Pre-numbered label used for registration.

Got this from zoobz.com, should be a fun read.

This is a collection of articles that Bourdain wrote for various reasons. He is still rude, crude, obnoxious and egotistical as he has always been but he is a heck of a good writer. He certainly believes that chefs are the highest form of life of this planet and he definately loves food. I don't think I could ever work or spend a lot of time with him but I would like to have dinner with him. These articles are all pretty short and vary in their vitrole (Yes, I can't spell) and degree to which I wanted to punch him but a few were very, very informative. I didn't realize it but there is a commentary at the end where he goes back and makes current comments on these old writings. I would recommend going to the commentary immediately after reading the piece to see what he has to say. On a few of them he admitted he was being a jerk when he wrote them and that softened the piece quite a bit for me. All in all a very enjoyable and interesting read. I recommend it.

Going out on a short ring/ray

First to okyrhoe in Greece
then:
Kimmi - BC, Canada
silverstarry - CA (added 11/28/2006)
azuki - FL, USA
GorgeousGlo - USA
and eventually back to me - LyekkaMarengo - PA, USA

If anyone joins while the ring is in progress I'll add them here, so check here before mailing on.

Any problems, PM me.

Mailed 11/27/2006 to Athens, Greece. Enjoy.

Arrived in my p.o. box today. Thanks LyekkaMarengo for sending the book to me!

I can't wait to start reading this tonight. I'm curious to see how inflammable Bourdain's writing has become since the last book of his I read ;-)

Anthony Bourdain is always a pleasant read. Even though this book is, by his own admission, a haphazard collection of "varietal cuts, usable trim, scraps and bones" it's his force of character which comes through in the end - a man passionate about the pleasures of life - besides the culinary arts - & always willing to express his gut responses and his opinions in a brash, yet oftentimes sensitive, manner.

I ended up reading the whole collection in a day and a half!

Because Bourdain does sincerely believe in a strong work ethic, in a dedication to doing the job that needs to be done as best as one can, I was intrigued by a discrepancy, and several typographical errors in the printing of this book.

On p. 235, there is no full stop at the end of the last sentence in the first paragraph on the page. It reads
...until ordered by customers
[should read ...until ordered by customers.]

On p. 288 it reads
...Pierre an Tunnel closed its doors...
[should read...Pierre Tunnel closed its doors...]

And in the last segment of the book, "A Chef's Christmas" Bourdain writes "What was that line in Taxi Driver? 'Someday a big red tide is gonna come and wash them all away'?" I don't have a copy of the film handy, but I seem to recall the line actually spoken by Robert de Niro is 'Someday a real rain will come and wash the scum off these streets.'

- - -
On its way to Kimmi. Enjoy!

Just got this in the mail today. I'm reading my bookclub selection at the moment but this one will be next.My husband will read it as well as he is a Bourdain fan.

Thanks LyekkaMarengo! And thanks okyrhoe for the cool Greek stamps!

I would give this a 6.5 if I could, however, I don't think I enjoyed it enough for a 7.

I liked his shorter stories but sometimes felt liked he enjoyed the sound of his own pen too much so he rambled on and on and on! I did really like his piece on China as we have eaten in the three restaurants he spoke about and have had the same experiences as he did there.

I'm not motivated to read more by Bourdain although my husband says that Kitchen Confidential is terrific.

I'll PM the next person and get this in the mail by the end of the week.

Thanks LyekkaMarengo for sharing!

This was sent last Sunday to silverstarry. Should be there any day now!

Just received this in the mail today - can't wait to read it!

Thanks for the lovely bookmark, Kimmi!

Sorry I've held on to this book for so long! I was about halfway through it when I got sick. I think there was some cat dander in the book that made my coughing even worse, so I had to put this book aside for a little while.

Although there were some funny moments, overall this book was just okay. I must admit that I'm not a huge Anthony Bourdain fan to begin with. His tv show on Food Network rubbed me the wrong way, but my boyfriend said that Kitchen Confidential was really good. I resisted reading it because of my general dislike for Anthony Bourdain, but once I gave in I had to admit that Kitchen Confidential was funny and interesting. I was hoping for more of the same in The Nasty Bits, but unfortunately there was too much of his usual bravura and not enough interesting foodie/behind the scenes stuff. I did find certain sections of The Nasty Bits interesting, but for the most part I found myself waiting for him to say something interesting or funny. I didn't finish the fictional story at the end because I got tired of it after a few pages. I did like the commentary he added for each of his essays, but I wish the publisher had put the commentaries immediately after each essay instead of putting all of them at the end of the book. It was nice to see that he admitted what a bombastic ass he was in his first book. Overall, not a bad way to spend a few hundred pages, but not something I would re-read unless I was using it as a reference guide to old school restaurants that still serve beef Wellington.

Mailed to azuki.

DC#: 0306 0320 0005 5609 6870

Thanks! Found this waiting for me at my mailbox yesterday. I read A Cook's Tour last month, my first Anthony Bourdain book and totally loved it. So much so I got myself a copy of Kitchen Confidential. So I am really glad to receive this. I have three books ahead but next week I should have some time to catch up.

This collection of short articles is more a hit-and-miss. Some are his trademarks - lucious food porn, funny foreigner moments, honest confessions. Nonetheless, some articles like the one on old New York, just couldn't interest me. Overall, it is still a very good volume, with just a few pieces I won't mind missing.

My previous pm to GorgeousGlo didn't reach her but I finally got her address so this will go out in the mail this week. Sorry for the delay.

Just arrived, full of bookmarks. Thank you!

I used to be a huge fan of Woody Allen, but after his terrible fiasco with Soon-Yi, Mia Farrow's daughter, my awe dissipated. I was not able to look at his body of work with the same open mind as I did before.

Something similar has happened to me with regards to Anthony Bourdain. I enjoyed his series on the Travel Channel, "No Reservations". Great writing! I also enjoyed reading Kitchen Confidential. So I signed up for this ring sure that I was going to enjoy this book as well. However, somewhere in the meantime, I learned about Bourdain's recent developments.

In Kitchen Confidential he spoke so lovingly of his wife of 20-something years that I was touched. There was a guy who, although a major f**k-up in many regards, was making his marriage work. That was wonderful. And then I discovered not only that he had divorced Nancy, the wife who stuck by him through thin and thick, addictions, unemployment and existential angst, but that he had then hooked up with an Italian model about half his age, who was pregnant with his child. This is what bad soap-operas are made of. I had just recently seen the episode of No Reservations where he goes to India, and has to entertain a child while the father cooks a meal. Bourdain's comments about the kid all pointed to the fact that he was quite happy not having reproduced.

So I lost my awe, once again. This book arrived, I read a few chapters, and sadly it is sitting by my bed, bypassed by novel after novel. I don't think I can get into it again. It is a well-written book (the chapter on Vegas is almost verbatim the episode on No Reservations), but I cannot remove from my mind his falling into a mid-life crisis of the worst kind. A child at 50, how self-indulgent is that?

On its way back to Lyekka-Marengo today, June 25th. Thanks for letting me join this ring!

RELEASE NOTES:

It's a New Year and it's time for some new books in "The Zone".

As of 2/22/2008 book was taken from the "zone" but has not yet been journaled by reader.

I'm a culinary student. I was given this book by a fiend, and I plan to pass it along to a cook I think will appreciate it.

CAUGHT IN APTOS CA U.S.