cristalmh's review against another edition
5.0
“I’m not suppose to be here” resonates with a lot of individuals. Once I read that, I knew David Chang was about to share his struggles and trying to navigate the world. And he did. I do wish some of the stories gave me more information. He is very honest about his delivery and perspective of the world at the time. He also realizes that everyone is a work in progress and he hopes to grow from the person he currently is at this moment as well.
He is very honest about his mental health. It was meaningful that he shared about it.
Thank you David Chang for valuing a liberal arts degree. Also for including your list for becoming a chef, that could work for any art careers and good advice. And also for getting me to re-read the myth of Sisyphus.
He is very honest about his mental health. It was meaningful that he shared about it.
Thank you David Chang for valuing a liberal arts degree. Also for including your list for becoming a chef, that could work for any art careers and good advice. And also for getting me to re-read the myth of Sisyphus.
lhhrmn's review against another edition
3.0
I've eaten at Momofuku and it's sister restaurants, so this was mildly interesting from the perspective of learning about the history of the restaurants and more about David Chang. It felt a little "in the weeds" trying to wade through the occasional long list of chefs he worked alongside or rubbed elbows with that weren't familiar to me. I appreciate that he peeled back his own layers to offer what felt like a very raw look at his life, exposing even the uglier parts. I found "What You See and What You Get" and "Blind Spots" to be the strongest/most interesting chapters from Chang's perspective. A solid 3 stars - it felt like a bit of a drag in the middle, but I can see those in food service really enjoying it.
alissamargaret's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook (8 hours, 9 minutes). Overall I enjoyed learning more about his history, to include his upbringing as a first generation Korean-American, mental health, and what his thought process was like as he was starting Momofuku restaurants.
andystone's review against another edition
5.0
Love Dave. Love Momofuku. Love this memoir.
Over the past few years, I’ve been told that I express my opinions about food and life like Chang does. Reading his autobiography (memoir?), I realize that we share many more characteristics, impulses and stresses. While his cooking and his businesses are an inspiration, it’s his life lessons and coping that I got the most from in this book. I’m glad he’s here and writing.
Over the past few years, I’ve been told that I express my opinions about food and life like Chang does. Reading his autobiography (memoir?), I realize that we share many more characteristics, impulses and stresses. While his cooking and his businesses are an inspiration, it’s his life lessons and coping that I got the most from in this book. I’m glad he’s here and writing.
danchrist's review against another edition
4.0
A raw, candid, from the heart tale from David Chang. Great read. Looking forward to what next for this chef.
mmqd's review against another edition
2.0
Mad respect for David Chang, I’ve been a fan of his for many years but this was 304 pages of self deprecating, stream of consciousness madness. There were some bright moments that I really enjoyed reading: Anthony Bourdain, his relationship with his wife and becoming a father... but the rest of the book just kind of bummed me out. I was really disappointed to hear about how he treated his staff, the hard working people who helped build his restaurant empire. You know how they say you should never meet your heroes? Yeah, maybe stay away from their memoirs too.
afro8921's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed Eat a Peach. David Chang doesn't shy away from talking about mental health issues, racism, sexism, and his own short comings. Readers will end up with a more complete picture of the creator of Ugly Delicious, Lucky Peach, and more restaurants than I knew of.
ducchan326's review against another edition
5.0
As 2020 winds down, seeing a tiny glimpse of someone else's perspective about how COVID-19 impacted them was a game-changer. (The afterwords at the end of the book were something raw that David Chang included in his book, not for shits and giggles, but to give his thoughts about how COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd shifted his mindset on how he may conduct his restaurants going forward; plus, this also shows that he knew that it was a very sensitive time to release his book at the scheduled launch date, and to respect everyone, he decided to push it back to now.)
Before the final words of his memoir, David Chang told the stories about his childhood and how he ended up starting Momofuku on a trend he stumbled upon while traveling to Japan. Yes, it may look like the glitz and glamour of being voted in the James Beard award or having Michelin stars attached to his pride and joy, but what not many people knew was his own personal struggles, which he lightly tapped on while "traveling up the hill", but goes into more depth while "traveling downhill".
Yes, this book isn't the silver bullet of being the number one chef; this is the moment that people tend not to notice until they actually hear the behind the scenes of it all. (I can compare this to an Instagram photo, just a perfect snapshot, but you don't see what's going on behind the photo.)
Before the final words of his memoir, David Chang told the stories about his childhood and how he ended up starting Momofuku on a trend he stumbled upon while traveling to Japan. Yes, it may look like the glitz and glamour of being voted in the James Beard award or having Michelin stars attached to his pride and joy, but what not many people knew was his own personal struggles, which he lightly tapped on while "traveling up the hill", but goes into more depth while "traveling downhill".
Yes, this book isn't the silver bullet of being the number one chef; this is the moment that people tend not to notice until they actually hear the behind the scenes of it all. (I can compare this to an Instagram photo, just a perfect snapshot, but you don't see what's going on behind the photo.)