I was homeless, a recently-fired chef, unemployable, not nearly as skilled as I believed, and mentally ill.
I never again wanted to see the interior of a commercial kitchen.
I was a good candidate for madness from the outset of my working life, but working in restaurants nearly finished me off.
Kitchen Confidential was a holy book, funny as hell, and as true a piece of writing as I've ever read. I can say that because I recognized every damn situation and anecdote therein.
I took to it like an evangelical Christian takes to his favorite bible passages. I wasn't very big on the later TV shows, mainly because I'm not really a TV watcher, but the book got me.
Had I not read it, Bourdain's fate may have been my own in that long-ago nightmare.
The guy was absolutely gifted. Sorry to see he didn't make it last a little longer.
TS
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