Kitchen Confidential

Kitchen Confidential - The Complete Series
$19.98
I live out in Hawaii and I ordered this DVD for my boyfriend's birthday a little later than planned. I was worried it wouldn't arrive on time since we usually have to wait a bit longer for mail from the mainland to get here. It arrived in half the time than what was quoted and it's hilarious, such a pleasant surprise! I'm just sad they didn't do a second season. Two thumbs up.

Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress
$13.00
WAITING is more than the chronicle some other reviewers make it out to be; more than a mere narrative of twenty years spent waiting tables. It's a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the restaurant business, from the perspective of the floor, of the people who come into direct contact with restaurant patrons.

In keeping with the backdrop, it does contain anecdotes about the business, insights into the personalities who bring food to the table, and even tips on how to be a better customer (and avoid possible retribution). I worked as a chef for several years and enjoyed reading Ginsberg's perspective from the other side of the pick-up window. I particularly liked her character descriptions.

But WAITING is a memoir in every sense of the word. Ginsberg talks of early loves, motherhood, and career ambitions. Although waiting tables is viewed by most people, waitresses included, as a temporary job rather than a career, as interim work when nothing better is available, Ginsberg views the activity as fulfilling in its own right. The title of the book is intentionally ambiguous.

As other reviewers have suggested, WAITING is a great complement to Anthony Bourdain's KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL. True, their writing styles are different; Ginsberg's is clean and comfortable. She's a natural story teller.

I couldn't put the book down. It reveals a slice of American life and culture that should interest everyone.

Anthony Bourdain Omnibus: "Kitchen Confidential", "A Cook's Tour"
$20.65
The "Anthony Bourdain Omnibus" is a compendium of two earlier books, "Kitchen Confidential," and "A Cook's Tour" by noted chef Tony Bourdain. This book is a good value, and if you have read neither of these books I recommend it highly, otherwise it behooves you to buy whatever volume you are missing.

I like Bourdain, who is at once sarcastic, dry, and worldly, and yet can be surprisingly sensitive (if you have a hard time believing this last part, read the chapter in "A Cook's Tour" on Vietnam, and particularly his interaction with the napalm victim.) He is clearly very bright, but also earthy and amazingly funny. Both of these volumes are great to read, and I recommend them highly. Of the two, "Kitchen Confidential" is my favorite mostly because I used to cook in an upscale restaurant and totally grasp everything he is saying (he speaks the truth, believe me,) whereas "A Cook's Tour" was written in conjunction with a cable television show of the same name and deals with traveling and exotic delicacies encountered far from his home in New York. While I am mildly adventurous with cuisine, I readily confess that there are a few things that Bourdain consumes that I could never overcome my aversion to: that is part of why I like these books so much; Tony will try anything once and can make the reader viscerally understand what the experience is like without actually needing to eat it themselves.

Of all authors that currently write on food or travel, Tony Bourdain is my unquestioned favorite. I highly recommend this omnibus edition to meet your literary and gustatory needs.

A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines
$14.99
I'm a huge Bourdain fan. Kitchen Confidential is one of my favorite books of all time. His initial foray into TV on the Food Network was ok at best. This book reveals some of why that was the case, giving insights into the tv production process here and there.

However, what I love about this book is that it has a soul and is revealing and emotional in ways that Food Network probably wasn't interested in. This book is much more akin to what No Reservations has become - a show about exploring food and foreign cultures and being open to learning and experiencing new things in the world.

This book is at times moving (the chapter in France - if you've lost a parent, you'll feel the same way) funny and always interesting. A great read, which I've returned to many times over the years.