This book is what is says on the front: Gibney puts you into the shoes of a sous chef, the second in command in a kitchen, for 24 hours. And by telling his story in a second person narrative, it feels like the reader itself is standing in the middle of the kitchen, sweating, trying to get the food on the table.
This book was a mixed bag for me. The work ethics of the people working in restaurants and the descriptions of food and the work that goes into creating the perfect dish were fascinating and this book gives you a glimpse into the madness that this profession is. Being at work for 18 hours a day, six or seven days a week ... I don´t know how they do it and I´m glad that I never even considered to get into that line of work.
What I didn´t like about this book, though, is the incessant gutter talk between the coworkers and even though this might be a realistic depiction of their conversational skills, it annoyed me to no end. And the way that this book is written, Michael Gibney doesn´t strike me as a very sympathetic person. Which again might be true for a lot of people in this profession, because you might be an asshole to survive in a working enviroment like that.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the food industry and the secret life behind the kitchen door in a restaurant.
I´ve read this book for the 24 tasks as a book that takes place in New York.
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