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Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Medium Raw marks the return of the inimitable Anthony Bourdain, author of the blockbuster bestseller Kitchen Confidential and three-time Emmy Award-nominated host of No Reservations on TV’s Travel Channel. Bourdain calls his book, “A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook,” and he is at his entertaining best as he takes aim at some of the biggest names in the foodie world, including David Chang, Alice Waters, the Top Chef winners and losers, and many more. If Hunter S. Thompson had written a book about the restaurant business, it could have been Medium Raw.
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"I love food, and I love cooking. So does Anthony Bourdain. Each chapter is another great glimpse into the world of what we eat. Bourdain is a great writer. His book kitchen confidential gave him this reputation as a punk, sharp witted, bad boy and perhaps he asked for it. But what I love about him and always have is his honesty and compassion. He should be a diplomat. His reverence for people and food all over the world is refreshing. Yes, he still let's people have it in this book but at each turn he accepts, names, and explains his responsibly (or lack of) in all of it. He owns all of it, good and bad. The result is a book that is sweet and brave. And makes you really hungry and curious about food."
— Adriana (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“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 -
“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.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“When you read Bourdain, you never quite know what’s going to happen in the next sentence, but you can be sure you’re in for a treat, a shock, a surprise…Anyone who starts the book is liable to lose all control and simply gobble it right up. I certainly did.”
— Washington Post -
“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 is back with more intriguing food fights, moving further from the kitchen into the eating industry…[Bourdain’s] dissections…are still as hilarious, as scatological and as spot-on as ever…His fare—and his prose—is still quite spicy.”
— BookPage -
“Always entertaining, and even at times enlightening.”
— Booklist
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award
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A USA Today bestseller
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A Washington Post bestseller
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#1 Los Angeles Times bestseller
Medium Raw Listener Reviews
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" Although I don't think that Bourdain is quite as consistently on target here as he is in Kitchen Confidential, this is still a very good read. Less a book than a collection of essays, it does suffer from inconsistency. Some chapters don't hold the reader's attention completely, and they appear even worse when they are bookended by wonderful essays on celebrity, fatherhood, and why the rich don't eat like the rest of us. But I guess it's Bourdain's own fault for writing a spectacular first book. It's hard to live up to that kind of reputation! "
— Jane, 2/5/2014 -
" He definitely mailed it in on this one. But still a good quick read if you liked Kitchen Confidential and/or food and cooking. "
— Peterbiro, 2/5/2014 -
" Great writer! I'm always entertained by him... "
— Kendra, 2/3/2014 -
" Bourdain is entertaining, as usual, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny; however, this reads more as a series of essays than as a book and they are of varying quality. "
— Jennifer, 1/31/2014 -
" Great book. I really enjoy reading Bourdain's books. "
— Phillip, 1/26/2014 -
" Good, entertaining, but not as good as Kitchen Confidential. The updated retelling of his life after Kitchen Confidential, and I enjoyed hearing his views on the slow food movement and the current state of agriculture. This book is great for people that are interested in the current big-name chefs. "
— Mcav0y, 1/23/2014 -
" Like an episode of No Reservations (without the strategic bleeps) and it just goes on, and on, and on... in a good way. Best of all, Bourdain's prose makes me want to write. "
— Katherine, 1/21/2014 -
" I find Bourdain fun to read, so I enjoyed many sections of this book. It is essentially his musings on a variety of subjects. The sections on "Top Chef" and the chef who filets and portions the fish at Le Bernardin were my favorites. "
— Donna, 1/18/2014 -
" Hilarious, snarky, and intelligently written. It gives good insight into the world of fine dining and answers a lot of questions I've always wondered about Anthony. "
— Alison, 1/12/2014 -
" Man, this guy can rant. He has anger issues, I think, but they are entertaining anger issues. "
— Robin, 12/30/2013 -
" Love Anthony and his humor!! Says what he thinks!!! "
— Kelly, 12/10/2013 -
" As much as I liked the dickhead style of Kitchen Confidential, it's nice to see that Anthony Bourdain has grown up a little. :) "
— Johnna, 12/10/2013 -
" I loved this fantastically well-written book. Loved it. "
— Pascale, 12/5/2013 -
" If you like his television outlook, this translates well "
— Michael, 8/7/2013 -
" Good easy read. Some interesting stories. Anthony vasilates between a rebel you love and an outright pompous p***k. "
— Bruce, 4/3/2013 -
" Same old stuff re-hashed from Kitchen Confidential, but funny and sassy all the same. "
— Jana, 12/20/2012 -
" Entertaining as always. His egotism has mellowed and I found his anecdotes more palatable than in KC. "
— Daniela, 11/4/2012 -
" The most narcissistic, self indulgent book since Kitchen Confidential. Why do I keep trying to like this man?! "
— Stacy, 10/28/2012 -
" Took me a few chapters to get into this book but after that it became one of my favorite reads in quite a while. "
— Brian, 5/4/2012 -
" Very interesting look at Anthony and the food industry "
— Barb, 5/4/2012 -
" Totally self-indulgent and doesn't live up to Kitchen Confidential. "
— Marc, 4/21/2012 -
" More like Totally Raw but I like his rants, pretty hilarious. "
— Shirley, 3/2/2012 -
" A little too much name-dropping and not enough about cooking and traveling. "
— Emmy, 1/27/2012 -
" Bourdain lovers won't be disappointed. Tony calls out the pompous and shows his love for the real chefs. A fun book. "
— Warren, 9/6/2011 -
" This was funny, entertaining and easy-to-read, like all of Bourdain's books. But there was a little too much ranting and bitching in this one for my taste. "
— Annabel, 9/6/2011 -
" Good read, juicy gossip for those of us who watch the Food Network ... "
— Lisa, 6/29/2011 -
" Not AS laugh out loud funny but there were still parts that made the people sitting next to me in the airplane look at me funny. "
— Jennifer, 6/27/2011 -
" I love the way this man writes. Yes he can be grouchy and snarky, but he is also honest, humble and compassionate. Favorite chapters (must reads): "The rich eat differently than you and me", "I'm dancing" & the hypnotic, "My aim is true". "
— Amy, 6/25/2011 -
" Much better than his previous book. He's grown as a writer and his opinions have seemingly matured from someone who just was ranting and bitter to someone who is still bitter but able to make his point in cogent way. "
— Sphinx, 6/25/2011 -
" Tony being Tony. You always know what to expect from Tony, another great read that made me want to go eat at Per Se even more. "
— Rudy, 6/24/2011 -
" This was more of a commentary about various Chefs and such in the food industry as opposed to a book structured like <em>Kitchen Confidential</em>. "
— Rob, 6/24/2011 -
" Good read, but hard to follow near the end if you don't know much about famous chefs. Still, Bourdain is witty and knows how to tell a story. "
— Kelly, 6/21/2011 -
" <br/> <br/> I skimmed this one on my phone, was interested because I like his show and him on Top Chef. It's decent, he's kind of crass but perspectives on the restaurant industry are interesting. "
— Maggie, 6/14/2011 -
" Even better than Kitchen Confidential. He has grown as a writer and a thinker. A damn interesting book if you're into his other stuff. It is - believe it or not - happy. "
— Michele, 6/13/2011 -
" Entertaining bits, but overall kind of boring. Gossipy and self-indulgent, but that's what I expected. "
— Maya, 6/13/2011 -
" Good, but like Kitchen Confidential, it gets a bit tiresome about 2/3rds the way in. "
— Mary, 6/10/2011 -
" Love his writing he is so raw "
— Janis, 6/9/2011 -
" The honest truth in a stream of swearing, sexual comments, and a history of drug use. He's amazing. "
— Nicole, 6/5/2011
About Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain (1956–2018) was the author of the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo, the memoir A Cook’s Tour, and the New York Times bestsellers Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw, and Appetites. His work appeared in the New York Times and the New Yorker. He was the host of the popular television shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown.