Medium Raw - Anthony Bourdain

The good thing is that having a newborn in the house hasn't slowed down my reading too much. The bad thing is it hasn't left me much time to update the blog...so I anticipate that in order to keep up, my posts may be a bit short for awhile. Ever since Kitchen Confidential, I have been a big fan of Anthony Bourdain...I've enjoyed some of his other books and really like his Travel Channel show, No Reservations. But, as Bourdain's popularity and fame have increased, his edginess has definitely taken a dive. Luckily, however, Bourdain recognizes, and seems to despise this, about himself. Medium Raw is a collection of unconnected essays about Bourdan's various experiences in the food industry. My favorites included his lengthy description of his best meal at French Laundry and his reverence for its chef, Thomas Keller. I also appreciate Bourdain's willingness to be straight-forward, even at the expense of offending iconic figures such as Alice Waters. My impression is that Bourdain may not be a favorite among his peers, but there is no question that his humor and honesty will make him a favorite among readers for a long time to come. While this collection does not represent Bourdain as his finest, there are still gems of entertainment, and it's worth skimming through to hit on some of the best in travel and food writing around.