I am officially late the party in regards to praising Anthony Bourdain’s writing. I’m disappointed that it was only in his death that I came to know his writing.
Upon the announcement of his death, my coworker circulated his article “Don’t Eat Before Reading This” to our office. Up to that point, I had never read any of this writings or watched any of his shows. (If you haven’t read the article, read it here.) His book, Kitchen Confidential, is an expansion of the article. His book is a mix of memoir and restaurant expose. He would probably cringe at the expose part, because as he points out throughout the book, he is simply stating the truth. He is giving his readers an actual, first hand account of what it was like to work in various kitchens through 1970s-1990s.
His stories are hilarious. He is unafraid to poke fun at himself or his contemporaries. After I started the book, I began to watch episodes of his show No Reservations. I highly recommend this because after watching two or three episodes, I began to read the book and would hear his voice as I read it. His diction and syntax are so unique when he speaks and he wrote in the same way he speaks.
If you like to cook, fancy yourself a chef or just love food, then you need to read Kitchen Confidential.
