Customer Reviews

The Shameless Carnivore: A Manifesto for Meat Lovers

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mr. Gold written a thoroughly entertaining, informative, interesting, and fun book. Quite zealous about meat in general and most food from meat in particular, Scott takes us through a journey of the strange and wonderful meats he east, both delicious (most) and disgusting (few). His accounts of 31 animals in 31 days, the Testicle Festival in Montana, slaughtering a cow and eating each edible part of the cow are all fun to read and informative. He walks the line between being fun and humorous and investigating the philosophical and scientific issues surrounding carnivorism. I recommend this book for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike as all can learn a thing or two about the cuts of beef, the Tibetan take on eating meat, and the heath issues of eating meat. It made me hungry and want to try some more non-traditional foods!

Being from New Orleans also, I derived a certain amount of satisfaction from the Scott's accurate depictions of some of my favorite haunts. Although Port of Call did not make the final publication, there's certainly an honorable mention in the blog. And he was right on the money with Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (it's true that all a good-quality steak really needs is salt, pepper and butter) and Brightsen's.

If I were to mix media and compare Scott to other food writers/personalities, I'd say that he's the unholy love-child of Alton Brown and Anthony Bourdain. His gastronomic adventures are fast approaching Anthony's without the benefit of having traveled to Cambodia and Sub-saharan Africa, and his educational lessons are peppered with funny anecdotes that keep the reader's interest. What keeps Scott's stories fresh and vibrant is his lack of professional experience in the kitchen. Setting out to cook something you've prepared a hundred times in the past isn't nearly as interesting as experimenting and living with the results -- excellent, or merely mediocre.

Of notable worth is the tale of the guinea pig dinner and the open letter to PETA. When Scott calls them out for the hypocrites they are, it makes you realize that the time of the carnivores is at hand. Meat is NOT murder, and it sure is tasty!

At the outset, I had mixed emotions about meat eating. Not only have I questioned the merits of meat-eating, but also the agro-industrial complex that produces our USDA Prime. I was happy to see that Gold has the same questions as I do and addresses them in this book. A crucial and highly pivotal moment of the book occurs when Gold shares a story about his brother, a devout Buddhist, living on a monastery. Gold goes to the root of ancient wisdom and give the reader a lot to chew on. Mr. Gold is a funny writer, but the book goes beyond hoopla to critically examine what has happened to our meat supply as a result our of uncontrollable carnivorism and most importantly, how a reverence for life and the animals we eat will result in better lives for all involved.

As an avid chili fan, I need meat, and I love food writing- anything from the perfect prose of A.J. Liebling to Michael Pollan's (often unrealistic) findings, to Barry Glassner's sensible advice. This addition to the food-lit canon is funny, informative, and adventurous. Such a fun time reading this, and I think we need a book that celebrates the guilt-free glutton. There's way too many brilliant meat dishes out there. Americans over-intellectualize their food, when they should be out enjoying the possibilities!

I thought this book was very informative while not taking itself too seriously. A lot of "food for thought" in its points about not succumbing to gluttony nor to extremist tactics such as giving up all meat in efforts to remain healthy (extremist tactics rarely work for anything!). Even while explaining why we should know where our meat comes from, and being basically a love letter to meat of all kinds (except bull penis; apparently that is just too tough to swallow, no pun intended), it remains a fun and light hearted read. Honestly, I actually decided to cut way back on my (what I thought was fairly normal!) meat consumption; Mr. Gold points out all too reasonably that eating fantastic meat less often is better than eating mediocre meat daily. I concur.

In response to the "Shameless Disappointment" reviewer, is all food writing now supposed to imitate Michael Pollan? As a food writer and blogger (who happens to know the author, so there's that), I'd hate to be compared with just one other author, especially if he/she is widely renowned (deservedly, in Pollan's case). It's like, yeah, this novel is good, but it's no Joyce. Plus, The Shameless Carnivore has a completely different angle and voice than anything by Pollan, or anything else yet, and the world of discourse on food and meat is all the better for it. If you're looking for literary mimicry, try writing books yourself instead of useless Amazon reviews.

I eat less meat than average and formerly stuck with the "healthy" meats like chicken or fish, but my vegetarian sister must consider me a savage carnivore because she suggested this book as a tease. The joke is on her, however, because after a quick easy read I'm much better equipped than before to appreciate the finer aspects of meat and I have at least a dozen new ones on my to-try list. The best qualities:

It's funny. I'm a sucker for puns, he had me at Buffaloaf.

It's sincere. The author's enthusiasm for food in general and meat in particular is contagious. Like I said I'm not particularly carnivorous, but I found myself feeling hungry every time I picked it up. I suggest you read this with a grill ready to go and access to some quality cuts.

It's informative. Before reading this book my relationship with meat was probably exactly average for an American, in that I only thought of it when I had a craving and didn't consider any nuances of exactly what I was putting in my body. Put it this way - I've eaten more than one hot dog in the last 6 months. It takes a while to break bad habits, but now I know how and where to look for chicken with actual flavor, steak that won't feel like a brick in my gut, and that long list of meats new to me.

Criticisms: I could've used less of the omnivore vs. vegetarian discussion. It's a good topic, but I think you pick up this book to read about meat, and that's where the author's strengths lie. No big deal, I just skimmed chapter 2.

This book would make a great gift for anyone who eats meat - they'll probably come away with a healthier approach to carnivorating and they'll certainly be better informed. I passed my copy on to my father, further foiling my sister's well-intentioned jab. Sorry, sis.

I knew (and half hoped) that there would be some kind of backlash against Scott's book when it finally came out, and yet I am disappointed that one such person would take it upon themselves to write a fallacious and misrepresentative review simply because no one really had yet and there was the chance to hurt his customer rating. In the interest of full disclosure, I will start with this: I am friends with the author and participated in many of the gastronomic events described in the book, and am even quoted in a few passages. I was vegetarian for six years and met Scott while he was in the midst of his intensive research. Of course, we butted heads a few times over what became the chapter "Are vegetarians the enemy?"

My first reaction was impassioned. Indeed, what is more enemizing than others who would hassle me about my deep abiding love of tofu (which continues to this day even though I am no longer vegetarian), or the passive-aggressive volunteering of apology at barbecues for chowing down on burgers as I turn over my portobello mushroom cap on the grill. I was annoyed that the shrill, one-note braying of organizations like PETA would be lumped in somehow with my decision not to eat meat, when in fact PETA and ethics had nothing to do with it.

But you know what? What interested Scott about these sometimes heated debates was not forcing his carnivorous beliefs upon me (that would be anathema to the Shameless Carnivore manifesto, after all), but rather getting an accurate picture of how the other half lives. I thought he was being an obnoxious older brother-type at the time, but now that I've read how he handled it in the greater scheme of things, I'm really quite proud of him. He did his homework well, reported it faithfully, and his argument is that much stronger for it.

As for the writing itself, I found myself unable to suppress chuckles that Scott's literary voice is nearly identical to his actual one, horrible puns and all, and I am happy to see him so gleefully recount his research. I was totally grossed out by the partridge that required...uh..."additional preparation," not to mention what he describes as that impulse to chase screaming girls around the playground with a fistfull of worms, but when I think about it, it fits right in with the whole premise of the book. It is shameless in the most literal sense. He has a great time with it, and it shows in his writing.

Oh, and PETA made me want to eat bacon. So I did. It was delicious.

With tons of "foodie" books being published every day I was initially skeptical of Gold's culinary know-how and unbiased opinions, but after reading the first few chapters I had to rethink my judgment. "The Shameless Carnivore" is not only an almost encyclopedical point of reference on the subject of meat, it's origins & the process from producer to the table; it also is a down to earth look at the cultural side of the eating habits of this and other countries. It really opens your eyes on the various meat-myths and the "vegetarian guerrilla" that sometimes ensue between the two eater factions: pro and against meat. It doesn't condone the culture of overeating or the bad habits of junk food only because they claim to contain the animal proteins that we genetically crave, but it almost teaches you the carnivore bon ton, for which we all should aim to display proudly.
It doesn't hurt at all that the book itself is written in a friendly, down to earth fashion and between a very useful recipe and an interesting notation can make you laugh even if at yourself or your manias.
Being a chef myself I'm relieved to see that the fine art of cooking and eating well finds a new ally in Gold's book and blog. Bravo!

After reading many books on the subject of eating "local" and being aware of where our food comes from, I thought this book was a welcome addition to the conversation. It is clear from the start that this isn't solely a pro-meat book, even though the author obviously is enthusiastic about the stuff, but it's a statement on being aware of where your meat comes from and being responsible about the act of eating meat.

The author talks about buying from a butcher you can rely on, and experimenting with types of meat you might find strange at first, but that can be very tasty as well as healthy. I learned more about cuts of beef than I ever thought I cared to, and I'm glad I did. Reading it after a book like "The Omnivore's Dilemma" really rounds out an education on where our food comes from and what we can do to be more responsible in our eating.