Medium Raw

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

By: Anthony Bourdain

Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

The long-awaited follow-up to the mega-best-seller Kitchen Confidential

In the 10 years since his classic Kitchen Confidential first alerted us to the idiosyncrasies and lurking perils of eating out - from Monday fish to the breadbasket conspiracy - much has changed for the subculture of chefs and cooks, for the restaurant business and for Anthony Bourdain. Medium Raw explores those changes, moving back and forth from the author's bad old days to the present. Tracking his own strange and unexpected voyage from journeyman cook to globe-traveling professional eater and drinker, and even to fatherhood, Bourdain takes no prisoners as he dissects what he's seen, pausing along the way for a series of confessions, rants, investigations, and interrogations of some of the most controversial figures in food.

Beginning with a secret and highly illegal after-hours gathering of powerful chefs that he compares to a mafia summit, Bourdain pulls back the curtain, but never pulls his punches, on the modern gastronomical revolution, as only he can. Cutting right to the bone, Bourdain sets his sights on some of the biggest names in the foodie world, including David Chang, the young superstar chef who has radicalized the fine-dining landscape; the revered Alice Waters, whom he treats with unapologetic frankness; the Top Chef winners and losers; and many more.

Always he returns to the question "Why cook?" Or the more difficult "Why cook well?" Medium Raw is the deliciously funny and shockingly delectable journey to those answers, sure to delight philistines and gourmands alike.

©2010 Anthony Bourdain (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"The food orbit is [Bourdain’s] element, and chapters on today’s leading figures—from chef David Chang to critic Alan Richman—display his access, outspokenness and comedic gifts....Mr. Bourdain is a vivid, bawdy and often foul-mouthed writer. He thrills in the attack, but he is also an enthusiast who writes well about things he holds dear." ( Wall Street Journal)

“Full of things everybody in the food world thinks but nobody will say...If [Bourdain’s] sharp eye and his wicked tongue have brought him acclaim, what’s kept him in the spotlight is his heart. Like Oscar Wilde, he’s a moralist in the guise of a libertine. Long may he prosper.” ( Denver Post)

“Bourdain has insight, access and good taste, and he’s a naturally engaging writer...Bourdain is a hopeless romantic when it comes to food and the people who cook. The subtitle’s real valentines are two elegantly written profiles.” ( New York Times Book Review)

Love his story telling

Hate he’s gone but having his legacy in print along with his TV show let’s him live on!

chef's listen

another great book anyone working the restaurant world should listen to after kitchen confidential

Quality Listen

Not as entertaining as Kitchen Confidential but still a really interesting and fascinating look at the food business and life after kitchen confidential

Chef Bourdain is always a treat!

No matter the format, tv, audio book, actual book or podcast, Mr. Bourdain never fails to disappoint and always go above and beyond any bleak expectation I could ever have of what to expect. Having read every one of his books and now listening to him read them in his sarcastic and quite funny way, I cannot be more happy. Sorry to have him gone too soon, I am so grateful to be able to hear his books narrated by himself.

What a real grind it is to work the kitchen and how much effort really goes into making it all a success.

Really loved listening to Bourdain‘s voice, and how detail oriented he is telling the truth about the industry and his own experience of it.

Tony is a great story teller

Loved it, another solid insight into a chef’s world. I loved that he circled back to recap Kitchen Confidential.

fantastic entertainment

Anthony Bourdain observes and reports with an edgy wit peppered with just the right blend of erudition and four-letter words. There is not a boring moment in this and you'll easily listen to it twice. It does meander slightly and its hard to discern an overall theme- but you'll be so hypnotized by the stream of ideas and wit that you won't notice this.

Forthright Funny Entertaining Book

Anthony Bourdain is never shy to express his opinion on the culinary world, he may be harsh but he holds himself up to that same critical eye.
It is refreshing to read a book from a man who is not afraid to express his opinions and political correctness be damned.
He has an irreverent sense of humour which I quite enjoyed.
Having read Kitchen Confidential I was eager for more.
This is a collection of personal essays that take us from St Barts to Top Chef.
The book is a reflection on his second career phase as a "celebrity chef" and it does not disappoint.
Anyone who has spent the last 28 years in the food industry should know what he is talking about. Its nice to know that the passage of time and years has not mellowed him in anyway.

A legend

Bourdain’s writing style and wit coupled with own voice narrating makes this a special treat. As with most of his work you come for the food, are charmed by the humor, and leave a little wiser.

I miss this guy...

He has a way with word. A way to invite you in. He was truthful and introspective. This book mad me miss him even more.

Bourdain gives a fantastic read.