A COOK'S TOUR
Anthony Bourdain
Bloomsbury 2001
If you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel program “No Reservations” you will enjoy this more detailed travelogue of exotic food and interesting people. I had often wondered about the behind the scenes of the crew and shooting adventures they must have encountered and this story lets the reader in on all of the graphic details of Chris hanging over the toilet bowl. Lydia wants Tony do shoot a scene and he’s not in the mood but she cajoles him into it anyway. The roads are dangerous and they bounce on endlessly in the middle of desert or jungle not knowing when it will end.
Anthony Bourdain
Bloomsbury 2001
If you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel program “No Reservations” you will enjoy this more detailed travelogue of exotic food and interesting people. I had often wondered about the behind the scenes of the crew and shooting adventures they must have encountered and this story lets the reader in on all of the graphic details of Chris hanging over the toilet bowl. Lydia wants Tony do shoot a scene and he’s not in the mood but she cajoles him into it anyway. The roads are dangerous and they bounce on endlessly in the middle of desert or jungle not knowing when it will end.
And then there is the food.
Food porn is the latest obsession with TV shows or any books
about food, it's an awful lot like the relationship between
pornography and sex. Throw Anthony Bourdain, who understands the
whole food porn phenomenon, into the mix and you have a winning
combination. He spends pages and pages waxing poetic about
ingredients and dishes that the reader wants to experience, but
probably never will, and like porn you get it only in your
dreams.
A COOK'S TOUR finds Anthony
Bourdain, America's favorite ex-junky celebrity chef, traveling
the world searching for the perfect meal, with each chapter
devoted to a particular country or trip. Bourdain talks about
what he loves including the Japanese obsession with quality, the
toughness forged of hardship on the Russian frontier, the sense
of community in small town Mexico from where most of his kitchen
staff hail. Obviously his favorite, Vietnam is painted in
contrasts of extremes that surprise him and shed light on a
world many Americans experienced in the 1970’s.
Bourdain's previous book, KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, was a huge success and led to the TV series. A COOK'S TOUR reads like series of TV episodes but delves into more than any show could possible say. It’s an enjoyable read and satisfied my desire for more Bourdain wit and adventure while safely tucked into my nice comfy bed. What better way to enjoy great food without the calories!
