Last spring, I read Patrick Radden Keefe’s Rogues, which has a chapter about Anthony Bourdain. Of course, I have heard of Bourdain, and I’ve watched bits of his various television shows. He was brash and charismatic, also a bit mysterious. I realized that I had never read his famous memoir, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.
In Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain shares his passion for food and his early experiences working as a chef in New York. Although Bourdain was well-known for his culinary travel shows, he had very little travel experience until later in life. Reading Kitchen Confidential, it is clear that working as a chef is an all-consuming experience with very little time to rest or travel. Travel came when he made a career shift from chef to a writer and television presenter.
I’ve never worked in the restaurant industry, although I had a glimpse via my ex-husband who worked as a server at a moderately fancy Italian restaurant. I was aware of the lingo and some of the general gripes, and that people in the industry are incredibly hard working. Be kind and tip generously! That said, Bourdain provides a fascinating look at the restaurant industry, dishing out his own thoughts on things to order and what to keep an eye out for when dining. He is very anti-brunch and provides a decent reason for why one should avoid it. I was crushed when he gave advice to steer clear of my favorite food, swordfish. I have not had swordfish since reading Kitchen Confidential. I will spare you the details, but the reason is quite stomach churning.
Lewd encounters, rampant drug use, and shocking reveals aside, Kitchen Confidential is marvelous because of Bourdain’s keen writing abilities. I’ve never eaten Bourdain’s food and he may have been a fantastic chef, but I know for certain that he had a talent for writing. His flair for the dramatic and sensory storytelling plops readers into the middle of the scene. Bourdain’s direct and frank manner of writing, similar to his media persona, makes it feel like he is having a personal conversation with the reader and I suspect this aspect of his personality is what made him so magnetic. This is not a chef who is writing a memoir, but a writer sharing his life. I throughly enjoyed Kitchen Confidential, both for the insight into the chaotic restaurant industry and for a bit of time in Bourdain’s company.