He has so many funny anecdotes about others in his trade, and his own rather checkered biography in the food world from the adventurous kid who'd eat the freshly caught raw oysters, to his running the kitchens at the Supper Club, placing meat orders each day of $10,000. He advocates the use of shallots and garlic, but never that put through the 'abomination' of a garlic press, and he doesn't have much fondness for vegetarians, other than the large charge he can make, if they insist in eating in his restaurant, from a couple of artistically placed vegetables. He has advice to give - don't eat the fish dishes on Monday, and if the lavatories are dirty the kitchen will be worse - and tips to easily make restaurant style food at home - if you are unsure which will cave in first, your pan or the head of the person you are hitting, throw away the pan. Long streams of invective, description, drugs, people flash past, creating a visual animated queue. His full bodied, pleasant voice, warmed like honey, wry amusement always present, reads quickly almost not bothering to take a breath. And if I thought it breathtaking before, well, he really has to be heard to be believed. His recent, sad departure from this world prompted me to read the book again but this time literally in his own voice as he is also the narrator. He remained an hero throughout the years to come. I bought copies for family members, bored anyone who'd listen with excerpts and advice from the book, then started on a succession of other cook's tales, but none was as funny, scary, evocative as that by Bourdain. Two days later I bought and read Kitchen Confidential, and was totally blown away. Or 'The invasion of Normandy every day of the week.' I first heard of author, Anthony Bourdain, in a review discussion of his exposé of behind the scenes restaurant life on BBC Radio Four over twenty years ago. Your body is not a temple it's an amusement ride.

Kitchen confidential audible