Kitchens: Culture of Restaurant Work

There are two reasons to read this book. First, Fine offers an in-depth analysis of the restaurant kitchen life by studying four restaurant kitchens in the St.Paul-Minneapolis area. In a society which is enamored with eating out, this can help us understand what really takes place behind closed doors. Fine has taken the time to understand the kitchen life through the study of the trials and tribulations of chefs, as well as enrolling in cooking classes at a vocational college to understand the training process that many of these individuals have experienced. Second, Fine offers an in-depth analysis of organizations through his study of these restaurants. While this is often lost on those not steeped in the social sciences, scholars interested in the study of organizations and/or the symbolic interaction approach will find it both entertaining and challenging to follow, interpret, and critique this perspective. Overall, this is a lively read that is hard to put down.