Review
WL Rating
A quick word of warning: If you like seafood, this book will likely change your point of view and eating habits. In Bottomfeeder, author Taras Grescoe takes the reader on a wild, and slightly schizophrenic, journey from the horrors of overfishing to the sublime joys of eating perfect seafood. Each chapter in the book turns Grescoe’s sights on a different fish/dish, reveling in the epicurean qualities of a particular dish while simultaneously excoriating the methods used to capture the fish. Grescoe covers an interesting collection of fish including Bluefin Tuna, Oysters, Sardines, Shrimp, Cod, and Shark (the descriptions of shark finning are particularly disturbing). The title captures one of the key points in the book, namely the idea that we humans are eating too high in the marine food chain. By eating the top level predators (who doesn’t love a nice piece of Ahi Tuna by the way), we humans wreak havoc on the ocean’s delicate balance. The result? Imagine a cloudy surfing line-up full of algae, plankton, and jellyfish. Bottomfeeder comes complete with an appendix of the fish to eat, as well as the ones to avoid. While it wasn’t the easiest book to read, I’d be surprised if you could read it without having some sort of change to your diet. (April 2010)
Bottomfeeder - Taras Grescoe
