Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook

#658
Title: Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Year: 2010
304 pages
Audiobook

It's hard to know how much Bourdain used to be a schmuck, is still a schmuck, or likes presenting himself as a schmuck. He seems to have been a genuine schmuck at times, as compared to, say, the schmuck-like stylings of James Frey. There's a lot I like about Bourdain, though, including how he discusses his previous drug use in this volume, and the abiding and deep relationship he has to food, ideas about food and gastronomy, culinary and restaurant practices, and foods of many cultures. This is a collection of essays, not a sustained narrative. Get past the introductory chapter, which seems to be intended for shock value, then enjoy the rest. There are some homages, some screeds, some memoirs, and some travelogues. Think of it as a selection of amuse-bouche, some of which will disgust rather than delight.