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Award-winning writer Taras Grescoe admits that he has alwaysbeen fascinated by the forbidden. Never one to deny his desires, he set out on aglobal journey, determined to track down the foods and substances that killjoygovernments have often bizarrely prohibited. The result is a spread like noother: an aperitif of hjemmebrent, a powerful Norwegian moonshine; awedge of Époisses, a stinky French cheese that can carry a brain-swellingbacteria; a cup of restorative Bolivian cocaine tea; and a host of legendary andsought-after substances that Grescoe risks health and jail time to dig in to.

Grescoe takes us with him around the world to sample damnedfood, drink and smoke, along the way serving up a unique and irreverent feast ofunsavoury characters and customs. The culmination is a deliciously decadentfull-course meal for those brave enough to lay down a blanket, open the basketand partake of the devil’s picnic.

TARAS GRESCOE is the author of four books, including the bestselling Bottomfeeder, which won the 2008 Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize and the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-fiction. Two other titles, Sacré Blues and The End of Elsewhere, were shortlisted for Writers’ Trust awards. His work has appeared in a great variety of major publications including The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Gourmet, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic, The Times (UK) and The Independent. He lives in Montreal. Visit him online at www.tarasgrescoe.com.

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