There is a chilling bit of Kitchen Confidential that should probably be more off-putting to me than it was, but for me it was the best reason for reading the book, and it redeemed some of Anthony Bourdain's worst excesses (particularly his love of adjectivally laden similes).

The moment comes when he is discussing the suicide of a Sous Chef, the assistant to a friend, who killed himself the night he was fired from his job.

A few things come out of this. Bourdain expresses an anger towards those who would kill themselves, yet he also sees suicide as an inevitability for those who take their own lives. He seems to see suicide as destined, something that no one but the one who kills him/herself can be responsible for. Simultaneously, he sees suicide as something that can be staved off, and that those who speed the coming of suicide through their actions are absolutely responsible for, even complicit in the suicide. He reveals his anger at both life and death. He offers, moreover, a warning about the industry he loves so much: that restaurants and the life of food service is a life that lends itself to suicide by attracting the suicidal and giving them a place to exist for a short time that can only end badly.

And this is all so chilling because only a few month ago he took his own life. Whatever note Bourdain left when he killed himself, he had already written his true suicide note eighteen years before his death. Kitchen Confidential is a manifesto of how to live while living, a desperate cry for help, an act of penitence, a farewell.

It's not the best book I've ever listened to, but listening to Bourdain speak his own words with his suicide in my mind made Kitchen Confidential intimate and more powerful than it could ever have been on the page.

READING VLOG

Mandatory reading for anyone in a career slump. Because Bourdain slumps too. You see his lows. He honors his highs. But the most important factor throughout these tales of the hardest nights with the hardest drugs with the most delicious dishes and the most humbling moments, funny, stressful, too-much-truth-contained is that he keeps going.

It's the drive. The passion. Pure passion. It's all he lives on. And it begs of all of us to do the same. Perhaps chasing dreams is worthwhile in the end. Dreams make man, and man is made here, in name (restaurant signage and resume-build-ups), in history. Legacy.

The book ends here:

"'

Abandoned, I think, most likely with prejudice.

The audio version is read by Bourdain, which may be the most problematic aspect for me. In the first couple of chapters, Bourdain discusses his introduction to the world of cooking, followed by his experiences at the Culinary Institute of America and his forays into the cooking world after. I'm stalled out on recommendations for the home chef chapter, which I'd kind of like to finish. Here's the trouble:

He sounds pretty much like a conceited, arrogant asshole, even as he's admitting he was a conceited, arrogant, twenty-year-old asshole. In this case, though certainly there is a feel of realism added by listening to him talk, it is far, far too much arrogance for me. I work with that type quite a bit, so I'm not really enjoying it during my free time.

The writing style is also somewhat over-done. It reminds me of when I was in high school and a group of us learned how to write humorous essays, that mostly consisted of wild exaggeration coupled with sarcasm. It's tiring.

The last part, and potentially most damning, is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of insight into food. Or rather, there was limited insight for the time period which it was about (remember truffle oil?), such as the infamous chapter with the advice 'never order fish on Mondays,' which he later amended (https://www.businessinsider.com/antho...). From a foodie perspective, he's focused on proteins and presentation: it was surprising to me that he recommended a solid chef's knife for the home cook, but not necessarily a paring knife (essential, imo, for delicate fruit and veggie work). And why does he hate the garlic press so much? Sure, for the first twenty-some years of my cooking life, I flattened and chopped with my chef's knife, but I confess the press I started using was perfect for garlic in homemade salad dressing.

Overall, I think I would benefit more from his last book, the one that potentially offers more insight from an older, more worldly person, and from his later-career focus in food as a representation of culture.

Excellent, vivid read about life in restaurant kitchens. Very atmospheric and I feel like I learned a lot about a very specific culture.

[3.4] I'm so glad I finally read this memoir. Bourdain's description of his various kitchen workplaces is intense and frenetic. There is also a thread of sadness because I know how it ends. Once again, after finishing a book about the restaurant business, I ask myself, why would anyone go into this business? I finished the book feeling exhausted.

As if I could rate him any lower...loved every second of this.
Coming from a hospitality and events background and having to deal with chefs all the time this resonated hard

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I mean, I am literally shoving a Panera Sierra sandwich and heaping serving of salad into my maw simultaneously while typing this. But as I have mentioned before, much like Jim Gaffigan I am an eatie, not a foodie. I’m also trying to avoid being on My 600 Pound Life by doing these lunch hour/weekend walks (with some guilty pleasure viewing of various Househoes and all other things Bravo has to offer while either on the rower or elliptical as “two a days” as penance for killing all of my brain cells on trash T.V.).

You would think a book all about food might be counterproductive. You’d be wrong, though, . . . well at least as far as the audiobook is concerned. As I’ve already said I’m an eatie, so tons of the dishes referenced were things I would need to Google which leads to another plus of audio which is the inability to Google while hauling my dumper around the park and trying to avoid the very goosey geese who oftentimes are blocking the trail . . . .

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Since I’ve started these “walk ‘n talks” I’ve leaned toward memoirs since they don’t have a plot to follow or typically more than a mention of additional “characters.” My preference is for them to come off as conversational rather than simply reading off a script, delivery is important and the more intelligent (be it I.Q. in the writing or emotional as far as the reflection on their life) the better. But most importantly is that it gets my ass moving. Bourdain’s frenetic pace of narration and almost free association style of rambling off menu items, kitchen banter, whathaveyou most certainly did the trick. Such a shame he’s no longer with us, his passion for food and life just oozed out of every page (minute) of this book.

4.5 Stars and rounding up

I hadn't read this in years. It's acerbic and filled with dark energy. It manages to be self-deprecating and egotistical at the same time. It's honest, except he's not a reliable narrator. It's great stuff.

For English version please scroll down

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Selbstportrait eines leidenschaftlichen Chefkochs

Anthony Bourdains Küchengeschichten haben mich bestens unterhalten und auch einiges über das Kochen gelehrt.

Ich zweifle kein bisschen an seinen Ausführungen über Organisation und Arbeitsweise in der Küche und glaube sofort, dass in den USA in Restaurantküchen massenhaft unterbezahlte Illegale aus Süd- und Mittelamerika beschäftigt werden.

Ein bisschen geholpert hat es für mich aber bei seinen Charakterbeschreibungen und den zwischenmenschlichen Geschichten. In Grundsätzen kenne ich die weniger angenehmen Absurditäten aus eigener Erfahrung (ich habe in meiner Jugend eine Weile in der Gastronomie gearbeitet). Die Mafia-Connections, der Drogen- und Alkohol-Missbrauch, die Suchtprobleme aller Art, die Kriminalität war alles offen ersichtlich (mein Bar-Chef hat damals z.B. über die Bar hinweg in großem Stil Heroin vertickt). Trotzdem kommt mir Bourdains Geschichte an einigen Stellen ein bisschen zu wahnsinnig vor. Das mag allerdings auch daran liegen, dass er sehr komprimiert erzählt.

Was ich aus dem Buch mitnehme ist, dass er offenbar ein verrückter Fanatiker und nicht unbedingt eine angenehme in Sinne von leicht umgängliche Persönlichkeit war.

Mir hat’s gefallen und ich vergebe 4 Sterne.

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Self-portrait of a passionate chef

Anthony Bourdain's kitchen stories entertained me tremendously well and also taught me a lot about cooking.

I have no doubts about his remarks about the organization and working methods in the kitchen, and I immediately believe that underpaid illegals from South and Central America are employed en masse in restaurant kitchens in the USA.

For me, however, it got a bit bumpy with his character descriptions and the interpersonal stories. Basically, I know the less pleasant absurdities from my own experience (I worked in the restaurant business for a while in my youth). The mafia connections, the drug and alcohol abuse, the addiction problems of all kinds, the criminality were all openly evident (at that time my bar chef, for example, was selling heroin on a large scale across the bar). Even so, Bourdain's story strikes me as a little too insane in some places. However, this may also be due to the fact that his narrative is very condensed.

What I take away from the book is that he was apparently a crazy fanatic and not necessarily a pleasant in the sense of an easy-going person.

I liked it. 4 Stars.

This book made my top 10 nonfiction list of 2021! Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/TByaMqiy4JQ

This was a delightfully lewd listen, and had me laughing out loud throughout. Bourdain is at times charismatic, arrogant, perverted, self aggrandizing, self deprecating, remorseful, talented, appreciative, articulate, and foul mouthed. It’s a fascinating blend and I can certainly see why he was so successful in the food business and on tv.

I worked in restaurants for years, as a lowly waiter, so I’m at least somewhat familiar with the terrain. But for me waiting tables was just a job, something I was good enough at to make some money to help me get through university. It wasn’t a lifestyle, an identity, an all consuming force, and a place where I made and broke lifelong friendships.

Bourdain’s journey from a snotty kid, to an unlikeable college student, to an overbearing young cook, to an audacious and drug addled chef, to something of an ‘everyman’ food connoisseur in his late stages was fascinating to follow. His adventures were memorable, the cast of dodgy characters added humor and shock value, and his lectures and rants on food, equipment, prep, restaurant management, and the industry were informative.

In this book you’ll get: the backstory of what got him into cooking, how and where he learned and sharpened his trade, the influential people he met along the way that shaped his persona and ideology, the adventures and misadventures of a career as a chef, plenty of ‘info dumps’ about food prep, how to and how not to run a restaurant, and many other food related topics.

One of my favorite parts of the audiobook was when he was doing a play by play of an incredibly busy night on the line at a slammed restaurant. As I listened to his frantic adventure on 1.5 playback speed I almost felt like I was in the kitchen myself and started sweating.

I also really enjoyed toward the end when he traveled to Japan and ended up in Starbucks, feeling overwhelmed with the foreignness of a new country. As an expat living in Thailand the feeling was relatable, and I found his ability to overcome it so quickly admirable. Of course, given the direction his career took after this book this shouldn’t be a surprise.

This book is more than just a chef’s memoir, it also encapsulates a life’s journey, and hits on some really valuable life lessons: being committed to your career, having integrity, building strong relationships with people, not being afraid to fail and learning from it, and changing your life’s goals as life changes you. Despite describing himself as an asshole, which he certainly could be at times, Bourdain was more human than anything; he made mistakes and he wasn’t afraid to admit it, and that made him extremely relatable.

Of course it was all tinged with a bit of sadness knowing that in the end he was unable to escape his demons. At least he lived the kind of life he wanted, not holding back from anything, and I think the work he did late in his career touched a lot of people. RIP Mr. Bourdain.

Story-8, Language-8, Ideas-7, Characters-8, Enjoyment-9, Overall-8.2

"Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride."

As a person passionate about culinary in my field of Food & Beverage, I cannot express what a loss this man was to the industry. Brilliant artist in his craft, he was truly blessed with a unique mind, wild heart and always armed with a witty mouth. This man could slay you up a dish that sent your taste buds soaring and entertain you like a true showman. This book was a great representation of him, I enjoyed it immensely. I even had the audio version along with the physical book so I could hear his voice for a more authentic experience.

What a loss.

Maybe 3.5 stars, sometimes 4. It has lots of interesting anecdotes, but it was somewhat repetitive at parts. While interesting for the non-culinary inclined, I think it would be better received by someone with a kitchen background or a person who has worked in food and beverage.

Some parts of this book talk about fantastic food and will leave you drooling. As a result, you will want to hop the next flight and travel the world visiting as many restaurants and trying as many types of food as you can.

Other parts will disgust you and leave you nauseous. You will never look a restaurant food the same way - and may not want to eat it at all unless you get a good look at the kitchen and the people preparing the food.

Bourdain doesn't pull any punches talking about the life of the kitchen staff fueled by drugs, alcohol, sexual innuendo, sarcasm, anger, impatience, and tyranny. Some how, as a result, schedules are met, food is delivered, and customers are satisfied. Food prep is a lifestyle that can occupy the serious chef 24/7. It is something I will not take for granted in the future.

R.I.P. Chef Bourdain