A lot of people know Anthony Bourdain either as a chef or "that guy on the TV shows who travels a lot and eats funky things." Sure, he's both of those things, but he also happens to be a very good writer. Not just his books that look behind the scenes of the restaurant biz (like Kitchen Confidential, a must read for anyone in the food service industry), but also his mystery books. Bone in the Throat, Gone Bamboo, and The Bobby Gold Stories are all terrific reads. The guy can write, period.

Now he's back with The Nasty Bits, a collection of articles he's written for several publications, including Gourmet, Chow, Esquire, Best Life, Blackbook, The L.A. Times, Town and Country, and others. Nicole picked it as the Cookbook of the Day last week, and I think this might be one of his best books yet.

Bourdain has a great writing style, one that can give the reader an almost inspirational feel when he talks about food, but, at the same time, can be very biting (no pun intended). He lets his opinion known right up front, whether he's talking about Rocco DiSpirito (he's saddened at what has happened to him); the type of meal he likes best (take out Chinese, so he can go home to his place and watch TV and eat alone); his love of New York City; or the fast food chains that make Americans morbidly obese.

You know what's great about Bourdain? When you read his stuff, you don't feel that he's so pretentious or overly elegant that you can't identify with him. He seems like a regular guy, who likes to drink a lot and smoke and travel around the world and the U.S. checking out new places and new food. And his writing ... he's like a mystery or noir writer, who just happens to write about the world of food. He's proof positive that you don't become a better person (whether you're a chef, a teacher, a writer or whatever) by keeping yourself sheltered and in one place. You improve your life, your relationships with people, and your career by getting out in the world and actually living your life.

So this book can be seen as the enjoyable read that it is, or as something more: the observations and opinions of someone who has grabbed life by the throat and is living it to the fullest. Either way you look at it, it's an A+ read.