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olivialambert97's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
This book is clearly a product of a time when Bourdain was still up and coming, not yet the celebratory chef and storyteller he would become, and filling pages with an extra concentrated version of the bravado and sharp-toned bluster that we'd come to love (but later, in a less toxic, more nuanced way).
At times he's a total asshole in this - something he acknowledges and seems to revel in. It's nice to learn that years after publication, Bourdain was critical of some of his own crassness in this book - clearly refining how he'd choose to express his opinions without changing the baseline values that he stood so strongly behind.
I've seen it noted by other reviewers (notable among them, Mel Thomas - who you should also follow) that Bourdain has a natural ease of describing others in brutalist, harsh, and unforgiving detail but making you love them anyway. He doesn't spare himself the same criticism, but he seems less sure about whether he himself is worthy of that same respect and admiration. Something that he seemed to carry throughout the rest of this illustrious career.
At times he's a total asshole in this - something he acknowledges and seems to revel in. It's nice to learn that years after publication, Bourdain was critical of some of his own crassness in this book - clearly refining how he'd choose to express his opinions without changing the baseline values that he stood so strongly behind.
I've seen it noted by other reviewers (notable among them, Mel Thomas - who you should also follow) that Bourdain has a natural ease of describing others in brutalist, harsh, and unforgiving detail but making you love them anyway. He doesn't spare himself the same criticism, but he seems less sure about whether he himself is worthy of that same respect and admiration. Something that he seemed to carry throughout the rest of this illustrious career.
scremily's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
kermitcaroline's review
funny
informative
fast-paced
4.5
This was a great read and even better to hear the author’s narration. As someone who only briefly worked in a $$$ restaurant, I feel like I got a better understanding of what was happening in the back of the house that I wasn’t privy to. It’s a whole other world that most of us have no idea about and I thought Bourdain did a fantastic job painting a picture of its beauty and its consequences.