A final thought as I close Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.

The book unapologetically glorifies the brazen machismo of the kitchen industry. It feels dated by modern standards (the book was written in the late 90s). The ability to endure humiliation and pain is considered a virtue, rather than the act of inflicting those on coworkers being considered a sin.

But, I also strongly believe that we should not judge too harshly the faults of those that came before us, lest we be judged ourselves.

Societal norms evolve, directionally for the better over long time spans. I have written here about how our attitude toward animals, for instance, will eventually be deemed medieval by some future generation. Perhaps soon enough that we will live to feel the stigma.

Bourdain felt this change in the zeitgeist before his death, and repudiated his book to some degree, taking on a progressive stance & promoting a fairer treatment of women in the workplace. He had the elegance to redeem himself before checking out

PhD in aviation ∩ climate science | Aviator, diver, ETH maxi, nexialist | Host of /diving /ethfinance /eth-staker /geopolitics /science /singapore /thomas

One of the most memorable books I've listened too. I love that Anthony read it himself. Sometimes when I'm traveling it's fun to narrate my current experience in his voice.