Paper Palate

“Don’t eat fish on Mondays.” Have you ever heard that before? If so, you have already learned something from Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. There has been a ton of press recently about Bourdain’s newest book, The Nasty Bits, which is a compilation of essays. More specifically, there has been a ton of press about all the outrageous, controversial and possibly offensive things he has been saying while promoting his newest book. The usual targets are vegans, Rachael Ray and obese people.

If you have never read any of his books, I would recommend starting with Kitchen Confidential, partly because it gives a great introduction to the life and times of Anthony Bourdain. You will learn about his drug addiction in one chapter and about how he fell in love with French food in another. This dichotomy of sleaziness and sophistication is a running theme throughout Kitchen Confidential.

In addition to giving information about Bourdain himself, this book also provides a “Behind the Scenes” look into the restaurant business. You learn about when fish is delivered (hence, don’t eat fish on Mondays, they usually haven’t had a delivery since Thursday), the horrors of the buffet, and the ins and outs of the “underbelly of the culinary world” as Bourdain describes it. It is a peek into an entirely different culture - a little world that the people sitting in the dining room never see.

Kitchen Confidential was also the subject of a short-lived TV show. Don’t let that prevent you from reading this book. It is one that you will think of everytime you eat Sunday brunch, which may or may not be a good thing.