The Level of Discourse and Other Bodies Summary and Analysis

One night, during a lull in dinner service, Bourdain takes a break and listens to the banter of the kitchen staff and realizes that what he hears is essentially the same conversation he has heard in every kitchen for twenty-five years. Much of the talk revolves around gentle ribbing about which of the men is homosexual or has the potential to be. No matter which restaurant, cuisine or dialect, the topic is the same.

Bourdain goes on further to explain that this art form of cook-talk has a rigid set of rules known to all who work in kitchens. All comments must be based in some part on involuntary rectal penetration, penis size, physical flaws, or annoying mannerisms or defects. There are some variants in the rules, however, such...