference between life and death. These people in their comfortable suburban digs were carping about cruelty to animals but suggesting that everyone in the world, from suburban Yuppies to starving Cambodian cyclo driver, start buying organic vegetables and expensive soy substances...Being able to read these words, no matter how stupid, offensive, or wrongheaded, is a privilege, your reading skills the end product of a level of education most of the world will never enjoy."
"Perfection is something you never actually attain. It's something you search for. Once you reach it, it's not perfect. You lost it. It's gone."