Books

Day 13: Kitchen Confidential

An absolute treasure. I listened to the audiobook this time, read by Bourdain himself, which I strongly recommend.

It popped out of that magical overlap of eras where the artist’s craft has fully matured but the artist’s pathos has not yet been quenched by the validation of great acclaim.

In other words, it’s a masterfully written book with the energy and intensity of youth. He more or less disowned it in his later years, but there’s a good reason why it outperforms his later, more sophisticated, more emotionally mature work.

It works as a coming of age memoir, as industry gossip, as food writing, as travel writing, etc. he could have written about tech, history, interest rates, whatever and I still would have gobbled it up.

If you liked his shows but haven’t read it, it’s mandatory reading. If you just like good writing or eating at restaurants, it’s mandatory reading. It’s mandatory reading.

Five stars.

I recommend his Medium Raw to help with the comedown.

Day 14: Medium Raw

This makes a solid hit of methadone to carry you through the end of Kitchen Confidential. It’s more mature, but it has less manic energy than its predecessor. 

In a way, it’s more accessible because he focuses on household names from the food industry. But it’s kind of like a sophomore album about life on the road. The technical mastery is more advanced, but it’s less relatable for most. 

If you’ve enjoyed both Kitchen Confidential and this, check out Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. 

Four stars.

Sophisticated follow-up lacks original's edge. 