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Hakken, Snijden, Wokken: Mijn Leven Achter Het Fornuis In New York, Hanoi, Tel Aviv En Parijs (2011)

by Lauren Shockey(Favorite Author)

3.28 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

9045802120 (ISBN13: 9789045802121)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Mouria

review 1: For anyone interested in working in a restaurant kitchen, this is a good book to read. The author delivers a "from the frontlines" account of "staging" (French: "faire un stage en entreprise" = to do work experience) in four restaurants in four countries. Interestingly, the experiences appear to be different from each other due more to the differences in the style or type of restaurant, and almost secondarily due to differences in country and culture. She makes a terrific case that staging in a restaurant - basically, unpaid labor - at least initially, is a much better way to go toward becoming a chef versus attending culinary school.
review 2: While the title of the book pretty much sums up the storyline, it's what happens at each of the places that makes t... morehe book a great read! Shockey, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute went through a disappointing internship after she graduated. Returning home she decided the only way to know if she wanted to become a chef was to work as one. Chefs can participate in what is called at "stage" basically an unpaid internship with brutal hours and at times mind numbing tasks. If you have a weak stomach, being a chef is not the best career choice for you either. There is a strict hierarchy in the kitchen and you have to earn your place. Shockey starts in her native NYC in the cutting edge kitchen of wd-50 which makes cooking more like chemistry class. The descriptions of kitchen life and culinary prep work are interesting, but Shockey does not hold back about saying how much work it involves and that the work of a "stagiere" (the proper term for one participating in a stage) is grueling. After surviving the kitchen of wd-50, she is off to Vietnam for her next culinary adventure and the on to the other countries on her list. Shockey write well with an engaging tone and she gives voice to her insecurities as well as her triumphs. The action is not just about her cooking either,but includes her friendships both in and out of the kitchen as well her explorations of the country in which she is cooking. It's not a travelogue per say- the cooking is the main focus, but the whole experience is important. My only quibble was the occasional passage where she starts whining about being single. I found it very jarring and think it could have been edited out without any loss to the text. I want to hear more about life in other places and about the food! Shockey's journey while it might not be one I'd want to undertake it made for great reading and she includes some very interesting recipes as well! Well worth the read! less

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