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    Kitchen Confidential
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    Kitchen Confidential
    Unavailable
    Kitchen Confidential
    Ebook355 pages6 hours

    Kitchen Confidential

    By Anthony Bourdain

    4/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    THE CLASSIC BESTSELLER: 'The greatest book about food ever written'

    'A compelling book with its intriguing mix of clever writing and kitchen patois ... more horrifically gripping than a Stephen King novel' Sunday Times

    'Extraordinary ... written with a clarity and a clear-eyed wit to put the professional food-writing fraternity to shame' Observer
    _____________________________
    After twenty-five years of 'sex, drugs, bad behaviour and haute cuisine', chef and novelist Anthony Bourdain decided to tell all - and he meant all.

    From his first oyster in the Gironde to his lowly position as a dishwasher in a honky-tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown; from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop the Rockefeller Center to drug dealers in the East Village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable, as shocking as they are funny.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateDec 20, 2010
    ISBN9781408820858
    Unavailable
    Kitchen Confidential
    Author

    Anthony Bourdain

    Anthony Bourdain was the author of the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo, the memoir A Cook’s Tour, and the New York Times bestsellers Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw, and Appetites. His work appeared in the New York Times and The New Yorker. He was the host of the popular television shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown. Bourdain died in June 2018.

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    Reviews for Kitchen Confidential

    4/5

    3,177 ratings172 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Talk about a wild ride! According to Anthony Bourdain, life in the culinary world is not for the weak or faint of heart. It is a wild, crazy, high-low, full-speed ahead life!Coming from a family that summer vacationed in Europe, he was exposed to a variety of foods and found that it was heaven. In college he wasn't motivated or even interested and wound up flunking out. Still having a love for food he decided to try his hand at culinary school and becoming a chef.His first real job was a place in Provincetown during summer. He thought he knew it all, but found out he didn't. At that point he really started to learn what working in a kitchen was all about. The hard work, long hours and the crazies that work there.I took my time reading because of the fast pace, but also I had 2 to 3 other books I was reading at the same time. I enjoyed his writing, finding it funny, insane and wanting to read more. I've read two other books he's written; 'Gone Bamboo' and' Typhoid Mary; An Urban Historical.' Both were good. I plan to look for more of his work. I enjoyed his writing, finding it funny, insane and wanting to read more. I've read two other books he's written; 'Gone Bamboo' and' Typhoid Mary; An Urban Historical.' Both were good. I plan to look for more of his work.
    • 4/5
      Unsurprisingly, Bourdain's written voice is just as snarky as his television persona (probably because they're the same, herp derp. I should not be writing reviews when low on sleep). When I was reading this, coworkers wondered if I was interested in cooking/becoming a chef. Nope, not really- I just enjoy reading clever snark, though this was an informative peek behind the kitchen doors. The restaurant business is probably less drug-riddled than his earlier days, but the mad weekend rush is probably still a Thing.

      There's also the irony in lambasting celebrity chefs while becoming one because of this book, but based on Bourdain's AMA I don't think he's changed too much in the transition.
    • 3/5
      Fascinating (but not for sensitive readers).
    • 4/5
      A book that takes the reader into the kitchen of some of New York and some other places and Anthony Bourdain is the tour guide. There are lessons learned about what to order when and what to look for when you go to a restaurant.
    • 4/5
      I liked this more than I should have, due to Bourdain's inherent obnoxiousness. Luckily he's a good storyteller.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. It was definitely a shocking look into the restaurant business. After reading about Anthony's experiences, I am surprised that anyone wants a career in the culinary arts. The amount of drugs taken, and the sheer number of hours worked each day were beyond belief. Plus all the people he works with seem like jerks.

      As much as I wouldn't want to live his life, reading about it was very interesting. I don't have any problems going back to restaurants, but I may take his advice and not order fish on the weekends.
    • 4/5
      I've been a Bourdain fan for a long time, but was under a misapprehension about his first work on non fiction. Published during the Chuck Palahniuk era, I expected either a memoir of rockstar excess or a 'chef dishes the dirt on dirty kitchen practice' exposé, larded with unappetising details. It is neither. It is a slice from Bourdain's brilliant brain that defies categorisation and delivers as many gems of practical philosophy as it does laughs. Part memoir, part travelogue, part collection of essays, Kitchen Confidential lacks a solid unifying structure (its genesis as magazine articles is clear), but this does nothing to hamper Bourdain's ebullience or his ability to craft winning prose.
    • 3/5
      I acquired this book last year for a challenge read that included "a book about food". It got buried in the TBR stack (I read something else for that category) and I only went looking for it when the news of Bourdain's suicide hit the news recently.

      Bourdain can masterfully evoke the controlled chaos of a commercial kitchen during meal service, and his "Day in the Life" of a chef is exhausting just to read. But he loses points for his massive ego, his dismissive attitude toward those whom he considers lesser beings, and his incessant name-dropping. He also loses points for this edition's "Afterword", in which he attempts to walk back many of his more outrageous statements.
    • 4/5
      This is the third or fourth chef memoir that I have read. There is a certain sameness to their stories. This one was interesting, but it's probably my last.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant on HR.
    • 3/5
      Shocking? Kinda. Informative? Kinda. Extremely profane? Definitely.

      I don't consider myself prudish, but I just felt a little bit icky after reading this book, like some of the filth and depravity had been just a little too much.

      On the positive side, I generally like Bourdain's narrative voice, and he's certainly had some experiences that I could never have imagined.

      I do think it's probably an extremely important read for anyone aspiring to be a chef, as Bourdain is very no-holds-barred in his description of the job and the lifestyle it seems to entail.

      Also... I just have to say, kudos to his wife. She's rarely mentioned in the book, but knowing she was by his side through this entire thing is pretty amazing. That, maybe more than anything else, definitely impressed me -- although as I said, it was definitely tangential to the book's subject matter.
    • 4/5
      Since I've worked in the food industry, I got a kick out of this book because it was so familiar.
    • 5/5
      this dude talks about food and cooking with the passion most people reserve for God. absolutely fascinating - his tone, the way he describes things - makes you want to jump right onto his kitchen staff. seriously - one of my favorite books now. highly recommend this even if you don't like to cook - this is amazing. And I want to go to Tokyo.
    • 4/5
      I didn't think this was the delight most people I know thought it was, but it was funny and that's something.
    • 5/5
      I'm sad I waited until after his death to read this wonderful culinary memoir. I was hooked from page one, this was an amazing and impossible to put down book. Bourdain pulls back the curtain on what is really happening in kitchens and it's fascinating, scary, and very exciting. It's not all fun and games, it takes dedication, thick skin (physically and emotionally), endurance, and skill. Filled not only with his journey into the culinary belly of the world, this memoir also dishes on what days to order meats and seafoods, how to tell if a restaurant deserves your business and many other useful tidbits that I would never have known in a million years. He is also very real about his vices, addictions, and drugs found in virtually all restaurants of the world. Superbly written, witty, and engaging this memoir is not just for foodies, it's for everyone. Sad we lost such a great personality, but his voice will live on through his books and on his shows.
    • 3/5
      This fast paced entertaining book by renowned chef Anthony Bourdain will make you see restaurants in a whole new light. Never order fish on a Monday...
    • 5/5
      How I LOVED this book! It's certainly not for everyone, but if you can appreciate a severely rough and brash sense of humor that you really would find in a commercial kitchen, this one will work it's way into your heart in no time. I couldn't put this down! He had me in hysterics because so much of it is.. sadly.. so true!Thumbs up.
    • 4/5
      I picked this one of the shelf of my sister-in-law, finally in the mood to give it a whirl. I have very little knowledge of the restaurant business, and I am probably the opposite of a foodie. In fact, I was given a lot of flack this summer from my sister's boyfriend, who does own a very good restaurant in Victoria, about never having tried an oyster, and about never wanting to try one. This makes me in his eyes, as well as Bourdain's it turns out, the biggest cretin on earth. Oh well. So be it. There is something about sliding something that looks like a squashed slug down my throat that I can't stomach.The quote I remember the most from this book is "Your body is not a temple. It is an amusement park." Or something of the sort. He had his first food revelation on a trip to France with his parents, where, yes, he tried his first oyster, while fishing with an old man. The rest of his life was spent treating his body like a death-defying rollercoaster: substance abuse, alcohol and of course, the best food. There is some interesting commentary on the restaurant business (why you should never buy fish on a Monday) as well as a glimpse into some of the kitchens of New York's finest.A fun, fast read, that also conveniently served as a handy conversation piece with both my sister's boyfriends who work in the industry as well as a good friend of mine who is a chef, all of whom visited this summer.
    • 1/5
      I wanted to love this book, I really did. I love food, reading about food and other people who love food. What I don't love is chefs who just write down their inner monologue during a busy Friday night in the coolest restaurant in NYC. I liked the parts about food, and cooking like a chef at home, but once it got into two pages on the importance of clean towels and the excruciating chapter of rad kitchen lingo I was annoyed again. Basically this book is for anyone who HASN'T worked in the restaurant industry and still views it as a hip lifestyle. Stick to TV Mr. Bourdain, and leave the literature to the professionals.
    • 4/5
      Highly entertaining and intensely readable, Kitchen Confidential made me think nostalgically back to old acquaintances from my days employed during summers and holiday breaks from college in the restaurant business (didn't we all have them?). It's fascinating to read more about how this segment of the population lives, especially once they start playing in the big leagues. Bourdain's voice is even stronger in print than it is on the Travel Channel's No Reservations.
    • 4/5
      Bourdain is a rock and roll star in today's culinary world, and this is the book that gave him that position. He may not be the most amazing of chefs, nor the classiest guy to work for, but he knows the ins and outs of the culinary world, especially New York. His willingness to talk about it in such specifics is, I think, something that has led to the culinary revolution that has taken place over the last 5 or so years.At times, Bourdain comes across as arrogant or smug (which he definitely can be), but if you've watched his show "No Reservations," you can almost hear his voice, his cadences, in his writing. More authors need to learn how to do that.Reading Kitchen Confidential made me sad that the sitcom based on the book was cancelled so quickly. I had really enjoyed it when it was on the air (2 or 3 years ago now), and I still think the exploits in this book are great entertainment.
    • 4/5
      An engrossing tale of what it is like to work in doomed restaurants. Anthony Bourdain, who's writing style could make a story about the phonebook interesting, describes working in doomed restaurants, (for high pay), and his sociopathic co-workers.Most of the restaurants are already a train wreck when he arrives. Others are just dying a slow, sad death, as was the case with the restaurant Tom H. Encouraged by friends and family, due to their knack for throwing wonderful, and creative dinner parties, Tom and Fred opened their restaurant to wild acclaim. The novelty wore-off, expenses soared, and the crowds disappeared. These "lovely, warm-hearted, and funny older guys" must have lost everything. Anthony exited before the final curtain.
    • 2/5
      I kept hearing about this book from two friends, and finally read it largely out of self defense. Unfortunately, Bourdain comes across as a bit of an ass, and I gave up on drug-soaked memoirs long ago.

      He "exposes" the dark underbelly of the culinary world, and after a couple hundred pages of nothing but over-the-top descriptions of co-workers, restaurant owners and his own escapades, I lost interest.

      Or more accurately, I lost trust in his perceptions. Everything can't always be larger than life, and "gonzo" tends to wear out over time.

      Bourdain's description of an average workday (and what it took to keep a restaurant running) was interesting, but overall, I had trouble staying interested.
    • 3/5
      You must read this if ever you consider working in the food industry.
    • 2/5
      The subtitle, Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, is very apt. Bourdain makes frequent use of simile and metaphor in his writing; like a junior high boy, however, all his comparisons refer to human excretory functions and sex acts. The book was strangely compelling, yet ultimately not my cuppa tea.
    • 4/5
      Interesting read about the restaurant industry and Bourdain's experience as a chef. I enjoyed the brutal honesty about his successes and failures which is rare in a biography. At times the writing was a little choppy as the chapters jumped backwards and forwards and between themes but a great read. I'll definitely look for other writings by Bourdain.
    • 4/5
      This is an enlightening journey into the unseen land of food preperation - I'm glad he kept out the nastier side of things that happen to your food befor you get it - it will remind you to be nice to those who serve you.
    • 4/5
      Anthony Bourdain's debut book covers his life before his TV show, No Reservations. A memoir of sorts, it covers his rise in the often-seedy world of professional kitchens. The characters we meet through Bourdain aren't those most of would invite to dinner, but it seems we should forgive their many flaws and perhaps have them cook it. How a room full of drug-addled, foul-mouthed malcontents could orchestrate the symphony that is a busy kitchen to crank out high quality product is the main focus of the book.Most of the revelations didn't surprise me much, but Bourdain tells interesting stories. One thing I wasn't aware of is the amount of raiding going on -- hiring away people from other restaurants to staff a new (or take-over) establishment. Bourdain doesn't really give much detail on how many left him (voluntarily) under such auspices.Bourdain does scatter in some advice for the restaurant-goer (don't eat fish on Mondays) or the home chef who wants to improve (#1, fresh ingredients, #2, a good knife). I think he probably could have elaborated on that more..but maybe he felt he already stepped on enough toes. The book ends with Bourdain taking a job in Tokyo, but before his name-sake TV show appeared. He was perhaps a little jealous when he scoffed at the TV star chefs, I wonder what is take is on them now that he is also a personality? As far as personalities go, though, Anthony Bourdain is quite the character and I think I will make a greater effort to keep up with his show.
    • 5/5
      The tagline for this book is something like "sex, drugs, and haute cuisine," and that about sums it up. Bourdain takes the reader on a journey through his culinary days, from dishwasher to head chef. This is not a good book for vegetarians, those offended by crude language, or anyone grossed out by frank descriptions of animal flesh. I found, in general, that these autobiographical essays entertained me thoroughly but also convinced me that I'd rather not experience such things first hand. Bourdain's average day makes me tired just thinking about it. While I appreciated the advice about restaurants and tips for would-be chefs, my favorite parts were unquestionably the anecdotes and adventures. Bourdain's cynical but generally amused and appreciative view of the crazy characters he's encountered never failed to make me smile. Sure, these are not people I'd want to associate with in person but they're fun to get to know vicariously. I will definitely have to pick up some of Bourdain's other books.
    • 4/5
      I picked this book up in a bookstore a couple weeks ago. For years I've occasionally watchined Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show on the Food Network. He always seemed like a ready for anything, at ease guy as he goes around the world eating chopped lamb brains from street vendors and other adventuresome cusine. He looks like a guy who smokes and drinks too much and stays up too late and probably doesn't read his Bible every day. He also seems like a guy who can tell some good stories.Kitchen Confidential came out ten years ago and is still in print. It is Bourdain's description of his career as a cook and chef and many observations on the restaurant industry. The man can write. It is one of those books where you start reading it and you can't stop. He says he wrote the book for the guys who work in restaurants. He tells a lot of stories about working in restaurants. I am sure that some of the stories are actually true. They are all entertaining.I rate the book 4 stars out of 5 it is a darn good read.