Resenhas - Kitchen Confidential

nenos 03/11/2023

Survival has its costs
As Chef Marco White points out: Great Chefs also give great insights into the world they were born into. The world which inspired them. What I like most about gastronomy, is the interwoven history of straight up chefs and restauranteurs whom worked their way to the top, hard men and women from humble beginnings who can deliver consistency, unvarying repetition and absorb pressure inside a stressful environment. Chefs running, trying to serve it fast and fresh food, shouting at you feels like a limb of this culture, which is definitely not for the fainted heart.
I didn’t know much about Chef Bourdain before this book, but his narrative and insights are worth paying close attention, reflections which can, undoubtedly, be directly associated with a major league player. In such a visual way, his narrative tells the story of someone who've learned from join and pain, who has seen upwards and downwards, the ploys and gags, every trick and bullshit, every scam and deception. For someone who would like to know in a crude, but realistic way how the environment with the chef, restauranteur and apprentices’ function, that’s the book.
What’s so great or fascinating about this world? Gathering insights about the great minds I’ve read so far, I always tell whoever something like about the romance, about generosity. There’s also the artistry and craftmanship to deliver appetizing covers, elevating pleasure to our senses, turning raw materials with instinct and flair, into something refined, the sense of occasion to share and delight, nutrition and health for our mental clarity and comfort, techniques to respect the ingredients and respecting mother nature as the true artist.
Long hours, high pressure, fatigue, lack of sleep, pain, no holidays, lacking modicum of dignity, … That’s the common factors I’ve noticed so far about cuisine at the highest level. From the goads, curses, insults and taunts of a high-level crew all the way to the ritual of set up, station prep, assembled ingredients, and state of mind, this high-testosterone factory floor environment is far from sensitive and it well represents a food chain whereas those who, after level of skills, can hold up without getting bent nor taking things personally, remain and even thrive.
So that’s what it takes? We’re not built to enjoy this journey, nor do we practice self-regulation to prioritize and be grateful to have things of true value. Hell, we’re unsatisfied most of the time and most of us, diagnosed as emotionally stunted, caught by daily routine and tragedies from now and then. Bourdain’s words are honest reflections about human nature itself. His regrets, the “sad list” of people hurt, let down, assets wasted, advantages squandered talks about a passionate and soulful human being, a degree of sensitivity felt by few.
As much things in this life, Professional Cuisine is not about sacrifices, it is about consistency. This world is not fair. The circumstances that we live today is bound to never repeat itself again. We must be prepared to witness the most diverse aspect of human folly, every variety of injustices and inequities, bad people who can and will hurt you. Like Bourdain, I know spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless people because I was also one of them. I also know this way of life makes you impulsive, untrustworthy and manipulative, filling life with deceptions.
This is the story of Anthony Bourdain. Executive Chef of Brasserie Les Halles, writer and author who knows subtlety, details, teaches us about mise-en-place, the instruments needed and how to handle them, how to look, treat and prepare people and food, how to run a restaurant and a kitchen, paints for us a good picture of what happens behind the curtains of this segment, teaches us about the value of a “solid independently intelligence network” to mitigate risks, and other thousand insights about the inner workings of a restaurant, the real cogs and engines.

May Chef Bourdain rest in peace.
Link to my highlights: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11j37CiFGM9SaBQjQG2VVl_pIJogd-2mk/view?usp=sharing