Good to Eat - Hardcover

Harris, Marvin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671503669 ISBN 13: 9780671503666

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1986

Synopsis

The anthropologist/author takes on some of the major food riddles, including cannibalism, to reveal why a culture accepts or spurns specific foods

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"This book offers a lively anthropological engagement of dietary habits and food cultures. Broad in scope and sensitive in its analytic insight, Harris' work is an accessible piece of work for anyone curious to learn more about why people choose to eat differently and how food has cultural connections on a myriad of levels." -- Eve Bratman, American University

From Publishers Weekly:

Author of Cannibals and Kings and other notable studies, anthropologist Harris here presents his findings on the "puzzling eating habits" of humans. Drawing from his research on a wide range of ancient and modern societies, he offers his theories of the effects that religious laws and customs have had on cultural attitudes toward foods. There are chapters on the approved and the forbidden: beef, horsemeat and the flesh of other animals, including humans, fish, insects. Harris documents his provocative views on regulations governing comestibles in various cultures. For instance, he concludes that swineherding was impractical for nomadic desert dwellers, hence pork became taboo not because pigs were unclean but because they needed too much care. As for taste preferences, Harris notes that "good to eat" translates as "good to sell" in profit-conscious countries like the U.S. Macmillan Book Club selection; Library of Science and Natural Science alternate; foreign rights: Marcella Berger, S & S. January 8
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0671503669
• ISBN 13: 9780671503666
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 289