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  • Medium Raw

  • A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
  • Written by: Anthony Bourdain
  • Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
  • Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (615 ratings)

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Medium Raw

Written by: Anthony Bourdain
Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
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Publisher's Summary

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

What the critics say

"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)

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What listeners say about Medium Raw

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it might be just the utter respect for the legend

As a 10 year recently unemployed due to covid 19 cook, I can say this audiobook was a much necessary light in a time of darkness in our industry. I would've loved to listen to you speak on the current events plaguing our industry today. you are greatly missed. much love and respect to Bourdain.
one of the realest motherfuckers to ever do it.
thank you.

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9 people found this helpful

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Great listen

Bourdain really delves in to his personal life as well as the chef world in this book. He narrates it well - I love hearing his voice.

Highly recommend.
#audible1

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Having Tony Narrate It Makes It!

really captures your attention. I couldn't stop listening! Having Anthony as the narrator really pulls you into his writing and thoughts. I definitely recommend!

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Funny

Great follow up to Kitchen Confidential. Funny and heart warming. Easy listen...didn't want it to end. #Audible 1

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Entertaining

Definitely worth a listen. Entertaining but certainly doesn't hold a candle to Kitchen Confidential.

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Bourdain was a treasure we didn't deserve

He was amazing. He was the best. He was going to change the world.

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A must for your wish list

Once again bourdain tells a great story. Although I enjoyed kitchen a bit more (can’t put my finger on why) this was a great book. As he tells more stories of his life I couldn’t help morbidly looking for some key or clue from way back then to explain his last year(s). I would recommend this book as I did the last for any fan, foodie or someone wanting a break from their own monotonous day. Bourdain’s ability to tell a great story is comparable to none

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Just perfect

when grinding out the past of your holiday rush and prep Tony sure helps keep you company.

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I miss Anthony Bourdain

Now that Anthony is no longer with us, his books narrated by himself are a way to keep his spirit alive. #Audible1

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We may never see his like again

Anthony Bourdain, the "bad boy" of food writing, was a storyteller without peer in his field. His travel, his passion, his instinctive way of bringing out the best in the people around him. He roared to fame with Kitchen Confidential, but this book served as, not an apology, but a recontextualization of that work, through the voice of an older, wiser, but no less funny or cutting Bourdain, no longer a chef, but instead known worldwide as a lover of food, and of the people who make it and serve it.

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