2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] discussion

Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson



I love food, but I am not really a good cook - well, I'm a decent cook, in that I can follow a recipe and I like using interesting spices, but I'm not creative in the kitchen at all, really. I wish I was better. Because of this, I tend to really enjoy food-related memoirs - Anthony Bourdain, Ruth Reichl, etc. - and TV shows.

I started reading this book a few days ago and I'm enjoying it so far. It blows my mind every time I hear about how insane it is to work in a restaurant kitchen. It's like being in the Marines, or something, with the yelling and the perfection that the bosses require. I could never do it. But I love reading about it!

I really enjoyed this book. I could hear Marcus' voice in my head as I read. I especially liked learning about his childhood in Sweden and how his grandmother influenced his love of food.

Just finished yesterday.

I thought it was really interesting. I agree, Christi - it was really neat hearing him write about growing up in Sweden. I also liked how he wasn't afraid to write about his mistakes. Very good book - it also really makes me want to go to Harlem and eat at his restaurant! :)

I will be reading this for Week 26 (yes, I am a bit behind). I love food, culture, Ethiopia, grandmothers, and New York so I am excited to read this book. I hope that it won't disappoint. Based on the above reviews, I think that I will be pleased with this choice for my memoir book.

I hope you enjoy it, Steph! Make sure you come back and comment when you read it.

And don't worry about being behind. I read Weeks 26 and 27 when I was supposed to, but skipped about 10 other weeks to do it. :)

Well, I enjoyed reading about the journey of a chef and about all of the food and spices sampled along the way. I did not love the tone of the book, I am not really sure how to explain this though. There were sections that seemed juvenile to me, like when he described meeting his daughter's mother he said something like, "we went to her place and slept together." I know that this is nit picky but there were several passages like this and I just thought that it could have been written better overall.

I was disappointed in his lack of dedication to his daughter. It is obvious that he is extremely driven in his career life but he falls short in other areas. Overall I gave it three stars. Having said that, I plan to go to his restaurant during my next visit to New York. The foodie in me can't resist!