Product Description

Playing With Fire: Whining & Dining on the Gold Coast is a voyeur’s peek into the crazy world of the restaurant culture. Filled with vignettes of difficult customers, stressed-out cooks, harried wait staff, and the truly disturbed, this book takes an affectionate romp through Tom Schaudel’s restaurants to introduce you to the most memorable cast of characters he’s experienced in his forty years in the business. You’ll meet a ninety-year old-woman who happens to be a serial “bird-flipper,” a woman trying to drag a twenty-foot Christmas tree out the front door undetected, an elderly gentleman walking out with an 8.5" x 15" metal clipboard menu holder stuffed down his pants, and a woman who got drunk, passed out, got revived, and aced an intervention, all in under twenty minutes. An absolute must read for “foodies,” these stories and the many others will provide pure entertainment and lots of laughs for a long, long time to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #734071 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

Customer Reviews

too mean to be fun
It's always fun to read about the bizarre things people do and say in public, because people really can be crazy. And certainly Schaudel's dry telling of some of the stories had me laughing out loud. Unfortunately, his snarky voice becomes downright mean in too many of the stories for me to really enjoy the book as a whole.

Food and a funny
Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (2/09)

One of my most favorite activities is to visit the best of restaurants. Not only do we love those swank fancy places, as they are good, but those little hole-in-the-wall spots that seem to have patrons bursting at the seams are my all time favorites. Here in Asheville there are loads of hip restaurants to choose from that span the array, but we seem to prefer the one where the guy at the grill has a thing for his customers. He knows most of his customers by name, knows what we want and how we want it and knows that we need two beef patties to-go for our doggies at home. When I opened "Playing with Fire: Whining & Dining on the Gold Coast" I quickly realized that all great restaurants are just as crazy as my all-time favorite. I also realized that if Thomas Schaudel was located anywhere remotely near me I would have a new favorite. Would it be politically correct to say I am in love with the guy???

Crazy customer after psychotic wait staff after weary cook will have you rolling in the floor laughing. "Foodies" will love this book - my husband who prefers cooking great food just as much as drinking great drink couldn't put it down. Each of us have read it and then read our favorite parts to our friends sitting around the fire in the yard during a dinner party.

Mr. Schaudel has a knack for writing; he tells it like it is with no sugar-coating, just the facts in a to-the-point style. I love to read memoirs, they are my all-time favorite, and this one shows his passion for what he is all about. "Playing with Fire" is entertaining and runs the gamut of Thomas Schaudel wide array of experiences in the restaurant business. I kept finding myself wondering, "How in the hell could someone act like that?" When you think you have read it all...turn the page. You are guaranteed not to stop laughing. Did I say I am in love with this guy??? I was never a groupie for any rock-band, but I just may be one now....for the Culinary King.

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was looking forward to getting this book, so as soon as I got it I sat in the den reading it while my husband was wathcing TV. Within 5 minutes, I was belly laughing out loud and my husband was looking at me like I lost my mind.

Funny! Funny! Funny! is what this book is. An easy read. Cheered up my day to reading how insane some people were and the thought of Tommy dealing with them! (Sorry Tommy, I'm one of those; enjoying someone's pain, in this instance)

I've been married 8 years and have never seen my husband read a solitary book. Until now; He finished this one from cover to cover; all the while saying "Oh, this is good"

Congrats and Thanks for the laughs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please let us know when the next one is out!

Sincerely,

Playing With Fires "Biggest Fan"