Absolutely true; take it from someone who grew up in that business, and it was a terrific book.

However, I can understand Bourdain's fellow restauranteurs getting angry with him. Because the bottom line is, he didn't write the book to make restaurant kitchens any more sanitary than they already were (they're not). He wrote it to sell books and to make money (he did).

I happen to think he's a great literary (if not culinary) talent. But he is a bit of a skeeve; an admitted "former" heroin junkie, too.