Kitchen Confidential
One of my goals for this summer is to fit in a pile of culinary reading. I just finished the book, The Sharper your Knife, the Less you Cry. Fun rendition of a gal taking a hard right from her life and pursuing her culinary dreams. Huh, and she is a writer besides. Sounds oddly familiar…
Just started a regularly recommended culinary read: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I have told you once and will tell you again: my humble little family has one show we watch together religiously and that is Top Chef. And whenever Anthony Bourdain is on as a guest judge we are completely tickled and await his prowess. Be warned: he is blunt, bare, ballsy. He throws caution to the wind; restraint is not his friend.
I learned to hold back, train my thoughts, not say certain things. Not so with Bourdain. He is out there, says it all, shares all in his closet and more. He is lucky charm is on his side; his sincerity is as real as his glaring honesty and you cannot help but listen and be amused, coming back for seconds. He is the friend you have that both shocks and entertains you, but all the while maintains whit and insertions of culinary intelligence that you cannot resist hearing.
A perfect pal for vicarious indulgences.
But I did say shock, don’t get me wrong. He represents all I was taught not to say, lest I be rude or hurtful. He is all I was taught not to do, to the demise of my health. Yet intrigue remains, as with many of my friends who push the envelope so I can peek.
He hosts a series called No Reservations on the Food Network, and has a blog. He puts great effort into describing the underbelly, what is gross and inappropriate, giving you candor and sparing you candy-coated truths. In one breath, he is both vulgar and refreshing. Note: you have been warned.
Comments
Hey! Did you know that he is going to be at the Moore Theater tomorrow night?
I really liked The Sharper Your Knife. I found it very inspirational, so I went to see the author at an event. She is really funny in person - if you remotely liked the book, try to go see her. In fact, your post made me wonder if she held held back some stuff in her book. When I saw her talk, she said that for length she cut out a lot of stuff that she wished she’d left in. She lives in Seattle.
Karen: I DID know he was in town and so sad I cannot make it! It will be great, no doubt.
A. Scott: Loved Kathleen Flinn and had a chance to see her in Seattle—that is where I picked up her book. Fabulous to read while starting a similar journey. She is a great writer.
I really loved this book…Bourdain is my favorite Chef out of all the Celebs. Very much an antihero
i love anthony bourdain too an just started his book but an only a few pages in so far. i heard i’ll never order fish on mondays again one i read it… hmmmmnnn
Love your blog, but his show, No Reservations, is on the Travel Channel. Not Food Network. He had a show - A Cook’s Tour - on Food Network, but there was turmoil and he moved to Travel Channel.
Jeff: he is a hoot, isn’t he?
Aria: Yes, it is nice to learn a few things. A few more pages and you might not be too excited about brunches, either:).
Jen: Thanks for the tip; sorry for the mistake. Now I know where to find him! And turmoil? Him? Shock me already.