Good to Eat: Riddles of Food and CultureWhy are human food habits so diverse? Why do Americans recoil at the thought of dog meat? Jews and Moslems, pork? Hindus, beef? Why do Asians abhor milk? In Good to Eat, bestselling author Marvin Harris leads readers on an informative detective adventure to solve the world's major food puzzles. He explains the diversity of the world's gastronomic customs, demonstrating that what appear at first glance to be irrational food tastes turn out really to have been shaped by practical, or economic, or political necessity. In addition, his smart and spirited treatment sheds wisdom on such topics as why there has been an explosion in fast food, why history indicates that it's "bad" to eat people but "good" to kill them, and why children universally reject spinach. Good to Eat is more than an intellectual adventure in food for thought. It is a highly readable, scientifically accurate, and fascinating work that demystifies the causes of myriad human cultural differences. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 13
Page 28
... animal or plant protein from a nutritional point of view in order for meat distributions to take a quarrelsome turn ... domestic animals a principal focus of their sacraments . The very idea of sacrifice , fundamental to the formative ...
... animal or plant protein from a nutritional point of view in order for meat distributions to take a quarrelsome turn ... domestic animals a principal focus of their sacraments . The very idea of sacrifice , fundamental to the formative ...
Page 71
... domestic animals . Instead they view the way the Israelites used domestic animals as an outcome of the formula . According to anthropologist Mary Douglas , for example , the cud - chewing , split- hoof formula makes the split - hoof but ...
... domestic animals . Instead they view the way the Israelites used domestic animals as an outcome of the formula . According to anthropologist Mary Douglas , for example , the cud - chewing , split- hoof formula makes the split - hoof but ...
Page 262
... Domestic Animals in Africa . 2 vols . New York : Africana Publishing Co. Erskine , John . 1853. Journal of a Cruise among the Islands of the West- ern Pacific . London : Dawsons of Pall Mall . Essig , E. O. 1934. " The Value of Insects ...
... Domestic Animals in Africa . 2 vols . New York : Africana Publishing Co. Erskine , John . 1853. Journal of a Cruise among the Islands of the West- ern Pacific . London : Dawsons of Pall Mall . Essig , E. O. 1934. " The Value of Insects ...
Contents
ONE Good to Think or Good to Eat? | 13 |
TWO Meat Hunger | 19 |
THREE The Riddle of the Sacred Cow | 47 |
Copyright | |
11 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
American amount animal foods Aztecs became become beef better body calcium calories camel cannibalism carried cattle CHAPTER consume consumption contain continued cooked costs cultures dead developed diet dingoes disease dogs domesticated drinking eaten efficient enemy entirely Europe European example explanation fact farmers feed fish flesh four give goats grain groups hamburgers Hindu horsemeat horses human hunting important increase Indians insects killing kind lack lactose lactose intolerance land less levels live means meat milk natural never nutritional percent pets plant population pork pounds practice preference Press prevent prisoners problem protection protein raising reason relatives remains result rickets sheep skin slaughter societies species supply taboo things United University vegetables village vitamin warfare women York