Name: The Devil's Picnic
Rating: 4 (2 reviews)
ISBN: 9781582346151

Taras Grescoe

Taras Grescoe embarks on a journey into the forbidden as he searches for the world's taboo indulgences.

Travels Through the Underworld of Food and Drink

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 bizarre: 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.

Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit

Sarah Escorsa

This was such a good read, I absolutely loved it! It was interesting, fun, informative and very well-researched! Everything Grescoe says about "Epoisses" is surprisingly accurate: I'm French and Epoisses is my favourite cheese so I should know;) I found this surprising because foreigners seldom seem to have the necessary insight when writing about a country other than their own. Since Grescoe's depiction of the "French devil" is so accurate, I'm assuming what he explains about Norway, Singapore, etc also is:)

The Devil's Picnic Travels Through the Underworld of Food and Drink

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