The other of Hugh's massive food philosophy cookbooks that we own, this one deals solely with meat, which, if you're going organic/local/foodie, is something you're going to have to deal with. When so much of the animal products available in the country are unhealthy and produced in conditions that amount to torture (see Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Kenneth Midkiff's The Meat You Eat), anyone who wants to take control over their food back from industrial "farms" will have to change the way they look at meat, either limiting their consumption of it, purchasing only meat that can be humanely sourced, or giving it up altogether. There's a number of problems with this idea that I won't get into here, but they mainly revolve around class problems in the US and the fact that there simply aren't resources for clean food available in poorer areas.
Anyway! to return from that tangent and get off my soapbox, somewhat, the RC Meat Book makes it impossible to ignore the meat issue. Right in the very first pages is a montage of photographs detailing the slaughter and butchering of one of the author's cows at an abattoir. If you can't handle this, Hugh is saying, this is not the cookbook for you. Indeed, I'd imagine that after reading this manifesto (with recipes!) one would either turn vegetarian or take to their backyard with and air rifle to bag some squirrels and rabbits for the stew pot. I don't own an air rifle, but I admit the idea is tempting. In the meantime, farmers' markets will have to do, and veggies are taking center stage. When I do run across some really great free-range chicken or pork, I'll know which book to turn to for recipes.
544 pp.
No comments:
Post a Comment