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.)
annakim's review against another edition
3.0
As a fellow Korean American from the same generation as David Chang, I can relate a lot to his struggles with accepting his Koreanness in a society that is not welcoming towards anyone who is different. I have also watched with some bemusement when foodies and hipsters "discovered" Korean food, making it more popular and acceptable to the masses when, as a kid, I had to endure teasing and cruel comments about it.
There is still a lot of negative perception towards Asian food (MSG headaches, inappropriate protein sources, Asian food being "dirty" and consequently, needing to be "cleaned up" by White people, etc.), so I really appreciate Chang's vision for elevating Asian cuisines and demonstrating that Asian food can be high end.
However, my first encounter with Chang was through some of the printed interviews during Momofuku's heyday and I was really turned off by his arrogant tone, which was only reinforced when I watched his show, "Ugly Delicious", on Netflix. But, reading his memoir made me understand that a lot of his behavior is a deflection from his insecurities and even a manifestation of his bipolar disorder that was trying to understand and manage.
There is still a lot of negative perception towards Asian food (MSG headaches, inappropriate protein sources, Asian food being "dirty" and consequently, needing to be "cleaned up" by White people, etc.), so I really appreciate Chang's vision for elevating Asian cuisines and demonstrating that Asian food can be high end.
However, my first encounter with Chang was through some of the printed interviews during Momofuku's heyday and I was really turned off by his arrogant tone, which was only reinforced when I watched his show, "Ugly Delicious", on Netflix. But, reading his memoir made me understand that a lot of his behavior is a deflection from his insecurities and even a manifestation of his bipolar disorder that was trying to understand and manage.
themaggiemch's review against another edition
informative
2.5
I honestly had no idea who Chang was before going into this book, but it didn't leave me with the best impression of him. He was kind of a jerk the whole time, but downplayed and justified his jerkiness, which was not a good look.
The first half of the book was pretty interesting, as it detailed his struggle to open restaurants and become a chef. This was the first chef memoir I've ever read, so this was a fascinating look into the culinary world. However, the second half devolved into disjointed essays that were lacking in many ways, thus diminishing my interest in Chang's story.
If I was ever in the area, maybe I'd try one of his restaurants, but I now have no interest in watching his shows or supporting him in his non-culinary pursuits. I know that people change throughout the years, and I can only hope that Chang has become more empathetic.
The first half of the book was pretty interesting, as it detailed his struggle to open restaurants and become a chef. This was the first chef memoir I've ever read, so this was a fascinating look into the culinary world. However, the second half devolved into disjointed essays that were lacking in many ways, thus diminishing my interest in Chang's story.
If I was ever in the area, maybe I'd try one of his restaurants, but I now have no interest in watching his shows or supporting him in his non-culinary pursuits. I know that people change throughout the years, and I can only hope that Chang has become more empathetic.
abbysuegleason's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like this book BADLY.
But sadly, the unfocused format and horde of (mostly unnecessary) footnotes left me feeling completely lost at the end.
David is a culinary genius, there’s no arguing that. But amidst his incessant self-deprecation, he forgot to share with us how he actually cooks. There may have been only one or two descriptions of food in the entire book that made me hungry, and one of them wasn’t even his own food. When I read a chef’s memoir, I shamefully admit a good chunk of my reasoning is because I want to read food porn. Sue me. This book definitely strayed a bit from that, focusing more on the clinical side of cooking, like getting the right amount of gluten in ramen noodles, versus the detailed descriptions of pork fat nestled into a soft steam bun with pickles. I wanted more of the steam bun.
The memoir didn’t really read like a memoir. It felt like 1/3 “stories of why I’m hard to work for”, 1/3, “life story” and 1/3 “hey young chefs, do this”. All of those angles are great, but they didn’t come together in a cohesive way. He has such an interesting perspective - forging a culinary empire at a time when no one was really leaning into Asian cuisine, with no real experience and with little money. As much as I appreciate experimentation of form, the way this was written just lost me. I was begging for a linear story.
I loved when Dave wrote about his interactions with the people in his life. Conversations with his father, Tony Bourdain, his fellow chefs, Christina Tosi and more stand out in my mind, but we’re not given much of this. It just felt void of other characters, in a sense. And that’s what makes a memoir great, feeling like you’ve stepped into the author’s life.
Finally, let’s talk about the #MeToo chapter. And by chapter, I mean 5 pages. Damn, that sucked. I’m glad Dave acknowledges that the book reads a bit bro-y, and he doesn’t gloss over the fact that there’s a lot of work he needs to do. The best quote in the section was “We don’t want to aim for ‘good enough to not get in trouble.’” Great line. But THEN he gives Momofuku a little pat on the back for sending their employees a hotline number. “It’s a start”, he says. A hotline?! A freaking hotline is a start? He references the fact that many people told him he should have left this section out. Yup. It just reinforced the fact that the book read more like a first draft that needed a heavy hand by a editor. Preferably a woman editor.
So. This is all to say that yes, the book had some shining moments. Some excellent one-liners. A brief insight into how a whole cuisine was born in America. A crucial glimpse into bipolar disorder. And though I appreciated that the form likely reflected the way Dave thinks, it was just too unfocused for me to truly enjoy. But I am glad he put himself out there and brought bipolar disorder some much-needed awareness, and that’s worth all 3 stars.
But sadly, the unfocused format and horde of (mostly unnecessary) footnotes left me feeling completely lost at the end.
David is a culinary genius, there’s no arguing that. But amidst his incessant self-deprecation, he forgot to share with us how he actually cooks. There may have been only one or two descriptions of food in the entire book that made me hungry, and one of them wasn’t even his own food. When I read a chef’s memoir, I shamefully admit a good chunk of my reasoning is because I want to read food porn. Sue me. This book definitely strayed a bit from that, focusing more on the clinical side of cooking, like getting the right amount of gluten in ramen noodles, versus the detailed descriptions of pork fat nestled into a soft steam bun with pickles. I wanted more of the steam bun.
The memoir didn’t really read like a memoir. It felt like 1/3 “stories of why I’m hard to work for”, 1/3, “life story” and 1/3 “hey young chefs, do this”. All of those angles are great, but they didn’t come together in a cohesive way. He has such an interesting perspective - forging a culinary empire at a time when no one was really leaning into Asian cuisine, with no real experience and with little money. As much as I appreciate experimentation of form, the way this was written just lost me. I was begging for a linear story.
I loved when Dave wrote about his interactions with the people in his life. Conversations with his father, Tony Bourdain, his fellow chefs, Christina Tosi and more stand out in my mind, but we’re not given much of this. It just felt void of other characters, in a sense. And that’s what makes a memoir great, feeling like you’ve stepped into the author’s life.
Finally, let’s talk about the #MeToo chapter. And by chapter, I mean 5 pages. Damn, that sucked. I’m glad Dave acknowledges that the book reads a bit bro-y, and he doesn’t gloss over the fact that there’s a lot of work he needs to do. The best quote in the section was “We don’t want to aim for ‘good enough to not get in trouble.’” Great line. But THEN he gives Momofuku a little pat on the back for sending their employees a hotline number. “It’s a start”, he says. A hotline?! A freaking hotline is a start? He references the fact that many people told him he should have left this section out. Yup. It just reinforced the fact that the book read more like a first draft that needed a heavy hand by a editor. Preferably a woman editor.
So. This is all to say that yes, the book had some shining moments. Some excellent one-liners. A brief insight into how a whole cuisine was born in America. A crucial glimpse into bipolar disorder. And though I appreciated that the form likely reflected the way Dave thinks, it was just too unfocused for me to truly enjoy. But I am glad he put himself out there and brought bipolar disorder some much-needed awareness, and that’s worth all 3 stars.