Move over dean koontz, tom parker bowles is here to stay.
[the year of eating dangerously, tom parker bowles]
I was into some voracious reading lately and this book was my companion wherever i went. What made me pick this book from the shelves were the interesting pictures of exotic-looking food at the back of the hardcover. And when i flipped the pages, my interest grew even more as my eyes skimmed down the names of the countries he visited under the content page - elvers, nashville, sicily...etc. And true enough, i was inseparable from it for the next seven days.
The year of eating dangerously is basically a chronicle of the writer's quest for eating authentic food around the globe, brushing aside his prejudices along the way. My favourite sections are his visits to tokyo and sicily.
In the land of the rising sun where the
fugu (pufferfish) meat is prized as a delicacy, the writer conquers his fear of Death in a japanese restaurant. The entire process starting from his first step into the restaurant to the final stage of putting the dreaded meat into his mouth was simply hilarious. Interestingly, the mention of a slight tingling sensation that lingers on the lips when one eats
fugu meat came as something new to me. I have tried the
fugu meat previously and maybe it was due to the fact that it was cooked tempura style, i did not find anything odd about the taste. In fact, when i had my own taste of the
fugu, there wasn't any tingling sensation and there was no thumping of the heart on my part. The
fugu tasted.. pretty normal, bland to be frank. Which came to me as a slight disappointment but nevertheless, the idea of toying with Death was sufficient enough to keep me excited.
The writer's trip to sicily is pretty unique as compared to the other places he has visited because it is not the food that is dangerous, but the people who serves it. Sicily is notoriously known for its housing of the mafia, and it was entertaining to follow the writer's careful steps as he tries to enjoy the food in an environment so volatile that any small spark can trigger off something unpleasant or fatal.
I feel a little sad having to return the book:(
