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Prick with a Fork: The World's Worst Waitress Spills the Beans
Kitchen Confidential meets He Died With a Felafel in His Hand in this laugh-out-loud hilarious expose of the restaurant industry.
A hilarious and horrific dissection of the restaurant industry from the waiter's point of view, Prick with a Fork is a statement rather than an instruction! This gorgeously written treat combines the gritty take-no-prisoners attack of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential with the gross confessions and forensic grunge of John Birmingham's He Died With a Felafel in His Hand.
Dining out will never be the same again! Therapy for former waiters, revelation to diners, pure reading pleasure for anyone interested in what really happens out the back of the restaurant.
A hilarious and horrific dissection of the restaurant industry from the waiter's point of view, Prick with a Fork is a statement rather than an instruction! This gorgeously written treat combines the gritty take-no-prisoners attack of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential with the gross confessions and forensic grunge of John Birmingham's He Died With a Felafel in His Hand.
Dining out will never be the same again! Therapy for former waiters, revelation to diners, pure reading pleasure for anyone interested in what really happens out the back of the restaurant.
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Larissa Dubecki
1 bookLarissa Dubecki has been a restaurant critic and food writer for the past ten years, including six years as chief critic for The Age newspaper and The Age Good Food Guide. Her work has also appeared in Gourmet Traveller and Guardian Australia, and she currently writes a weekly restaurant column for Time Out.
She has appeared on MasterChef a number of times, and has been a judge on Iron Chef Australia. From 1991 to 2002 she was also a very bad waitress.
She has appeared on MasterChef a number of times, and has been a judge on Iron Chef Australia. From 1991 to 2002 she was also a very bad waitress.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 11, 2018
3.5★s for me.
”Beware. That way there be dragons – or at least people hilariously called celebrity chefs.”
Not only is the title of this book clever, it’s filled with amusing anecdotes from the foodie world. Larissa Dubecki waitressed for ten years in various establishments, and this book is the result.
A really fun read. It’s interesting to look back on the various food fads and fashions that have come and gone. The cuisine du jour. Once upon a time food used to purely be fuel to run the body. Now it’s become more of a lifestyle choice, with people photographing their meals as much as eating them.
Fine dining, the ubiquitous Italian experience, gastro pubs, lowbrow regurgitated nachos restaurants, cyber cafes with electro music. They’re all here for your culinary delight, and Larissa has waitressed at them all.
Caffeine, booze or drug addicted hospitality staff. Choose your poison to survive another double shift. The pecking order with the chef at the top of the tree and the poor dishwasher at the bottom were shown in all their gory glory. The mish mash of personalities all jostling to get their jobs day with minimum fuss and maximum kudos.
”Nino was one of those guys who come in fifty flavours. A moody bastard in other words…
This was a man who, when asked by a plump female customer what the gnocchi gorgonzola was like, replied ‘The gnocchi is amazing madam. But you are not the one who should be eating it.’“
Ouch.
Which leads me to wonder at our obsession with food, cooking shows and the rise of the “celebrity chef” (the new rock gods). This book has opened my eyes to the goings on at the back of house (the kitchen), and makes me question why we’re so willing to put our stomachs in someone else’s hands (so to speak), and to be happy to pay through the nose for it.
Short cuts, lunchtime “specials”, poached eggs cooked the night before and kept on ice for the following morning’s brekkie onslaught…ewwwwww. I’m sure that none of the places I go to do anything so slippery.
And let’s not forget the clientele, some of whom are downright ghastly. Do not read this book while eating!
The hospitality industry is perhaps a misnomer.
Deep fried Camembert with cranberry sauce anyone?
*** Shout out to my reading buddy Jus (Super-Exclusive-Bookclub)*** 🍸
”Beware. That way there be dragons – or at least people hilariously called celebrity chefs.”
Not only is the title of this book clever, it’s filled with amusing anecdotes from the foodie world. Larissa Dubecki waitressed for ten years in various establishments, and this book is the result.
A really fun read. It’s interesting to look back on the various food fads and fashions that have come and gone. The cuisine du jour. Once upon a time food used to purely be fuel to run the body. Now it’s become more of a lifestyle choice, with people photographing their meals as much as eating them.
Fine dining, the ubiquitous Italian experience, gastro pubs, lowbrow regurgitated nachos restaurants, cyber cafes with electro music. They’re all here for your culinary delight, and Larissa has waitressed at them all.
Caffeine, booze or drug addicted hospitality staff. Choose your poison to survive another double shift. The pecking order with the chef at the top of the tree and the poor dishwasher at the bottom were shown in all their gory glory. The mish mash of personalities all jostling to get their jobs day with minimum fuss and maximum kudos.
”Nino was one of those guys who come in fifty flavours. A moody bastard in other words…
This was a man who, when asked by a plump female customer what the gnocchi gorgonzola was like, replied ‘The gnocchi is amazing madam. But you are not the one who should be eating it.’“
Ouch.
Which leads me to wonder at our obsession with food, cooking shows and the rise of the “celebrity chef” (the new rock gods). This book has opened my eyes to the goings on at the back of house (the kitchen), and makes me question why we’re so willing to put our stomachs in someone else’s hands (so to speak), and to be happy to pay through the nose for it.
Short cuts, lunchtime “specials”, poached eggs cooked the night before and kept on ice for the following morning’s brekkie onslaught…ewwwwww. I’m sure that none of the places I go to do anything so slippery.
And let’s not forget the clientele, some of whom are downright ghastly. Do not read this book while eating!
The hospitality industry is perhaps a misnomer.
Deep fried Camembert with cranberry sauce anyone?
*** Shout out to my reading buddy Jus (Super-Exclusive-Bookclub)*** 🍸
June 18, 2017
The cover of this book has a quote from John Birmingham; An 88-course degustation of cruel wit, horrifying confessions and humour that cuts deeper than a mad chef's blade. Never has a book been summed up so accurately in just one sentence, so I might as well pack up and go home now.
I'm not a foodie, but I do like horrifying confessions and those - well, I got those aplenty. Trust me when I say don't ask about chefs with carrots, or the secret ingredient added to an espresso (but let me tell you, it makes the cappuccino Baldrick made in Black Adder look positively enticing). There were other confessions, but I'm pretty sure I've blacked those out of my memory. With good reason.
But the book is more than just the horrifying confessions; it gives us a back stage view into the life of a waiter. Most horrifying for me was how standard the sexual harassment of female employees appeared to be, no matter where the author worked.
I mentioned before I'm not a foodie. I'd never heard of the author, nor read one of her reviews. I entered the giveaway cos I wanted the inside secrets. It won't come to any surprise to those who read the author's reviews, that she sure as hell can write. She is one funny person, albeit at times it is a cruel humour (see the Birmingham quote above). It's kind of like sitting down with an old friend for a bitch session. Feels good at the time, but you feel slightly abashed later. I need to say, there were times when the author's humour crossed the line for me.
Fun police warning! If there was one thing I struggled with in regard to the book, it was chapter 12. Totally get why the author included it; this is a memoir of her time as a waiter, and that time included drug use. But being an allied health professional who sees and deals with the consequences of problem drug use, I do have a problem with a chapter that says drugs are fun, even noting the chapter ends on a sombre note. This is probably a case of its me, not the book. But yeah, wasn't a fan of that chapter.
On the whole though, this was a fun read.
Thank-you to Goodreads First Reads and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
I'm not a foodie, but I do like horrifying confessions and those - well, I got those aplenty. Trust me when I say don't ask about chefs with carrots, or the secret ingredient added to an espresso (but let me tell you, it makes the cappuccino Baldrick made in Black Adder look positively enticing). There were other confessions, but I'm pretty sure I've blacked those out of my memory. With good reason.
But the book is more than just the horrifying confessions; it gives us a back stage view into the life of a waiter. Most horrifying for me was how standard the sexual harassment of female employees appeared to be, no matter where the author worked.
I mentioned before I'm not a foodie. I'd never heard of the author, nor read one of her reviews. I entered the giveaway cos I wanted the inside secrets. It won't come to any surprise to those who read the author's reviews, that she sure as hell can write. She is one funny person, albeit at times it is a cruel humour (see the Birmingham quote above). It's kind of like sitting down with an old friend for a bitch session. Feels good at the time, but you feel slightly abashed later. I need to say, there were times when the author's humour crossed the line for me.
Fun police warning! If there was one thing I struggled with in regard to the book, it was chapter 12. Totally get why the author included it; this is a memoir of her time as a waiter, and that time included drug use. But being an allied health professional who sees and deals with the consequences of problem drug use, I do have a problem with a chapter that says drugs are fun, even noting the chapter ends on a sombre note. This is probably a case of its me, not the book. But yeah, wasn't a fan of that chapter.
On the whole though, this was a fun read.
Thank-you to Goodreads First Reads and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
February 8, 2019
…waiting tables is a young person’s game, like enjoying the music of Katy Perry, saying ‘like’ as a form of punctuation, and midriff tops…
In this wickedly funny satire, Australian food critic Larissa Dubecki lifts the lid on Melbourne’s restaurant/café industry - as viewed by waiting staff – dumping on well-heeled customers with a false sense of entitlement; chefs who open restaurants but lack business savvy; ethnic Australians employing relatives as a form of sheltered workshop; the rivalries; drugs, sex and dodgy practices.
When they don the chef’s whites men often seem to wind the clock back 20,000 years. It must be the proximity to naked flame…
At nearly 300 pages, divided into 16 chapters/courses it’s enough to bring on indigestion, and I read it over a couple of weeks. Though often funny, it was sometimes crude and cringe-worthy, while making some very wry observations on personal hygiene of staff and customers.
In the future, the internet cafe ought to be studied as an anthropological blip that flared and sputtered out due to technology’s relentless forward march…
In fairness to the author, I am not a foodie, and haven’t watched MKR/Masterchef for a decade. We rarely eat out and seldom entertain as catering to other people’s tastes is too boring to contemplate. And given the direct flights between Brisbane and Hobart, there is no need (or desire) to visit Sydney or Melbourne. But I leave you with these pearls of wisdom from the author:
Poor people can’t afford allergies. They have to save up to be gluten sensitive.
In this wickedly funny satire, Australian food critic Larissa Dubecki lifts the lid on Melbourne’s restaurant/café industry - as viewed by waiting staff – dumping on well-heeled customers with a false sense of entitlement; chefs who open restaurants but lack business savvy; ethnic Australians employing relatives as a form of sheltered workshop; the rivalries; drugs, sex and dodgy practices.
When they don the chef’s whites men often seem to wind the clock back 20,000 years. It must be the proximity to naked flame…
At nearly 300 pages, divided into 16 chapters/courses it’s enough to bring on indigestion, and I read it over a couple of weeks. Though often funny, it was sometimes crude and cringe-worthy, while making some very wry observations on personal hygiene of staff and customers.
In the future, the internet cafe ought to be studied as an anthropological blip that flared and sputtered out due to technology’s relentless forward march…
In fairness to the author, I am not a foodie, and haven’t watched MKR/Masterchef for a decade. We rarely eat out and seldom entertain as catering to other people’s tastes is too boring to contemplate. And given the direct flights between Brisbane and Hobart, there is no need (or desire) to visit Sydney or Melbourne. But I leave you with these pearls of wisdom from the author:
Poor people can’t afford allergies. They have to save up to be gluten sensitive.
January 4, 2016
I wanted to like this book more. It had a great premise, and I think all the material for a good book was there, but it didn't come together. It would have benefited from a clearer structure - it started chronologically, but then moved into loosely themed chapters (some of them quite confusing) before returning to a semi-chronological structure with some related commentary thrown in. Most of the chapters read more like a series of columns thrown together than a cohesive whole.
Apart from the book's structural issues, I also had some concerns about the content. The author explains what constitutes good service, but also devotes much of a chapter to 'the waiter's revenge', passive aggressive (but undetectable) ways of providing bad service in response to a difficult customer. I was also troubled by the casual and positive descriptions of drug use, particularly since the chapter on this subject ends with a list of the author's colleagues who died as a result. And as a coeliac, I found some of the comments on gluten intolerance to be poorly informed (while 'genuine' allergies are acknowledged, coeliac disease is not mentioned at all).
Overall, I found some of the stories and insights in this book to be interesting, but it could have been much better with a clearer structure and careful consideration of content.
Apart from the book's structural issues, I also had some concerns about the content. The author explains what constitutes good service, but also devotes much of a chapter to 'the waiter's revenge', passive aggressive (but undetectable) ways of providing bad service in response to a difficult customer. I was also troubled by the casual and positive descriptions of drug use, particularly since the chapter on this subject ends with a list of the author's colleagues who died as a result. And as a coeliac, I found some of the comments on gluten intolerance to be poorly informed (while 'genuine' allergies are acknowledged, coeliac disease is not mentioned at all).
Overall, I found some of the stories and insights in this book to be interesting, but it could have been much better with a clearer structure and careful consideration of content.
September 28, 2015
Prick With a Fork is a funny, lighthearted expose of the food industry from the point of view of a disenchanted waitress turned restaurant critic.
From almost killing a stripper with a wayward steak knife to staging go slow's to frustrate obnoxious customers, Larissa Dubecki claims she was the world's worst waitress, unashamedly sullen, insolent, disinterested, and often hungover, yet she spent over a decade waitering in everything from cyber cafe's to gastro pubs throughout Melbourne.
In Prick with a Fork, Dubecki details working with psychopathic chefs, hostile customers, drug addled colleagues and bartenders on the take and reveals insider secrets about illicit trysts in coolrooms, cash hidden under registers, and unpleasant uses for carrots. Her anecdotes are hilarious, though often slightly nauseating, you may never be able look your waiter in the eye again.
Salted with confessions and peppered with pathos, Prick with a Fork is a light and entertaining read.
July 12, 2017
I love the title! I have a son who works in hospo and he sometimes tells me stories of the customers and their interesting behaviour, so when I saw this I thought it might be a bit of fun, and it is. This is the story of the behind the scenes doings at restaurants and bars the author has worked in as a waitress. This book is guaranteed to make you think twice before you send your food back! It is entertaining and funny in parts, occasionally the stories fall a bit flat but some of the anecdotes which are interwoven in the stories are pretty hilarious.
I've been dipping into this book over the last couple of weeks and it has been a pretty enjoyable experience. This writer can tell a good yarn and you get a good view of the kitchens and behind the bars of a bunch of places, something only the insiders would see normally.
I've been dipping into this book over the last couple of weeks and it has been a pretty enjoyable experience. This writer can tell a good yarn and you get a good view of the kitchens and behind the bars of a bunch of places, something only the insiders would see normally.
May 15, 2020
Having waitressed in Australia in too many places for too many years, there was something oddly satisfying about reading a whole book about working in the Australian hospitality industry (or "working hospo", as we say) .
Owners and managers are financially and emotionally invested. (Good) chefs do it for love and art. Waiters are... kind of just along for the ride (and the paycheck), mostly.
I've read books about food and books about chefing but there's something unique about the perspective of the waiter, that experience of being both deeply entrenched in the dynamic of the restaurant while also keeping enough of a distance to be able to find humour in the situation when everything is imploding around you.
It's such a common occupation that I'm surprised that so little has been written about it, and the Australian approach to the role is so different to the American one that even existing works like the movie 'Waiting' don't completely hit the mark for me. But I don't think there was a single chapter in 'Prick with a Fork' where I wasn't reminded of some situation or personality that I've encountered in my hospo years.
I would really recommend this book to anyone who works or has worked hospo in Australia, though to be honest I'm not sure how enjoyable it would be for anyone else. Maybe it's not quite the "Waiter's Confidential" that it set out to be (despite the chapter on drug abuse) but it was a very easy read and definitely written with a love of food and the industry at its heart.
Owners and managers are financially and emotionally invested. (Good) chefs do it for love and art. Waiters are... kind of just along for the ride (and the paycheck), mostly.
I've read books about food and books about chefing but there's something unique about the perspective of the waiter, that experience of being both deeply entrenched in the dynamic of the restaurant while also keeping enough of a distance to be able to find humour in the situation when everything is imploding around you.
It's such a common occupation that I'm surprised that so little has been written about it, and the Australian approach to the role is so different to the American one that even existing works like the movie 'Waiting' don't completely hit the mark for me. But I don't think there was a single chapter in 'Prick with a Fork' where I wasn't reminded of some situation or personality that I've encountered in my hospo years.
I would really recommend this book to anyone who works or has worked hospo in Australia, though to be honest I'm not sure how enjoyable it would be for anyone else. Maybe it's not quite the "Waiter's Confidential" that it set out to be (despite the chapter on drug abuse) but it was a very easy read and definitely written with a love of food and the industry at its heart.
January 8, 2019
This barely gets 3 stars and only because I really like behind-the-scenes books, especially of food related subjects. Quite frankly, Dubecki just isn't as funny as she thinks she is. Her attempts of humor lead her to digress, frequently, and I found myself skimming portions of the book. This book is a weird hybrid. It's not really a memoir, because you don't learn anything about Dubecki and it's not really a tell-all about her career because she never deep dives into the various server jobs she's had. Though there were some great gems hidden throughout the book, overall it was a bit of a disappointment.
December 31, 2015
I always knew I could never work as a waiter for so many reasons. Larissa's tales validates every one of them. I did find myself wishing she would talk more about how her background in hospitality affected her approach to reviews - if at all. In fact I found myself wanting to hear more about her current career as a good writer than her stories from twenty odd years ago. Actually, can you really remember many things in detail from that long ago? I think that's what I found most frustrating - that the bulk of content seemed to be set so long ago.
November 11, 2015
Hilarious and uncomfortable all at once. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat out the same way again - now that I know what goes on in the kitchen. This is a great book if you feel like a belly laugh!
December 18, 2020
Perfectly readable and with some amusing anecdotes, it still took me a long time to get through this book. The pervasive tone of nastiness just didn't sit well with me. Some beans weren't meant to be spilled in such a manner. And that quote from John Birmingham on the cover? - I don't think it was supposed to be a compliment.
June 13, 2019
What did I think of the book? Not much really. It was mildly amusing. The members of my book group found it far more entertaining but as I have never worked in hospitality, it didn’t resonate with me at all. I felt there was an air of scornful superiority about it.
April 1, 2019
I enjoyed the workplace anecdotes but didn't really appreciate the whole "these words are unacceptable and nobody should do food reviews except me" attitude at the end. Not sure if it was attempted humour or not. Speaking of unacceptable words, if you're going to use 'peccadillo' once is probably enough, not once per chapter.
January 5, 2016
Very entertaining book about hospo life. Pretty much on the money from rude customers, to crazy chefs. Mirrors my experience and explains it for the layman in very funny terms. Sometimes the writing was a little over the top, and I found some of the stories hard to believe (plus I can't believe the author worked in so many establishments). It was also a little all over the place structurally. Recommended if you want to know why you should never open a restaurant.
January 6, 2016
I enjoy reading Larissa Dubecki's reviews in The Age and Time Out but this account of her prior career as a waitress left me a little cold.
A couple of these anecdotes and opinions are amusing, some fall flat and a few are borderline offensive.
Marketing this as Kitchen Confidential meets He Died With a Felafel in His Hand does a disservice to both of those excellent books.
2.5/5
(Have I become a hard marker or am I making poor reading choices this year? Stay tuned...)
A couple of these anecdotes and opinions are amusing, some fall flat and a few are borderline offensive.
Marketing this as Kitchen Confidential meets He Died With a Felafel in His Hand does a disservice to both of those excellent books.
2.5/5
(Have I become a hard marker or am I making poor reading choices this year? Stay tuned...)
May 31, 2019
This book is hilarious and horrifying at the same time - made me laugh out loud at some of the anecdotes Larissa Dubecki shares, but also wonder what the heck goes on behind those restaurant doors and whether or not I really want to know...
Her wit is cutting and sarcastic (my favourite brand) and I find her writing style overall to be easy to read. If you're after a lighthearted, easy read and don't want to bother with fictional characters - well, this is a dose of hilarious reality.
Her wit is cutting and sarcastic (my favourite brand) and I find her writing style overall to be easy to read. If you're after a lighthearted, easy read and don't want to bother with fictional characters - well, this is a dose of hilarious reality.
November 25, 2016
The content can be fairly humorous and gives a behind the curtain look at hospitality that some will enjoy.
Overall though I felt it dragged on a bit too much and I was hanging for it to finish by the end (I struggle to leave books unfinished in case the end redeems it).
Overall though I felt it dragged on a bit too much and I was hanging for it to finish by the end (I struggle to leave books unfinished in case the end redeems it).
October 28, 2017
Initially quite fun, I got bored with it quite quickly. The whole "disaffected with the world but not motivated enough to do my job properly" schtick got tired fast. Mildly amusing, lightweight read.
January 29, 2021
Having been a waitress myself for over 10 years, unpaid and in the family business, this book definitely resonates with me. Also the fact that Larissa is absolutely hilarious and completely offensive in an awesome way. Loved it and laughed A LOT!
March 29, 2019
Mildly amusing.
July 19, 2020
Actually didn't finish it but what I did read was entertaining.
July 18, 2023
Occasionally hilarious.
January 16, 2024
Expected more, kind of went nowhere, and she didn't really spill the beans on anything.
Middle of the road.
Middle of the road.
August 26, 2015
Full book review and interiew with Larissa Dubecki can be found on my website.
Prick with a Fork (the best book title ever) is being released today, August 26, 2015. It's the first book by food critic and journalist Larissa Dubecki, who has work published in The Age (where she was the chief critic for six years), Time Out, Gourmet Traveller and Guardian Australia. Dubecki's memoir isn't about her years as a food critic, though. Instead, Prick with a Fork is 300 pages of hilarious, dark, and twisted tales of working for ten years as a waiter.
I have to preface this by saying that the reason I picked up this book was because of its premise. I have also worked for ten years as a server (what most Americans call it now -- utterly PC). Dubecki actually has a good point about the title of "waiter" in her novel:
"I don't like the term waitress. It's only jobs looked down upon as frivolous that get the gender stick waved at them. Waiter, waitress. Why don't we distinguish between doctor and doctoress? Because we don't want to distract them from the business of saving lives, that's why."
And in her interview with me, she pointed out: "Everything seems devalued when you gender a profession. It's a way of saying it’s not as worthwhile a job as something that is more gender neutral."
Throughout Prick (yes, I'm shortening it to that -- still good), Dubecki tells all about the different facets of the food industry in brutal, no-holds-barred prose chock full of humor and sarcasm. It's clear from moment one that she's a journalist because the opening lines to her chapters, and even sections within the chapters, are engrossing and sharp. Examples include:
-"The woman and her three lovely daughters have arrived at the Juice Out like the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse or something similarly biblical. Like locusts. Or boils."
-"It is a truth universally acknowledged that 'CONFIRMED: POO IN ICE-CREAM' is not a desirable headline for anyone in the restaurant game."
-"Contrary to all admissible evidence, people continue to think it's a good idea to take children to restaurants."
The number of times I laughed out loud and said "YES" in this book is uncountable. Funny enough, Dubecki told me that the #1 question she's gotten from friends who've read the book is, "Is it all true?"
Me: Maybe it’s harder for people to believe if they’ve never worked in the food industry. Because for me, there was nothing in there that surprised me.
Larissa: Maybe that’s the thing, yeah. If you haven’t experienced the horrors of hospitality, you would be surprised by it, but anybody who has actually donned the apron and dealt with psychopathic chefs knows where I’m coming from.
Absolutely. I know exactly where she's coming from. Prick also includes several anecdotes by other people who have worked in the industry, sprinkled throughout the memoir like questionable seasoning. I say questionable only because you never know if they will make you a little sick to your stomach, outraged, or overcome with fits of laughter. You just have to read each one to see.
From almost killing a stripper with a wayward steak knife to being fired by her own boyfriend, Dubecki doesn't shy away from telling the ugly truth, even if it's about herself. It's what makes Prick an especially honest, even compassionate, look into the food industry and into the lives of servers that we might never even think about when it's been 40 minutes since we ordered and our food is still nowhere in sight.
If you are or ever have been a server, you will enjoy a certain feeling of camaraderie in this book. And if that job has miraculously never appeared on your resume, then you NEED this book to realize what the average waiter goes through every working day. It might actually make you a better person, at least to the staff.
Prick with a Fork (the best book title ever) is being released today, August 26, 2015. It's the first book by food critic and journalist Larissa Dubecki, who has work published in The Age (where she was the chief critic for six years), Time Out, Gourmet Traveller and Guardian Australia. Dubecki's memoir isn't about her years as a food critic, though. Instead, Prick with a Fork is 300 pages of hilarious, dark, and twisted tales of working for ten years as a waiter.
I have to preface this by saying that the reason I picked up this book was because of its premise. I have also worked for ten years as a server (what most Americans call it now -- utterly PC). Dubecki actually has a good point about the title of "waiter" in her novel:
"I don't like the term waitress. It's only jobs looked down upon as frivolous that get the gender stick waved at them. Waiter, waitress. Why don't we distinguish between doctor and doctoress? Because we don't want to distract them from the business of saving lives, that's why."
And in her interview with me, she pointed out: "Everything seems devalued when you gender a profession. It's a way of saying it’s not as worthwhile a job as something that is more gender neutral."
Throughout Prick (yes, I'm shortening it to that -- still good), Dubecki tells all about the different facets of the food industry in brutal, no-holds-barred prose chock full of humor and sarcasm. It's clear from moment one that she's a journalist because the opening lines to her chapters, and even sections within the chapters, are engrossing and sharp. Examples include:
-"The woman and her three lovely daughters have arrived at the Juice Out like the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse or something similarly biblical. Like locusts. Or boils."
-"It is a truth universally acknowledged that 'CONFIRMED: POO IN ICE-CREAM' is not a desirable headline for anyone in the restaurant game."
-"Contrary to all admissible evidence, people continue to think it's a good idea to take children to restaurants."
The number of times I laughed out loud and said "YES" in this book is uncountable. Funny enough, Dubecki told me that the #1 question she's gotten from friends who've read the book is, "Is it all true?"
Me: Maybe it’s harder for people to believe if they’ve never worked in the food industry. Because for me, there was nothing in there that surprised me.
Larissa: Maybe that’s the thing, yeah. If you haven’t experienced the horrors of hospitality, you would be surprised by it, but anybody who has actually donned the apron and dealt with psychopathic chefs knows where I’m coming from.
Absolutely. I know exactly where she's coming from. Prick also includes several anecdotes by other people who have worked in the industry, sprinkled throughout the memoir like questionable seasoning. I say questionable only because you never know if they will make you a little sick to your stomach, outraged, or overcome with fits of laughter. You just have to read each one to see.
From almost killing a stripper with a wayward steak knife to being fired by her own boyfriend, Dubecki doesn't shy away from telling the ugly truth, even if it's about herself. It's what makes Prick an especially honest, even compassionate, look into the food industry and into the lives of servers that we might never even think about when it's been 40 minutes since we ordered and our food is still nowhere in sight.
If you are or ever have been a server, you will enjoy a certain feeling of camaraderie in this book. And if that job has miraculously never appeared on your resume, then you NEED this book to realize what the average waiter goes through every working day. It might actually make you a better person, at least to the staff.
December 7, 2015
Well, isn’t it fun to review a reviewer?!
Larissa Dubecki, restaurant reviewer, tells of her time when she was at the other end of the waiting game, in her memoir, Prick With a Fork.
Before dining at over 1400 restaurants (and having “…an ongoing battle with 5 kilograms that came along for the ride uninvited…“), Dubecki claims she was the world’s worst waitress. Dishing the dirt on ‘waitering’, she shares stories from her time working at various restaurants and cafes, including a dodgy Mexican joint (which sounded even worse than Tacky-Bills); gastro-pubs (it was the nineties); and an internet cafe/bar (see previous point re: gastro-pubs).
The book had laugh-out-loud moments (people spewing in champagne buckets seems to be a regular thing); some charming passages where Dubecki reminisces about her earliest dining experiences (the Chinese restaurant of the eighties); and some bits that make you positively recoil – if you’ve read the book, you’ll probably be joining me in a life-long ban on tuna melts.
I like Dubecki’s slick sense of humour (although perhaps in smaller doses – a column rather than a whole book?) –
“…there’s a spruiker out the front… screaming ‘CIAO BELLA!’ in the face of every female under the age of ninety on the assumption that women need only be told they’re beautiful by a glib arsehole in a waistcoat to think ‘Goodness, I really feel like lasagne’.
But the memoir lacked structure. On reflection, it seemed to be presented in largely chronological order however it fluffed along – stories of restaurant owners, other waiters, crazy chefs and odd customers blend together and although there’s 16 chapters in the book, there was little to distinguish them. And for the record, I don’t think she was the world’s worst waitress (because she never shat in someone’s dinner. As Dubecki points out, “Messing around with faecal matter turns revenge into an extreme sport”).
2.5/5 It’s light, it’s fun but go for Bourdain if you want hardcore.
See the rest of my review (especially the bits about Cantonese restaurants) here: https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wo...
Larissa Dubecki, restaurant reviewer, tells of her time when she was at the other end of the waiting game, in her memoir, Prick With a Fork.
Before dining at over 1400 restaurants (and having “…an ongoing battle with 5 kilograms that came along for the ride uninvited…“), Dubecki claims she was the world’s worst waitress. Dishing the dirt on ‘waitering’, she shares stories from her time working at various restaurants and cafes, including a dodgy Mexican joint (which sounded even worse than Tacky-Bills); gastro-pubs (it was the nineties); and an internet cafe/bar (see previous point re: gastro-pubs).
The book had laugh-out-loud moments (people spewing in champagne buckets seems to be a regular thing); some charming passages where Dubecki reminisces about her earliest dining experiences (the Chinese restaurant of the eighties); and some bits that make you positively recoil – if you’ve read the book, you’ll probably be joining me in a life-long ban on tuna melts.
I like Dubecki’s slick sense of humour (although perhaps in smaller doses – a column rather than a whole book?) –
“…there’s a spruiker out the front… screaming ‘CIAO BELLA!’ in the face of every female under the age of ninety on the assumption that women need only be told they’re beautiful by a glib arsehole in a waistcoat to think ‘Goodness, I really feel like lasagne’.
But the memoir lacked structure. On reflection, it seemed to be presented in largely chronological order however it fluffed along – stories of restaurant owners, other waiters, crazy chefs and odd customers blend together and although there’s 16 chapters in the book, there was little to distinguish them. And for the record, I don’t think she was the world’s worst waitress (because she never shat in someone’s dinner. As Dubecki points out, “Messing around with faecal matter turns revenge into an extreme sport”).
2.5/5 It’s light, it’s fun but go for Bourdain if you want hardcore.
See the rest of my review (especially the bits about Cantonese restaurants) here: https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wo...
June 7, 2018
The world's worst waitress spills the beans.
I know biographies can be a little dry, but this one was extra dry. And it's meant to be funny! The name! Genius! I skimmed bits because I just wasn't that interested. I wanted funny tidbits and customer reactions and instead I got philosophical musings.
I have to disagree with the World's Worst Waitress title. She was probably more in the sphere of World's Most OK Waitress. Sorry Larissa, but I've had worse.
And that octopus story nearly killed me. I physically put the book down and had a little moment to myself. Chef's are monsters.
I know biographies can be a little dry, but this one was extra dry. And it's meant to be funny! The name! Genius! I skimmed bits because I just wasn't that interested. I wanted funny tidbits and customer reactions and instead I got philosophical musings.
I have to disagree with the World's Worst Waitress title. She was probably more in the sphere of World's Most OK Waitress. Sorry Larissa, but I've had worse.
And that octopus story nearly killed me. I physically put the book down and had a little moment to myself. Chef's are monsters.
January 6, 2016
I'm really not sure why I picked this book up - I'm so far from a foodie, and while you can't have grown up in Melbourne in a The Age reading household without having seen Larissa Dubecki's name all the time, I've never even read one of her columns. But, pick it up I did, and it was a fun and almost guilty pleasure of a book.
Perhaps part of my enjoyment was that I (along with every other student) worked in cafes for years while studying, and smirked knowingly through much of it. The other part was how much I recognised my city in it. While no restaurants are actually referred to by their real names, I can just picture the places she was talking about. They may not be the exact ones, but they're in the same vein, and the references to people and areas were instantly familiar and recognisable.
In some ways, Prick with a Fork reads like a bunch of columns pulled together, but somehow it works. Dubecki is a brilliant writer - she's witty, whip smart and really down to earth. If you're after a quick, light and perhaps TOO enlightening read, or if you too worked in hospitality, you can't really go wrong!
Perhaps part of my enjoyment was that I (along with every other student) worked in cafes for years while studying, and smirked knowingly through much of it. The other part was how much I recognised my city in it. While no restaurants are actually referred to by their real names, I can just picture the places she was talking about. They may not be the exact ones, but they're in the same vein, and the references to people and areas were instantly familiar and recognisable.
In some ways, Prick with a Fork reads like a bunch of columns pulled together, but somehow it works. Dubecki is a brilliant writer - she's witty, whip smart and really down to earth. If you're after a quick, light and perhaps TOO enlightening read, or if you too worked in hospitality, you can't really go wrong!
September 16, 2015
Apart from having one of the better titles in recent memory given the subject matter, this book delivers like a silver service waiter running on durries and half a point of speed; brimming with energy, a little dishevelled but razor-sharp. It’s mostly hilarious, with a few sad/shocking anecdotes in there for good measure, and anyone who has ever worked in hospitality at any level will find themselves nodding their heads in kinship. The sporadic tales from random contributors break up the text nicely and it’s a really fast, compulsive read. I can only hope that between the proof stage (which is what I read) and the final print, the misuse of discrete/discreet (which occurred several times) was amended, but that’s a pissy little quibble with an otherwise awesome book.
August 28, 2015
I won this book as part of a Good reads giveaway. This book is promoted as an " 88 course ( don't know where that comes from) degustation of cruel wit, horrifying confessions and humour that cuts deeper than a mad chef's blade". I would agrees with the wit and the confessions but the humour didn't resonate with me. It was a mild lip curling but no belly laughs or wide grins.
Even though this book was a reflection of the hospitality industry as the author experienced I didn't like the chapter about the drug taking. It contradicted the notion that this was to be a book of pure reading pleasure. I found that section incredibly sad.
Even though this book was a reflection of the hospitality industry as the author experienced I didn't like the chapter about the drug taking. It contradicted the notion that this was to be a book of pure reading pleasure. I found that section incredibly sad.
January 22, 2016
“Prick with a Fork” is the first book by food critic and journalist Larissa Dubecki. Rather than write about her time as critic (which would probably have been more entertaining), she tells of her years working as waitress in a range of cafes and restaurants. Its base content and sometimes cruel humour makes its appeal transitory. Some behind the scenes stories are truly interesting and humorous to those unfamiliar with the industry, but when talk turns to things done to customers, it is hard to maintain empathy regarding the long hours, poor tip-based wages etc. The writing style wasn’t particularly sophisticated, which was surprising given that its author’s previous writing experience.
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