Book Report - "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly" by Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain gives a very revealing look behind the scenes at the most prestigious of restaurants, as well as an introspective journey into his own past and how he arrived in the culinary industry. In the wake of his death by suicide, it is especially poignant to hear what a genuine soul he was and mourn the loss of such an interesting and traveled person.
Growing up, I didn’t really care much for Anthony Bourdain. Admittedly, I wasn’t the target demographic. I loved Food Network and the Travel Channel, but Bourdain was unabashedly adult-oriented. I didn’t really understand him as a kid. He pulled in life experiences and parallels that I simply had no exposure to. Instead, I much preferred the flamboyant showmanship of, say, Emeril Lagasse.
As I got older, No Reservations would catch my attention if it was on, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. I wasn’t opposed to Bourdain, but I wasn’t really seeking him out specifically either. It wasn’t until his death in 2018 that I really went on a deep dive into what he was about and his storied history. This guy was all over the place, and when he visited locations for No Reservations, he just had the most palpable appreciation for the culture, the food, the music, or whatever else he might be exposed to. He noticed details, and he didn’t take things for granted. He was adventurous and exploratory, and seemed to jump at every opportunity for a new experience or food.
In recent months, autobiographies and memoirs have been substantially more interesting to me. I’ve gone so heavily on fantasy and fiction, it’s refreshing to read real and raw tales from interesting people. Even better when the audiobook is recorded by the author, as is the case with Kitchen Confidential. You lose some amount of cadence and delivery when one person’s words are recorded by someone else. It just feels so much more revealing to hear the words from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Part of what drew me to Kitchen Confidential was my interest in the culinary industry and food science. I love cooking, and considered myself somewhat of a chef. I know how to use a knife, and I feel like most of my dishes are mostly pretty good. One thing that Bourdain taught me was the difference between a chef and a cook. And while I might have the chops to cook in my own household for family and friends, I would never be able to be a chef. The amount of effort, determination, dedication, and everything else that a good chef requires, I just don’t have it. I struggle to maintain a main dish and two side dishes at the same time. There’s no way I could pull 10+ hour shifts knocking out an entire menu.
The vivid descriptions of food are incredible. It’s almost like tasting the dish yourself, but I’m sure the real thing is much better. The techniques to improve the quality and presentation of your own cookery are clearly communicated and fairly simple. Bourdain has a fantastic way of using the exact words and phrasing to communicate a concept or idea as simple and straightforward as possible, without losing any necessary details. I have to imagine he was a fantastic conversationalist.
Kitchen Confidential is vulgar, it has a lot of racial stereotypes that could be considered offensive, and it gives explicit detail on a lot of things that you may not want to know about going on behind closed doors. But at the same time, it feels real and genuine, and clearly indicates that Bourdain poured a lot of himself into writing it. The book gives me absolute confidence that I could never be a chef, but it also reminds me of just how skilled the kitchen staff often are and how much respect they deserve without ever receiving. If you ever eat at restaurants, if you’ve ever worked for a restaurant or considered it, you should give it a listen. Bourdain sheds a lot of light on an otherwise hidden industry.
Growing up, I didn’t really care much for Anthony Bourdain. Admittedly, I wasn’t the target demographic. I loved Food Network and the Travel Channel, but Bourdain was unabashedly adult-oriented. I didn’t really understand him as a kid. He pulled in life experiences and parallels that I simply had no exposure to. Instead, I much preferred the flamboyant showmanship of, say, Emeril Lagasse.
As I got older, No Reservations would catch my attention if it was on, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. I wasn’t opposed to Bourdain, but I wasn’t really seeking him out specifically either. It wasn’t until his death in 2018 that I really went on a deep dive into what he was about and his storied history. This guy was all over the place, and when he visited locations for No Reservations, he just had the most palpable appreciation for the culture, the food, the music, or whatever else he might be exposed to. He noticed details, and he didn’t take things for granted. He was adventurous and exploratory, and seemed to jump at every opportunity for a new experience or food.
In recent months, autobiographies and memoirs have been substantially more interesting to me. I’ve gone so heavily on fantasy and fiction, it’s refreshing to read real and raw tales from interesting people. Even better when the audiobook is recorded by the author, as is the case with Kitchen Confidential. You lose some amount of cadence and delivery when one person’s words are recorded by someone else. It just feels so much more revealing to hear the words from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Part of what drew me to Kitchen Confidential was my interest in the culinary industry and food science. I love cooking, and considered myself somewhat of a chef. I know how to use a knife, and I feel like most of my dishes are mostly pretty good. One thing that Bourdain taught me was the difference between a chef and a cook. And while I might have the chops to cook in my own household for family and friends, I would never be able to be a chef. The amount of effort, determination, dedication, and everything else that a good chef requires, I just don’t have it. I struggle to maintain a main dish and two side dishes at the same time. There’s no way I could pull 10+ hour shifts knocking out an entire menu.
The vivid descriptions of food are incredible. It’s almost like tasting the dish yourself, but I’m sure the real thing is much better. The techniques to improve the quality and presentation of your own cookery are clearly communicated and fairly simple. Bourdain has a fantastic way of using the exact words and phrasing to communicate a concept or idea as simple and straightforward as possible, without losing any necessary details. I have to imagine he was a fantastic conversationalist.
Kitchen Confidential is vulgar, it has a lot of racial stereotypes that could be considered offensive, and it gives explicit detail on a lot of things that you may not want to know about going on behind closed doors. But at the same time, it feels real and genuine, and clearly indicates that Bourdain poured a lot of himself into writing it. The book gives me absolute confidence that I could never be a chef, but it also reminds me of just how skilled the kitchen staff often are and how much respect they deserve without ever receiving. If you ever eat at restaurants, if you’ve ever worked for a restaurant or considered it, you should give it a listen. Bourdain sheds a lot of light on an otherwise hidden industry.
Comments
Post a Comment