Taras Grescoe is a noted non-fiction specialist who artfully explores the human experience. His work delves into the captivating realms of tourism, forbidden pleasures, and cultural customs, uncovering the world's less-traveled paths with keen curiosity and sharp wit. Grescoe masterfully weaves narratives that are as informative as they are engaging, inviting readers on journeys that broaden horizons and provoke contemplation.
Delving into ancient cuisines, this book offers a rich exploration of culinary traditions that have shaped modern food culture. Drawing inspiration from the works of Michael Pollan and Anthony Bourdain, it presents a flavorful journey through history, highlighting unique ingredients and cooking methods. Readers will discover how these time-honored practices influence contemporary gastronomy, making it an enlightening read for food enthusiasts and history buffs alike.
A vivid account of the love triangle between an American journalist and adventurer, a wealthy expatriate businessman and a Chinese poet in Shanghai in the late 1930s.
There's simply no limit to the sins people will commit for a tasty meal. The Japanese are notorious for their trade in bluefin tuna, while newlyweds in Bangkok, Shanghai and Singapore devour a gelatinous soup made from poached abalone and fins hacked from living sharks. But surely there's no need for you to feel bad about ordering sea bass in a London restaurant? Unless, of course, you consider that you may well be enjoying one of the very last members of the species. In "Dead Seas "we follow acclaimed journalist Taras Grescoe on a year-long, round-the-world trip, as he eats his way from the top to the bottom of the food chain with one purpose in mind: to find out whether he can continue to eat such delicacies in good conscience. As well as painting a vivid and often hilarious picture of the fascinating people Taras encounters, "Dead Seas" explores the impact we are having on sea life by overfishing and draws our attention to some of the ethical choices we can make. At a time when many of the fish we take for granted are on the verge of extinction, we need to face the fact that very soon jellyfish sandwiches may be all that is left for us to eat.
In this witty expose Taras Grescoe goes in search of the food and drink that the rulers of the world will punish you for trying - all the time asking the question: why in ostensibly free states should we be criminalized for behaviour that concerns no one but ourselves."