Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

40 reviews

lilianvh's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

I enjoyed and feared reading this book. Having followed a fair amount of Bourdain’s work on shows and interviews, I thought this book might be very outdated, maybe misogynistic and a bit too much on the cool side. However, it was very interesting to learn about kitchens in his day, the dynamic in teams, the attitude towards working in kitchens and more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Alcohol

kaitd97's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use

sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

5.0

Who doesn’t spend every waking hour missing Anthony Bourdain? Couldn’t be me. As a fan of his show, I figured I should go back to what may be his most famous book and see where it all started.

I had so much fun reading about Bourdain’s experiences. As someone who has worked in hospitality for a fair share of sociopaths, it was really comforting and enlightening to see someone else both experience the behavior and understand it at the same time. Bourdain clearly loves what he does and doesn’t hide behind his celebrity status as he confronts past demons. He’s just that lovable!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys celebrity memoirs, Bourdain’s shows, French cooking, or just food in general. It was fun, relaxing, and easy to read- although he definitely jumped around at times (it fits the ambience of his kitchens, though).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

These content warnings are relatively minor but frequent- he does not shy away from hypocrisy

thursdd4y's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

etbishop's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, and Alcohol

fionag's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

I’d always admired Bourdain and love to watch his shows, this book was a fantastic look into the life of a very troubled and talented man. You can truly feel the passion for food, the madness of a busy service, the characters who are probably running from the law. I haven’t worked in hospitality, but from the people I know who have, this is a true account. He admits that he is a scumbag and doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s worked in many a failing kitchen. I loved the loyalty of many chefs and the trust of a good team. 100% listen to the audiobook as Bourdain recounting his own debauchery is hilarious. Favourite chapters have to be Bigfoot, Adam-Real-Last-Name-Unknown, and the Level of Discourse 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug use

Moderate: Misogyny and Suicide

dreadspawn's review against another edition

funny informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide

megnut's review against another edition

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

I think I've found some of my favorite lines in this book... and definitely had a hard time not profusely swearing after listening to it for a while. 

RIP, Chef. This was a delight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

illtakethenightshiftx's review against another edition

funny reflective

I’ve been wanting to read this since I was a teenager and saw an episode of No Reservations.  I’m so glad I decided to listen to the audiobook instead of picking up the print. Memoirs read by the author, especially by an author who has an amazing voice, are so much more powerful. You can tell how much food meant to Bourdain, even during his early years.

(Rating memoirs feels weird so I’m not doing it)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

abeplaut's review against another edition

funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

Revealing look at what the life was like for the Chef. The audiobook (read by the author) felt deeply personal. And somewhat sad as Bourdaine describes suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment