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. ( )

I love memoirs - especially those that explore the underbelly of common everyday places that I might visit.

Its funny! when I walk into most restaurants, things look so peaceful and the proprietors and the patrons seem so "normal" yet when I read a book like Playing with Fire, I can't help but wonder just how nutty people really can be.

Playing with Fire is an entertaining, crazy, hilarious memoir based on Thomas Schaudel's experiences in the restaurant business and what a business it is - from cheap patrons to downright scary food stories, this book will keep you laughing and scratching your head wondering "wow, did that really happen". Some of the stories just seem so "out there" to me - but I can just imagine them actually happening - like I mentioned earlier, the restaurants I usually visit all appear quite normal - but who knows what is going on in the kitchen? while i am enjoying my meal!

This memoir is written in a very down to earth manner and you can tell that Schaudel tells it like it is, there is no sugar coating going on here - which, I must admit, kind of scares me at times - maybe it IS true that if I get my waiter mad enough at me - he/she will really spit in my food????

I read this book in a few days and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, now I can never really look at my restaurant dining experience in quite the same light - but I will be VERY nice to everyone involved and be sure to leave a nice, BIG, tip. ( )