Anthony Bourdain - Medium Raw

If you've never had the chance to see No Reservation, Anthony Bourdain's show about his travels around the world, then you've been wasting your television viewing time. He has traveled to so many places that I've lost track of where he's been, but I'm always "hungry for more" as the intro to his show states. I've actually been fortunate enough to follow in his footsteps a couple of times, even though I stayed in the U.S. to do it. Chicago, New Jersey, and Florida were a few of the places that I have gone and, before I left, I watched those episodes on Netflix just so I could eat where he ate. And I do this not as a Saint Bourdain worshiper, but as a fellow food lover. Since I've eaten a few of the same dishes that Tony did, at the same place he did, and I loved them as much as he did, then I think it's safe to assume that his and my tastes are relatively similar. That makes watching his show that much more enjoyable. If he says the kimchi is nice and hot, then I can rest assured that it is. I look forward to venturing into Asia, Briton and Europe to eat, drink and make my own memories of various pork products.
When I happened upon a copy of Anthony's latest book Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, I couldn't pass it by. I was hooked like a mahi mahi from the opening story about a clandestine dinner involving a little European bird. The book is a text geared more toward people in the food industry like chefs, food critics, restaurateurs, and the like. Even though I am no longer in the food business, I am still an avid food lover. (Working for a Michelin starred French restaurant will spoil you very quickly.) He wrote candidly about celebrity chefs, in-the-trenches cooks, food writers both good and bad, an OCD fish-prep Superman, and how that world is very foreign to those that are not a part of it. The food service industry is an exclusive club with their own lingo and roster of heroes much like any club, but with sharp knives, mise-en-place, and the reverence for names like Fergus Henderson and David Chang. One of the main points I took away from Medium Raw was the fact that it takes all kinds of people to make a restaurant successful and it takes even more people to make the food industry successful. And those people are you and me. Anthony cusses as much as I do, so be aware that there are quite a few expletives in the book. For me, it only added to the enjoyment, but some might not agree with me. To them I say "#(@* You."

This is the Facebook link to his new show's page.  https://www.facebook.com/PartsUnknownCNN

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