Books: Kitchen Confidential

Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential **** - This reminds me of House of God except it takes place in the chef's world, not the doctor's world.  My peers and I always talk about "what if people knew what it was like behind the lines as a physician?" would that scare patients away?  Anthony Bourdain attacks this book with the same premise, explaining how he fell in love for food and his attempts to succeed as a chef.  I wouldn't be surprised if it scares the run-of-the-mill consumer or aspiring chef.  The stories are extremely personal but portray an honest look at what it is like "in the trenches."  It's a story of highs and being high and reaching the lowest of lows.  A lot.  He tells it in a way only he can.  He's honest, brutal, and hilarious.  When he goes into the inner details of a Friday lunch rush and language of kitchen-speak, you can feel that a kitchen is a battleground with everyone sweating, bleeding, and trying to keep sane.  He offers insight and advice, including why one shouldn't eat sushi on Mondays.  The chapter on what happens when there's a lull (or the calm before the storm) is absolutely priceless.  On the heels of reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, which gave me a new found appreciation of food as we know it and its origin and creation, Kitchen Confidential gives me a new appreciation for the hard work and underappreciated work of a chef and his kitchen army.  I realize I can never appreciate food the way a chef can.  Finally, this book makes me realize that Anthony Bourdain is a well-read, intelligent, and fantastic writer who is absolutely fucking hysterical.  And crazy at times.  I loved this book.