"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain

[Beth Y]

I just finished this book and was wondering if anyone else had read it and what they thought. My Sister-in-law, who is a chef, was reading it when we last saw her and was going on about how true his description of restaurant kitchens were. I immediately bought and read it. I really enjoyed it, although some may be put off by the tales of his drug crazed phases. I also learned something about cooking.

Let me know your thoughts.

[Tally]

Beth Y, I read a review of this book and it definitely piqued my interest.
There was a discussion of this book on slate.com. Here's the link, I hope it works.
http://slate.msn.com/code/BookClub/B...5738&idBio=186
I'm going to see if our local library has a copy of the book.

[SueK]

Hi Beth-I read this book and found it to be really interesting. I was wondering if people that work in that industry would find it to be realistic. Some of the things that go on in kitchens!
On a side note, I read a review recently about a book that a woman just wrote about the waitressing aspect of the food industry. She's waitressed her whole life and it sounds like she also had some pretty sordid tales to tell. Of course, now I can't remember the name of the book, but I think I'll pick it up at the store if I run across it.

[Gail]

Originally posted by SueK:
...On a side note, I read a review recently about a book that a woman just wrote about the waitressing aspect of the food industry. She's waitressed her whole life and it sounds like she also had some pretty sordid tales to tell. Of course, now I can't remember the name of the book, but I think I'll pick it up at the store if I run across it.

Do us a favor, Sue. If you pick up this book, let us know the title!

Thanks.

[SueK]

The book about waitressing is called "Waiting: True Confessions of a Waitress", by Debra Ginsberg. I just ordered it from Amazon, so I'll let you know how it is!
I've also read "The Making of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman and that was very good. He has a new one out called "The Soul of a Chef" and I plan to get that one soon.
I always tell my husband that when we win the lottery one of these days (and we DO play!), I'm going to cooking school! In the meantime, I just live vicariously through these authors!

[Gail]

Thanks Sue and Beth. Now I have something to check out after I finish "The Man Who Ate Everything."

[KateH]

I also read Bourdain's book and really enjoyed it, although I got a little tired of the sweeping generalizations he made about different ethnic groups. (But I did like the way at the end of the book he showed the exceptions to all his rules, when he talked about another chef's restaurant.)

I thought the chapter on what he does not eat at restaurants was _really_ interesting and enlightening.

Bourdain recently reviewed a new book by Michael Ruhlman called "The Soul of a Chef" in the New York Times. I've read Ruhlman's book called "The Making of a Chef" (I believe) about the Culinary Institute of America and what it is like to go through their program. I gather the new book is about the trials and tribulations of becoming a "master chef." Bourdain really liked it.

[andreajackson]

SueK- where are you going to cooking school at? I Have been looking into that and trying to find info on different schools. Do you have any info that might help me in my pursuit of a cooking school? Also do you know anything about what a chef makes?

Originally posted by SueK:
The book about waitressing is called "Waiting: True Confessions of a Waitress", by Debra Ginsberg. I just ordered it from Amazon, so I'll let you know how it is!
I've also read "The Making of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman and that was very good. He has a new one out called "The Soul of a Chef" and I plan to get that one soon.
I always tell my husband that when we win the lottery one of these days (and we DO play!), I'm going to cooking school! In the meantime, I just live vicariously through these authors!

[JohnK]

I started to read Ruhlman's book a few years ago. He insisted he got no special treatment because he was writing a book. I didn't believe it. I went to CIA. I can't remember exactly which chapter but early on he forgets something on the first day of class, the chef forgives him...most people would have been looking at fail for the day.I sat the book down.
I know I'm not really creating a huge endorsement of my literacy but I also started Bourdain's book. I got bored and didn't finish it. I lived that life. I was so eager to leave it after over 17 years in the back of the house in all kinds of kitchens for all kinds of owners that it was an un-needed walk down memory lane. But that was very real. I read the "Slate" thread about Bourdain's and found that the contributors were elitist and it was obvious that whatever kitchens they've been in they came in through the front door and not with the dishwashers.They were advantaged from the git-go and lacked the
knowledge of restuarants where the linecook
isn't living from pay-check to pay-check he's already living from 2 paychecks back to 1 pay check back.
One point I disagreed with in Bourdain's book was his take on women linecooks.The women I've worked with on the line have been some of the best cooks, yes, but while they could stand their ground with the foulest of men, they generally left the "crudites" for the waitress'. Who in my experience have been SOME (not all) of the cattiest, foul mouthed women to roam the Earth. Broad generalization I know.

Both books are probably good for someone on the outside looking in. They are fodder for long discussions and war-stories for those who have been there done that.

[Julia1Pin]

Based on some of the threads on the BB, I just read and finished Kitchen Confidential. As a "layman", I loved the book. It was (to my eyes at least) a real honest look at what acutally happens in the kitchen.

One piece of advice I plan on following -- Never eat fish on Saturday night or Sunday.

In fact, all of his advice makes sense.

[SusanT]

I enjoyed the first two thirds of Kitchen Confidential but found the last third seemd to rehash the themes from earlier in the book. Overall, I found it interesting, but it seems Bourdain likes to be a bit provacative.

[laurenc]

It is my fiance's favorite book - he got so into reading it that he insisted that I read it as well. It was really eye opening. We recently ate at Veritas in New York becuase Scot Bryan is in the book. We had conversations with the bartender and all the wait staff about the book and their impressions of it. It was so interesting!

[suziking]

Wow. I am almost finished with this book and I don't know whether I should be shocked and disgusted or amazed and extremely impressed.

Very interesting book - hard to put down. I never knew how much goes in to running a high class restaurant. I have enough trouble getting our families meal on the table at the same time - much less 250 meals in a night!

Suzi

[Alisa]

I've just started the book (Ch. 2) and am enjoying it but....I just can't bring myself to enjoy the author as well?!

[Terrytx]

I also read this, sure puts an interesting slant on what it takes to be a Chef.