Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal
Time to read: 2 min read
Book Cover
Everything I see, I want to put in my mouth.
Past Anthony Bourdain book review:
Review
Anthony Bourdain is one of my heroes and after his success with Kitchen Confidential, he is sent on a world tour to find and experience the perfect meal.
In classical Bourdain fashion, his writing is sardonic and authentic, which makes it very entertaining to read. Bourdain details his experiences as well as offering insights on the different food cultures. Bourdain’s experiences range from having a traditional meal with geishas at an onsen, to more personal stories, such as traveling to France with his brother in an attempt to recapture their experiences growing up. Throughout his experiences, it’s clear that Bourdain is particularly fond of Vietnam and foods that “makes you strong”. Boudain also does not hesitate to share his misadventures, such as his very poor experiences in Cambodia and having dinner with vegans in San Francisco.
Throughout his travels, Bourdain is very thoughtful about different food cultures, especially compared to that of America. For instance, Bourdain remarks that many older food cultures (such as that of France) make use of all scraps of meat in their dishes while Americans typically discard many of the cuts. It’s very interesting to read about food from someone whose profession revolves around food. I especially enjoyed his caricatures of his fellow chefs, such as a young Gordon Ramsey and Thomas Keller from French Laundry.
Conclusion
Another very thoughtful food book by Bourdain.