In Bad Taste?: The Science and Adventures Behind Food Delicacies [Hardcover]

Massimo Francesco Marcone (Author), Jay Ingram (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1552638820 | ISBN-13: 978-1552638828

Part travelogue, part scientific investigation, Dr. Marcone describes his journeys into remote regions of the world, often risking life and limb at the hands of rebel warlords, corrupt police, international smugglers, and hungry crocodiles. He does this all in the search for the hidden secrets and science behind the world's most expensive and bizarre foods. The stories and information in this eclectic collection of food delicacies will certainly satisfy the curiosity of food aficionados and adventure travelers alike but is also sure to whet the appetites of the just curious.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If I were you, I’d sooner eat this book than eat the food described in it. But definitely read it first. It’s fascinating.”?Steve Hartman, CBS correspondent, 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning “Like a fully loaded, coffee-processing palm civet, this book is packed with unexpected adventure, science, and food for thought. Almost every page has a story that will make you smile.” --Marc Abrahams, Editor, Annals of Improbable Research What an adventure! From a run-in with a lion in Ethipoia to hiking through bast-infested Malaysian caves to a risky escape from crooked border guards in Indonesia, Dr, Marcone proves that he’ll go farther than other food scientists to find the truth behind controversial but delectable foods. This book is both informative and exciting?you’ll never look at your dinner the same way again. --Shandley McMurray, Writer, Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, Glow, Wish, Elevate, and Kaboose.com “Foodies, globetrotters, and even those of us who cringe at the thought of consuming insect parts or Kopi Luwak ‘scat’ coffee will enjoy Professor Marcone’s exploration into the foods many Westerners would consider disgusting.”?Kristina Matisic, executive producer and co-host, The Shopping Bags: Tips Tricks, and Inside Information to Make you a Savvy Shopper “Who would have expected a mild-mannered Canadian professor to become investigative super sleuth, battling bugs, bats, and bad guys in search of the origins of unusual foods?... Reading this book was like watching a Hollywood movie unfold. It is a dramatic and fascinating tale of science truly at ground level?.”?Avis Favaro, medical correspondent, CTV National News “This adventurous book is not for the faint of stomach! Yet even readers with timid tastes can savor the intriguing menu of bizarre delicacies the Dr. Marcone serves up with zest, verve, and antic enterprise.”?Dr. Dudley R. Herschbach, Harvard University, Nobel Prize in Chemistry

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Dr. Massimo Marcone is an adjunct professor of food science at the University of Guelph. He has become a well-known and recognized media contributor, educating people of all ages on the science behind what they eat. He appears regularly in the media, and is consulted regularly on controversies in the world of food.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Key Porter Books (April 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552638820
• ISBN-13: 978-1552638828
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Almost good, October 26, 2007

By 

Margot Vigeant "Mom, engineer, and cook" (central PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Bad Taste?: The Science and Adventures Behind Food Delicacies (Hardcover)

First, the positives - this book documents the provenance and the science of some truly rare, truly weird, gourmet foods. You have to respect Marcone for actually going to see, for himself, the civet poop that is the source of kopi luwak. The book goes considerably deeper into both science and geography than Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner's Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright Bizarre. The author shows quite a bit of the fascinating recklessness-in-the-service-of-taste that you see in Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave BUT (and this is significant) is no where near the writer that either Weil or Gates is. The writing style is pedantic and wordy and somehow manages to make even the time the author was almost eaten by a lion seem dull. The stories are neat, the science is good, but as one plods through yet another diversion where Marcone heads off by himself to ponder why there is injustice in the world (ok, I get it, he has a conscience... but I didn't buy this for weak reflections on the meaning of the Boxing Day Tsunami.... I bought this to read about science and food!) one feels her time is being wasted. The contents of this book, properly edited, would have fit without significant omission into a New Yorker article. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen is a better read on the same general topic, and it's an encyclopedia.

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre, September 25, 2010

By 

Theodoros Hadjigeorgiou - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Bad Taste?: The Science and Adventures Behind Food Delicacies (Hardcover)

First I can definitely say that this edition is durable and readable and if somebody is searching for which edition to get I recommend this.
Apart from that, the book is... lets say ok. If you do have other books to read then don't get this. It does sound appealing and I was curious enough to buy this but if I knew more maybe I wouldn't. The information you get does give some please to your curiosity but definitely not enough to justify the whole book. The narrator is a bit cheesy and makes a big deal out of nothing. At least this is what I got from it.
An overall mediocre read for me. Maybe if you are more in to strange "delicacies" than me you will like it.

4.0 out of 5 stars What do you get when you mix Indiana Jones and Sheldon Cooper?, July 22, 2010

By 

410Media (Springfield, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Bad Taste: The Adventures and Science Behind Food Delicacies (Paperback)

From reading the back of this book, I pictured Massimo Marcone to be some cross between Indiana Jones and Sheldon Cooper. After reading it I would also add a a bit of a Bill Bryson when he is in his adventure/travel writer mode.

Massimo is a food scientist. He explores the world in search of the most exotic and often times bizarre foods. Many have heard of Kopi Luwak otherwise known as scat coffee, but is it real? Marcone sets out to find out. Indeed he finds finds the coffee that is collected by the scat (ie: poop) of the civet. He then scientifically test it to find out if there is a difference between it and other coffee.

The discovery of Kopi Luwak is just the beginning. He also travels the globe in search of argon oil that is made from nuts ingested by goats, edible birds nest in Malaysia, various bugs eaten in Asia and the worst to me Frazigu cheese, a rotten cheese with live maggots in it. I will tell you I had a hard time reading this chapter.

I found odd the inclusion of the morel mushroom. Maybe it is because I am from a morel eating region and admit I have joined in on the morel hunting frenzy, but it just doesn't seem to fit in with the bizarre nature of most of the food on this list.

The oddness of the food is clearly a draw to this book, but Marcone also has an ease in the way that he tells the story of his travels and his experiences in each locale. Whether it is getting lost in the Michigan woods or a potential lion attack in Africa these details make the stories come to life.