explodingcat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
realexplodingcat) wrote2004-06-09 10:11 pm
realexplodingcat) wrote2004-06-09 10:11 pm
"Liquor" by Poppy Z Brite, 2004
Poppy Z. Brite (a.k.a. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
docbrite), the once revered and reviled goddess of horror fiction, has left behind the goths in favor of another subculture, the culinary world. Her husband is a chef, giving her an insider's perspective on what goes on in a restaurant kitchen. Trading gay vampires for gay chefs, Liquor is about two guys who want to achieve the American dream--running their own wildly successful business after working themselves up from minimum wage jobs.
Ricky and G-Man are talented, unemployed cooks recently fired for drinking on the job. While drowning his sorrow in more alcohol, Ricky comes up with an idea for a new restaurant called Liquor, where every dish served, from salads, entrees, to desserts, feature some kind of liquor as a key ingredient. A perfect idea for New Orleans, a town very fond of its booze and food.
In a lean style, much less verbose than that of her older work, Brite tell a rapid and uncomplicated tale about two guys setting out to start a new restaurant. A clear goal, without a clear path to get to it.
While there are some shady characters that thicken the plot and challenge the protagonists, the meat of the story is about the necessary challenges every restaurateur must overcome, from finding a location, to raising enough money, to putting together a staff, and creating a menu. I've always been intrigued by restaurants and the business of cooking, and the popularity of the Food Network suggests I'm not alone. Liquor offers an entertaining inside look at how a restaurant comes to life.
I grew up with an amateur gourmet cook for a father who enjoyed taking his family out for dinner on vacations and cooking Sunday meals that met or even surpassed the quality of the restaurants we dined at. Personally, I enjoyed the book because I have always had an interest in the culinary world after growing up with those experiences. But it touches upon my current life, too. Having little to no experience with starting a business, reading the book has led me to a greater appreciation of the tough task ahead ofxiane as she attempts to start a new music venue.
New Orleans, the city Brite calls home, is integral to her novel. Liquor can't take place anywhere else. It made me wish that I've lived in a place long enough to feel comfortable writing about it and treating it as a living, breathing character as she does with New Orleans. Perhaps if I stay in Charlottesville long enough, I'll be able to do so. This town is quite unique and interesting and I'd love to capture that on the page. Liquor also made me think of Charlottesville because this city has an unusual amount of restaurants for its size. You can't walk across the street in the evenings without tripping over a waiter or a line-cook collapsed on the ground (quite possibly drunk) after a long day's shift. After reading Liquor, I better appreciate and understand them (so now I will be less likely to kick them and rummage through their pockets for loose change).
docbrite), the once revered and reviled goddess of horror fiction, has left behind the goths in favor of another subculture, the culinary world. Her husband is a chef, giving her an insider's perspective on what goes on in a restaurant kitchen. Trading gay vampires for gay chefs, Liquor is about two guys who want to achieve the American dream--running their own wildly successful business after working themselves up from minimum wage jobs. Ricky and G-Man are talented, unemployed cooks recently fired for drinking on the job. While drowning his sorrow in more alcohol, Ricky comes up with an idea for a new restaurant called Liquor, where every dish served, from salads, entrees, to desserts, feature some kind of liquor as a key ingredient. A perfect idea for New Orleans, a town very fond of its booze and food.
In a lean style, much less verbose than that of her older work, Brite tell a rapid and uncomplicated tale about two guys setting out to start a new restaurant. A clear goal, without a clear path to get to it.
While there are some shady characters that thicken the plot and challenge the protagonists, the meat of the story is about the necessary challenges every restaurateur must overcome, from finding a location, to raising enough money, to putting together a staff, and creating a menu. I've always been intrigued by restaurants and the business of cooking, and the popularity of the Food Network suggests I'm not alone. Liquor offers an entertaining inside look at how a restaurant comes to life.
I grew up with an amateur gourmet cook for a father who enjoyed taking his family out for dinner on vacations and cooking Sunday meals that met or even surpassed the quality of the restaurants we dined at. Personally, I enjoyed the book because I have always had an interest in the culinary world after growing up with those experiences. But it touches upon my current life, too. Having little to no experience with starting a business, reading the book has led me to a greater appreciation of the tough task ahead of
xiane as she attempts to start a new music venue. New Orleans, the city Brite calls home, is integral to her novel. Liquor can't take place anywhere else. It made me wish that I've lived in a place long enough to feel comfortable writing about it and treating it as a living, breathing character as she does with New Orleans. Perhaps if I stay in Charlottesville long enough, I'll be able to do so. This town is quite unique and interesting and I'd love to capture that on the page. Liquor also made me think of Charlottesville because this city has an unusual amount of restaurants for its size. You can't walk across the street in the evenings without tripping over a waiter or a line-cook collapsed on the ground (quite possibly drunk) after a long day's shift. After reading Liquor, I better appreciate and understand them (so now I will be less likely to kick them and rummage through their pockets for loose change).
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no subject
So, either way, Barnes & Noble and Borders get their money. And if not from me, from selling the books again b/c I _always_ return them without bends or cracks or scuffs.
0:oP