jackierothmeier's review against another edition

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dark inspiring tense fast-paced

4.0


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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective fast-paced

3.5

not so much a memoir as a detailed, enjoyable account of bourdain's time in the culinary industry, kitchen confidential is a fast, hilarious, self-deprecating and informative read. there's resto secrets, kitchen dynamics, no-frill recipes, marvels on the awesomeness of food, and musings on different ppl and food cultures. man was rly ahead of his time im; whats not to like? i love food and i miss mr. bourdain very much.

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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hmetwade's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

2.0


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kimveach's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny informative reflective tense medium-paced

2.5

My son, a bartender, wanted me to read this.  I was not an Anthony Bourdain fan, having never read any of his books, nor watched his shows.  This book didn't make me a fan, either.  

I think I would have liked it if I'd read it in the early 2000s when it was first published.  As a forty-something person, I would have enjoyed this book's rough, vulgar, stream-of-consciousness.  But reading it in 2023 was a different experience.  I found the repeated descriptions of substance abuse, criminal activity, and swearing tiring and boring.  

The book's best parts were the detailed descriptions of what it takes to manage and run a restaurant and the incredible skill and timing of the people working on the line.

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sanctuary_in_the_pages's review against another edition

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funny informative fast-paced

4.75


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cmcrockford's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny informative fast-paced

4.5

Obviously would be very different in many senses if published in 2023 but this is fun as all hell. 

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kellyofcali's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative inspiring tense medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this book - it's interesting, while I was very aware OF Anthony Bourdain, I don't think I knew much about him, and this is very much him unfiltered (or feels that way) - which both makes you like him more, and less, and feel very sad for what eventually happened to him. It's both a great book for people who love food and restaurants and a terrible one, as it's very honest (and often gross) but the man just loves food.

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mandaraffe's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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kumquats87's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative fast-paced

4.5

Reading this just reminded me of how much I miss his unique voice.

Also, don’t order the fish on Mondays.



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