Harbinger of Books

I really learned about Anthony Bourdain from his television show No Reservations. I always thought he was funny and I appreciate his view of the food and the culture in a city.

I am not a foodie, I hate fusion food and I like the basics but done really well. Shows like Top Chef or anything food network is of little interest and I have never read Kitchen Confidential nor Nasty Bits. Then few weeks ago in the library I came across Medium Raw and since I was in the mood for something different I gave it a go. It is difficult to describe this book except to say it is his views on the five star restaurant business. I think what I appreciated the most about the book is its honesty. There is a lot of truth about the food network (I am not a fan) and how it serves up mediocrity, at the end of the day if you want to learn how to really cook then it takes time sorry but paella in 20 minutes will always be gross. It is also sad when we have magazines like Food Network but not Gourmet? I also loved the chapter about heroes and villains.

Moving on Bourdain also takes a good look at the kitchens and I really appreciated this because the life of a chef is hard and thankless. Not to mention they are responsible for a lot of people and their livelihood. There is a lot of talent in being about to replicate a dish the same way every time and it is more than just the chef who is responsible. I really loved the chapter with Justo this guy is amazing and what is even better is that the staff inside the restaurant knew his worth as well. How awesome was it that he got to eat the food he prepares!!

Anyway I loved the book and I decided to read this one slowly about a chapter a day, sometimes on audio where Bourdain is the reader and sometimes in hard cover. The book made me laugh and a lot of times I would shout out exactly!! The downside to this book is that it reads like a narrative and the stores kind of flow together but not to a collective point so it kind of meanders around and leaves you wondering what should I take from this chapter or book??