David Chang (1)Reviews

I love to cook, and I am a reasonably good home cook, possibly better than that. I rarely use recipes, though if I am cooking something traditional or belonging to a cuisine with which I am unfamiliar I often cook it from the recipe the first time or two, and then start riffing. I do sometimes read cookbooks to get ideas of what things go together and I use that as a foundation -- I recently started working on my iteration of chicken adobo, but Filipino flavors are new to me so I read about a dozen recipes and had a lengthy chat with one of the cooks at a favorite Filipino restaurant and started cooking and success was mine. This cookbook is written for home cooks like me. There are no real recipes, everything can be switched out for other things you happen to have in your fridge and pantry, and food science is explained so the cook can use that to make substitutions. There are lots of knobs of butter and glugs of oil and "when you touch it it will do this when ready" kinds of instructions. I got some good ideas especially for soups and stews, and completely changed my dal recipe for the better. Chang also convinced me to use more traditionally Asian flavoring agents in Western food. I have been deploying fish sauce a lot more in the week since I finished this, and he is right, a dash changed my puttanesca for the better and really amped up and deepened the flavor of my braising liquid for poultry.

All this said, a lot of his methods are not to my taste at all -- so much boiling -- and every recipe has rice and/or noodles, which are not every day foods for me. I get that his tradition is Korean and much of his training is Japanese, and this is his comfort food, it just doesn't work for me personally. (I like David Chang, but in all truth I do not love Momofuku or Ssam -- both are fine, but I can get iterations of their signature dishes I like better at many other restaurants with more comfortable seating.) Still, full of great ideas for the home cook without weird ingredients, or tons of ingredients, and with no difficult techniques. Very worthwhile for cooks who understand basic techniques and who have a basic idea of how flavor works.

I was visiting a little bookstore in a neighboring town, trying to decide on a book to buy when I saw this. The hosts of Book Riot Podcast have mentioned this SO MANY TIMES that I thought it was probably time to read it.

I probably should have skipped it. Look, the main problem is, I had no idea who Chang was when I started this, and had never heard of his restaurants. I got the feeling I was supposed to be super impressed by him, and I just wasn't. In fact, the lasting impression I had of this book after finishing it was that I wished Chang had taken better ownership of his anger issues.

I've already given my copy away to someone who does know who he is, so hopefully they may enjoy it better.

I loved the honesty in this book and appreciate the author putting himself out there. Mental illness is a tough thing and I whole heartedly agree that this is something that needs to be talked about more openly. He has some very good analogies regarding how it should be viewed and handled. I think the book hopped around a little more than I would have liked so it was hard to look forward to reading the next chapter. I also think I was hoping he would go into a little bit more detail about the food but that may be something he touched in in his other books.

I got this book because I figured it'd be fun to read. Which it is, but it's also gotten be exited about cooking again. Not that you can really reproduce most of the recipes directly, but variations on them are interesting and easy and fun.

From the introduction, I get the sense this memoir, like Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" was written at the behest of his publisher (he even says so, in the reluctance to write a memoir versus a guide to young chefs starting their own restaurants). Still, Chang is an interesting person who's been in the public eye for food world with thoughtful, innovative shows and brash personality. I felt like this book was part therapy in self-evaluating the past, with tons of self-deprecation (and needed humility, in the case of reevaluating the anger-fueled actions in the early days.

There's also commentary of course, on perceptions, on being an Asian American guy who didn't necessarily fit the "smart" stereotype but was also driven to prove himself, to subvert expectations on dining and do something new with each property, etc. as well as taking criticisms of the restaurant personally (see aforementioned anger, where fuck ups in the kitchen were affronts to not just the restaurant but to himself). There's a common phrasing that depression is anger turned inwards, and I wouldn't be surprised if that connection was there here.

I have very mixed feelings about this book.

What I liked:

*I appreciated a memoir by someone who isn't immediately recognizable. Those who watch Ugly Delicious or are familiar with Momofuku will know David Chang...but many will not.
*I loved David's honesty about his bipolar disorder and his manic episodes. To admit that it is still a recurring problem--a demon he lives with constantly--is refreshing.
*Insight into how his kitchen handled #Metoo and being honest with how the food industry has room to grow.
*His relationship with Anthony Bourdain and Christina Tosi

What I disliked:
*I didn't want so much of a history into every single restaurant he opened. I wanted more about food. I wanted pictures I could smell and taste. I didn't get that.
*The book felt all over the place. Timeline bounced around. Writing style did not flow as I wanted it too. Again, that might be a preference thing. Honestly, as I read it, I felt I was reading David Chang's stream of consciousness much like Matthew McConaughey's Greenlights.
*I struggle with the "likability" factor. That does not feel completely fair to say. But I feel like I didn't LIKE David Chang. (Maybe I'm comparing him to, say, Ree Drummond, whose book I also finished this month. Her book felt like a coffee date with your best friend--David Chang felt unapproachable.)

As you can see. The book definitely was a mixed bag for me. Sometimes that happens even in my beloved food memoir world.

This book started off like a memoir, and I found Chang's early life quite interesting . . .his conflict with his family over his lack of academic prowess, his work ethic, his creativity in developing restaurant concepts, and his general gutsiness on the road to success.

Unfortunately, I had the sense that the book he wanted to write and the book his publisher wanted to publish, were two different books. The more the book progressed, the less it was about Chang and the more it was a guide to success in the restaurant business/becoming a chef. It was then that it became muddy and less interesting to me. The deeper into the book you went, the less personal it got.

Also, Chang basically seems like, well, kinda of an asshole. He admits it. He runs on anger to some degree. He has insight into it, but it didn't make him any more likeable.

The final note he leaves the reader with is an afterword that references the pandemic. He prognosticates what might happen in 2035 in the world . . .the possible best case and the possible worst case. In my mind, he should stick to cooking.

I'm a little on the fence with this one. On one hand, David Chang comes off as a pretty big jerk in his memoir. On the other hand, I can certainly admire how candid and genuine he is. I did learn a lot about him, but some of it wasn't very pleasant. It is interesting that he leveraged his mental health issues in a way that created his Momofuku empire, but I can't help thinking about all those people who helped him getting yelled at all the time. I did enjoy the general chef's chef moments where his admiration for other chefs came through, and the two brief moments about Anthony Bourdain were like tiny shining treasures among the gritty mess. I'm not sure if he would be pleased or upset to know that his general rage came through very well in his writing.

In the long run, I think what I took away from the book is that he's human, and so are the rest of us. He's kind of an asshole, but he would probably think I was pretty stupid for wanting to read his book, so I guess it evens out. The more I think about it, the more I think I appreciate what he did here. In fact, I'm giving it an extra star for explaining the Michelin star system in a way I finally understood it.

I definitely love the end products of his process (though I actually had no idea that Mind of a Chef was initially his project, and don't even get me started on how much I still miss Lucky Peach), so clearly something is working here even if it does sound a little like crossing the finish line in a fiery heap propelled only by the explosion that nearly killed you. Winning's winning.

This isn’t set up like most cookbooks course or even some by season. This is set up taking an item and then showing what a few changes to it can make several different meals based on different cultures. There is a lot of back and forth from both writer in the book and there is also reference titles they give of you want to learn more in-depth about certain dishes and other dishes from that culture. This is much more of a cook at home book and a discussion of home cooking than “Let’s do recipes from my restaurant”. I was reviewing a digital copy of the book but I do want to look at the final version because I think some stuff will be different. This book feels like it is geared to someone who wants to be more adventurous in the kitchen but is a bit hesitant about playing with flavors. It feels more like an intermediate book, something for someone that is used to cooking a few things but is ready to take the next step in the kitchen.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelwiess

Haven't really cooked from it. I live in the middle of the desert and most ingredients are inaccessible to me. It's still enjoyable to leaf through and read.

I read this for a food memoir prompt for one of my reading challenges and it was an okay read - 2.5 stars. I have to preface this with the fact that I grew up in the restaurant business - my family, my aunt, my uncle - all owned restaurants. I worked at my family's place from 9-18 and I absolutely HATED IT. There is not one thing I liked about it and I would have to be starving before I would ever work in another restaurant again. So, with that admission, reading a book about the restaurant business - ugh, yuck, phooey. I did enjoy the parts about his growing up and would have preferred the book to be about that and his mental illness but, alas, that wouldn't have fit my prompt. I also did not mind the discussion of different cuisines and food but found he was a snob pretending not to be a snob. All the parts of all the different restaurants and business ventures were a snooze fest to me and, although I did appreciate that he would acknowledge his issues and shortcomings, he still kinda came off as a jerk. I have never eaten at any of his restaurants and this book would not stop me from doing so. I am all about noodles and adore Asian food so I may look it up the next time I'm in NY - and now I want a bowl of ramen.

To me David Chang presented as such a grounded man with a million cool stories to tell. Underneath, he's a boiling inferno of anger trying to outrun imposter syndrome and mental illness.

I loved Momofoku. I never did get into the original restaurant, though did get to Milk Bar. It was one of those books that give me inspiration to cook. This book, not so much. And I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this book. Maybe more sad that a man who achieved such heights into the culinary world .... has some serious demons. There were a couple haunting stories of his interactions with Anthony Bourdain, another of my earlier foodie heroes.

I dunno. This felt all over the place.½

I loved the honesty in this book and appreciate the author putting himself out there. Mental illness is a tough thing and I whole heartedly agree that this is something that needs to be talked about more openly. He has some very good analogies regarding how it should be viewed and handled. I think the book hopped around a little more than I would have liked so it was hard to look forward to reading the next chapter. I also think I was hoping he would go into a little bit more detail about the food but that may be something he touched in in his other books.

This is the book we've been waiting for. I could have done with less editorial comment & narrative (-1 star) but these are the recipes that we salivate for when anyone mentions Momofuku.

Pork belly, pork shoulder, ramen, ramen base, pickles, saam... from Noodle Bar, Saam, & Ko; it is all here, and I want to eat most all of it..

I do not want to have to make it, except the pork belly & pork shoulder, because I want easy food.

The recipes are not so easy because they take quite a few original handmade fresh sauces.

The format might have been easier to read & follow in a larger font with only the actual recipe on the page omitting the narration from the previous page.

The photos are gorgeous and made me drool, longing for just a taste (or several) of the presented offerings.

David Chang is very reflective, humble, and (apparently) honest. (I don't know actually anything about Chang aside from what he's written here.) This memoir tells a lot about his worldview, background, and challenges, especially in managing his mental health and his work-life balance.

> My sole breakthrough was a private one: if nothing mattered—if I wasn’t going to beat this depression and I wasn’t going to make it in the fine-dining world—what did I have to lose? Why not at least try to create a world that worked for me?

> Thoreau said, “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” I took that very much to heart as I contemplated suicide. Elevation through conscious endeavor. Work toward something. Open a restaurant. If it doesn’t pan out, there’s always the other path.

> At Noodle Bar, I also learned that Asian people drank the ramen broth. White people only ate the noodles. If we served the soup lukewarm, Asian customers would complain. If it was too hot, the white people wouldn’t touch it until it cooled down. By then, the noodles would be soggy.

> … During that era in American kitchens, whenever a chef tried to mingle Asian and European culinary ideas, one of two things tended to happen. If a French-trained chef added a stalk of lemongrass to a soup, the result would be deemed “French food with an Asian accent.” In the reverse case, whenever a little thyme made its way into an Asian dish, it was called “fusion.” I hated the way that the Asian side was always subsumed by the Western one

> I often wonder aloud to my friends if I’m living in a computer simulation or cosmic reality show. It honestly sounds more logical than the unbelievable string of luck I’ve had. Perhaps my memory is editing the most hectic moments of my life so that they’re easier to digest. Or maybe I’m just a bullshitter.

> Every successful chef I know approaches family meal with deadly seriousness. After all, if you don’t care for the people you work with, how will you ever care about the strangers coming into your restaurant? But it’s not simply about showing respect and love for your peers. Family meal is an amazing creative outlet. It’s the one chance for cooks on the bottom rung to express themselves, and an opportunity to practice making something delicious from scraps and leftovers

> In my mind, a perfect dish is not one where the flavors are uniformly in balance, but rather one that is both too salty and not salty enough at the same time. Taken together, it is in balance. Leaning into this paradox is how you make food that is both delicious and unpredictable.

> … There are bad ideas, but all ideas are worth chasing. Sometimes when you’re sure a certain idea will be a failure, you end up surprising yourself and it turns out better than you thought. But I promise that if you take the idea as far as you can and try as many ways of getting there as possible, at some point you will learn something that makes it worthwhile

I like the Noodle Bar, though it is so physically uncomfortable I rarely go. I ate at Ssam once, and it was really pretty bad. That said, I have always generally liked the Momofuku ethos. When you eat out in New York a lot and talk to others that do as well its pretty easy to start truly hating the word "authentic." I love that Momofuku celebrates appropriation - appropriating gets a bad rap, but its a great thing. That blend of traditions is the heartbeat of America. And that appropriation has meant that whenever I eat at Momofuku I eat something that surprises me, and most of the time its in a good way. All this is to say I am no David Chang groupie but I dig his style. I looked forward to this read.

So, I think I liked the book overall, but there was a tonal issue that bugged me. Have you ever known a person who is so self obsessed that they routinely lead interactions by bringing up whatever flaw they think you are thinking about them - something that makes them a conspicuous outsider in their mind. (In fact you are likely thinking nothing about them.) You know the type, endless half-jokey references to how fat they are, how they are not stylish enough to be in the room, or not rich enough, or educated or cultured or well-connected or or or. They think that if they bring it up first that it dissolves tension. In fact it creates tension and it also means the following conversation is going to be all about them because you need to reassure them about how they look fine, or they are not fat, or they are very smart, or whatever. That is what happens in this book over and over. He tells you he is not being defensive while he in the midst of yet another defensive hurling of his faults. They come at you like grenades being lobbed by a speeding car. Then when that discomfort starts to abate he blasts in with "but this is a great thing I did" or "look how loyal these people are to me so they must think I am great." That shifts the narrative so it seems like you were the one who brought up the ways in which he is lacking and that he has to defend himself. It is exhausting, and, again, it reeks of pathological self-involvement (which I know may be a result of his bi-polar disorder.)

But still, I did like the book. Especially satisfying was the discussion of food, of flavor, of craft. The way in which he approaches his own food is fascinating, but I also loved when he talked about chef gatherings. He apologized because these gatherings were such sausage fests -- as if that negates the value of the entire experience. But that is silly. The experience is still amazing -- chefs hanging out and trying to outdo one another. Anyone who has ever sat in on or been a part of a group of musicians or comedians or chefs has seen this fertile, competitive, creative dynamic. Its amazing. The issue isn't the nature of the gatherings, it is that women chefs are actively excluded and that aspiring chefs who are female are not mentored in a way that helps them get into the elite club. But the combination of shared experience and competition, and passion for their art, that is electric and fun to read about. I wish he had included more about this.

As a business book for aspiring restaurateurs, which this is supposed to partially be according to Chang. I am not sure it accomplishes much other than the Appendix on Rules for Being a Chef (which is good -- especially the part where he tells people to go to college not to culinary school unless they want to cook in a convention hotel or something similar.) The book's message is that if you are manic (clinically so) you may alienate everyone around you, drain all happiness from your life, eliminate any possibility of contentment but your business may thrive. That, and that some of it is luck. I guess there is a strong nod to respecting the MBAs but trusting your instincts. The one important message -- I would say essential -- is that the only way you will ever do anything special is if you are willing to fail, sometimes spectacularly. There are lots of books for entrepreneurs that will tell you the same thing, but it is a message I celebrate and which I wish was more commonly embraced and validated. A failed experiment brings us one step closer to the truth. I appreciated Chang doubling down on this point.

So mostly interesting, revealing, and unique. It did not lead me to much like Chang, and it taught me nothing about entrepreneurship, but I respect his maverick-ness, his exceptional palate, and his really good taste in music. I wish him peace.

David Chang is the proprietor of several restaurants beginning w/ MomoFuku (Lucky Peach) The Noodle Bar and several other sites all with different names and different menus.

This book is not a cookbook )but there is one "Momofuku, which I will review later) but his memoir & that of his restaurants.

He talks briefly about his childhood & family but goes into detail about the opening/planning of his restaurants. He doesn't talk much about his chefs except to point out their contributions & give them credit for their hard work & ideas.

He does talk on & off about his therapy, therapist, mania, & depression.

Both the Noodle bar & Ssam sound wonderful, but as they are in N.Y. they are a no go. His Los Angeles restaurant Majordomo, I read the limited menu and I wasn't too impressed: $17 for a bowl of Kimchi Rice is a bit much, no matter who makes it.

This is one book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I'm a bit of a foodie, but have no restaurant-work experience whatsoever. Like Chang, I have the all-or-nothing type of attitude, so a lot of what he discussed in his memoir really resonated with me. The book flowed well and I found myself more engrossed with the turn of each page. I learned a lot about Korean cuisine, which I didn't know much about before beginning this book (which, incidentally, is talked about quite a bit in this book). Many of us are only familiar with our own cuisine and customs, so it was refreshing to read about someone else's. I enjoyed the different perspective that Chang had to offer.

This a tremendously engaging read, full of insight about cooking, culture, and human psychology. It's also laugh-out-loud funny in many places. Highly recommended.

As a preface, before I started this book I hadn't heard of David Chang and had only heard of the restaurant Momofuku once or twice in passing. I saw this book, though, on some lists of people's favorite 2020 releases, so I wanted to pick it up. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, and I found it a really powerful book, though I do have some conflicting thoughts about it.

Eat a Peach is Chang's memoir, from his childhood through establishing a highly successful collection of restaurants in the US and abroad. The early portion is more or less chronological, though later it becomes more focused on various themes. And what themes they are--there's a lot of reflection on Chang's Korean-American upbringing as well as his ongoing struggles with mental illness.

I found Chang's reflections on race and Asian-ness very compelling, from his discussion of how the "smart Asian" stereotype was difficult for him, to "tiger parenting" (which he sees as a name that somewhat shellacs a destructive form of parenting, which for him caused a kind of hurt and need to excel that he suggests has remained with him into adulthood), to how his restaurants to date on the surface largely tout Japanese rather than Korean influences.

The sections on mental illness--Chang has struggled with bipolar throughout his adult life and has for years experienced truly extreme bursts of anger at his staff and people close to him--were probably the most moving part of this book for me. I found it really impressive how open Chang was about his flaws, and the book paints a strong portrait of someone who has made many, many mistakes but is trying to atone for them. To be completely honest as a reader, though I really respect him, I don't think that I emerged from this book liking him (though I don't think that that was necessarily the point). After finishing this book but before writing my review, I completely coincidentally happened to stumble upon this article/book review (https://www.eater.com/22193151/momofuku-david-chang-memoir-eat-a-peach-review), which I think also further adds layers of complication to his issues with anger/makes it a little difficult to figure out what was left unsaid in the memoir. It's a little interesting reading a mid-career memoir in a way, since Chang still hopefully has a substantial amount of time left in his career; and I really do hope that this book marks a turning point for him.

He spends 300 pages shitting on himself, but it's still and always me, me, me. Read his first book or, even better, read Lucky Peach. The magazine

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/J0xubwNPudI

Enjoy!

I am familiar with the name of David Chang. However I am not that familiar with his culinary career. This is probably one of the best memoirs I have read in a long time. As Chang says, memoirs are really about reminiscing of the past.

What I really enjoyed about this book is the easy going way that it was written. It was not like Chang was trying to impress anyone or hide anything. There was even some cussing. Yet, it felt natural and went with the vibe of the book.

Chang shares his memories growing up, to starting up his first restaurant, dealing with social media bloggers, and everything else in between. This book is not about "food", it is much more. Fans of Mr. Chang will really appreciate this book. Mr. Chang is so down to earth.

David Chang is a really interesting guy, and it shows in this book. As someone who only vaguely knew of Momofuku and David Chang before this book, I was hesitant but intrigued going into "Eat a Peach".
I really liked Chang's writing because it was funny, raw, and engaging, but I couldn't help but feel the stories were sometimes too jumbled or dragged a little too much to keep me turning the pages for more. I am not personally engrossed in the cooking world, but I don't think you need to be to enjoy this book. It might help though!

Overall, I enjoyed this book at a pretty solid 4 star amount. I felt I got a really cool insight into Chang's world while learning a lot and feeling his feelings along the way.