The Thousands

Remember the time that sending your risotto al-funghi back to the kitchen meant having it return with some sort of suspected spittle included? Or when your well-done steak just wasn’t well done enough, and addressing the waitress with this led to a look of fear and disdain?

She knew what they would do to your food in the steaming galley of the kitchen. She knew they would throw hot pans around, swear in Italian and rub your steak in some unsavoury area of their bodies.

Forget Jamie this time, Bourdain’s sexy swearing, smoking antics will have you both repulsed and in stitches through his experiences as one the world’s best chefs; his run-ins with cuisine mafia, the underground New York kitchen societies and continuous cool room waitress debauchery.

If you have ever worked in hospitality, you will know every character he describes; if you haven’t, you will want to.

…and don’t forget; it’s never worth sending the steak back.