Kitchen Confidential

Kitchen Confidential:
Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
Anthony Bourdain
ISBN: 978-060899226





I have watched a few episodes of Anthony Bourdain's television show "No Reservations," and find him to be a sarcastic but amusing chef that clearly has a love for food. In his book "Kitchen Confidential" he discusses things from his first food awakening through the many restaurants he has worked in, the types of cuisine he has prepared, and the experiences he has had throughout his career. 

Bourdain begins the book by discussing his first awakening that food is more than just something you eat. He describes a trans-Atlantic cruise on which he tries new food, as well as his desire to try anything no matter how unappealing or far-fetched it was. He talks about the first oyster he ever had and how the simplicity of that made him want to be a chef. Many of the accounts are vividly described and you can feel his passion for not only good food, but his job through the pages of the book. 

Throughout the book he talks about the many different people he has worked for and worked with. He freely admits that he was not the best of employees at times and that he has taken advantage of some of the people who have employees him.  He has done things such as bribing, coercing the staff of his competition to come work with him, and then being forced to let those people go.  He mentioned toward the end of the book that while he did not do the best job, he did the best he could at the time. 

He describes the life of chef, as well as the rest of the kitchen crew, as the life of pirates. I get the feeling that it is more like a rock star. Heavy drinking, crude humor, foul language, drugs, sex, and a no-holds-barred party life, and it takes a special kind of person to do that. I don't think all kitchens are run as Bourdain runs his, and not all chefs are like him. 

While not for everyone, tHere are many experiences and anecdotes in this book that I found appealing and I will be looking for his other books to read.

Boone: A Biography

Boone: A Biography

Robert Morgan

ISBN: 9781565124554

A friend recommended this book to me a few months back, and I am glad that he did.  "Boone" was one of the best books I have read in quite some time.  First, I must say that the physical qualities of the book are quite remarkable.  The texture of the pages and the font are quite remarkable, and make this book a pleasant read.  The content of the book was also remarkable.  Having lived in Kentucky for a decade and a half, I have heard stories of Daniel Boone, but have never read a biography.  This book details not only his time in Kentucky, but also his passage through the Cumberland Gap, the history of his family, and the final years of his life.  The descriptions of his time spent hunting in the woods alone, the sacrifices he made for his family, his successes and failures in business and life resonate with me.  I read this book at a time in my life where I was questioning if the direction I was going was the correct direction for myself and my family, I found comfort that Daniel Boone had the same questions and second guesses in his life. This book did an excellent job of showing Daniel Boone as a man, not the near God-like persona he has been given.


The book was very well written, overall.  While reading "Boone" one can tell that the author, Robert Morgan, is a master story writer.  He is able to describe things in ways that bring the scenes to life.  One small issue I had, was the fact that Morgan would reference the same story multiple times, and while not a big distraction, at times it did take away from the flow of the story.


I have since passed my copy of this book on to a family member who I believe will appreciate it, but I am looking forward to getting it back so I can re-read it in the near future.