Bourdain is always entertaining. I appreciate his brutal honesty, regardless of how beloved his targets might be. And he is never more honest than when he talks about himself. Fun stuff. And it makes you wish you could live a life of leisure.

This is classic Bourdain. If you loved Kitchen Confidential and can't get enough of his show No Reservations, this is the book for you. He's brutally honest about everything from his addiction to cocaine and heroin to what is and isn't wrong at the Food Network and even his former opinions. A fast read, perfect for summer and all foodies.

Classic Bourdain, and a follow-up (in a way) to "Kitchen Confidential".

Worth the read. Entertaining. His critique of something so popular as the Food Network is spot-on. An enterprise less interested in food I can't imagine. They peddle celebrity. A sort-of 'low rent' celebrity, too.

I've not seen much of Anthony Bourdain on TV but I enjoy his style of writing, so although a lot of what he's talking about is outside my realm of experience, I enjoy how opinionated he is and his colorful way of expressing said opinions! While most of this book felt like a rant, its well written, easy to read, and entertaining!

If you are offended by strong language or annoyed by long overly descriptive passages... this may not be the book for you. If you were expecting Kitchen Confidential... this may not be the book for you. If you watch Anthony Bourdain's tv shows and don't really cook or take much interest in foodie things... this also, you guessed it, might not be the book for you. But then again, you should give it a chance and try it. I find Anthony's writing to be refreshing, brave, and sound much like how he speaks. I do get a bit lost in some areas, like when he goes on and on describing (comic book style) an imagined scene of his wife pulling out her martial arts skills on Sandra Lee. I like his description about WHY he dislikes the Food Network. I couldn't agree more and, perhaps because I was on his wave length, tended to not along with other portions of the book as well. An easy read. Worth checking out, but not worth buying... IMHO, a book this easy/quick to read is a waste of good book store funds! Better to check it out and then pass it on to the next person waiting in the wings.

Definitely not the kind of book you want to give to Mom! Unapologetically profane, well written, witty, and compelling is how I would describe the latest tome from Tony Bourdain. Self-deprecatory as usual, this book had me laughing out loud. Vulgarity notwithstanding, foodies will love this collection of essays. If you are not a foodie, you may not understand all of the inside references or clever asides. Either way, this was a book that had me laughing out loud!

Definately not just a cookbook...

A saner (almost) look into the world of cooking and feeding others. Awesome.

In one chapter, he celebrates how his tiny daughter melts his heart, and he sheds his mantle of coolness as they dance the night away. A few pages later, he dedicates a chapter to calling Alan Richman a d-bag. How can you not love Anthony Bourdain? Even ordinarily shameful moments (heroin addiciton anyone?) he tells with unflinching honesty and approachably frank brutality. He's hilarious. He's smart. He's self-effacing. The way he describes food will have drool pooling at the corners of your mouth. He, as no other has, spurred me to pick up some recipes and attempt to make them-- no microwaves or pre-made packages involved, just real, fresh ingredients (and hey, some were pretty good!). Even if you don't care all that much about food or travel or you haven't seen his show or read his other book, you will after reading Medium Raw. Anthony Bourdain never claims to be a good cook. But boy, he sure knows how to write.