A review by leannaaker
Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
5.0
OK, you are going to love this book, or you are going to hate it.
Here are all of the reasons you might hate this book. The character is raw, rude, selfish, and often unlikeable. The second half of the book is less about the chef, restauranteur angle, and more about personal self-exploration. The ending is like a drop into oblivion (where is the ending)? The book is crass, full of vulgarity, and shows no editing of the terrible thoughts in a person's mind.
Here are all of the reasons you might love this book. In places we don't like to talk about, we all resonate with those raw, vulnerable, rude, selfish, and unlikeable moments. They are who we are under the veneer of social acceptability. They are the things we think, even if we don't say them out loud. I found Gabrielle Hamilton's take on herself to be interesting, real, and reflective. You will learn so much about the restaurant and catering business, and you will learn tips and tricks about cooking. You will visit the real Italy through her book as well. The book is crass, full of vulgarity, and shows no editing of the terrible thoughts in a person's mind (Yep, that last sentence is a copy from the reasons you might hate the book).
If you want a sanitized version of a chef memoir that focuses solely on the food, this isn't the book for you. If you want a memoir of a chef's personal life, dirt and all, with a really interesting overlay of food (and you love REAL people), this is the book for you.
Here are all of the reasons you might hate this book. The character is raw, rude, selfish, and often unlikeable. The second half of the book is less about the chef, restauranteur angle, and more about personal self-exploration. The ending is like a drop into oblivion (where is the ending)? The book is crass, full of vulgarity, and shows no editing of the terrible thoughts in a person's mind.
Here are all of the reasons you might love this book. In places we don't like to talk about, we all resonate with those raw, vulnerable, rude, selfish, and unlikeable moments. They are who we are under the veneer of social acceptability. They are the things we think, even if we don't say them out loud. I found Gabrielle Hamilton's take on herself to be interesting, real, and reflective. You will learn so much about the restaurant and catering business, and you will learn tips and tricks about cooking. You will visit the real Italy through her book as well. The book is crass, full of vulgarity, and shows no editing of the terrible thoughts in a person's mind (Yep, that last sentence is a copy from the reasons you might hate the book).
If you want a sanitized version of a chef memoir that focuses solely on the food, this isn't the book for you. If you want a memoir of a chef's personal life, dirt and all, with a really interesting overlay of food (and you love REAL people), this is the book for you.