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Kitchen Confidential

post #1 of 19
Thread Starter 
Hi Everyone, I am Ruth and just signed up for the group tonight. I was going to cruise through the different topics before posting but came across this one and it caught my attention.

I am currently reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It is a very easy book to read. He tells of all the horrors to look for as a customer and what days to avoid certain produce. lol! :eek:

I am halfway through the book and will be sure to send a review when I am completely finished.

Ruth
www.lotsarecipes.com
post #2 of 19
well first of all welcome aboard Ruth, hope you'll find yourself at home here. Speaking of Kitchen Confidential, this is a funny anecdote, I recently borrowed both Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour from the local library, now in my mind I figured I would the only person that would try to sign out both books at the same time, but when I had gone in to the library in the first week of December, to borrow the books, I found out how wrong I was, I had to reserve both titles and wait three weeks for them to come in, because someone else had both titles out at the same time.
post #3 of 19
Hi Ruth and welcome! When you've finished the book, you might be interested in looking at a discussion/bull session about the book that started a few years ago here at ChefTalk: http://www.cheftalkcafe.com/forums/s...light=bourdain

But be sure to tell us your take too. Since Bourdain's TV show has been out and we've all gotten a new (or confirmed) impression of him, I wonder if opinions about the book have changed. Personally, I found that the TV show made him seem less edgy and more of a pussycat. Feeling that way would probably affect how I'd read the book now.

Hey CoolJ! How've you been?
post #4 of 19
Hello!

I'm new here too! I read this book a while back and couldn't put it down. Very interesting indeed! I found him a bit of a "wally" and very puffed up with himself, but then, I enjoyed hating him!

When is the show on? Which cannel???
post #5 of 19
Hey a la carte, welcome to you too! :D

The show is called "A Cook's Tour." It's on the Food Network and here's a link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_tb.
All of them are in rerun and it looks like they're playing at 4 a.m. on the East Coast :eek: so I hope you have a VCR.
post #6 of 19
this book has a deeper meaning to me. I went on a month long tour of the west half of Canada and bought this book in winnipeg. I can sit down and read a chapter and remember where i had parked my car to sleep in that night. I couldnt put it down either, i read 50 pages a day. great buy.
post #7 of 19

:d

"Kitchen Condfidential" is one of my favorite books of all time. I bought it maybe two years ago, have borrowed it out several times to different people and have read it myself more times than I can remember. It may sound odd, but it's my feel good book. Whenever I get down about money or just having my back side handed to me after a not-so-good night, I just pick up K.C., read one chapter and everything seems okay. Maybe because Tony talks about the lows of lows, or maybe it's just a kindred spirit, so to say. Either way, to anyone thinking about joining the food world, and I have had a few friends who have thought about it, I give them that to read. I do explain "This isn't how it is everywhere, but it can be and sometimes boarders on it." One is still thinking on it.
post #8 of 19
Amazing book. I blew through it when I first read it. Funny thing is, I rarely read. I think it is a great book for anyone, particuarly if you are thinking about going into the restaurant world.
post #9 of 19
Absolutely sensational. The entire reason I've been looking to join a forum: I wanted someone to talk to about this book. So far, I've gotten to Big Foot :) And I went out and bought Nasty Bits, Cook's Tour and the Les Halles cookbook :) I may have mentioned at some point...I think I love him.
post #10 of 19
It's the best book I've ever read...it took me 3 days to finish it from start to finish and I was sitting at 4am and still reading it and then waking up at 6.30 am for Culinary school :).
post #11 of 19


shel
post #12 of 19

Second time around

I finished it at 3am last night...er this morning. I'm going back for round two. I can't believe how good it is.
post #13 of 19
I wish to edit my reply on that to the best book I've ever read about the particular subject as I must admit reading Steinbeck or other litterature would be a tad better. Oh and I would also not like to be considered a person who has only read one book in my life, and laughing at me is mean Shel :blush:
post #14 of 19
Enjoyed it immensely.
Couldn't put it down.
As I read certain passages I kept thinking "was he standing behind me in some place I worked?".
If I haven't been through exactly what he has, I've been through similar situations.
post #15 of 19
Oh, I wasn't being mean. I thought you were just being facetious, and your comment cracked me up.

shel
post #16 of 19
Funny how things change. Read some of the posts from a few years back regarding this book. It caused some very heated discussions when it first came out. Lots of people against it or didn't believe a lot of the stories, or didn't want to believe. Time has kind of mellowed the impact this book has had, and I find most people now enjoy the book.
post #17 of 19
my first real kitchen job was at this yacht club and the chef had a copy he loaned me , i tore through it in a day and it really turned me on to cooking for a living maybe it was that i was just 17 and impressionable but it did indeed make me more passionate about this whole industry because i kinda thought it was just where I was working that was like that. Ive bought and given away probably a dozen copies of this book in my life, recommended reading for sure
post #18 of 19
i have an audio book of it, which is basicly the book read by tony on a large collection of mp3s.
i might be able to upload it for those of you who don't have time to read it.

personally, i loved it.
i'm a musician, along with being a line cook.
i love reading rock star autobiographys (the dirt, slash's book, lemmy's book, ac/dc has a good one, etc), and this book really read exactly the same way.
sex, drugs, and cooking.
post #19 of 19
I love this book and was so happy when i received it. Anthony is the man
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