I'm not a Cook but I Watch one on T.V.

I watch a lot of television, and though I don't cook at all, I love to watch food programs. Not necessarily chefs preparing food or chefs cooking elaborate meals, but rather, chefs talking about food and culture and how food is a byproduct of the place we live. My obsession for watching programs like these led me to Anthony Bourdain both because he is a chef and a great writer.

Today we'll take a look at his first book: Kitchen Confidential

Difficulty: 2/5 The book is easy to read and a pleasure to read. Unless you get easily offended by cursing or stories about drug or alcohol abuse. He is a chef who has seen his share of hard times, mostly self-induced and as a result, there are some grisly stories in here.

Enjoyment: 5/5 As someone who loves eating out, this book is invaluable. It explains who is in the kitchen, how to act at a restaurant, what makes a good restaurant, and what goes on behind the scenes.

Mixing chapters about food with scenes from his life as a chef, the book is great in that it is both a biography and a study guide. Though he is not cooking now, we see what drew him to cooking in the first place, how he became a successful chef, and all of the bumps and bruises along the way. His biography is interesting, especially if you are a fan of his show on the Travel Channel: No Reservations. This is where I first got to know him. On the show, much like in his book, he is a lover of all things of quality, seemingly more interested in having experiences than souveniers, on an endless search for the perfect meal. The biography in the book fills in some gaps that we don't get on the T.V. show. He was addicted to several drugs, failed as a chef on numerous occasions, was a drug dealer, built up an army of cook friends and burned a lot of bridges before cleaning up his act and settling in at an up-scale restaurant.

What I like more about the book though, is what I call the "study guide" portion of the book. He teaches us all about the restaurant business, from owning your own restaurant, to cooking in the back, to serving tables, to eating out. What to do and what not to do, where to find good restaurants and what days are the best for eating out. Perhaps the most famous part of the book are his tips for when to eat out. He talks about Monday as being the worst day as you are essentially eating leftovers from the weekend. Asking for a steak well done? You're going to get the worst cut. He tells home cooks tips on how to cook like the pros, and reveals who really cooks most of the food in restaurants around the country.

I love this book and those that followed. If you enjoy eating out, pick it up, you won't be sorry. If you loved the movie Ratatouille, like I did, you may be surprised to see that many of the concepts in that movie (from the different personalities in the kitchen to the end scene with the food critic,) are inspired by this book.

On a side note, I am going to be posting a lot in the next few days, so watch out.

Currently reading: The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
Currently watching: UEFA Soccer Chamionships...Go Germany!