Name: Derek Graf's review of Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Item: Kitchen Confidential
Rating: 5
Author: Derek Graf

Anthony Bourdain

A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Kitchen Confidential

kata

Though the game had long since gone into overtime, I still had a few moves left in me, and I was content to play them out where I'd started-New York City, the place I believed, heart and soul, to be the center of the world.

I'll be right here. Until they drag me off the line. I'm not going anywhere. I hope. It's been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost.

But I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I love that look, as I loved the look on Pino's face when he gazed upon a perfect bowl of spaghetti alla chitarra, the same look I get when I approach a Scott Bryan daube of beef, a plate of perfect oysters. It's a gaze of wonder: the same look you see on small children's faces when their fathers take them into deep water at the beach, and it's always a beautiful thing. For a moment, or a second, the pinched expressions of the cynical, world-weary, throat-cutting, miserable bastards we've all had to become disappears, when we're confronted with a something as simple as a plate of food. When we remember what it was that moved us down this road in the first place

Essence

Like I said before, your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.

Lines that make you ridiculously self-aware ^

y✦

“But once gone—quit, fired or dead—I move on to the next problem. There always is one.”

Anthony Bourdain's forbidden fruit—the oyster. 

I took it in my hand, tilted the shell back into my mouth as instructed by the by now beaming Monsieur Saint-Jour, and with one bite and a slurp, wolfed it down. It tasted of seawater . . . of brine and flesh . . . and somehow . . . of the future.

Everything was different now. Everything.

Kay so Queso

I know I didn't do the best job for some of them, though I did the best I could have done — at the time.

Reading about this Bryan Scott while listening to some Chopin has been exquisitely pleasurable. Ik wym, Tony

Outside, the dining room was as relaxed as the kitchen, nothing but happy faces, lingering over appetizers, sipping wine, expressions those of anticipating first-time lovers who just 

"You know, Anthony,” he said, "I have many, many enemies. It's 

, sometimes, to have enemies- even if you don't know who they are. It means you are... 

. You must be important... important enough to have an enemy."

No one understands and appreciates the American Dream of hard work leading to material rewards better than a non-American.

Reminds me of being a professional athlete. It’s not about the flashy plays you make, the highlight reels; it’s about the relentless pursuit and dedication of mastering the simple things in your craft.

Line cooking — the real business of preparing the food you eat — is more about consistency, about mindless, unvarying repetition, the same series of tasks performed over and over and over again in exactly the same way.

Great economic example of inducing demand. Hell yeah, learning life lessons from the kitchen

We knew well how much these people were paying for cocaine — and that the more coke cost, the more people wanted it. We applied the same marketing plan to our budding catering operation, along with a similar pricing structure, and our business was suddenly very, very good.

After twenty-five years of 'sex, drugs, bad behaviour and haute cuisine', chef and novelist Anthony Bourdain has decided to tell all. From his first oyster in the Gironde to his lowly position as a dishwasher in a honky-tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown; from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop the Rockefeller Center to drug dealers in the East Village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable, as shocking as they are funny.

It's a gaze of wonder: the same look you see on small children's faces when their fathers take them into deep water at the beach, and it's always a beautiful thing. For a mo-ment, or a second, the pinched expressions of the cynical, world-weary, throat-cutting, miserable bastards we've all had to become disappears, when we're confronted with something as simple as a plate of food. When we remember what it was that moved us down this road in the first place.

At the base of my right forefinger is an inch-and-a-half diagonal callus, yellowish-brown in color, where the heels of all the knives I've ever owned have rested, the skin softened by constant immersions in water. I'm proud of this one. It distinguishes me immediately as a cook, as someone who's been on the job for a long time. You can feel it when you shake my hand, just as I feel it on others of my profession. It's a secret sign, sort of a Masonic handshake without the silliness, a way that we in the life recognize one another, the thickness and roughness of that piece of flesh, a résumé of sorts, telling others how long and how hard it's been.

Burning with a desire for vengeance and vindication, I applied myself to gaining entry to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Piet Terheyden

If you cut yourself in the Work Progress kitchen, tradition called for maximum spillage and dispersion of blood. One squeezed the wound till it ran freely, then hurled great gouts of red spray on the jackets and aprons of comrades. We loved blood in our kitchen. If you dinged yourself badly, it was no disgrace; we'd stencil a little cut-out shape of a chef knife under your station to commemorate the event.

An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins.

Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic.

Misuse of garlic is a crime. Old garlic, burnt garlic, garlic cut too long ago, garlic that has been tragically smashed through one of those abominations, the garlic press, are all disgusting. Please, treat your garlic with respect.

If you're planning on using margarine in anything, you can stop reading now, because I won't be able to help you.

Remember, brunch is only served once a week - on the weekends. Buzzword here, 'Brunch Menu'. Translation? 'Old, nasty odds and ends, and 12 dollars for two eggs with a free Bloody Mary'.

For 'en vinaigrette' on the menu, read 'preserved' or 'disguised'.

I don't eat mussels in restaurants unless I know the chef personally, or have seen, with my own eyes, how they store and hold their mussels for service.

Mitul Shah

"the Updated Edition:" A complete thrill ride from beginning to end. Bourdain's conversational prose is unendingly witty, charming, and hilarious. His love for food and the hectic restaurant biz is to be admired and makes one want to travel and try new food. 

Anthony Bourdain shows like No Reservations and Parts Unknown were neutral ground TV while I was growing up. Surprising given the politics of my family household, but not surprising if one is familiar with the seductive and open-minded coolness of Bourdain's narration and demeanor. This book encapsulates his voice perfectly, and pairs well with his audiobook narration. The epitome of a class act as well as rock n roll, Bourdain was and will always be the man.

Derek Graf

"the Updated Edition:" A complete thrill ride from beginning to end. Bourdain's conversational prose is unendingly witty, charming, and hilarious. His love for food and the hectic restaurant biz is to be admired and makes one want to travel and try new food. 

Anthony Bourdain shows like No Reservations and Parts Unknown were neutral ground TV while I was growing up. Surprising given the politics of my family household, but not surprising if one is familiar with the seductive and open-minded coolness of Bourdain's narration and demeanor. This book encapsulates his voice perfectly, and pairs well with his audiobook narration. The epitome of a class act as well as rock n roll, Bourdain was and will always be the man.

Patrick Book

Bourdain has a surprisingly accessible writing style, one that makes this book very easy to read. His formatting keeps things moving at a fairly rapid clip, which I suppose helps. 

As for the implied debauchery one is prepared for in the early offing he was somewhat short on details. There are plenty of allusions to acts of human depravity but the specifics aren't often there. I probably don't need to read them but it makes some parts of the book come across as over promised and underdelivered; probably not a result a chef would want conning out of his kitchen. Either that or the world has been exposed to a lot more loose morals since then and what was once considered shocking has been tempered in the interim. 

Still, his accounts and recollections do a more than adequate job of providing a sense of what the day to day life in prestigious and dubious kitchens is like. It's a very good peek behind the curtain for those who are curious.

It was nice to hang out with Anthony for a bit.

annalyse! 

hilarious, insightful & utterly debaucherous

Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed

Bailee Strong

In true Tony fashion, Kitchen Confidential is what you'd expect it to be—candid, raw, real, much like the guy himself. But in many ways, it also captures the painfully human state of mind Bourdain was in through each one of his life's chapters.

The highs were incredibly high, HILARIOUS, some of the most introspective lines I've read. I've watched so many of his shows, knew he was a chef at some point but I don't think I've ever seen him in action. His adrenaline-filled anecdotes in the kitchen were a revelation to me. 

The lows were, well, you felt it—some chapters that rambled on, like you're reading the unedited, mindless journal entry of someone barely hanging on. You'd guess he was tired and defeated. Having access to his thoughts in that moment didn't feel right.

Towards the end, his refreshing candor that we all love and miss lives on. His newfound enthusiasm for Tokyo, a whole new untapped culinary treasure, was some of my favorite bits. 

You fought a good fight, Anthony Bourdain. Your memory will live on.

In true Tony fashion, Kitchen Confidential is what you'd expect it to be—candid, raw, real, much like the guy himself. But in many ways, it also captures the painfully human state of mind Bourdain was in through each one of his life's chapters.

The highs were incredibly high, HILARIOUS, some of the most introspective lines I've read. I've watched so many of his shows, knew he was a chef at some point but I don't think I've ever seen him in action. His adrenaline-filled anecdotes in the kitchen were a revelation to me. 

The lows were, well, you felt it—some chapters that rambled on, like you're reading the unedited, mindless journal entry of someone barely hanging on. You'd guess he was tired and defeated. Having access to his thoughts in that moment didn't feel right.

Towards the end, his refreshing candor that we all love and miss lives on. His newfound enthusiasm for Tokyo, a whole new untapped culinary treasure, was some of my favorite bits. 

You fought a good fight, Anthony Bourdain. Your memory will live on.

paula

Crude, painfully honest and shocking at times; this is one of the best nonfiction I read this year.

milly

This was an excellent book to read for perspective into the life of a cook and what goes on in kitchens/restaurants. It’s funny with great anecdotes and a charming writer (I mean, who doesn’t love Anthony Bourdain?). Unfortunately, the book wasn’t consistently interesting; some chapters were dry and covered fundamental information.

When this book is good, it’s damn good. Its language is casual and it can be so intriguing you can’t put it down at times. I imagine the more you’re into the industry, the more you’ll enjoy this. Regardless, it’s fun to read for the debauchery and peak behind the scenes. I really enjoyed the book and feel like a more educated consumer, more inclined to explore foods after reading it. Rest in Peace, Mr. Bourdain.

This was an excellent book to read for perspective into the life of a cook and what goes on in kitchens/restaurants. It’s funny with great anecdotes and a charming writer (I mean, who doesn’t love Anthony Bourdain?). Unfortunately, the book wasn’t consistently interesting; some chapters were dry and covered fundamental information.

When this book is good, it’s damn good. Its language is casual and it can be so intriguing you can’t put it down at times. I imagine the more you’re into the industry, the more you’ll enjoy this. Regardless, it’s fun to read for the debauchery and peak behind the scenes. I really enjoyed the book and feel like a more educated consumer, more inclined to explore foods after reading it. Rest in Peace, Mr. Bourdain.

Aamna

[Read the ebook while simultaneously listening to Bourdain narrating]

*Really* enjoyed the first quarter of the book. The chapter on the day in the life of a chef had me out of breath by the end. The rest, where he gets into culinary specifics (which for a cooking-hater, non-chef like me, range from mildly interesting to very disturbing), I would have skipped/skimmed had it not been for the FOMO of missing out on his snarky comments - some gems in there. The last couple of lines of the book were saddening, in the light of the fact that he killed himself.

I imagine this wasn't meant to be a memoir but it's amazing how much you learn about Bourdain; considering 70% of the book is him talking about other people. His writing style seems to match his personality(to the extent one can gauge from a single book). He has the kind of brazen unapologetic attitude that you absolutely loathe or have a crush on. So I guess I'm crushing on him now.

Now I'm gonna go and binge watch all his TV shows

i only started this book bc i wanted wanted to be in my sydney from the bear era but instead i’m in my anthony bourdain is my idol era. 

also, anthony writes the same way he talks so the book doesn’t feel like a boring memoir but instead feels like a conversation with your uncle during thanksgiving dinner that turns into the most jarring, impassioned, life altering experiences that changes your perspective on life and makes you want to change careers paths even tho u can’t drop university to become a chef and move to nyc and work for a big jewish man named bigfoot and have a sous-chef who is my right hand man, my evil twin and my bestie named steve and be the grim reaper of dying restaurants until i get my own french place and show those province town wussies that i’m the real deal and i’ve earned my hands. 

in my next life, i hope to be even half as cool as anthony bourdain was.

van 

i only started this book bc i wanted wanted to be in my sydney from the bear era but instead i’m in my anthony bourdain is my idol era. 

also, anthony writes the same way he talks so the book doesn’t feel like a boring memoir but instead feels like a conversation with your uncle during thanksgiving dinner that turns into the most jarring, impassioned, life altering experiences that changes your perspective on life and makes you want to change careers paths even tho u can’t drop university to become a chef and move to nyc and work for a big jewish man named bigfoot and have a sous-chef who is my right hand man, my evil twin and my bestie named steve and be the grim reaper of dying restaurants until i get my own french place and show those province town wussies that i’m the real deal and i’ve earned my hands. 

in my next life, i hope to be even half as cool as anthony bourdain was.

tori

This was solid, but not riveting. Definitely never order any specials at a restaurant. 

It was enjoyable as an audiobook I’d listen to while out doing errands, but I wasn’t in a rush to get through it the way I tend to be with a good book.

Madison Haymes

Brimming with passion. I don’t know if there’s anyone that loves cooking as much as Bourdain seemed to. He described dishes I’ve never heard of in a way that lent them a tangibility. If you haven’t got the time to read this book, then at the very least, set aside twenty minutes to read the chapter about his trip to Tokyo. 

John Lopiano Jr.

I’ve never worked in a restaurant, but growing up my parents owned one. Reading this unlocked so many subconscious memories I had of my parents squabbling over employees, budgets, product, etc. My dad tells me to this day that if I ever consider opening my own business, I’m a fool. Anthony Bourdain is a cultural icon and hero who left us too soon and this book is a work of brutal and honest art. You don’t have to be in the culinary business to appreciate it.

Modith D.

First of all I know nothing about Anthony Bourdain except for the expression I got from this book which is that he knows his stuff and he's been through the blender in the culinary world but also that he's an ass and bit of a narcissist. Now about the book it's too vague to be cooking guide and one sided to be an autobiography. It does however live up to it's title, I have never thought that the culinary underbelly would make army camp look tame but a great read for you if your thinking of entering the culinary world otherwise it's better to just stick to the cooking channel

Anthony Bourdain's international mega-bestseller: the down and dirty memoir that shot him to stardom

Ali Angco

3.75 to be specific. See my full review on Storygraph.

A New York City chef who is also a novelist recounts his experiences in the restaurant business, and exposes abuses of power, sexual promiscuity, drug use, and other secrets of life behind kitchen doors.

Katherine Yang

Really entertaining, especially as I get more and more into cooking (well, baking, but still). Never realised the culinary world was so intriguing.

Gavin

Lots to dislike but I like it. The prose is just a voiceover: short sentences, newline punchlines, chatty laddish bluster. You wouldn't want to spend time with young Bourdain; too edgy, too miserable, too addled. At no point does he disown his wild years, but this is written as a different, charming, distant man. I suppose this made him a star because honesty and filth are rare in high cuisine, or in the received notion of high cuisine. He refers to himself as a "cook" throughout (or even "cookie"), endearingly. 

Anyone else playing at being a junkie cuisinier, sexual tyrannosaurus, smash-hit author, primetime travel host, and, most recently, jiujitsu japer would surely be risible. But his enthusiasm is convincing.

It may well be that Bourdain was a 6/10 chef; I can tell you he's a 6/10 writer, at least as prose goes. But domains multiply when they intersect.

Bouke van der Bijl

Incredible look into an inquisitive and tortured soul. Bourdain needs no introduction, and this book is a great look into what goes on behind the scenes after you order your meal at a restaurant. It is highly enjoyable and incredibly written, for example the chapter about his experience of going to japan gave me vivid images of the street setting there. 

May he rest In peace

Andrew Louis

In the tech industry, the thinking used to be: "sure, it might be a toxic boys club but at the end of the day, anyone can make it because good code is all that matters." This book is a version of that for the food world I hope there's been some introspection in the decade since it was published. 

THAT SAID, as the telling of a person's story in a particular culture, this was quite the read.

Elda Mengisto

"I want the readers to get a glimpse of the true joys of making really good food at the professional level. I'd like them to understand what it feels like to attain the child's dream of running one's own pirate crew--what it feels like, looks like, and smells like in the clatter and hiss of a big-city restaurant kitchen. And I'd like to convey, as best I can, the strange delights of the language, patois, and death's head sense of humor found on the front lines. I'd like civilians who read this to get a sense, at least, that this life, in spite of everything, can be fun." (4)

I only knew Anthony Bourdain's public persona as a presenter of different cultures--mostly through his show Parts Unknown. I learned a lot about the food of a place, but it was the history and people of a particular location that really stood out. That said, I only got slight hints of Bourdain's previous life as a chef, and the darkness in which he did drugs and apparently bounced around.

When reading this book, I immediately liked the writing style. There were moments in which it felt like a perfect scene, such as with his vacation in France when he was younger and got to try his first oyster. It was some impressive character development shown, especially how picky the boy was earlier. Others were disturbing, albeit just as amusing, such as an incident when he eavesdropped a bride having sex with a waiter with the rest of the crew. They gave interesting vignettes to his life in the kitchen, which, as he demonstrated, becomes his place.

Simultaneously, through the people he meets and the subsequent experiences he has with them, brought a lot of wisdom to his approach. He discusses about who cooks and is subsequently blunt on one thing--"I can teach him to cook. I can't teach character. Show up at work on time six months in a row and we'll talk about red curry paste and lemongrass" (63). In the chapter featuring Bigfoot, where he learns about discipline and how significant it is, it's clear that he has standards he has are quite high. And these could be seen in his "commencement speech" at the end.

Overall, I appreciate the storytelling and the morality plays which are clearly described in vignettes. From how one's cooking leads to an ill-fated venture to create a restaurant through what is needed for a good kitchen, he explains a lot while simultaneously opening a window for people who are less familiar with the culinary world. He makes it clear while it looks rewarding, a lot of pain comes a long with it, from physical wounds to not being able to have a "regular life" outside the kitchen. It's a bit greasy, and shows the culinary underbelly mentioned in the subtitle.

I enjoyed this book a lot. While some squicky things existed (including explicit language and slurs as code) may not be the best for everybody, there's a bunch of knowledge invoked in the story that gives a good idea on what Bourdain knew and experienced; the travel chapters (especially where he goes to Japan) also opened towards what would eventually come in his travel experiences. Unfortunately, we will never get anymore of it, but we could make the ones he have last forever--what a guy. (8.5/10)

Amelia Lin

Extremely readable and entertaining, but it doesn't make me much like the man.

Mitul Shah &
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

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Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain