Fudge wrote:
>
> I just ordered the book "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain as a
> Christmas present to myself. Anybody read the book?
>
> F.J.

Yes and you may never want to eat out again. (

Margaret Suran wrote:
> Fudge wrote:
>>
>> I just ordered the book "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain
>> as a Christmas present to myself. Anybody read the book?
>>
>> F.J.
>
> Yes and you may never want to eat out again. (

I find his writing to be trifling and overstated. Having worked in
restaurants over the years, granted, not 4 star establishments, I think his
assessment of all the chefs being coked up or heroin addicted is a bit over
the top. Maybe he was, but I wouldn't say that would be true of everyone.

Some of the best chefs I've worked with were dedicated family people. And
the kitchen workers weren't out boinking the bride behind the kitchen at her
reception.

"A Cooks Tour" was a much better book and seemed to be more grounded in
reality. With "Kitchen Confidential", Bourdain tends to want to shock,
rather than tell the truth, or perhaps tell a "truth" that existed in his
mind. I suppose this is why he's now an author.

Jill

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 17:14:18 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:

>Margaret Suran wrote:
>> Fudge wrote:
>>>
>>> I just ordered the book "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain
>>> as a Christmas present to myself. Anybody read the book?
>>>
>>> F.J.
>>
>> Yes and you may never want to eat out again. (
>
>I find his writing to be trifling and overstated. Having worked in
>restaurants over the years, granted, not 4 star establishments, I think his
>assessment of all the chefs being coked up or heroin addicted is a bit over
>the top. Maybe he was, but I wouldn't say that would be true of everyone.
>
Could be a difference between New York and Memphis? Or not.

It wasn't his writing that I found wanting -- he's a very good writer,
to my way of thinking. It was the all-devouring ego that left me
happy I'd never met the man. Happy I never will.

>Some of the best chefs I've worked with were dedicated family people. And
>the kitchen workers weren't out boinking the bride behind the kitchen at her
>reception.

Yeah, but it made a heluva story, and an impressive motivation for the
main character's career decision.
>
>"A Cooks Tour" was a much better book and seemed to be more grounded in
>reality. With "Kitchen Confidential", Bourdain tends to want to shock,
>rather than tell the truth, or perhaps tell a "truth" that existed in his
>mind. I suppose this is why he's now an author.
>
I'll have to pick up "Tour" sometime.

modom

jmcquown > wrote in message
.. .
> I find his writing to be trifling and overstated. Having worked in
> restaurants over the years, granted, not 4 star establishments, I think
his
> assessment of all the chefs being coked up or heroin addicted is a bit
over
> the top. Maybe he was, but I wouldn't say that would be true of everyone.
>
> Some of the best chefs I've worked with were dedicated family people. And
> the kitchen workers weren't out boinking the bride behind the kitchen at
her
> reception.
>
> "A Cooks Tour" was a much better book and seemed to be more grounded in
> reality. With "Kitchen Confidential", Bourdain tends to want to shock,
> rather than tell the truth, or perhaps tell a "truth" that existed in his
> mind. I suppose this is why he's now an author.
>
> Jill

ya that stuff in the book bugged me, it was like "are ALL restaurant workers
depraved low-lifes?" i was thinking of getting a pt job in a restaurant but
after reading this i am thinking i am WAY too much of a feminist or
chickenshit to put up with all that insanity and harassment. thanks for
saying there ARE decent folk out there because all i read is that KC
description of the industry is spot-on correct.

k.

wrote in
:

> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 17:14:18 -0600, "jmcquown"
> > wrote:
>
>>Margaret Suran wrote:
>>> Fudge wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I just ordered the book "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain
>>>> as a Christmas present to myself. Anybody read the book?
>>>>
>>>> F.J.
>>>
>>> Yes and you may never want to eat out again. (
>>
>>I find his writing to be trifling and overstated. Having worked in
>>restaurants over the years, granted, not 4 star establishments, I
>>think his assessment of all the chefs being coked up or heroin
>>addicted is a bit over the top. Maybe he was, but I wouldn't say that
>>would be true of everyone.
>>
> Could be a difference between New York and Memphis? Or not.
>
> It wasn't his writing that I found wanting -- he's a very good writer,
> to my way of thinking. It was the all-devouring ego that left me
> happy I'd never met the man. Happy I never will.
>

Yes, I enjoyed the book, but finished thinking exactly the same thing.
Found him completely unlikeable.


--
Rhonda Anderson
Penrith, NSW, Australia

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 20:31:52 -0500, "kag"
> wrote:

>jmcquown > wrote

>> I find his writing to be trifling and overstated. Having worked in
>> restaurants over the years, granted, not 4 star establishments, I think
>his
>> assessment of all the chefs being coked up or heroin addicted is a bit
>over
>> the top.

>ya that stuff in the book bugged me, it was like "are ALL restaurant workers
>depraved low-lifes?" i was thinking of getting a pt job in a restaurant but
>after reading this i am thinking i am WAY too much of a feminist or
>chickenshit to put up with all that insanity and harassment.

I figured there was a lot of "poetic license" involved. After all,
it's more interesting to read about the crazies than "Tom always
arrived on time, never gave anyone any s***, and did his work well."
Even 'James Herriot' combined characters and exaggerated
characteristics of others. 'Kitchen Confidential' isn't an academic
study, but an anecdotal amusement of personal experience. In fact, if
a book with that title *didn't* contain more than stories about
hand-washing and unsafe food storage, it wouldn't have been a
best-seller.

Frogleg > wrote in message
...
wrote:
>> I figured there was a lot of "poetic license" involved. After all,
> it's more interesting to read about the crazies than "Tom always
> arrived on time, never gave anyone any s***, and did his work well."
> Even 'James Herriot' combined characters and exaggerated
> characteristics of others. 'Kitchen Confidential' isn't an academic
> study, but an anecdotal amusement of personal experience. In fact, if
> a book with that title *didn't* contain more than stories about
> hand-washing and unsafe food storage, it wouldn't have been a
> best-seller.

very good point, makes sense...it's always the troublemakers and screwups in
the spotlight isnt it? it was a good read have to say.

karen

"kag" > wrote in message >...
> jmcquown > wrote in message
> .. .
> > I find his writing to be trifling and overstated. Having worked in
> > restaurants over the years, granted, not 4 star establishments, I think
> his
> > assessment of all the chefs being coked up or heroin addicted is a bit
> over
> > the top. Maybe he was, but I wouldn't say that would be true of everyone.
> >
> > Some of the best chefs I've worked with were dedicated family people. And
> > the kitchen workers weren't out boinking the bride behind the kitchen at
> her
> > reception.
> >
> > "A Cooks Tour" was a much better book and seemed to be more grounded in
> > reality. With "Kitchen Confidential", Bourdain tends to want to shock,
> > rather than tell the truth, or perhaps tell a "truth" that existed in his
> > mind. I suppose this is why he's now an author.
> >
> > Jill
>
> ya that stuff in the book bugged me, it was like "are ALL restaurant workers
> depraved low-lifes?" i was thinking of getting a pt job in a restaurant but
> after reading this i am thinking i am WAY too much of a feminist or
> chickenshit to put up with all that insanity and harassment. thanks for
> saying there ARE decent folk out there because all i read is that KC
> description of the industry is spot-on correct.
>
> k.

He made it pretty clear that it wasn't a case of, "Every kitchen is
like this," but "every kitchen I've ever worked in and many I haven't
is like this." Considering the picture he paints of himself, I'm sure
he and prospective employers were in agreement about his not being fit
to work in a restaurant that wasn't like the ones he wrote about.

Also, He is very east coast. I'm sure that skews the perspective.

I still wouldn't take the job on a dare.

Greg Zywicki

Greg Zywicki > wrote in message
om...
>> Also, He is very east coast. I'm sure that skews the perspective.
>
> I still wouldn't take the job on a dare.
>
> Greg Zywicki

thanks for the advice.
i dont even have a job offer-just was going to start looking in other areas
of employment since the tech field (where my experience is, and where my job
got eliminated months ago) is barren right now...

btw i am east coast-and on that note i think i'll explore other avenues for
short term (or long) employment possibilities-why ask for headaches?

k.

(Greg Zywicki) wrote > He made it pretty clear that
it >wasn't a case of, "Every kitchen is
> like this," but "every kitchen I've ever worked in and many I haven't
> is like this."

Exactly. I can't understand people who don't GET that about Tony.
That and the fact that Tony's a total ham and milks a situation as far
as he can for the shock value. Anyone who doesn't like this book is a
stiff.

In article >,
(Carmen Dioxide) wrote:

> (Greg Zywicki) wrote > He made it pretty clear that
> it >wasn't a case of, "Every kitchen is
> > like this," but "every kitchen I've ever worked in and many I haven't
> > is like this."

In fact he even said in the book that some kitchens _aren't_ like that,
and gave an example.

> Exactly. I can't understand people who don't GET that about Tony.
> That and the fact that Tony's a total ham and milks a situation as far
> as he can for the shock value. Anyone who doesn't like this book is a
> stiff.

I wouldn't go that far. But I did recognize the fact that he was
playing up to his audience.

Miche

--
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
-- Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"