Devil's Picnic
Just finished reading the book "The Devil's Picnic" by Taras Grescoe. The author travels the world in search of illicit and illegal food and drink. He enters Singapore with a bag full of outlawed chewing gum, he hunts down real moonshine absinthe in Switzerland, and chews coca leaves in Bolivia. The book has a solid examination of the history of prohibition, and how some current laws work in some societies, but not in others. It's all a fun read, at least until the last chapter, on legal euthanasia, which is downright disturbing.
There's also some weird meat in there -- hunting for criadillas (bull's balls) in Barcelona, in an EU-regulated Spain, and how to smuggle stinky raw milk cheeses into North America. Does the European Union mean no more weird meat in future Europe? What do you think about the EU's regulations on food and beverage? Comment below...
Labels: book, illegal foods, review
posted by Michael @ 9:47 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
"Bulls balls" ? Why need to hunt. There is a "prairie oysters" festival in town every year, around July. You can sit on sidewalk eateries with a plate of the delicacy, watching parades.
They are usually pan fried. It is a very delicate taste.
@ Bill -- I wondered about that also, are they really that hard to find? I suppose that's typical of travel writing -- make it more interesting and exotic by making it seem elusive. Then again, regulations by the European Union could have an affect, making dishes like this truly difficult to find.
I actually just finished that book last week - An amazing read! I found it very interesting in light of the controversy going on over raw milk right now, and because there is always antipathy against the PLCB here (Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board). I live in one of those states that has a government monopoly on liquor and wine, but not beer, and not all wines. So to see that the alternately draconian and permissive laws are as convoluted in other places as they are here was, if not comforting, at least slightly hopeful. In good news, though, the AOC determined that real Camembert has to be made with raw milk! A win for the side of taste.
@ bill and michael -- Bull's balls are hard to find because they are not as assured. Prarie oysters come from calves, and you can get them at castrating time. But the criadillas come from full-grown bulls and are usually only available when one has been killed during bullfighting season. They are supposed to have a different affect than the calves' balls, winkwinknudgenudge.
Post a Comment
<< Home