Reviews

The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones by Anthony Bourdain

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chronicallyonline's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.75

This collection did not age well. Despite that, I still very much enjoyed Anthony Bourdain's voice throughout the essays. The poetic, almost romantic way in which he speaks about food is fantastic.

The last portion of this collection is commentary on the essays from Bourdain himself. I recommend reading each commentary after it's respective essay. Truly this is the saving grace of this book since Bourdain scolds himself for some of his reactions and opinions from the past.

Best essays were his love letters to New York and Vietnam. Good shit.

His defense for foie grois is weak and disappointing but not surprising.

garleighc's review

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funny hopeful informative lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

abbymaybird's review

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5.0

I love Bourdain’s writing style and all of his essays are extremely insightful, but honestly my favorite part was seeing his thoughts on each of his previously written essays at the end of the book. It was really interesting to see how he had evolved from those viewpoints and also how sometimes you’ve got to admit when you’ve been an ass. Overall, great read!

peacefulcress's review

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4.0

Just as flowery, brutal, and unabashedly pornographic on the subject of food as his usual writing; however, this short story collection comes with Bourdain's reflections on each piece. These reflections are as illuminating and unforgiving as the stories themselves and are just as much of a joy to read. When an author can look back on his writing and tell you the truth behind it, that really completes the experience. Highly recommended!