Book Review: Fierce Food by Christa Weil. "I laughed. I gagged." - Eddie Lin.

fiercefood
A fine and fierce addition to any library.

About a week ago a book called Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner’s Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright Bizarre found its way to my front door via the US Post. It was a review copy sent to me courtesy of the author Christa Weil. I learned from the very first page that Weil's previous effort, titled Secondhand Chic, is a guidebook to thrift store and yard sale shopping, etc. This fact triggered some skepticism: How could a low-rent Carrie Bradshaw possibly write a book touting the challenges of choking down chapulines and chicken feet? She proves her mettle from chapter one starting with armadillo. Under the word armadillo is the icon of a bomb with its fuse lit; in her book this is shorthand for "Eating may cause pain/disease/death." This bomb is one of several quick-reference icons describing each delicacies particular set of problems like, er, excruciating death. (By the way, eating undercooked armadillo can cause Hansen's disease aka leprosy.) Weil goes on to tackle tarantula, samples scorpion and bites on bark, and she also gets into the abstrusities of the exotic cuisine world, for example, culinary techniques like quaq, an Inuit method of serving food.

Fierce Food is not only a highly informative, well-researched and fascinating read, it is laugh out loud funny. Fiercely funny. It's an uber-smart exotic foods guide with fart jokes (see section on the beyond gassy Jerusalem artichoke), so there's something for everyone!

Anthony Bourdain needs to find this book in his stocking this Christmas. Then all he has to do is go down the Fierce Food list and make his tv show accordingly.

I'd go shopping and noshing with Christa Weil any time! I've barely scratched the surface of exotic cuisine compared to Christa so there's a lot of catching up to do. I'll just need to be sure there are no pesky bomb icons next to my chow.

Comments

Chubbypanda said…
Sweet! Any idea when it'll be out?

Nice publicity more on her part, btw. She'll probably get a few sales out of that one free copy.

- Chubbypanda
Eddie Lin said…
chubby,

it's available on amazon already. not sure if it's at the brick and mortar shops yet.

i hope her book does well. it's very good if you're into that kind of thing. but it's a great reference book that's entertaining as well. but i know you're into that kind of thing :)
Chubbypanda said…
Eddie,

Darn tootin'. I managed to score the only copy at the local Borders. They're holding it for me. Gonna pick it up on my way home.

BTW, I have two cousins going to Columbia. You and I need to meet up and go on a little feeding frenzy the next time I'm in the city to visit them.

- CP
Anonymous said…
Looks like a must-read! Thanks for posting on it I must have missed it somehow.
elmomonster said…
An endorsement from The Deep End Diner himself! Wow. If it made you laugh, *AND* gag, then this must be the tome of all tomes.
Eddie Lin said…
chubby,

cool. you got the book. let me know your opinion. or better yet. review it yourself!

i'm always open to a feeding frenzy.


joanne,

yeah, check it out. great website you have by the way.


elmo,

yes, it's all true. she is excellent. and she is the real deal. i need to step up my game just to keep up with her, eating and writing.
All I know is: you + me + The Prince + Hite + Hot Wings = The greatest mathematical equation of all time...
Eddie Lin said…
brian,

i realize it's an easy mistake to make but deep end dining is not a homo-eros website, so please refrain from the hot, sexy, gay chatter. for god's sake, my dad reads the blog.
Juliet said…
The perfect gift for my numerous friends and relatives who are on diets! Looks like I'll be buying quite a few copies. And one for myself, too. I don't need to lose weight, I just want to read about all the freaky food goodness.
Thanks for telling us about the book.
Eddie Lin said…
hi juliet,

i'm sure christa will be overjoyed to hear about your bulk purchase. i hope you're feeling well nowadays. ciao for now.