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107th out of 469 books
—
979 voters
Devil's Picnic
A journey into illicit pleasure the world over.
From Norwegian moonshine to the pentobarbital sodium sipped by suicide tourists in Switzerland--and, in between, baby eels killed by an infusion of tobacco, a garlicky Spanish stew of bull's testicles, tea laced with cocaine, and malodorous French cheese--Taras Grescoe has written a travelogue of forbidden indulgences. As Gre...more
From Norwegian moonshine to the pentobarbital sodium sipped by suicide tourists in Switzerland--and, in between, baby eels killed by an infusion of tobacco, a garlicky Spanish stew of bull's testicles, tea laced with cocaine, and malodorous French cheese--Taras Grescoe has written a travelogue of forbidden indulgences. As Gre...more
Hardcover, 372 pages
Published
September 1st 2005
by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Part essay on the concept of prohibition of food/substance and part jaunt through a menu of specific banned items for a fun and thought provoking experience.
"The War on Drugs is a war on plant by another name...Nature is the great biochemical genius...man is a dogged lab technician, shamelessly plagiarizing the complex molecules that took millions of years to evolve."
"Drugs, then are poisons. In large doses, they can kill: in small doses they intoxicate, a sensation that can be pleasurable, con...more
"The War on Drugs is a war on plant by another name...Nature is the great biochemical genius...man is a dogged lab technician, shamelessly plagiarizing the complex molecules that took millions of years to evolve."
"Drugs, then are poisons. In large doses, they can kill: in small doses they intoxicate, a sensation that can be pleasurable, con...more
I have no idea how this book ended up on my queue at the library, or where I first heard about it (probably on here somehow) but I sure am glad it somehow found its way into my hands. What a terrific distraction from all the writing I am supposed to be doing! But you know, it's one of those things that goes like, "If I had to be distracted by something, I'm glad it's something I totally enjoyed being distracted by!" Or something. Something something something.
So anyways, this book was not about...more
So anyways, this book was not about...more
This was quite the surprise. I was expecting a gastronomical tour through various vices, but, ultimately, it was more a political exploration of why government chooses to limit human consumption of various foods & drugs. A self- confessed libertarian (revealed in the introduction) and former heroin user (revealed in the epilogue), Grescoe certainly goes in with some ideas about how drugs should be regulated - mainly not much at all. But he ends up somewhere in the middle, realizing that soci...more
Traveling across the globe in search of a stew of bull's testicles in Spain, hjemmebrent, a form of moonshine in Norway, Epoisse's raw milk cheese in France, absinthe in France and Switzerland, and coca leaves in Bolivia, the author delves into historical consumption of food and drink and the political prohibition behind them. The indepth research and interviews with locals in addition to journalistic writing makes this really interesting reading.
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The only odd notes were the author's segment o...more
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The only odd notes were the author's segment o...more
Jun 07, 2011
Lee Ellen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all who love living
Recommended to Lee by:
library shelf
Shelves:
food-travel
Sometimes, prohibition is a sweet nectar that makes a fruit so much more succulent...at others times, heavy regulation of substances undermines the values of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. In "The Devil's Picnic," Taras Grescoe explores every level of denial. Each chapter stands alone as a study of its own vice in which the substance in question is carefully examined from every angle. From lurid substances such as absinthe to quotidian pleasures such as chocolate, each chapter explores th...more
Every course of this "picnic" is either illegal in the country the author ate or drank it in, or taboo, or at one time was forbidden. He's Canadian, so often all he had to do was order the food to his home in Montreal and then smuggle it here, to the US. The funniest, but one of the most risky was eating poppy seed crackers in Singapore--which is illegal, as well as chewing gum, which Grescoe also did, walking around your apartment naked with the curtains closed and many other things. He flaunte...more
Ah forbidden fruit! It's funny how the fact one can't have something often causes them to want it even more than they normally would!
In this book Taras Gresco highlights the history and production of a number of prohibited foods and beverages in different regions of the world. He smuggles poppy seed crackers and chewing gum into Singapore, for instance! (Gasp!) The book is at it's best when Gresco emphasizes his rebellious urges, or when he interviews small producers of various foods. The book h...more
In this book Taras Gresco highlights the history and production of a number of prohibited foods and beverages in different regions of the world. He smuggles poppy seed crackers and chewing gum into Singapore, for instance! (Gasp!) The book is at it's best when Gresco emphasizes his rebellious urges, or when he interviews small producers of various foods. The book h...more
Canadian Taras Grescoe travels the world looking into mankind's fascination with taboo/illegal/suspect consumables, through the prism of a selection that makes up his "Devil's picnic". Included in his basket are absinthe, Cuban cigars (though that section is more about recent restrictions to smoking in public places in general than Havanas in particular), raw-milk cheeses, and Marks & Spencer's Savory Crackers with Poppy Seeds (illegal in Singapore). As a libertarian, Grescoe is philosophica...more
Canadian Taras Grescoe travels the world looking into our fascination with taboo (and often illegal) food and other consumables, a menu that makes up his "devil's picnic". His selections include raw milk cheese, absinthe, chocolate, Cuban cigars, crackers with poppy seeds and coco, among others. Part history, party social commentary -- Grescoe is a disclosed libertarian and is philosophical opposed to restrictions on personal consumption of anything -- and part travelogue, this book was an enter...more
This is not the book I expected or wanted it to be. I read it after The Fruit Hunters and wanted it to be more of the same - essays about weird foods - but this one is more of a travelogue that happens to deal with food, drink, and other substances. That would still be fine, but I found the author insufferable and wanted less of him and more of the things he was consuming. There was far too much bad-boy posturing (I'm flaunting the law in Singapore! I'm smuggling banned substances across borders...more
I wish this book had been written by Michael Pollan a la Botany of Desire. The subject matter is consumables that different societies at different times have attempted to outright ban, or at least look down on, such as absinthe, alcohol in general, drugs, and "yucky" foods. His discussion shines a light on the decisions societies make on controlling access, and the various costs and benefits. His writing is clear and engaging, but lacks the impact I wish it could have on opening a discussion re...more
I loved this book! The author not only sought out prohibited experiences in food and vice but also examined why the prohibition exists/ed and its effect on the people and society where the ban exists. Each chapter focuses on a specific 'forbidden fruit' such as: Norwegian moonshine, French raw-milk cheese, Swiss absinthe, Cuban cigars/smoking bans in the US, poppy seed crackers in Singapore and reads like an individual essay of the historical and social relevance of the banned item. Truly fascin...more
An interesting read; one part culinary adventure and one part travel log. While a learned quite few interesting facts about the sordid history of some of the worlds' most controversial, and arguably delicious foods, I could have done with a little less political commentary from the author. Mr. Grescoe did a fantastic job of teasing the reader into curiosity by going into the history of the foods, and his own longing for these treats will have the reader believing a flight to France just to taste...more
Мені двічі доводилося перетинати океан літаком, котрий пунктом свого вильоту мав Париж. Історія була б геть нудною, якби не один дивний момент рівно після точки не-повернення. Сморід, стійкий і разючий. Запах аміаку, немитих ніг і шкарпеток після годинного тренування. А дивним тут є те, що погляд ніяк не втрапляв на винуватця зіпсутого повітря. В міру свого тодішнього досвіду я і знати не могла, що то звичайнісінька контрабанда. Мотиватором якої є ... СИР... Так, домашній французький сир, з сиро...more
I actually checked this book out of the library based on the title, and thought it was a kind of f/up to that New Yorker article published about or 6 years ago about the fruit detective - but I was wrong! It's about metaphorical forbidden fruit! A good quick read nonetheless, and tangentially relevant to my current research.
There are some interesting things mentioned here: elevators with urine detectors; maggot-infested cheese that you cover your eyes before biting into so you avoid maggots jum...more
There are some interesting things mentioned here: elevators with urine detectors; maggot-infested cheese that you cover your eyes before biting into so you avoid maggots jum...more
The Devil's Picnic is a fascinating book by Taras Grescoe basically about him traveling the world to taste some of its forbidden fruits. Often times, some thing that is illegal really isn't that interesting to most: cheese, poppy seed crackers, chewing gum, food dye, etc. And then there are those delectable edibles & palatable libations that are so steeped in myth that they have more sightings than Elvis with a PB&J sandwich, like: Absinthe, Epoisse, truffles, etc. Well Grescoe covers hi...more
This is a fascinating non-fiction book featuring "forbidden" foods throughout the world. Delving into a different illicit substance in each chapter, the author explores everything around the world from tobacco to bulls' testicles to the "final drink" - lethal sodium pentobarbital. He doesn't just describe these foods, however - he gets into the nitty gritty of why these things are repressed, and at what cost to civilization. Plus, he actually made bulls' testicles sound pretty tasty...
Apr 12, 2012
Tracy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
food-cooking-and-drink-related
Wow. Just wow...what a great book. Grescoe's style is incredibly easy to read without being over simplistic. He tackles some topics that I thought I knew about and brings whole new, fresh perspective and information. For the topics that were brand new, well...everything was presented accessibly and with great humour.
Overall, I really can't say enough good things about this book. He's definitely way up there with Mary Roach on my "OMG! Amazing nonfiction writers!" list.
If I ever run into him rand...more
Overall, I really can't say enough good things about this book. He's definitely way up there with Mary Roach on my "OMG! Amazing nonfiction writers!" list.
If I ever run into him rand...more
Im not usually a fan of non-fiction, in fact I read it very very rarely - a couple a year at most..
But this book is just unbelievable. It is a must read for any and everyone, giving such a clear and fresh perspective on things that we all know but choose to let go or ignore.
Its a brilliant take on life and attitudes - social, cultural and otherwise - shining a spotlight on all the things that we take for granted and choose to live in denial about.
Raising questions both new and old, showing us...more
But this book is just unbelievable. It is a must read for any and everyone, giving such a clear and fresh perspective on things that we all know but choose to let go or ignore.
Its a brilliant take on life and attitudes - social, cultural and otherwise - shining a spotlight on all the things that we take for granted and choose to live in denial about.
Raising questions both new and old, showing us...more
Very informative and interesting at the same time! Well written, well researched yet not dry and yawn inducing. I wish that I had not read it all in one week but slowly (one chapter at a time) interspersed with another novel. I wanted to enjoy his adventures at a leisurely pace almost as if I was along as a witness to his travels and finds. Grescoe has a young, vibrant voice and I'm sure that all of his books will continue to garner praise and awards.
Looking forward to reading Bottomfeeder!
Looking forward to reading Bottomfeeder!
A journalist's study into food/drug prohibition, this book is a combination of interesting trivia, strange history, and legitimate, hunger inducing food writing. I'd say it's good for anyone interested in the history of prohibition, adventure-style travel writing, or someone who just enjoys a series of interesting articles (which is essentially what each chapter of this book is).
An interesting and enthusiastic examination of illegal foods, drinks, and more. At it's best moments it's a food adventure, exploring forbidden luxuries around the world and how they came to be outlawed. He examines the connections between history, politics, and basic human fears and takes them apart under the premise that we don't need to be protected from our own vices. The segments on absinthe and assisted suicide are my personal favorites. He does occasionally come off as the ugly American,...more
Fascinating look at taboo foods, drugs, and morals around the world- with lots of great characters, including Grescoe himself and packed full of insights about what happens when we ban/prohibit/outlaw items from our cultures. Felt like that anyone around me during the time that I have been reading this book heard about bits of it from me.
I felt it was written in a more analytical way than I had expected. I thought it was going to be more about the experience of eating/drinking/experiencing these forbidden items. I also felt that there were quite a few chapters where the author would use the forbidden item as an introduction, but would tangent onto something else.
Mike was saying the other day that he likes non-fiction that is informative and also tells a story (sorry if I'm roughly synopsizing), and I felt like this author did a very good job of both! I enjoyed reading about his attempts to get arrested/fined for ridiculous things like eating poppyseed crackers in Singapore - and his explanation of the various laws and taboos that prevent Americans from eating raw milk cheese but allow hundreds of us to die each year from factory-farmed hamburger meat.
Hi...more
Hi...more
This book taught me about moonshine in Norway, raw milk cheese, the history of absinthe, a neat thing in Bolivia called coca leaves, and the bars in San Francisco where you can still smoke. I thought the book was going to be a little more about food than drugs and alcohol, but I did learn the history of some substances that interest me. Well-written, nauseatingly graphic in the chapters about criadillas and pentobarbital sodium, inspired me to do some traveling and/or eat better quality cheese.
I kind of expected this book to be a Fear-Factor-style tour of gross foods but it was completely different (although there was grossness - I'm so glad he didn't go near the maggoty cheese!). It was more of a look at what different societies have banned and why, and how messed up and random most of the decisions are. America's 'war on drugs' comes out as insane and neverending (which makes the DEA/Customs happy as they'll always have huge budgets) and Switzerland sounds like it has at least the h...more
I liked this book so much that I put all of Grescoe's other books on hold at the library. Grescoe is a Canadian journalist from Montreal. In this book, he travels the world, sampling forbidden food and drink. Through this experiment, he's able to delve into cultural norms, ideas about food and prohibition, and history. His writing is very thorough; it's both personable and full of interesting anecdotes. If I had one complaint, it would be that this book was definitely written with an American au...more
This book was found in the travel section, which probably was not appropriate. The author traveled to countries to investigate/research forbidden stuff (mostly foods) that are not forbidden in other countries. For example, Cuban cigars and other things are illegal in the U.S. but not everywhere else. One of the things the author wrote about was raw-milk cheeses, which are not legal in the U.S. but are legal and normal in place like France.
Well, I didn't get through this book. Sorry Mr. Author
Well, I didn't get through this book. Sorry Mr. Author
It was a fun book to read but I wish Gresco had included footnotes or some sort of documentation/list of sources of all of the facts he spouts. Without it and combined with his somewhat immature need to openly flaunt rules the book comes off more lightweight than some of the content suggests/deserves.
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Taras Grescoe was born in 1967. He writes essays, articles, and books. He is something of a non-fiction specialist.
His first book was Sacré Blues, a portrait of contemporary Quebec that won Canada's Edna Staebler Award for Non-Fiction, two Quebec Writers' Federation Awards, a National Magazine Award (for an excerpted chapter), and was short-listed for the Writers' Trust Award. It was published in...more
More about Taras Grescoe...
His first book was Sacré Blues, a portrait of contemporary Quebec that won Canada's Edna Staebler Award for Non-Fiction, two Quebec Writers' Federation Awards, a National Magazine Award (for an excerpted chapter), and was short-listed for the Writers' Trust Award. It was published in...more
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“A few reasonable policies won't do much good if the surrounding society is insane.”
—
6 people liked it
“Walking back across the St-Esprit bridge, to the ghetto I'd instinctively gravitated toward, I mentally erected a more appropriate statue on the square. It would depict an unknown Sephardic Jew, kneeling over a stone tripod covered with crushed cacao beans destined for a cup of chocolate for one of the gentiles of Bayonne.
It would be a symbolic piece, executed in smooth, chocolate-hued marble, and dedicated to all the other forgotten heroes--coffee-drinking Sufi dervishes, peyote-eating Native Americans, Mexican hemp-smokers--who, throughout history, have faced the wrath of all the sultans, drug czars, and Vatican clerics who have resorted to any spurious pretext to squelch one of the most venerable and misunderstood of human drives: the desire to escape, however briefly, everyday consciousness.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
It would be a symbolic piece, executed in smooth, chocolate-hued marble, and dedicated to all the other forgotten heroes--coffee-drinking Sufi dervishes, peyote-eating Native Americans, Mexican hemp-smokers--who, throughout history, have faced the wrath of all the sultans, drug czars, and Vatican clerics who have resorted to any spurious pretext to squelch one of the most venerable and misunderstood of human drives: the desire to escape, however briefly, everyday consciousness.”
Apr 27, 2009 06:26pm