The audiobook is the best way to absorb Kitchen Confidential. Anthony Bourdain tries as much as to be neutral in his narration of various experiences but his passion for food and people overwhelms him. He avoids glamorizing the very toxic nature of professional kitchens but his love for the profession pokes through. At some point, Bourdain complains (paraphrasing) that writing about food is lackluster because you can't taste it through his descriptions but I disagree. Bourdain has a talent for making it feel like I am there with him in the kitchen. I can feel the stress, understand the lingo---get me in a kitchen now and I am cussing everyone in multiple languages. I can't taste the food but it felt like I got pretty damn close to it.

There is a 20 minute chapter where Bourdain walks you through the everyday kitchen lingo, aware of the very sexist language (unfortunately a really funny chapter). Many times, he describes the suffocating environment and is seemingly supportive (or at least neutral of it, passive to it) of the toxic hierarchy of what makes the kitchen work. "It was a different time" loses its meaning not even halfway through. He expresses regret about this many years later. These were the parts hardest to listen to.

Even in his most unlikable moments, Bourdain shines--you can't help but root for him. You can track his slow gaining of class consciousness as he integrates within diverse kitchens and travels to far continents. He was self aware, very observant, frank, and egotistical---stupid enough to make mistakes and yet smart to acknowledge and grow from them. He was a very gifted storyteller. 💔

The prose is gorgeous. I loved some of the elements--the ecological mystery and very gothic energy of the island. The author is very intentional with her metaphors and her fears of climate change are very real and compelling.

However, several elements also had me questioning the overall cohesion of the story. It felt like the author was building to a plot twist by sidelining a lot of the characters' agency and backstories. At many times, it felt like the story was terribly slowing itself down so you won't easily guess the ending. It felt like the author was trying to overcome the genre, rather than work with it. The barebones of the mystery is good but the path to get to the (mishandled) plot twist was very confusing and frankly, offensive to me as a reader.