Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

34 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 Having followed a fair amount of Bourdain’s work on shows and interviews, I thought this book might be very outdated, maybe misogynistic and a bit too much on the cool side.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

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

claireh6's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Drug use, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, 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

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

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

kurtwombat's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative tense fast-paced

5.0

I’ve watched Anthony Bourdain’s food/travel show on and off for years, enjoying his long cool languid demeanor and hip, inquisitive voice. What provokes is the sense that there is a vigorously lived life idling beneath the surface. In KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL a younger than TV age Bourdain provides a florid splash of his adrenaline-fueled life as a chef. The pace is fast like his kitchens and is at turns shocking and hilarious--feeling like Jim Carroll’s BASKETBALL DIARIES meets Upton Sinclair’s THE JUNGLE delivered by Spalding Gray on speed. Because of his sad passing I had stayed clear of his shows and hesitated picking up this book. Enraptured, my concerns fell away as I realized every page celebrates his life and passion.  The book will teach you about different foods and may encourage you to learn more but you don’t have to care about food at all to enjoy KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL.  Able to pinpoint the childhood meal that ignited his interest in food, soup served cold, that love never wavers despite page after page working insane hours under grueling conditions in crazy environments for little pay. Does that sound like fun, probably not, but it certainly is.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Alcohol

The graphic warnings I gave above are definitely referenced in the book but are not condoned but rather just to describe the atmosphere of this kind of workplace.

_gelatinouscute's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

samchase112's review against another edition

funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

I’ll be right here. Until they drag me off the line, I’m not going anywhere. I hope.

Hell yeah, this book was freaking fantastic. Narrated by Anthony Bourdain himself, it's an utterly engrossing (and gross) recount of his restaurant and kitchen experiences, complete with more blood, sex, drugs, and alcohol than you could ever imagine. A truly fascinating glimpse into a world I've never been interested in — food is… let's say, not my thing — and isn't that truly Bourdain's gift? One reviewer said reading this memoir was like meeting a ghost, and I wholeheartedly agree. I'll be recommending this (now decades old) book to anyone who will listen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual content

Minor: Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment