I read up to about eight or nine in that series, and I still can't get past all the damned braid-pulling and sniffing. These aren't characters, they're a pile of nervous ticks.
I gave up on Jordan when it became apparent to me that he had no intention of finishing the series - which was by about book 5 for me. My thought was "Wow... this guy's found his cash cow, and he's not letting go. This will only end when he dies." A horrible prediction, perhaps... but as it turned out, true.
Oh - and the Anthony Bourdain book had 33 holds on it in our library system - I'm number 34! Fortunately, there's about 10 copies int he system, so hopefully I'll only have to wait a month or two at most.
All jokes aside, I actually am getting better in the kitchen - made some wicked burgers from scratch for dinner last night... only they tried to become balls of meat again when being bbq'ed - must solve that part. But tasty!
I enjoy Anthony Bourdan's No Reservations. I don't see Bourdain going to weird places to eat weird foods, that's another show, but he does immerse himself in the culture and even his American based shows are pretty good.
What I loved though, is that he did a Kitchen Tips show on No Reservations that probably explained that portion of the book. While I didn't agree with 2 of the items (how to cook an omelet and how to make red sauce), everything else was pretty spot on. I had that episode on my DVR for the longest time just to get my roommates to watch it.
Billy and I are still having to go through the first book on CD. I enjoyed it, but we haven't had a long enough drive to justify getting into it again.
Alas, if only he was coming with me to BCS next weekend. =(
Kitchen Confidential is a great read. One of the reasons I refer to Bourdain as "The Hunter S Thompson of Food" is because of his skill and perspective as a writer, not just his gonzo adventures on Travel Chanel.
As to Jordan, I'd rather sit down and read George RR Martin any day!
Now that I'm reading Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail I have to agree with your assessment of each author's writing ability. They're remarkably similar. I think the two of them would have been buds, if Thompson was still alive.
Bourdain has toned things down significantly after the birth of his daughter. He rarely smokes, drinks only on occasion and doesn't really do the "I hate this or that with a passion" thing all that much, with certain exceptions. He's even reconciled with Rachael Ray. His latest thing is embracing the locavore and slow food movements - although not to Michael Palin's extent. However I will say his rant against American Vegetarianism in A Cook's Tour is a classic.
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All jokes aside, I actually am getting better in the kitchen - made some wicked burgers from scratch for dinner last night... only they tried to become balls of meat again when being bbq'ed - must solve that part. But tasty!
Reply
What I loved though, is that he did a Kitchen Tips show on No Reservations that probably explained that portion of the book. While I didn't agree with 2 of the items (how to cook an omelet and how to make red sauce), everything else was pretty spot on. I had that episode on my DVR for the longest time just to get my roommates to watch it.
Reply
Alas, if only he was coming with me to BCS next weekend. =(
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As to Jordan, I'd rather sit down and read George RR Martin any day!
Reply
Bourdain has toned things down significantly after the birth of his daughter. He rarely smokes, drinks only on occasion and doesn't really do the "I hate this or that with a passion" thing all that much, with certain exceptions. He's even reconciled with Rachael Ray. His latest thing is embracing the locavore and slow food movements - although not to Michael Palin's extent. However I will say his rant against American Vegetarianism in A Cook's Tour is a classic.
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