Rating: 4/5
Anthony Bourdain is an acquired taste. He is crass, opinionated, and knowledgeable about food. This book captures his voice perfectly on all of those levels. Having watched some of his shows, I could hear his voice as I was reading the book.
The recipes all look well crafted and there is a nice range of options. There are simple things like scrambled eggs and grilled cheese, while there is an entire section on preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. He skips out on desserts though, which I'm okay with. There are some nice tips within these recipes that could be useful for new and experienced cooks. And it covers recipes from some different cuisines, so it gives some added flexibility in that regard.
Aside from Bourdain's voice shining through, the thing that stood out most to me is the pictures. These can be off putting, especially for readers unfamiliar with Bourdain. Some of them could make the reader squeamish, but I think they complement the book nicely and take a step toward showcasing where our food comes from. People are so focused on dressing up our food that it is interesting to see this book take the opposite approach. That being said, I didn't have a problem with any of the images. They didn't make anything unappetizing to me, and there are points where the food is dressed up (I'm looking at you Thanksgiving). I'd definitely recommend this book, whether you're a fan of Bourdain or not.
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