 "The Kitchen and The Cook" by Nicholas Freeling
Aside from being touted as the book that inspired Anthony Bourdain to write "Kitchen Confidential", these works are culinary classics. It is two books sold as one. The cook turned writer talks of his start in Alsace as an apprentice, his time in England and finish in Germany during post WWII 1950's. It is a historical study of the European hotel business with talks of Victorian architecture, references to Ritz, etc. and the changes it went through as a result of WWII. It also chronicles the changes european cuisine experienced and detailes the subtle differences in the cuisine of neighboring coutries. It is mostly a meditation on life and the deep hold that cooking has on one that has it in his soul. His writing style is incredibly poetic. I wish I had half the vocabulary this man does. It will be one I keep on my shelf in hopes that I can read it again someday. Right next to "KItchen Confidential" and "A Cooks Tour" | 
