Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The First of Two Bookshelf Posts

While on our relaxing, fun getaway, I was able to read two books. Normally, it would take me forever to finish two books but I managed to do this. Actually, I've been known to finish more than that on a vacation sans children but there were things to do on this vacation. Important things like shopping and finding new restaurants.

The first book finished during our getaway was Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. This is actually an older book, with an original publish date in 2000. If you've ever seen him on the Travel Channel, you know he likes food and will eat just about anything. He says his love for food began as a young boy visiting relatives in France. He was willing to try just about anything. He goes on to discuss his various early jobs in restaurants, his trip to culinary school, and the jobs he held after graduation.

It really is a well-written book. He is unapologetic about his attitude, he tells it like it is, and holds his employees to a high standard. His language is harsh at times so be prepared for that. My favorite part were his suggestions for our home kitchens, things we really need and how to make your home cooking look restaurant quality. Just a few small, simple things can help your plates like restaurant plates.

If you like cooking at all or have dreamed of opening a restaurant of your own some day, read this book first. It gives great insight into how a high-end restaurant is run.

Thanks to my sister-in-law, B, for sending me the book!

1 comment:

Christian - Modobject@Home said...

I'm going to look for this one at the library. Sounds great! The professor and I loved watching No Reservations on Monday nights until we decided to turn off cable. Maybe we should add some episodes to the Netflix line-up.