Title: Medium Raw
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Price: Rs. 599
As the cover will tell you Medium Raw is chef--writer-traveller-reality show judge-food fanatic Anthony ‘Tony' Bourdain's sequel to the bestseller Kitchen Confidential . How is it different from the first? Kitchen Confidential had the voice of a ranting yet nostalgic chef while Medium Raw always feels like a narrative with Anthony Bourdain's ‘oh so familiar' (now! Courtesy the various TV shows) voice!
Turning the corner
What starts off with a top secret meeting of great chefs (names not revealed) feasting on some of the most exotic (many illegal) treats (a meal described as once in a lifetime for few and never in a lifetime for most) slowly shifts towards his days in the limelight after the tremendous success of Kitchen Confidential .
His career and change in lifestyle from chef to television celebrity and his hatred for the food network! He describes some of his darkest days post- Kitchen Confidential dealing with the failure of his first marriage; days, which included getting ‘stoned', driving drunk and being plain suicidal on a regular basis. All this on a luxurious Caribbean holiday, while running into some of the worst company possible.
He also mentions the times he's been criticised by frustrated younger chefs for selling out and painting a wrong picture of the industry after getting out of it.
He moves on to happier times; his second marriage and the joys of finally braving fatherhood (shedding his trademark bad-boy image in the process). Another stark contrast to Kitchen Cofidential is the fact that this book doesn't stick to a particular order. Here it swings from one issue to another. Be it his less-than-complimentary words for Alan Richman and Alice Waters or his belief that people deserve better quality food (meat in particular!).
Culinary world
The chapter aptly titled ‘lust' deserves special mention for its ability to make anyone drool. His descriptions of some of his favourite food from different nooks and crannies of the world truly induce lust in one of its best forms! The culinary form!
His piece on the effects of the recession on the fine dining industry throw light on the adaptability and contrasting fragility of the industry. His regard for some ( his heroes) and disgust for a select few (villains!) in the ever growing industry are one of the highlights of this gripping yet light book.
He has even devoted a special section to reveal the progress of the many fictitious names (real people though!) mentioned in Kitchen Confidential. He reveals the true identity of a couple of names mentioned in Kitchen Confidential and keeps you guessing the rest.
So Medium Raw is basically Bourdain's views now as opposed to the chef who hit the jackpot 10 years ago as a writer at the age of 44 with Kitchen Confidential .
Although maintaining Bourdain's typical sarcasm and queer sense of humour, Medium Raw as a sequel to Kitchen Confidential feels like a punk-rock group following up a typical punk number with an acoustic romantic one! Definitely worth a try. It might just work for you. It did for me.
Shreyas Bhat, II year, B.B.A, R.K.M Vivekananda College.
