Throughout "A Cook's Tour" by Anthony Bourdain, I couldn't help but laugh at how Bourdain directly addresses the reader. I truly appreciated how he broke the fourth wall and told the reader how it is. This is in part thanks to the nature of memoir, and the fact that this is a first-person account of food and travel.
My first interaction with this kind of writing is found under the header "Full Disclosure". Bourdain starts with, "Here's the part where I reluctantly admit to something about which I'm deeply conflicted -- even ashamed. I'd lie about it if I could. But you're probably going to find out about it anyway, so here's a little preemptive truth telling..." (12). He goes on to explain how during his travels he had two people follow him with cameras. Initially this isn't what he wanted, but he went along for it. It would be good for the book, they'd say. Perhaps it was a necessary evil, always being on call. Bourdain says, "I had, you see, sold my soul to the devil" (12). This honesty is repeated heavily in sections titled, "Reasons Why You Don't Want To Be On TV".
Bourdain's voice made me feel welcomed into this text, and as if we were on the same level. Some books like this give off an air of entitlement that I am not a fan of, so I was happily surprised when the speaking voice came off as approachable and imperfect. The direct voice caught my attention early on, and made reading about the festivities described in "Where Food Comes From" a little easier to digest. Bourdain walked into the scene feeling guilty and unnerved, but then accepting that this is the fate of every meat product he orders, and ends on a respectful note. He vowed to use as much of the animal as he could to honor it's life, something rather beautiful to me. If it has to die, why not go on to become gorgeous dishes for many more to enjoy?
Sarena, I also appreciated the way Bourdain directly addresses the reader and leaves any sort of fluff out of his writing. Even though his writing can be vulgar at times, his full disclosure attitude comes through strongly, and his voice is easily heard through the pages of A Cook’s Tour. I agree that his voice is “approachable and imperfect.” His voice is so real and human that I felt comfortable reading and connecting with his book on a personal level.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the "Why You Don't Want to be on TV" section at the end of the chapters. I think it's very interesting how Anthony originally had no intention of pursuing a career in TV, but instead just did so to "help" his book, and has now had a successful tv show for sixteen years.
ReplyDeleteHe's probably now embarrassed about that ^^ now too! But he's embarrassed all the way to the bank!
ReplyDeleteYou really nail it about his voice. It's incredibly difficult to pull of that turn toward the reader, the second person POV in which the reader actually is the "you". Let's tease out in class why it works.