Post by ♥ COVID-19♥ on Jun 13, 2009 23:09:13 GMT -6
OK, OK, OK, I admit it. I'm late to the game. Way late, in fact.
It's only in the past year and a half that I became a fan of Anthony Bourdain through his "No Reservations" TV show on The Travel Channel. In the beginning, I had no idea he was such a prolific (and excellent and funny) writer. Last summer, I was watching "Top Chef" on the Bravo Channel with my friend vbplyr and got all excited when this episode included Bourdain as one of the judges; when I told her what a fan I was of "No Reservations", she highly recommended I read his books -- including and especially "Kitchen Confidential".
This past winter, I finally purchased a paperback copy at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square; while I initially planned to include it on my summer reading list, my curiosity got the better of me and I started reading it immediately -- in fact, I would read it every Saturday for the past several months and just finished it last weekend.
The insight that Bourdain provides to the business of running a restaurant, a kitchen and the revelations about his own personal demons that sidetracked his career were nothing short of fascinating. I was compelled by everything he had to say on all of his subjects -- and the fact that he writes so well (and so humorously) made me want to do nothing but read that book every weekend. Without a doubt, this was most definitely one of those books that made me feel a bit sad when it was finished.
If you are someone who enjoys restaurants, this is absolutely a must - read and an eye - opener, to boot. I recommend this one highly. The fact that many of the restaurants he discusses are right here in NYC (even though many of them no longer exist) really made it all the more meaningful to me.
How badly did I feel about finishing the book last weekend? Well, put it this way: today, I went back to the same book store and bought a copy of "No Reservations: Around The World On An Empty Stomach". I anticipate my summer will be fun pouring over this one.
It's only in the past year and a half that I became a fan of Anthony Bourdain through his "No Reservations" TV show on The Travel Channel. In the beginning, I had no idea he was such a prolific (and excellent and funny) writer. Last summer, I was watching "Top Chef" on the Bravo Channel with my friend vbplyr and got all excited when this episode included Bourdain as one of the judges; when I told her what a fan I was of "No Reservations", she highly recommended I read his books -- including and especially "Kitchen Confidential".
This past winter, I finally purchased a paperback copy at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square; while I initially planned to include it on my summer reading list, my curiosity got the better of me and I started reading it immediately -- in fact, I would read it every Saturday for the past several months and just finished it last weekend.
I'm too tired after work to read during the week and in the morning, I'm one of those old school types who actually reads a newspaper on the subway. As a result, I had to confine my reading to weekends -- specifically Saturdays because on Sundays, my day is dedicated to reading The NY Times ... given the amount of time *that* takes, there's precious little time to read anything else.
The insight that Bourdain provides to the business of running a restaurant, a kitchen and the revelations about his own personal demons that sidetracked his career were nothing short of fascinating. I was compelled by everything he had to say on all of his subjects -- and the fact that he writes so well (and so humorously) made me want to do nothing but read that book every weekend. Without a doubt, this was most definitely one of those books that made me feel a bit sad when it was finished.
If you are someone who enjoys restaurants, this is absolutely a must - read and an eye - opener, to boot. I recommend this one highly. The fact that many of the restaurants he discusses are right here in NYC (even though many of them no longer exist) really made it all the more meaningful to me.
How badly did I feel about finishing the book last weekend? Well, put it this way: today, I went back to the same book store and bought a copy of "No Reservations: Around The World On An Empty Stomach". I anticipate my summer will be fun pouring over this one.
