Melody Murray's Books

As much of a jerk as he can be, I love Bourdain and his unrepentant attitude. I love that he will eat anything, (and yeah, he DOES eat ortolan in this book, and yes I enjoyed reading about it though I can't imagine putting a whole bird in my own mouth. Ever.) I love that he's so unapologetic about who he is. He owns his actions, even when they might be swept under the carpet. This is a loosely connected group of essays, and is fairly uneven. I adored his trashing of Alice Waters- primarily because it was not in the least mean-spirited but it was certainly a vehement expression of passionate feelings on Bourdain's part. I really enjoyed his essay on the master fish-butcher Justo Thomas, and the chapter entitled "Lust" was some of the most delicious food porn I've ever read. Some of the other chapters were too foodie-world-insider for me- I didn't know any of the characters, so some of the hilarity was lost on me.Overall a very enjoyable book for the omnivore.