The Devil's Picnic: A Tour of Everything the Governments of the World Don't Want You to Try - Softcover
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About the Author:
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Taras Grescoe is the author of two books, one of which, Sacre Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec, was shortlisted for the Writers' Trust Award and was a national bestseller in Canada. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Salon, the Independent, and National Geographic Traveler, and has written features for Saveur, the New York Times Magazine, Wired, and the Chicago Tribune Magazine.
This detailed chef's tour of prohibited pleasures for the palate, from Norwegian moonshine and Bolivian coca leaves to Spanish bull testicles, is laced with magnificent descriptions—some mouthwatering, others quite repulsive. Grescoe (Sacre Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec) uses food as a pretext to lead readers on a heady quest to corroborate the libertarian principle of free will. Through his well-researched history lessons, readers learn of the birth and evolution of nine different foodstuffs, and the politics behind their prohibition. Grescoe paints colorful portraits of contemporary cultures by walking the land, sampling the fare and providing firsthand interviews with various food experts: aficionados, suppliers and officials charged with enforcing interdiction. His narrative makes a convincing case that most restrictions are based on unwarranted or outdated health concerns, or political agendas that profit the government (up to 86% of the price of liquor in Norway can go to taxes!). And while he successfully illustrates the arguments used by supporters of legalization, he surprises himself by conceding that certain governmental intervention can indeed be a necessary evil (e.g., protection of endangered animals). With amusing anecdotes and exotic imagery, this walk through the garden of "forbidden fruit" is a savory and powerful scrutiny into the psychology, markets and politics of prohibition.
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- PublisherMACMILLAN
- Publication date2014
- ISBN 10 1447263286
- ISBN 13 9781447263289
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages368
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The Devil's Picnic: A Tour of Everything the Governments of the World Don't Want You to Try
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Never in history have we seemed to have such global freedom, such an opportunity to indulge our wildest tastes. We think we live in a time of unprecedented choice. But as Taras Grescoe discovers, this is just an illusion. In this witty expose our intrepid author goes in search of the things 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? In a travelogue that takes in Swiss absinthe, Cuban cigars, Bolivian coca tea and stinking French cheese, Taras Grescoe drinks, smokes and eats his way to finding out. Fun, philosophical, and unafraid of the big questions, this is a journey for free-thinkers, not the faint-hearted. As insightful and outraged as Fast Food Nation and as funny and astute as Dude, Wheres My Country , The Devils Picnic is a feast for anyone who has ever made a stand for personal liberty. When you can't have it, you want it Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781447263289
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Book Description Condition: New. Dieser Artikel ist ein Print on Demand Artikel und wird nach Ihrer Bestellung fuer Sie gedruckt. When you can t have it, you want itÜber den AutorrnrnTaras Grescoe is a prize-winning journalist and author, his articles having appeared in The Times, National Geographic, The New York Times, Wired and the. Seller Inventory # 595872723
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