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Disappointing & Misleading
Ruhlman tries very hard to be neither a culinary student nor a journalist, so he ends up being a sort of half-baked memoirist. On the one hand, this book is worth reading in order to get a behind-the-scenes of some of what it's like to train at the CIA, but on the other hand, Ruhlman's lack of writerly discipline makes the book exasperatingly low on information. There's far too much hero-worship on his part of dominant male figures at the school; it seems that Ruhlman is powerfully drawn to aggressive, angry, powerful, and/or graceful men, and his account of the CIA is overshadowed by his need to be accepted by and mythologize male chefs like Adam (a passionate, withdrawn student), the school's president, his Skills teacher, and other male teachers. Worst of all, the women at the school are given short-shrift by Ruhlman, presented as either needy figures of fun or neurotic screwups who get put in their place by a man. This read less like accurate reporting and more like the bias of a writer who isn't as interested in the women he meets. I wouldn't have minded if Ruhlman had acknowledged the effect these men had on him and his need to be accepted by them and had written honestly about that, but he hid behind his so-called account of training at the CIA and his creation of what he describes as the nature of people who are born to cook. In actuality, he skipped most of the school's curriculum and was given special treatment by the staff. Overall, a disappointing and frustrating read. Deft, knowledgeable, and well written Michael Ruhlman has found his true calling. He's one of the best authors currently out there who writes culinaryeese ... not about recipes, but about [i]the journey/experience itself[/i]. And he does it with the intimacy and sensitivity of someone who's been through the process himself. In this book, the author takes the reader on a ride though what it's like to attend the Culinary Institute of America, from the perspective of an insider/student. Wonderful book. Well written. Deft, and knowledgeable. Highly recommended for self-taught cooking aficianados who love every aspect of their hobby, and also for people considering formalized culinary education and a career in the food industry. An interesting personal account on how one becomes a professional cook I am an avid follower (hobbyist, not a professional) of all things culinary and my best friend is a CIA graduate, so I was very interested to get an objective view of what what goes on at CIA and to put some perspective around some of the stories he's told me thorugh the years. Ruhlman's story of his time at CIA was engaging and an overall good read, but two things left me a bit cold (hence the 4 vs. 5 stars). 1) I was quite disappointed to find no culinary glossary, dictionary, or reference to define the formal and informal terms he used with great frequency throughout the book. Given my interest in food and my many discussions w/my chef friend, I knew what "family meal" was, what he meant by "in the weeds," and was able to identify most culinary terms such as "bruinoise," "gallantine," and "pate a choux," but I suspect the casual reader was lost in that aspect and I've never enjoyed reading a book where I needed a dictionary to know what the writer was talking about. 2) I found the content of the story to be uneven throughout the book. What Ruhlman covered in depth, he REALLY covered in depth, i.e., the making of the mise en place or how to create a roux. In doing so, however, he glossed over or merely touched on many other potential areas of interest without further development, i.e., the culinary terminology (as mentioned above), the pain-staking planning and execution it must take to use the foods from one class in another, the inspiration and creation of class and restaurant menus, how CIA graduates (not just the famous ones) have influenced the world of food, cooking, restaurants, etc. Ultimately, I think this story would have been better suited to being published as a multi-issue series in a foodie magazine like Food and Wine or Gourmet vs. as a stand-alone book. Nonetheless, and my comments above notwithstanding, I did enjoy the book and felt I learned a lot about the basics of becoming a chef. Effectively Translating the Language of Professional Cooks The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute is a revelation to food-lovers and aspiring cooks of what goes on in a professional kitchen. Immersed in the Culinary Institute for six months, Michael Ruhlman effectively translates the cook's jargon of technique and skill into a language that everyone can understand. Ruhlman also touches upon the essential qualities beyond the cook's passion for food: consistency, curiosity and the capacity to evolve. Just Starting I am almost 12 years old and am starting this book. I plan to become a chef when I'm an adult and I want to get a college education from the Culinary Instutute, being only 11, I want to see what the CIA will be like from a students perspective. I am almost at the chapter "Routine" and am enjoying this book so much. This book is for very serious chefs, who plan to be or are chefs. There are three books in the series so far and I have two. Michael Ruhlman talks about everything just right, like mirepoix (mero pwa), before reading this, I had no idea what mirepoix was, but learned that with the book. This book is a non-fiction book about Ruhlman's actual experience at the Institute. This book is so enjoyable. If you'd like to see more from the culinary, go to CIAchef.edu, for thier website. I plan to persue my career in Baking and Pastry Arts and own my own bakery. I will write a review for the whole book when I'm done. This is one of the best books to read for a chef. I so far give this book 5 stars out of 5. IT is an enjoyable book. You should get it if you are a serious chef, if not, I wouldn't, this book is all about the life of a chef. | |
