Beaten, Seared, And Sauced: On Becoming A Chef At The Culinary Institute Of America (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Disclaimer: If you're expecting to hear that I loved everything about this book from the high stars I have given it, you're not going to get that. I rated it highly because it's impressive. It has left (possibly lasting) marks with me. I'm going to remember that moment where this book made me realize "Damn, I'd be dead at this school; I'd bawl my eyes out getting bitched out. I'm never setting foot in the CIA." Well, from the less than stellar stars this book has, my best hope is that it's got something to do with being Beaten, Seared, and Sauced. Otherwise perfectly good cooking puns have been wasted. (Preferably, there better be a portion dedicated to being beaten and sauced.) If I were the sort, I'd definitely use the title Beaten, Baked, and Sauced. But, that's probably a little too punny.Ahem. So, Beaten, Seared, and Sauced completely wasted its title. I would revoke its rights to culinary puns if I had that sort of power. Honestly, if you're going to use food words, use them like puns, and use them with pride. Because, even if one is almost forty, one is still capable of food puns, PARTICULARLY if one WRITES THINGS. That's probably the biggest shame. We have a writer who titled a book and squandered FOOD PUNS. Ahem. End of Review.Actually, I'd like to take a moment to say a few words in how this book made me feel. I read chapter six one night before bed, and realized "I never want to cook in a restaurant." Which lead to spending part of the next day thinking "Ohmygoodness. I don't know what to do with my life." Yeah. A book on culinary school made me rethink my life decisions. This is early for me, as I usually wait until about October to dither about signing up for another semester of classes. I really felt for this poor guy. Here he is, almost 40, toddling into culinary school for the first time in his life, and not just any old technical college for culinary, no, the CIA, THE culinary school. This book succeeded in making me envious and filling me with revulsion. As cool as it would be to be able to say, "Yeah, I totally went to the CIA, I'm certain that I would have died by day three. Honestly, I cried over dissecting a tilapia. I could have never survived killing chickens or watching a vid on butchering a cow (from living to chopped up. it was required material). I would have skipped school before the externship. I would never ever have made it to graduation (not that I'm all that certain I'm going to make it to graduation going to a tech college where things are decidedly less prestigious and intense). I actually feel for this guy, because some days, I feel just like him. Did I take the right steps? Am I really doing the right thing? I might be quite a bit younger, but I can't deny that I'm worried about whether or not culinary school and I are a fit. Sort of a slow book, he spends over half of it on the first portion of school and his externship before he finishes with the little bit of finishing with schooling and graduation. OH. he graduates. I'd say spoiler, but it lists that with his author info. Alright. Awesome. Now to star this thing. I read this after reading "making of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman - both books document the experience of going through training at the Culinary Institute. Michael Ruhlman's book does so more from the perspective of a chef - in that he describes the process of making the dishes, whereas Jonathan's book deals more with what it feels like and the difficulty that the students face. Both books are good reads and I may have rated this book 4 stars if I had not read the other one first.
What do You think about Beaten, Seared, And Sauced: On Becoming A Chef At The Culinary Institute Of America (2011)?
Certainly not my favorite "foodie" book but I did finish it. I do wonder what Dixon is doing now.
—victoria
Interesting insight on attending CIA
—hungergamesfan14
