The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain

"The good, the bad, and the ugly, served up Bourdain-style".

This is a book where Anthony takes a bunch of his old writings from magazines and newspapers and puts it together in a book..."Collected varietal cuts, usable trim, scraps, and bones". I had been told it was just a regurgitation of his tv shows, but it turns out that is not entirely so. I have to say it's not the best writing in the world, but! I'm a rabid Anthony Bourdain fan, so I enjoyed it a great deal. It's no where as good as Kitchen Confidential, but being the fan that I am, I truly enjoyed and appreciated this book. It took me forever to read, not because it's a slow, or hard read, but because I've recently taken leave of my sanity, dropped all gardening and household chores, gone off the deep end, and added a third part time job to my life (not counting marriage and kids). So, it took me a while to get through this book with my time (and sanity) constraints. That is one reason I would recommend this book. If you have a bit of a sick sense of humor, appreciate good food, and learning about other cultures, but don't have time to sit down and read an entire novel in a few days, this book is for you, especially if you're an Anthony Bourdain fan. It's short story after short story. You can read it at your leisure and actually get through an entire story in a few minutes. Great for lunch breaks at work. It's full of Bourdain's biting wit and humor and some humility at times. It often gives you insight into his mind and you can see how his attitude and ideas have changed over the years, but don't expect him to start listening to Billy Joel with you. That just ain't gonna' happen! It's a fun read, and I recommend it to all Anthony Bourdain fans, especially those who just have time for a little taste of his writing at a time. His writing is fun, and this book does make me want to read his fiction books, Bone in the Throat, Typhoid Mary, Bobby Gold Stories, and Gone Bamboo.