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I'm afraid I was disappointed. - sort of skimmed along the surface and left me feeling only a little "full". I love Gordon Ramsey's shows, and was really hoping for some meaty info on his origins and motivations. This pamphlet - hard to really call it a book.
I found out why Gordon has a British accent and not because he's ashamed of being from Scotland but because his family moved around so much and they lived on and off in England. Ever since I discovered "Kitchen Nightmares", I've been a fan of Gordon Ramsay. But in "Kitchen Nightmares", Gordon shows his softer side. It's almost like Gordon was sitting down and chatting with me over a cup of tea.
I didn't know that becoming a chef was like moving in the ranks of the military. What he did with his life is truly amazing and I'm glad he wrote this book. Gordon doesn't pretend to be some haughty chef who was born to high society but everything that he learned about fine food he learned the hard way. He is also so down-to-earth and makes sure his kids are the same.
So when I heard about his autobiography, I just had to read it.I wasn't disappointed. He didn't let obstacles get in his way and it is truly inspiring. I've never watched "Hell's Kitchen" because I was turned off by the swearing when the trailers are shown. And that he rides motorcycles.But what I really liked about the book is his passion for perfection.
It's raw and Gordon Ramsay was unafraid to relate details like how he watched his brother shoot up heroin or how as children they would be dressed up in rags while his father bought Fender guitars in pursuit of his pipe dream of becoming a country singer. He really wants people to succeed. It is an honest recollection of what happened to him in relation to the important people and events in his life.
You never get the impression that he's hiding anything, and his stories are well-chosen and often highlight his flaws rather than his successes.Overall, Ramsay's book is a quick, entertaining read that humanizes the televised caricature into a warm and immensely talented person. His book gives a great deal of background of the making of the person of today, from his loves to his family issues. Highly recommended. Anyone who knows Ramsay only from Hell's Kitchen commercials will be very surprised at the person that is found in this text. Rather than being a simple (and rather crude) person, Ramsay's lived quite a life and given up a lot for the simple goal of becoming very good at cookery.
He shagged his boss's wife, well, why didn't the boss stay home. He didn't have a contract, he was inexperienced, his best friend died and he made inappropriate comments, blame it on his youth, his passion, his ambition. I liked Gordon, believed I understood his passion. He was young. Stay out of his way, not many survive with a good reputation. What a relief to know he is just another whiner, I can save my admiration for those more worthy. He can and does excuse everything, every fault, every failing, it's his father's fault, his brother's, his business partner's, his friend's, he is responsible for nothing that could be called a personal, or business failure.
It's high pressure and non-stop pretty much 7-days a week, so he's entitled. Well, I read this book in about 2 1/2 days, which is quite unusual for me, as I'm not an avid book reader. I would say if you're a fan of Chef Ramsay, then you'll enjoy this book. I enjoyed the fact that he was honest about his early business deals and how they were not successful, but he learned a lot from them and even though he did not succeed at first, he kept going. I was intrigued to find out that Chef Ramsay's upbringing was far from perfect, and this pushed him to become successful. He does do a bit of bragging in the book, but working in the culinary industry is very difficult.
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