Scan barcode
A review by nathansnook
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Updated Edition) by Anthony Bourdain
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.0
Mandatory reading for anyone in a career slump. Because Bourdain slumps too. You see his lows. He honors his highs. But the most important factor throughout these tales of the hardest nights with the hardest drugs with the most delicious dishes and the most humbling moments, funny, stressful, too-much-truth-contained is that he keeps going.
It's the drive. The passion. Pure passion. It's all he lives on. And it begs of all of us to do the same. Perhaps chasing dreams is worthwhile in the end. Dreams make man, and man is made here, in name (restaurant signage and resume-build-ups), in history. Legacy.
The book ends here:
"'𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.'
*on being part of the restaurant world, a hybrid of on-call and freelance, his energy, his ethos, his very self, final words"
With the addition to my notes, I had written "final worlds" instead of "final words" and it made me think of the finite things in life, what I leave behind. I've always avoided this, believing that I should focus on productivity in the present, but perhaps, deep down, there is always something to leave behind. Always something to give to someone else. Something to provide. To always provide for the becoming of someone else.
And here, Bourdain provides for all of our becomings and those who become.
It's the drive. The passion. Pure passion. It's all he lives on. And it begs of all of us to do the same. Perhaps chasing dreams is worthwhile in the end. Dreams make man, and man is made here, in name (restaurant signage and resume-build-ups), in history. Legacy.
The book ends here:
"'𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.'
*on being part of the restaurant world, a hybrid of on-call and freelance, his energy, his ethos, his very self, final words"
With the addition to my notes, I had written "final worlds" instead of "final words" and it made me think of the finite things in life, what I leave behind. I've always avoided this, believing that I should focus on productivity in the present, but perhaps, deep down, there is always something to leave behind. Always something to give to someone else. Something to provide. To always provide for the becoming of someone else.
And here, Bourdain provides for all of our becomings and those who become.