Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook

Anthony Bourdain has the rare gift of being able to write the way he talk and get away with it. Hard and gritty, no punches pulled, you are taken on some blasts through his pasts of alcohol and drug infused foggy drama. Made me feel a bit knackered just reading it. An excellent insight into the business background of the restaurant game, what has made money and what has failed and why. Unthreads the "cool" of chefdom, artistry, ethics, new developments, new movements, from the ability to make cash/fame out of the profession. He begrudgingly gives respect, for example, to Food Network, who he says has none of the former but plenty of the latter. A few of the chefs that have plenty of the former, (and I have therefore never heard of them), he describes to the point that there are plenty of opportunities for follow up reading. An absorbing enjoyable book that reads like the plot of a Marlon Brando movie and still manages to be about the art and commerce of cooking.

There two things that might put off readers from this book. First, the opening dinner is not something most people would approve of. I didn't. Second, even I learned some new ways to cuss and swear from this book! That and the subject material means this isn't a book for the faint of heart. So who is this book for? It's for anyone who wants an honest look at the world of food. From the chef point of view, from the TV/Food Network point of view, from the marketing point of view, from the failed/disaster point of view, from the restaurant point of view, and from the "eater" point of view. Bourdain is brutally honest. With himself as well as with those he talks about. His point about selling out was particularly poignant. He used to look down on other chefs for selling out to ads for cookware, or toothpaste. Then he realized it was his ego talking, as he ultimately was willing to sell out. It's all a matter of price, and he uses the famous joke about a man propositioning a woman for a million dollars. If you don't know how it ends, you will after reading this book. Bourdain covers a huge range of topics in a reflective look at the world of cooking. There's a lot of personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences in this book. But he also dishes out plenty of information on other people in the business. Some of them by name (e.g., Rachel Ray, Mario Batalli, Emeril, Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay), some by reference that insider chefs will certainly clue into. He strays into philosophical territory not just over money, but over the ethics of eating meat, running a restaurant, and the general ethics of eating. The book is written in a very approachable way, and I found it both fun and easy to breeze through it. At the same time though, there's enough meat on the bone here (pardon the unintentional pun) to keep you thinking throughout. It's hardly a fluff biography or essay. As someone who enjoys cooking, eating out, traveling, and the Food Network, I found this to be a really enjoyable read. Funny, serious, thoughtful, shocking, and always honest, this is definitely one of the more enjoyable books I've read in a while!

Anthony Bourdain seems to be a "love him or hate him" personality. Over the years I've read many criticisms of him, saying that he's egotistical, "wasn't a great chef", tries too hard to come across as a "bad boy", among other things. I find his books to be very honest and open, and his tv shows in general are excellent, but don't always have the same opportunity to present how he really feels. Which in my mind is fine - tv is a different medium and he likely has much different expectations put on him by the network. Personally, I don't think he really tries to cultivate any particular image and I think he brings a tremendous amount of insight, sensitivity, empathy and eagerness to explore and understand other cultures in a genuine way, not just what will look good for the cameras (or to the reader, as it were). I think he's an excellent writer, as well. He's not afraid to wax poetic, go into lyrical prose to describe something of beauty, or to call himself on his own BS. This book is the spiritual successor to Kitchen Confidential (one of my favorite books of all time). It is a series of semi-unrelated essays on various topics - one of which is the best description/justification/explanation of "selling out" I've ever seen. (He says he arrived at this conclusion after discussing the topic with Emeril - one of his former targets of scorn). You get insights into the food industry, great meals he's had, life at The Food Network (where his original "A Cook's Tour" was shown), cooking as a profession, food writers, and fine dining in general, among other things. If you don't like Bourdain, this won't change your mind about anything, most likely. If you already like him, then this is just more of his view on things, and you'll probably enjoy it. He's crass and profane, so be aware that this is him, uncensored. (Just in case you haven't read his books before). To me this is a better book than The Nasty Bits, which I liked just fine, but it felt more disjointed, being a collection of previously published essays - at least I think they were all previously published. As I said, I really enjoy AB's writing. Though he can be vulgur, sure, he is also capable of elegant descriptive prose and he's particularly good at delving into topics beyond surface expectations or preconceptions. What I also like about this book is that AB reassesses his past, his prior views on various things, Kitchen Confidential, his career and his previously-stated views on others. He's not trying to live up to an image at this point and has come to realize that there are more important things in life. He also repeatedly states how lucky he is and how blessed his life has been, considering the dark corners he'd previously inhabited. Recommended highly. I can't wait for the next one.

Spannend geschrieben und sehr unterhaltsam. RIP Tony

Read this book to know why tuh-nee committed suicide. Aside from the culinary info and his jaunts. I really understand his behaviour now. I realise kids must be raised to experience the entire gamut of emotions when they are young with a healthy exposure to the world. Over protect them they rebel later. I empathise his situation. He couldn't handle his feelings successfully. He was damaged by too much love. Like the Ukrainians say his parents strzngulated him by hugging( too much love)...