The Shameless Carnivore: A Manifesto for Meat Lovers

The average American consumes 218.3 pounds of meat every year. But in the face of concerns about Mad Cow disease, dubious industrial feedlot practices, and self-righteous vegetarians, the carnivorous lifestyle has become somewhat déclassé. Now, Scott Gold issues a red-blooded call to arms for the meat-adoring masses to rise up, speak out, and reclaim their pride.

The Shameless Carnivore explores the complexities surrounding the choice to eat meat, as well as its myriad pleasures. Delving into everything from ethical issues to dietary, anthropological and medical findings, Gold answers such probing questions as: Can staying carnivorous be more healthful than going vegetarian? What’s behind the “tastes like chicken” phenomenon? And, of course, what qualities should you look for in a butcher? The author also chronicles his attempt to become the ultimate carnivore by eating thirty-one different meats as well as every part, cut and organ of a cow (including tasty recipes), describes hunting squirrels in Louisiana, and even spends an entire, painstaking week as a vegetarian.

From the critter dinners he relished as a child to his adult forays into exotic game and adventures in the kitchen, Gold writes with an infectious enthusiasm that might just inspire readers to serve a little llama or rattlesnake at their next dinner party. This is the definitive book for meat lovers.