Medium Raw

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

By: Anthony Bourdain

Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain

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)

Great to read, great to hear.

Would you listen to Medium Raw again? Why?

Yes, I already listened to it twice. I have incredibly long commutes to and from work. Listening to Bourdain's book in the car helped me survive my worst commuting week of the year. His story is so unique and fascinting and his writing so honest, thought-provoking, and funny that listening to him narrate it just feels right.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anthony Bourdain is my favorite character because of his depth and humor. Justo Thomas, Ottavia Bourdain, and Fergus Henderson have such important roles and are described so grandly it is hard not to admire them.

What does Anthony Bourdain bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Bourdain's narration taught me that reading and listening are totally different experiences. I had already read and was a fan of Bourdain's story. I didn't think that the audiobook would add anything to my experience but decided to try it out before I gifted it to a friend. Listening made me appreciate the story even more. It was also great to finally learn the correct pronunciation of various places and things.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could probably have listened to it all in a couple of sittings, because nine hours is a bit long. My listening was interrupted only by work and the end of an exhausting commute. But because it was the only thing I listened to in my car it took less than a week for me to finish.

Great from snout to tail...

Really enjoyed this book. Funny, barbed, and insightful in ways that go beyond "foodiedom", this book frequently had me in stitches. If you like food, are fascinated by the inner workings of the restaurant business (told in a tell-it-like-you-see-it style) you can't go wrong with this. Bourdain never ceases to provide food for thought, be it bad food or good.

Gets My Vote

Anthony Bourdain for President.This man knows how to tell the truth and boy does it hurt.I do not often listen to authors who read their own books,(usually psychologists),but Mr. Bourdain is the only one who could tell his own tale so gloriously.

Bourdain makes me hungry and happy.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of Bourdain's shows, or other books this will be an enjoyably irreverent, mildly offensive, emotionally authentic and entertaining experience. If you are not a fan of his style, humor and foul mouth you should know that by now. What I loved about the book is that it conveys his passion for food and cooking to someone who is only peripherally interested in food an cooking. Even though I will likely never eat at the French Laundry I was not left out of the conversation and there are only a few moments where having read his previous books or watching the full body of his television storytelling would have enhanced this book. His delivery is spot on, which is to be expected as they are his words and he has many years of storytelling experience with his television career. He leaves the listener with the impression of a conversation rather than consumption. Well worth the time.

Enjoyable if only for the way he builds a sentence

I am a fan of Mr. Bourdain, as maybe you are too. This book is, as it says in the title, written to and for people in the food industry or with close knowledge of it. I am not one of those people.

Filled with un-elaborated references to culinary personalities there are whole paragraphs or chapters you might not get. The progression of chapters is again difficult to follow for the outsider.

But for a view of this private world and a chance to listen in on a conversation between cooks and culinary personalities, this is a good book. As a lover of food and eager to learn more about those who prepare it, again this is a good read.

The performance is good, as you would expect from a TV personality with a love of off camera narration. I enjoyed this and found it thoroughly satisfying. If you know and like anything about the author, you'll probably like it too.

Kitchen Confidential part 2

I enjoy Bourdain's TV shows, enjoyed listening to Kitchen Confidential, and found Medium Raw to have the same punch and wit he's so well known for.

Boudain Mellowing With Age

I devour books like this, no pun intended. I'm a foodie that enjoys Anthony's sharp writing and humor. This book was so much more enjoyable to me than Kitchen Confidential. He's an older, wiser man and it's reflected in a more introspective writing. I especially enjoyed his thoughts on vegans--so funny and true. Also, I love the fact that this book was narrated by the actual author. That makes a huge difference to me when selecting books.

Bourdain is so entertaining!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend it to a friend. What's the audio version of having a book you can't put down? whatever the equivalent is, I certainly felt it listening to Medium Raw. It is fun and informative. I feel like I've been let in (a bit) to the world of fine dining.

What does Anthony Bourdain bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Obviously, an author reading his work is an authentic experience. An author like Anthony Bourdain makes for a great narrator.

One long opinion piece

This reads like one stream of consciousness opinion piece you’d find in the New York Times. However, that’s not to mean anything other than it’s a well-written, intelligently funny, unabashedly honest, reflection of how his life changed from his best seller. If you enjoyed Kitchen Confidential, you have to indulge in one more brutally honest Anthony Bourdain retelling of his life and worldview.

The more I listened the better I liked it

I really enjoyed how this book was narrated. You can tell he had much more experience being on screen and perhaps reading a teleprompter. His narration of this book versus Kitchen Confidential was much more conversational and animated. While parts of it were a little slow, I do like the recap of Kitchen Confidential.