Things I Don't Know

I am enjoying A Cook's Tour very much.  Anthony Bourdain has a great writing style which I truly enjoy. His sarcastic comments often make me laugh out loud.  He might be a jerk occasionally, but he is a funny jerk, and I appreciate his ability to make me laugh.  The one issue I have with the book so far is that I don't always know what  the food or dishes are that he describes.  So I looked them up.

Chirozo: A type of sausage made

from pork.                                                                                         Cumin: A spice in the parsley family.

http://www.anarinloft.blogspot.com/

http://life-in-guatemala.blogspot.com/2011/01/chorizo-sausage.html

Quince: An Asian fruit similar to pears. 

http://www.freshquince.com/

Anise: A spice similar to cumin.

http://www.herbalextractsplus.com/star-anise.cfn 

Gribiche: A mayonaise like dip made
with egg, mustard, and oil

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/08/sauce-gribiche-au-pif/ 

Tripe: A piece of the stomach of various animals.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2010/02/feast_nbcs_new.php

http://www.turducken-king.com/boudin.htm

                      Sturgeon: A fish.  The name is 

common for 26 different species    

http://www.sythe.org/showthread.php?p=7057876

Boudin: A type of sausage used in French cuisine.  

http://www.saveurdujour.com/fabrique-delices-m-63.html

            Soupe de Poisson: A French fish soup.

http://www.aftouch-cuisine.com/recipes-theme/bull+pizzle+soup.htm

Saucisson a l'ail: A pork sausage seasoned with garlic.  

Zakuski: An hors d'œuvre served with vodka in Russian cuisine.

Crudites Variees:  French hors d'œuvres.  

Patissier:  A pastry chef in a professional kitchen.  

Writing in a way that assumes his reader knows about many different cuisines of food is a bit of a pain for a someone who knows very little.  However, I also think this helps establish his authority as a narrator.  We know he is a chef, that he loves cooking and traveling, and in displaying his knowledge this way it makes it easier for me to trust his judgment.  It is possible to get through the reading and not know these words and still understand for the most part what Bourdain is writing about too.  And now that I've had to look these up, I've learned a little more about food.