The Devil's Picnic: Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit
by Taras GrescoeSign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 161)
Read in August, 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 soci...more
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Read in July, 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...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...more
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Read in July, 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...more
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Read in January, 2006
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
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Read in August, 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 au...more
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Each chapter explores the legal/social implications of consuming food or substances that are illegal or considered inappropriate in various societies. Not for the weak-stomached. Chapter on absinthe was interesting and chewing tabacco (for political reasons). But, by far, my favourite chapter was on cheese. The French are extremely unwilling to give up unhomogenised cheese, and have gone to amazing lengths to keep health regulators out of the picture. We are really missing out on some tasty chee...more
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Read in October, 2005
I found this book to be an entertaining and informative look at the various despised foods and drink throughout the world. It is written in the style of his other works, (witty and somewhat sarcastic, with a healthy dose of history thrown in), and it helps to propel this along.
As with anything, I had my issues. I felt the poppy seed cracker section in Singapore (I believe) was not needed, as it was more <i>blatantly</> breaking the law and social mores than actually providing...more
As with anything, I had my issues. I felt the poppy seed cracker section in Singapore (I believe) was not needed, as it was more <i>blatantly</> breaking the law and social mores than actually providing...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
no one
The book was supposed to be a "gastronomical adventure". That's why I read it. I wasn't interested in listening to Grescoe's opinion about what he thinks is wrong with the policies concerning drugs throughout the world. In a nutshell, Grescoe thinks the prohibition of drugs is the cause of all drug problems. He doesn't do a very good job of convincing the reader of this. The book did contain some interesting things about the drugs he discusses, but not enough. It was not the gast...more
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The author travels the globe searching for things that are forbidden in countries. He flaunts the law many times,example: he opens a pack of gum and chews on a Singapore subway. He examines the drinking culture in Norway (tasting the illegal "Hjemmebrent") and smokes in California.
Grescoe does a great job of explaining why items became forbidden, examines regional culture and gives us an interesting look at our own psyche.
I'd recommend this book to anyone.
Grescoe does a great job of explaining why items became forbidden, examines regional culture and gives us an interesting look at our own psyche.
I'd recommend this book to anyone.
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Read in September, 2007
Purchased at a bargain basement sale in Melbourne, August 2007
Mostly finished with this. I enjoyed it, although the author did some *strange* things. I didn't know too much about the history of prohibition, but was intrigued with his comparison to the war on drugs. We haven't learned much, have we?
I had some <A HREF="http://www.travellingcari.com/... though
Mostly finished with this. I enjoyed it, although the author did some *strange* things. I didn't know too much about the history of prohibition, but was intrigued with his comparison to the war on drugs. We haven't learned much, have we?
I had some <A HREF="http://www.travellingcari.com/... though
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Read in December, 2007
This was certainly an interesting read, although I found it kind of slow and tedious in sections. It covers just about any taboo item you can ingest or inhale. Most interesting, at least to me, were the chapters on the coca plant (which is where cocaine comes from) and the last chapter on assisted suicide. Least interesting for me, suprisingly, was the chapter on chocolate (which, honestly? Chocolate as a taboo substance? Not so much.)
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fascinating & humorous exploration of "forbidden" foods & other substances from around the world. the author treks about the globe & tracks down everything from absinthe to extremely stinky french cheeses & compares how their reputations stack up to the reality(or at least his experience of them), and examines why they are(& whether they really should be)illegal. vicarious kicks!
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Read in March, 2008
Some interesting food facts, but exceedingly condescending to the reader. Grescoe may have been the one to put it into a book, but he's not the only one to ever wonder just what would happen if he drank the Norwegian version of moonshine. Had he written the book with a historian's perspective rather than the Indiana Jones of comestibles, it *may* have gone better.
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Read in July, 2006
Yet another food book, but what a book! The title does not lie. This book covers all the deadly sins as it pertains to food and then some. Offering a humerous and informative view point about these unique and often illegal foods this book, in my opinion, would be easy for anyone to get into. This is one book that will be hard to put down.
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Read in October, 2008
A very informative (and fun) look at banned foods from around the world, from absinthe to unpasteurized cheese and coca tea. Grescoe is a fine tour guide, and if he lingers a little long on some of his subjects -- sometimes to inject his own points of view regarding why these foods are taboo.
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Read in September, 2008
Not quite as much about the foods themselves as all the crazy laws and regulations surrounding consumption and use. It skews towards drugs and, at the very end, suicide. Interesting, but it's more a vehicle for Grescoe to vent frustrations than it is a balanced study.
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
food fans, social scientists, anyone
Amazing books that tackles huge issues like the drug trade, prohibition, right-to-die, the cleanliness of our food preparation places, all within the context of "forbidden fruit" foods--absinthe, Norewegian moonshine, coca leaves, raw milk cheese, etc.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2008
The topic is interesting, but the chapter depth and the tone are inconsistent. He waxes philosophical, then jumps to analytical without little to no transition. The analytical journalist parts are very interesting, though.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in August, 2007
I thought this book was going to be more about food, but it turned out to be more about cultural norms and taboos and the impacts of various country's approaches to drug laws. It's fascinating and a pretty good/fast read.
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Read in January, 2007
Really fun read about forbidden foods. Some of the later chapters feel more heavy handed, as though his experiment was wearing on him. But full of random facts (always a plus for me) and an engaging style.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.78 (98 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.78 (73 ratings) number of reviews: 32
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quote
"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. "
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