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The 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 Grescoe crisscrosses the globe in pursuit of his quarry, he delves into questions of regional culture and repressive legislation―from the clandestine absinthe distillation in an obscure Swiss valley to the banning of poppy seed biscuits in Singapore―and launches into a philosophical investigation of what's truly how something as fundamental as the plants and foods we consume could be so vilified and demonized.
An investigation into what thrills us, what terrifies us, and what would make us travel ten thousand miles and evade the local authorities, The Devil's Picnic is a delicious and compelling expedition into the heart of vice and desire.
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 Grescoe crisscrosses the globe in pursuit of his quarry, he delves into questions of regional culture and repressive legislation―from the clandestine absinthe distillation in an obscure Swiss valley to the banning of poppy seed biscuits in Singapore―and launches into a philosophical investigation of what's truly how something as fundamental as the plants and foods we consume could be so vilified and demonized.
An investigation into what thrills us, what terrifies us, and what would make us travel ten thousand miles and evade the local authorities, The Devil's Picnic is a delicious and compelling expedition into the heart of vice and desire.
372 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
23 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
About the author
Taras Grescoe
14 books72 followersTaras 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 2000 by Macfarlane, Walter & Ross, and became a Canadian bestseller. Sacré Blues helped Taras fall in love with Quebec, and explained the origins of poutine to an eternally grateful country. The publisher let it go out of print, but used copies can be found starting at $89.23 on Amazon.
His second book, The End of Elsewhere: Travels Among the Tourists (2003), which was published by McClelland & Stewart, involved a gruelling nine-month journey by foot, rented Renault, India railway 2A sleeper, and túk-túk, from one End of the Earth (Finisterre in Galicia) to the other (Tianya Haijiao, the End of the Earth in Hainan, China). An exploration of the origins and consequences of mass tourism, The End of Elsewhere saw Taras walking from west to east along a thousand-year-old east-to-west pilgrimmage route, stuffing his belly on a cruise ship from Venice to Istanbul, and observing the antics of sex tourists in the flesh-pots of Thailand. It failed to win any prizes in Quebec, but was nominated for a national Writers' Trust Award, and was then published to great critical acclaim in England by Serpent's Tail. The New Yorker called it "A gloriously trivia-strewn history of tourism."
His third book, The Devil's Picnic: Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit, was a real labor of love. Taras revived a post-adolescent interest in debauchery and (temporarily) turned it into a vocation, chewing coca leaves in Bolivia, scoring moonshine in Norway, and puffing on Cuban cigars in the smoke-easys in San Francisco. This one was published by Bloomsbury in New York, Macmillan in London, and HarperCollins in Toronto in 2005. The Picnic, critics seemed to agree, was a rollicking good read, with a serious subtext about the nanny state and the limits of individual liberty. It sold quite well, and was translated into German, French, Chinese, and Japanese, but didn't get nominated for anything. Apparently nobody wants to give writers prizes for having a really, really, good time (even with a serious subtext).
As for his fourth and latest book, Bottomfeeder, he really shouldn't have to tell you about it. You're soaking in it.
Taras is also a frequent contributor to the New York Times, the Independent, and National Geographic Traveler. He has written features for Saveur, Gourmet, Salon, Wired, the Guardian, the Globe and Mail, Maclean's, Men's Health, the Chicago Tribune Magazine, the International Herald Tribune, the Times of London, and Condé Nast Traveller. He has prowled nocturnally in the footsteps of Dalî and Buñuel in Toledo, Spain for National Geographic Traveler, eaten bugs for The Independent, and substituted for William Safire in the New York Times Magazine. His travel essays have been published in several anthologies.
He has twice been invited to appear at the Edinburgh Book Festival (where he learned to love brown sauce and vegetarian haggis), done the amazing Literary Journalism program at the Banff Centre (where he got the other writers ripped on authentic absinthe from the Val de Travers), and has led seminars on travel and food writing from the depths of Westmount to the heights of Haida Gwaii.
He lives on an island called Montreal, which can be found at the confluence of the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence Rivers.
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 2000 by Macfarlane, Walter & Ross, and became a Canadian bestseller. Sacré Blues helped Taras fall in love with Quebec, and explained the origins of poutine to an eternally grateful country. The publisher let it go out of print, but used copies can be found starting at $89.23 on Amazon.
His second book, The End of Elsewhere: Travels Among the Tourists (2003), which was published by McClelland & Stewart, involved a gruelling nine-month journey by foot, rented Renault, India railway 2A sleeper, and túk-túk, from one End of the Earth (Finisterre in Galicia) to the other (Tianya Haijiao, the End of the Earth in Hainan, China). An exploration of the origins and consequences of mass tourism, The End of Elsewhere saw Taras walking from west to east along a thousand-year-old east-to-west pilgrimmage route, stuffing his belly on a cruise ship from Venice to Istanbul, and observing the antics of sex tourists in the flesh-pots of Thailand. It failed to win any prizes in Quebec, but was nominated for a national Writers' Trust Award, and was then published to great critical acclaim in England by Serpent's Tail. The New Yorker called it "A gloriously trivia-strewn history of tourism."
His third book, The Devil's Picnic: Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit, was a real labor of love. Taras revived a post-adolescent interest in debauchery and (temporarily) turned it into a vocation, chewing coca leaves in Bolivia, scoring moonshine in Norway, and puffing on Cuban cigars in the smoke-easys in San Francisco. This one was published by Bloomsbury in New York, Macmillan in London, and HarperCollins in Toronto in 2005. The Picnic, critics seemed to agree, was a rollicking good read, with a serious subtext about the nanny state and the limits of individual liberty. It sold quite well, and was translated into German, French, Chinese, and Japanese, but didn't get nominated for anything. Apparently nobody wants to give writers prizes for having a really, really, good time (even with a serious subtext).
As for his fourth and latest book, Bottomfeeder, he really shouldn't have to tell you about it. You're soaking in it.
Taras is also a frequent contributor to the New York Times, the Independent, and National Geographic Traveler. He has written features for Saveur, Gourmet, Salon, Wired, the Guardian, the Globe and Mail, Maclean's, Men's Health, the Chicago Tribune Magazine, the International Herald Tribune, the Times of London, and Condé Nast Traveller. He has prowled nocturnally in the footsteps of Dalî and Buñuel in Toledo, Spain for National Geographic Traveler, eaten bugs for The Independent, and substituted for William Safire in the New York Times Magazine. His travel essays have been published in several anthologies.
He has twice been invited to appear at the Edinburgh Book Festival (where he learned to love brown sauce and vegetarian haggis), done the amazing Literary Journalism program at the Banff Centre (where he got the other writers ripped on authentic absinthe from the Val de Travers), and has led seminars on travel and food writing from the depths of Westmount to the heights of Haida Gwaii.
He lives on an island called Montreal, which can be found at the confluence of the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence Rivers.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
February 9, 2016
Not exactly what I'd thought it would be, but that worked out fine. As it turns out, Grescoe is far less concerned with forbidden foods than he is with why they might be prohibited. Which means, in this case, that he's largely talking about current (as of 2005, at least) laws much more so than, say, ancient taboos. Unfortunately, there's a tendency to be repetitive, covering the same handful of issues over and over in different chapters with only slight different set dressing. And he misses incredibly obvious points, such as promoting the supposed health benefits of raw milk just a couple of pages before talking at length about a litany of sources of contamination between cow and drinker, or almost entirely ignoring how smoking bans in public benefit the nonsmoker who can get sick after inhaling smoke. (Hi, that's me.) Still, it's the particulars of the food profiled that I'm really looking for, and I definitely felt like Grescoe did the legwork there. The chapter on the many laws of Singapore was especially interesting, even though I did feel like his repeated and pointed attempts to break the law came off as kind of bratty. I can't deny that he's a compelling writer, though.
August 11, 2008
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 society does have an interest in keeping drugs out of the hands of, say, children. I found Switzerland's "free heroin for users" program fascinating. Make taking heroin like going to get a driver's license every day (the author's metaphor) and some people will willingly choose to quit. The rest at least have a reduced risk of HIV (clean needles) and death (it's pure stuff, and the same strength every time).
I'd be curious if this would read differently if I had known that he was a former heroin addict at the beginning of the book. And, I wonder why he chose to save that info for the last few pages.
I'd be curious if this would read differently if I had known that he was a former heroin addict at the beginning of the book. And, I wonder why he chose to save that info for the last few pages.
November 27, 2008
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 drugs and booze, although if you're talking about things that are forbidden you will inevitably end up talking about them to a certain extent. It was about tradition and culture too, and the weird controls that certain governments have over its citizens by forbidding them to drink absinthe (no longer!), and eat raw milk cheese (WTF, America?) and poppy seeds (WTF, Singapore?). I lost sleep on this book because I simply did not want to put it down and stop reading. Always a good sign for me.
So anyways, this book was not about drugs and booze, although if you're talking about things that are forbidden you will inevitably end up talking about them to a certain extent. It was about tradition and culture too, and the weird controls that certain governments have over its citizens by forbidding them to drink absinthe (no longer!), and eat raw milk cheese (WTF, America?) and poppy seeds (WTF, Singapore?). I lost sleep on this book because I simply did not want to put it down and stop reading. Always a good sign for me.
May 31, 2009
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, confusing, enlightening, and, in some cases, addictive." He goes on to explain that man and animals will find a way to get out of their heads, with or without drugs. "...humanity's encounters with intoxicants were the seeds that crystalized early man's capacity for religious sentiment."
The author points out that the problem may not be the substance itself but the commodification of substances, coupled with industrialization of process, that has created the likes of cocaine, crack, OxyContin, among other sythesized creations.
"The drive toward sexual pleasure; the urge to temporarily escape day-to-day consciousness through intoxication; the questioning of the value of one's existence, particularly when it seems to painful to endure--all are part of what it means to be human. The way we address these powerful and primary questions of identity defines our individuality. By circumscribing them with taboos and prohibitive laws, society denies its members self-knowledge and allocates itself punitive power over sexuality, consciousness, and self-determination--the intimate domains of individuality."
It is the forbidden fruit that is consumed mostly because it is taboo, not because it holds anymore enticement than that which is not.
"If a compnay is profiting from the sale of a substance whose abuse or use is liable to harm its consumers, a community has every right to intervene in the marketing to protect its members. It is the extent of the intervention that should be open to debate--and in almost every case, we should come down on the side of accomodation, rather than prohibition." With warning labels, the author claims should suffice. "As long as there is no coercion, and users are aware of what they're doing, a community shouldn't have much say in what people freely choose to put in their bodies." He goes on to posit the resolution to the war on drugs is not legalization (free market and government taxation) nor decriminalization (buck-passing and legal limbo), but decommodification. Are we willing to embrace harm-reduction or continue to punish for what is perceived as moral weakness?
His experiences with his chosen taboo items were fun to read and I found his thoughts on prohibition and its accompanying effects and alternatives, enlightening and possible.
"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, confusing, enlightening, and, in some cases, addictive." He goes on to explain that man and animals will find a way to get out of their heads, with or without drugs. "...humanity's encounters with intoxicants were the seeds that crystalized early man's capacity for religious sentiment."
The author points out that the problem may not be the substance itself but the commodification of substances, coupled with industrialization of process, that has created the likes of cocaine, crack, OxyContin, among other sythesized creations.
"The drive toward sexual pleasure; the urge to temporarily escape day-to-day consciousness through intoxication; the questioning of the value of one's existence, particularly when it seems to painful to endure--all are part of what it means to be human. The way we address these powerful and primary questions of identity defines our individuality. By circumscribing them with taboos and prohibitive laws, society denies its members self-knowledge and allocates itself punitive power over sexuality, consciousness, and self-determination--the intimate domains of individuality."
It is the forbidden fruit that is consumed mostly because it is taboo, not because it holds anymore enticement than that which is not.
"If a compnay is profiting from the sale of a substance whose abuse or use is liable to harm its consumers, a community has every right to intervene in the marketing to protect its members. It is the extent of the intervention that should be open to debate--and in almost every case, we should come down on the side of accomodation, rather than prohibition." With warning labels, the author claims should suffice. "As long as there is no coercion, and users are aware of what they're doing, a community shouldn't have much say in what people freely choose to put in their bodies." He goes on to posit the resolution to the war on drugs is not legalization (free market and government taxation) nor decriminalization (buck-passing and legal limbo), but decommodification. Are we willing to embrace harm-reduction or continue to punish for what is perceived as moral weakness?
His experiences with his chosen taboo items were fun to read and I found his thoughts on prohibition and its accompanying effects and alternatives, enlightening and possible.
January 25, 2022
I thought The Devil’s Picnic would be a scientific and/or culinary exploration of foods that have been banned throughout the world, now and in the past. It’s more of a socio-political commentary, and author Grescoe’s travel memoir from his know-it-all perspective. It’s quite repetitive, turning into a libertarian-ish manifesto for deregulation of controlled substances. I could have been okay with that, but the author’s snarky attitude and major points about how he flaunted the law in many countries was a turn-off. Also, the epilogue was a lengthy regurgitation of his law-free viewpoint, as if readers are too thick to get it from his frequent references within the book.
Who really cares that he chewed gum on public transit in Singapore? Or that he smuggled in forbidden poppy seed crackers, then scattered their remains in a public park so opium poppies would grow? Duuuuhhhh…since when do commercial baked culinary seeds germinate? Basically, he littered illegally. Travelers like Grescoe are the reason that I never say I’m American (I self-identify as Californian) when I travel. Surprisingly, the author is Canadian, though he acts like the most boorish of US Americans in his insensitivity to other cultures.
The most informative chapter is about absinthe, and how the best Green Fairy beverage might actually be blue. The author tastes both homemade and commercially made drinks, and discourses on brands from Switzerland, France, and Spain. Some of these have very little herbal complexity or not much wormwood, absinthe’s active ingredient. This explains the difference between the bottle my friend brought back from Europe when absinthe first became legal in the US and the more-alcoholic-than-psychoactive drink I tried at the Dickens Fair.
The most entertaining chapter is about the author’s search for criadillas, bull balls. In his search, he samples all sorts of disgusting innards, concluding that the word offal pretty much describes all of these culinary experiences. And when he at last encounters the long-desired criadillas and enjoys (way too strong a word) them, his friendly conversation with the waiter afterwards was hilariously unexpected.
Though I can’t really recommend The Devil’s Picnic, here’s a list of other forbidden foods explored: strong cheese, cigars and cigarettes, Norwegian moonshine, caffeine, coca and cocaine, and pentobarbital sodium—the suicide drug. Interesting (hardly a) picnic! Readers with interest in such topics, or the deregulating of controlled substances, might enjoy this book.
Who really cares that he chewed gum on public transit in Singapore? Or that he smuggled in forbidden poppy seed crackers, then scattered their remains in a public park so opium poppies would grow? Duuuuhhhh…since when do commercial baked culinary seeds germinate? Basically, he littered illegally. Travelers like Grescoe are the reason that I never say I’m American (I self-identify as Californian) when I travel. Surprisingly, the author is Canadian, though he acts like the most boorish of US Americans in his insensitivity to other cultures.
The most informative chapter is about absinthe, and how the best Green Fairy beverage might actually be blue. The author tastes both homemade and commercially made drinks, and discourses on brands from Switzerland, France, and Spain. Some of these have very little herbal complexity or not much wormwood, absinthe’s active ingredient. This explains the difference between the bottle my friend brought back from Europe when absinthe first became legal in the US and the more-alcoholic-than-psychoactive drink I tried at the Dickens Fair.
The most entertaining chapter is about the author’s search for criadillas, bull balls. In his search, he samples all sorts of disgusting innards, concluding that the word offal pretty much describes all of these culinary experiences. And when he at last encounters the long-desired criadillas and enjoys (way too strong a word) them, his friendly conversation with the waiter afterwards was hilariously unexpected.
Though I can’t really recommend The Devil’s Picnic, here’s a list of other forbidden foods explored: strong cheese, cigars and cigarettes, Norwegian moonshine, caffeine, coca and cocaine, and pentobarbital sodium—the suicide drug. Interesting (hardly a) picnic! Readers with interest in such topics, or the deregulating of controlled substances, might enjoy this book.
July 21, 2021
Evocative! Informative! Pretty well-balanced discussion of prohibitions despite the author's clear point of view on the topic (and I do tend to agree on most points). Gave me a real hankering for some stinky cheese! Though the section on tobacco seems outdated now - I wonder if that's a generational thing, smoking has all but disappeared in my circles.
February 11, 2012
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 flaunted it and if they had decided to punish him, he could have gotten the infamous caning or jail time.
The most interesting chapters were about absinthe-which now I want to try, but the "green fairy" is illegal here and about coca leaves. For those he went to Boliva, where people chew the leaves like tobacco and give it away as a symbol of hospitality, but won't sell it to their guests. The last chapter of the feast is so deadly that even Grescoe would not partake.
I really enjoyed this fascinating book. I had no idea that so many foods were forbidden in the US.
Sometimes Grescoe gets on his soapbox about regulations and laws concerning what people can consume, but he makes some good points.
March 3, 2013
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 on prohibited poppy seeds and chewing gum in Singapore, the ban on indoor smoking in the US and the policies on euthanasia in various countries. There didn't seem to be anything food or drink related in these chapters, so this appears to be more focused on what the author deemed as control against individual freedom by governments. Despite these chapters, the author does raise some interesting questions around why the products are prohibited and what legalizing them would mean for the local communities.
In the process of conducting research for the book, the author conducts personal experiments, sometimes to his own detriment, and accumulates enough fascinating stories that is bound to ensure his calendar is filled with dinner party invitations.
.
The only odd notes were the author's segment on prohibited poppy seeds and chewing gum in Singapore, the ban on indoor smoking in the US and the policies on euthanasia in various countries. There didn't seem to be anything food or drink related in these chapters, so this appears to be more focused on what the author deemed as control against individual freedom by governments. Despite these chapters, the author does raise some interesting questions around why the products are prohibited and what legalizing them would mean for the local communities.
In the process of conducting research for the book, the author conducts personal experiments, sometimes to his own detriment, and accumulates enough fascinating stories that is bound to ensure his calendar is filled with dinner party invitations.
July 26, 2007
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, flaunting his rule-breaking rebel ways. And when he does finally sample many of the items, he almost always does it as an outsider with his own countrymen. He never fully immerses himself in the culture to experience the food within its larger context. I would have liked a little more courage and personal connection to the countries he visited.
March 10, 2019
Although I was pretty excited about the concept, this book took me longer than I anticipated to finish. It was full of interesting information and many classic allusions. However, I found it tiring to read hims preaching again and again that if only it were legal it wouldn’t be such a big deal. Clearly, this man has a message to share! I enjoyed hearing about his forays into finding questionable things to ingest, but this book seemed to be more about him and his political views than about the items themselves. Having said all that, I really appreciated all the experts he found on each subject and feel that he did a decent job of exploring banned items from many angles prior to expounding that same view about each item.
July 18, 2020
WOW. I read this almost a decade ago and still recall details from Taras Grescoe's The Devil's Picnic.
It changed the way I read for fun and converted me into a binge-reader of nonfiction solely.
It changed the way I read for fun and converted me into a binge-reader of nonfiction solely.
November 22, 2023
This book has nothing to do with the devil (I say this because people are getting SO WEIRD about books and the devil these days) but rather is a trip around the world to experience things that are illegal in the United States and explain why. I expect The Devil's Picnic was a better name that Taras Grescoe's Excellent Adventure, but it sounds like he had a fantastic time doing the research. Each chapter is about a different thing - a drink, a smoke, a food - so it's easy to pick up and put down. A good read, but dated by now. I should probably check and see if there's an update available.
The chapter on searching for stewed bull testicles in Spain was my favorite.
The chapter on searching for stewed bull testicles in Spain was my favorite.
June 25, 2018
It was beautifully written and I enjoyed every word, but I signed up for an exploration of things edible.
There were a few chapters on foods, but the rest of the book was about psychotropic substances and became a polemic on his belief that every plant-sourced drug should be decriminalised.
The last two-thirds of the book was the same thing written in different ways. It was very disappointing.
There were a few chapters on foods, but the rest of the book was about psychotropic substances and became a polemic on his belief that every plant-sourced drug should be decriminalised.
The last two-thirds of the book was the same thing written in different ways. It was very disappointing.
May 4, 2021
The book is alright, no more than that. If you've travelled even just a bit most of the banned items are easily available for the general public. This is a book aimed for American who seems to suffer most of the food bans mentioned in it.
March 29, 2022
I loved the world of adventure and the author’s writing style!
May 2, 2025
Deliciously interesting and Bourdain-esque
January 3, 2023
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 the history, controversy, and active chemical qualities that make each item both desirable and denied. Even assisted suicide and the narcotics it requires is dealt an even hand.
Overall, I found this book to be a fair assessment of the risks and pleasures of each item. While knowledge can remove a certain veil of mystique, it can also dispel unwarranted fears and allow for true enjoyment. Such was the case with chocolate, a once banned but now common indulgence. Such is the case with absinthe, which has been demonized for hundreds of years but is now becoming legal in much of Europe.
While proscribed substances can be dangerous, this book enlightens and titillates, creating desires and longings that are the foodstuffs of bliss. I found myself wishing to try real absinthe, but not with abandon. Chewing cacao leaves, in their natural, diluted form, sounded no more pleasurable or perilous than a good cup of coffee. I knew I was not alone once I read the chapter on chocolate: my copy of this book was borrowed from the library, and as I was reading about the history of cocoa and my mouth was watering, I turned to a chocolate-smudged page. Live vicariously through Mr. Grescoe's well-written tales if you must, but above all, savor it while it lasts.
Overall, I found this book to be a fair assessment of the risks and pleasures of each item. While knowledge can remove a certain veil of mystique, it can also dispel unwarranted fears and allow for true enjoyment. Such was the case with chocolate, a once banned but now common indulgence. Such is the case with absinthe, which has been demonized for hundreds of years but is now becoming legal in much of Europe.
While proscribed substances can be dangerous, this book enlightens and titillates, creating desires and longings that are the foodstuffs of bliss. I found myself wishing to try real absinthe, but not with abandon. Chewing cacao leaves, in their natural, diluted form, sounded no more pleasurable or perilous than a good cup of coffee. I knew I was not alone once I read the chapter on chocolate: my copy of this book was borrowed from the library, and as I was reading about the history of cocoa and my mouth was watering, I turned to a chocolate-smudged page. Live vicariously through Mr. Grescoe's well-written tales if you must, but above all, savor it while it lasts.
May 18, 2011
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 сирого молока (аu lait cru), розплідник мікроорганізмів і центр збудження смакових рецепторів. Такий бажаний і...заборонений у Штатах. Саме так, у цій величезній країні заборонений у продажу сир з не пастеризованого молока, якщо він "дозрівав" менше 60 діб. От тому мандрівники-ентузіасти і побоялися вкладати такий цінний дар французької місцини до реєстрованого багажу. Результат вам відомий: добра сотня пасажирів стримувала подих аж до приземлення.
Приблизно про такі історії моя остання прочитана книга. Людині щось забороняють - вона у відповідь бунтує. Це схоже на поведінку малих дітей, котрим пообіцяли небачені до того солодощі. Про це прекрасно обізнані мами, ще більше - старші брати і сетри, але чомусь уряди країн подібного геть не усвідомлюють.
Книга з розряду non-fiction, такий собі тревелог про пошуки забороненого плоду. І назва відповідна.
А все заради того, аби полоскотати свої нерви і у підсумку влаштувати пікнік у центрі свого рідного міста, зібрати близьких друзів, перед якими простелити заборонені законами цивілізованим світу "скарби".
Приблизно про такі історії моя остання прочитана книга. Людині щось забороняють - вона у відповідь бунтує. Це схоже на поведінку малих дітей, котрим пообіцяли небачені до того солодощі. Про це прекрасно обізнані мами, ще більше - старші брати і сетри, але чомусь уряди країн подібного геть не усвідомлюють.
Книга з розряду non-fiction, такий собі тревелог про пошуки забороненого плоду. І назва відповідна.
А все заради того, аби полоскотати свої нерви і у підсумку влаштувати пікнік у центрі свого рідного міста, зібрати близьких друзів, перед якими простелити заборонені законами цивілізованим світу "скарби".
July 16, 2008
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 jumping into them; coca-cola agreed to not feature kids under 12 in their advertising, but stopped in 1986 and now happily feature lots of kids.
A lot of the book is essentially Grescoe's travel journal as he goes around the world, but he makes some cogent points, like: "When it comes to prohibiting food, the contrast in approach on either side of the Atlantic couldn’t be more stark. North American legislators ban the import of, or impose huge tariffs on, the pure, traditional foods Europeans have been safely consuming for generations. European lawmakers, in contrast, prohibit the import of tomatoes spliced with fish genes, milk pumped out of hormone-fed cows, and bacon that comes from pigs fed with ground-up cadavers of cows."
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 jumping into them; coca-cola agreed to not feature kids under 12 in their advertising, but stopped in 1986 and now happily feature lots of kids.
A lot of the book is essentially Grescoe's travel journal as he goes around the world, but he makes some cogent points, like: "When it comes to prohibiting food, the contrast in approach on either side of the Atlantic couldn’t be more stark. North American legislators ban the import of, or impose huge tariffs on, the pure, traditional foods Europeans have been safely consuming for generations. European lawmakers, in contrast, prohibit the import of tomatoes spliced with fish genes, milk pumped out of hormone-fed cows, and bacon that comes from pigs fed with ground-up cadavers of cows."
July 16, 2008
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 his bases, and then some. The book is filled with the history of the manufacturing, production, consumption, use, and misuse of many of the world's most sought after ingredients. The cheese chapter opened my eyes to the trade wars that Americans, and the rest of the world, are entangled with. The nicotine chapter made me realize how powerless the tobacco companies have made us. Most of the chapters dealt with addiction. I agree with the author that addiction is the real problem, and not the substances themselves. You'll dig the last chapter.
August 1, 2011
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 a cheese is completely reasonable. But when he goes on to discuss the mystery behind the banned delicacies he more times than not slips from ardent food lover and prolific author to soap-box preacher. The text starts to sound very similar to listening to an acquaintance with very strong political beliefs who assumes everyone agrees with him. Fortunately for Mr. Grescoe he does such a great job of describing these devilish goods all his political brow-beating is easily forgivable and even forgotten.
October 26, 2020
"Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit", as the subtitle has it.
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 philosophically opposed to restrictions on personal consumption of anything (as he makes abundantly clear throughout), but his wrap-up chapter falls apart somewhat in the end, as he tries to hedge his bets while remaining philosophically coherent. Still, overall, a fascinating journey, both literally (New York to Switzerland to Singapore to Spain) and conceptually.
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 philosophically opposed to restrictions on personal consumption of anything (as he makes abundantly clear throughout), but his wrap-up chapter falls apart somewhat in the end, as he tries to hedge his bets while remaining philosophically coherent. Still, overall, a fascinating journey, both literally (New York to Switzerland to Singapore to Spain) and conceptually.
April 22, 2010
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.
His central argument is libertarian at its heart - that people are frequently ill-served when the government enacts prohibitions about intensely individual and personal matters - and that prohibition is rarely the way to go when toeing the line between personal rights and public health.
Highly recommended!
His central argument is libertarian at its heart - that people are frequently ill-served when the government enacts prohibitions about intensely individual and personal matters - and that prohibition is rarely the way to go when toeing the line between personal rights and public health.
Highly recommended!
April 13, 2009
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 has real character then.
Also, there are some non-food items highlighted as well, such as Cuban cigars (not allowed in the States) and potassium cyanide (a description is offered of how in the Netherlands, euthanasia is legal) for good measure. These are parts where arguably the book is a bit dry, lacking in character. It is an enjoyable read overall, though.
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 has real character then.
Also, there are some non-food items highlighted as well, such as Cuban cigars (not allowed in the States) and potassium cyanide (a description is offered of how in the Netherlands, euthanasia is legal) for good measure. These are parts where arguably the book is a bit dry, lacking in character. It is an enjoyable read overall, though.
August 13, 2011
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 the familiar and unfamiliar side by side and taking us to the heart and deepest underbelly of the human condition, Grescoe has created a definitive work in my opinion, one that should be required reading to live in the modern world!
If you have the open-mindedness and willingness to question, give this book a shot. Trust me, its worth it.
Cheers.
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 the familiar and unfamiliar side by side and taking us to the heart and deepest underbelly of the human condition, Grescoe has created a definitive work in my opinion, one that should be required reading to live in the modern world!
If you have the open-mindedness and willingness to question, give this book a shot. Trust me, its worth it.
Cheers.
March 6, 2015
When I started the book, I thought the subject would be food (perhaps like "Cooked"). The cover reads: "travels through the underworld of food and drink". Turned out to be about prohibited food and drink. This extended to alcohol and drugs, and even assisted suicide. Lots of interesting and eye-opening material; every chapter was fairly different from the previous. Each chapter raises questions whose answers will differ for every reader.
From the epilogue:
"Prohibitions, the lines that throughout history have been drawn around bottles and behaviors, powders and plants, are tools of power. The drive toward sexual pleasure; the urge to temporarily escape day-to-day consciousness through intoxication; the questioning of the value of one's existence, particularly when it seems to painful to endure - all are part of what it means to be human."
From the epilogue:
"Prohibitions, the lines that throughout history have been drawn around bottles and behaviors, powders and plants, are tools of power. The drive toward sexual pleasure; the urge to temporarily escape day-to-day consciousness through intoxication; the questioning of the value of one's existence, particularly when it seems to painful to endure - all are part of what it means to be human."
April 4, 2011
I had expected something more like a travel detailing gross foods, but what I got was something more like The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals for food regulations. The book focuses on the political and scientific basis for banning certain foods or drugs and generally makes a strong case for more sensible regulations rather than prohibitions.
Before reading the book, I generally knew that our policies were silly and that a "War on Drugs" makes no sense, but I'm now armed with a more coherent and fact-based argument.
Very interesting read.
Before reading the book, I generally knew that our policies were silly and that a "War on Drugs" makes no sense, but I'm now armed with a more coherent and fact-based argument.
Very interesting read.
August 27, 2008
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 audience in mind, and his Canadian-ness was secondary. Still, I thought this was a fascinating book, and it's compelled me to check out all of his other books.
I think he's under-rated and should probably get more attention than he is getting. Suck on that, Chuck Klosterman.
I think he's under-rated and should probably get more attention than he is getting. Suck on that, Chuck Klosterman.
May 8, 2009
A very interesting book, but tended to get a little too heavy into the politics and history of the reasons behind the bans. A more lightweight overview would have saved many pages.
My favourite bits were about the innocuous things still banned in Singapore - chewing gum and M&S poppy seed crackers. In other places, illegal cheeses are the problem, and I loved the chapter on absinthe.
I have now obtained some real absinthe, but have only tasted a little, and in moderation - before jumping back into my cider vat!!!
The chapter on Dignitas, appropriately placed at the end of the book, was very though-provoking, a little uncomfortable, but very worthwhile.
Great book for foodies and those in search of something a little edgy.
My favourite bits were about the innocuous things still banned in Singapore - chewing gum and M&S poppy seed crackers. In other places, illegal cheeses are the problem, and I loved the chapter on absinthe.
I have now obtained some real absinthe, but have only tasted a little, and in moderation - before jumping back into my cider vat!!!
The chapter on Dignitas, appropriately placed at the end of the book, was very though-provoking, a little uncomfortable, but very worthwhile.
Great book for foodies and those in search of something a little edgy.
April 27, 2010
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 heroin problem licked.
What it came back to time and time again is that a lot of the laws we live by have no solid base on reason but more on ideology, and governments won't listen to research that suggests different to whatever religious beliefs or xenophobic beliefs the laws are founded on.
What it came back to time and time again is that a lot of the laws we live by have no solid base on reason but more on ideology, and governments won't listen to research that suggests different to whatever religious beliefs or xenophobic beliefs the laws are founded on.
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