Food has power
I've never really consider a good cook myself although I do like spending time in the kitchen cooking some simple and delish dishes (while listening to some music, it's kind of one of the most relaxing moments you can experience). I love experiencing for hours, trying different recipes and just experimenting all along. At the same time, I love food. I love eating. I love discovering new flavours, new ingredients. new dishes from very different places all over the world. Whenever I go out with friends, I always let the choose where to eat because, to be honest, I don't mind. I genuinely like everything, and there's nothing I like more than when someone suggests going somewhere new that I've never been before.
I have a couple of friends who have worked in the restaurant business who, in fact, share the same experience: an awful one. Days without sleep, the worst possible working hours, not a single break, and drugs, loads of drugs. So, I wasn't really surprised to find that Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential basically mentions exactly the same aspects.
I'm not sure why I decided to read Kitchen Confidential, but it's one of the best ideas I've had in recent months. I must say that, as a Basque, I didn't know who Anthony Bourdain was, apart from the memes and photos I'd seen online. Last time I was in the UK I saw his book in every single bookshop, so I decided to give it a chance.
Now, this is exactly like reading a friend's diary. Or listening to your friend talking non-stop about their work experience. It's written in a very "spoken" way, that's why I'm thinking about listening to the audiobook next. I'm pretty sure the experience of listening to it in Bourdain's voice will be even better.
I completely adored how he describes every single flavour, feeling, experience, environment and atmosphere and the people he encounters in all the pages. I found his voice very unique, very true to himself and without being afraid of what he was saying at any given moment. The passion and fascination in which he describes his own true feelings... It really makes you feel like you're right next to him. Or that you're anthony himself. I don't think this autobiography is just about food and the restaurant business, it is also about race, gender and sexuality. About humanity. Bourdain knows he's a white man, and that he has more rights and opportunities than others, and it's nice that he makes that clear time and time again in the book. So yeah, I do consider him not only a true interesting person, but also a brilliant writer. Sadly, I'll never be able to discover how good of a chef he was.
He seemed such an genuine and real guy, like the ones you can talk about everything than comes into your mind and he'll give you the best speech and the best advice anyone could ever give you. I don't know, I now feel as I've known him all my life. Can't wait to read the rest of his books (and maybe even watch his shows).
Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.
I'm asked a lot what the best thing about cooking for a living is. And it's this: to be a part of a subculture. To be part of a historical continuum, a secret society with its own language and customs. To enjoy the instant gratification of making something good with one's hands-using all one's senses. It can be, at times, the purest and most unselfish way of giving pleasure (thought oral sex has to be a close second).
And where am I going to find a convict without a tattoo? The Watergate burglars weren't, to my knowledge, available.
So you want to be a chef? Learn spanish. I can't stress this enough. Much of the workforce in the industry you are about to enter is Spanish speaking. The very backbone of the industry, whether you like it or not, is inexpensive Mexican, Dominican, Salvadoran, and Ecuadorian labor. Most of whom, could cook you under the table without breaking a sweat. If you can't communicate, develop relationships, understand instructions, and pass them along, then you are at a tremendous disadvantage. Should you become a leader, Spanish is absolutely essential. Also, learn as much as you can about the distinct cultures, histories, and geographies of Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador, and The Dominican Republic. A cook from Puebla is different in background from a cook from Mexico City. Someone who fled El Salvador to get away from the mano blanco is not likely to get along with a right-wing Cuban working next to him. These are your coworkers, your friends, the people you will be counting on, leaning on for much of your career. And they in turn will be looking to you to hold up your end. Show them some respect by bothering to know them, learn their language, eat their food. It will be personally rewarding and professionally invaluable.
I'm still here. And I'm surprised by that. Every day.
I'll be right here. Until they drag me off the line. I'm not going anywhere. I hope. It's been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost. But I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
