Ricesome's Recommendations: Kitchen Confidential

There are many people in life whose reputation precedes them (I have always dreamed of becoming one of those), people whose names you hear before you even get to view their work or see them on screen. Every field has probably few people like that, and in the culinary landscape and for me, it was Anthony Bourdain.

Image via Flickr by dackelprincess

I heard of Anthony Bourdain's name soon after the infamous news of his death spread worldwide. But, I was young and wasn't culinarily inclined to have this news affect me. But recently, I have decided to read some cooking or chef-related books and stumbled upon this masterpiece, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly".

I saw the 'Roadrunner' documentary on Netflix a couple of months back and the next day I ordered this book online and couldn't wait to finish it. The documentary starts with Anthony Bourdain's life right after this book became popular, and after watching it, it felt like a prequel to a saga of movies. Apparently, there is even a TV show adaptation of this book starring Bradley Cooper from the "Burnt"...but, that's a story for another day.

(Btw, I recommend the documentary to anyone who hasn't seen it, but make sure to not watch it like me at 2 am in the night.)

This book narrates the accounts of Anthony Bourdain's life from his childhood of falling in love with food to his journey across restaurants in America. He explained that this is a book by a chef for chefs. (for an aspiring one as well like me) I hadn't read any book for a long time and was worried that it would be difficult to progress and eventually finish this one. However, I immediately noticed that his writing style was different, and felt like he was writing a blog. Bourdain has journalled across the book, enticing the readers with pivotal stories about his life and how they affected his judgements.

Image via Flickr by Thomas Cizauskas

My first impression was the "Menu" and how the chapters were named, they caught my attention and I knew right then that this wasn't your average book. The book takes off smoothly with Bourdain's stories of how he fell in love with food for the first time, to his first job in a kitchen and his decision to go to the CIA. (Culinary Institute of America)

Anthony Bourdain's life was chaotic and he somehow found order through his madness and chaos. He considered himself to be frivolous, obnoxious, and in a way heartless, but his story may prove otherwise. He was undoubtedly one of the popular icons in representing and portraying the "real" chef culture in America. Many of the references about chefs and their way of doing things can be understood from the book and his opinions on the necessary evils in the restaurant industry. Some of them might not be relevant in today's day and age, and Chef Bourdain thought so as well based on his insider notes throughout the book.

My personal favourite chapters are "How to Cook like the Pros" and "What I Know About Meat". At the beginning of the former chapter, he talks about how there is a craving for simply cooked home food in the hearts of every chef, which I found really contrasting and thoughtful. He also gives tips for any non-chefs on how to cook like a professional but assures them that, "Good food is very often, even most often, simple food." The "What I Know About Meat" chapter is just a good story told in a great and enticing manner that made me chuckle out loud. (No spoilers) The book is filled with stories like these and characters in the restaurant industry who range from borderline antisocials, and sociopaths to Italian mafia bosses, and it is better than any thriller movie or novel I have ever read. (Not that I have seen or read many)

Image via Flickr by James Cann

Anthony Bourdain mentions that times have changed since he wrote this book, and by the time it came out, got popular, and an Insider edition was released, many more things have changed.....he is no longer with us, but his stories continue to be passed on. He was a storyteller by heart and a chef in his act. The scenarios and issues might have changed in recent times in the industry, but his truth remains the same which is, "Always be on time, Respect your waiters, Never buy fish on a Monday and Put your Line Cooks above all."

Since this book contains a lot of profanity, (an entire chapter has been dedicated to the art of cuss words, which he called 'Untranslatable' in some languages) not everyone can read it or should read it. But if you are an aspiring chef, cook or a leader of your own business in the future, there is a lot to be learned from here. Take it from a guy who writes an article every other week recommending you to read the only book ever written in 'Kitchenese', and one that starts my journey of discovering Anthony Bourdain's work.

That's it for this time. See you next week!