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Nitimur In Vetitum (“We strive for the forbidden”: Ovid)

April 7th, 2007 Susan - Central

In The Devil’s Picnic: Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit, Taras Grescoe travels the world in search of substances (food, drink, or drug) that are alternately (or simultaneously) highly sought and vilified.  In the process, he examines differing cultural attitudes to these “forbidden fruits”, including the (ultimately futile) efforts to prohibit or regulate them.

The book is arranged as a nine-course meal, with each chapter a separate course — from aperitif to nightcap.  I enjoyed the descriptions of his travels in pursuit of these items and the background histories of the substances in question.  I’ve often wondered why the vilest parts of a beast are prized delicacies and how we came to enjoy stinky cheese or caustic liquor.  We seem to have a predilection for fetishizing what I would call “dare food”.  However, what I find most fascinating is the examination of the social psychology behind prohibition.  What are the cultural or economic prejudices that lead those in power to label certain substances as “bad”, while others, no better, are given a pass?  And why is this deemed necessary at all?  If we inevitably seek out what is forbidden, paternalistic efforts to control this impulse are doomed to failure — so why do governments keep trying?  This book might be good for some lively discussions, actually.

I enjoy travel writing and social histories, so I tend to read a lot of books in this vein (I recently reviewed And a Bottle of Rum). And Taras Grescoe reminds me a bit of Anthony Bourdain, only more laid back.  Both are travel/food writers with a bit of the rebel in them and both have some personal experience with addiction and illegal substances.  I recently sought out an episode of Bourdain’s Travel Channel series No Reservations (the one on the Pacific Northwest) simply because I knew it featured Chuck Palahniuk, another favorite author.  Watching it made me want to read The Nasty Bits, Bourdain’s latest book, and visit Portland to sample a Voodoo Doughnut.  If anyone out there has done either, I’d love to hear a report!

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction