Kitchen Confidential
Title of the Book: Kitchen Confidential
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Number of Pages: 320
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Review:
For most people, misunderstanding “meat” for “me” isn’t that big of a deal--it most likely won’t change the course someone’s life in any way. That is the case for most people. For Chef Anthony Bourdain, this was not the case. All because he thought the chef de cuisine was asking, “What do you know about me?” when he really asked “what do you know about meat?” he didn’t land the job. Apparently, “little to nothing” wasn’t the answer they were looking for at a steakhouse.
The book, Kitchen Confidential was about Anthony Bourdain’s journey to culinary excellence. He started out at Vassar College a mess, but through his job in P-town, he found his calling. Although he realized his passion for food originally during his summer vacations to Europe, he never had experience in restaurant work, so this summer job opened up a world for him. With this job, he was able to experience not only the power of food but also the people behind that food. This inspires him to transfer to the Culinary Institute of America. Although he goes through some hard chefs, he comes out of it with skills that bring him to succeed in many different restaurants around New York City later on. During this time, he describes how brutal the long hours of working in the kitchen can be. Overall this book summarizes life in the kitchen.
This book was unique for me because I’ve never read anything like it. With the minimal experience I’ve had in the culinary world, I can still, however, relate to most of the events in the book--or at least imagine them. I thought it was interesting too because it discusses times when he was still learning and not very good, but still explains all of the amazing experiences he has had when he was great. I feel like the culinary industry is one of the few fields where you can meet all sorts of people. That made this book even more interesting and unique. Additionally, because of the jargon used at some points in the book, it may be difficult for people who don’t have that much knowledge about culinary, but it would still be an entertaining read for them--and that makes it unique because some memoirs may not be like that.
Overall, the tone is very laid back--just like most people in the culinary industry can be outside of work. He uses language that most people would expect a chef to have where a reader can tell they are excited and passionate about what they do. Also, he clearly explains some of the pressures that come with restaurant work. His style in the book made it an easier read and almost like he was talking to you or telling you a story.
As mentioned before, I’d have to say my most memorable moment in the book was when, at the end of an otherwise successful interview, he misunderstood the question. When the chef de cuisine, who had a very thick accent asked, “What do you know about meat?” but chef Bourdain heard it as, “What do you know about me?” I thought that part was really funny. He didn’t realize until afterward what his mistake was, but I thought it was funny since he was interviewing for head chef at the steakhouse. Another memorable part for me was when he talked about his favorite fellow chef whom he calls “Bigfoot.” The chapter that was all about him was my favorite one out of the book. He just seems like a guy that everyone could learn from and it’d be cool to meet him.
I would recommend this book. Specifically, I’d recommend it to anyone who knows anything about culinary or has ever been involved in the industry. Those people would be able to relate to and appreciate the book the most. Although, I also think anyone who picked up this book would probably still enjoy it.
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Number of Pages: 320
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Review:
For most people, misunderstanding “meat” for “me” isn’t that big of a deal--it most likely won’t change the course someone’s life in any way. That is the case for most people. For Chef Anthony Bourdain, this was not the case. All because he thought the chef de cuisine was asking, “What do you know about me?” when he really asked “what do you know about meat?” he didn’t land the job. Apparently, “little to nothing” wasn’t the answer they were looking for at a steakhouse.The book, Kitchen Confidential was about Anthony Bourdain’s journey to culinary excellence. He started out at Vassar College a mess, but through his job in P-town, he found his calling. Although he realized his passion for food originally during his summer vacations to Europe, he never had experience in restaurant work, so this summer job opened up a world for him. With this job, he was able to experience not only the power of food but also the people behind that food. This inspires him to transfer to the Culinary Institute of America. Although he goes through some hard chefs, he comes out of it with skills that bring him to succeed in many different restaurants around New York City later on. During this time, he describes how brutal the long hours of working in the kitchen can be. Overall this book summarizes life in the kitchen.
This book was unique for me because I’ve never read anything like it. With the minimal experience I’ve had in the culinary world, I can still, however, relate to most of the events in the book--or at least imagine them. I thought it was interesting too because it discusses times when he was still learning and not very good, but still explains all of the amazing experiences he has had when he was great. I feel like the culinary industry is one of the few fields where you can meet all sorts of people. That made this book even more interesting and unique. Additionally, because of the jargon used at some points in the book, it may be difficult for people who don’t have that much knowledge about culinary, but it would still be an entertaining read for them--and that makes it unique because some memoirs may not be like that.
Overall, the tone is very laid back--just like most people in the culinary industry can be outside of work. He uses language that most people would expect a chef to have where a reader can tell they are excited and passionate about what they do. Also, he clearly explains some of the pressures that come with restaurant work. His style in the book made it an easier read and almost like he was talking to you or telling you a story.
As mentioned before, I’d have to say my most memorable moment in the book was when, at the end of an otherwise successful interview, he misunderstood the question. When the chef de cuisine, who had a very thick accent asked, “What do you know about meat?” but chef Bourdain heard it as, “What do you know about me?” I thought that part was really funny. He didn’t realize until afterward what his mistake was, but I thought it was funny since he was interviewing for head chef at the steakhouse. Another memorable part for me was when he talked about his favorite fellow chef whom he calls “Bigfoot.” The chapter that was all about him was my favorite one out of the book. He just seems like a guy that everyone could learn from and it’d be cool to meet him.
I would recommend this book. Specifically, I’d recommend it to anyone who knows anything about culinary or has ever been involved in the industry. Those people would be able to relate to and appreciate the book the most. Although, I also think anyone who picked up this book would probably still enjoy it.
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