There's simply no limit to the sins people will commit for a tasty meal. The Japanese are notorious for their trade in bluefin tuna, while newlyweds in Bangkok, Shanghai and Singapore devour a gelatinous soup made from poached abalone and fins hacked from living sharks. But surely there's no need for you to feel bad about ordering sea bass in a London restaurant? Unless, of course, you consider that you may well be enjoying one of the very last members of the species. And that's before you contemplate the chemicals being pumped into the farmed prawns and salmon that now fill supermarket shelves.
In "Dead Seas" we follow Taras Grescoe on a year-long, round-the-world trip, as he eats his way from the top to the bottom of the food chain with one purpose in mind: to find out whether he can continue to eat such delicacies in good conscience. As well as painting a vivid and often hilarious picture of the fascinating people Taras encounters, "Dead Seas" explores the impact we are having on sea life by overfishing and draws our attention to some of the ethical choices we can make.
At a time when many of the fish we take for granted are on the verge of extinction, we need to face the fact that very soon jellyfish sandwiches may be all that is left for us to eat.
Taras Grescoe is a prize-winning journalist, whose articles have appeared in The Times, the New York Times, the Independent and National Geographic Traveller. He lives in Montreal, Canada, and Bottomfeeder is his fourth book.
Customer Reviews:
Must read!
by Sarah in the United Kingdom (17/03/2012)
This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in the state of our seas, eating ethically or just interested in what we're putting into our bodies... This book is fascinating and informative without lecturing or becoming boring – you won't want to put this book down. It is written by someone who LOVES eating seafood – so there is no preaching, you join Taras on his quest to find seafood that can be eaten with a clear conscience. I wish everyone in the world would read this book!