The Shameless Carnivore: A Manifesto for Meat Lovers

by Scott Gold

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 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Originally from New Orleans, Scott Gold graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied philosophy and Italian literature in an effort to ensure a toehold in the competitive world of professional unemployment. Deciding having a job was considerably more glamorous than being a derelict (albeit a well-educated one), he attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course, then made his way to New York and around the various corridors of the book publishing world, working variously as a literary agent, a foreign rights manager, and a sales rep. He began the website ShamelessCarnivore.com in late 2005 as a way to explore his true passion for both writing and all things meaty and delicious, which eventually became the basis for this, his first book. When he's not writing about eating steaks, snakes, guinea pigs and squirrels, Scott sings and plays guitar in the eleven-member, Brooklyn-based rock spectacle Bling Kong. He also likes many vegetables.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book angered me, because the concept had some promise, and the author totally butchered (pun intended) what could have been a really interesting read. It's riddled with jokes that aren't funny, disjointed writing, and a general "dude" vibe that was kind of a turn-off to a woman who likes - and is curious to learn more about - meat.

I'd really like to rewrite this book to make it more accessible to people who a) don't appreciate lame jokes, b) don't want to take the word of the National Beef Cattleman's Association about how good eating cow is for you, and c) genuinely want to learn more about responsibly consuming and cooking meat, not reading a weird jumble of stories about meat-eating.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked this book...but I didn't love it. You can have an interesting Idea and if you are not a particularly good writer..it's just not going to do diddly for you.
This would have been a good long Magazine Article,or even a serialized Magazine Article..but there is not enough here for a real book..and a lot of the stuff in here just looks like Filler..as though the Editor said..hey..this is too short,you need to put more in here.

It's a nice book,and it's amusing,but definately not worth a purchase. I wouldn't gift this to anyone either,it's just not something you would keep.

I would only reccomend this to say..Ted Nugent,but then again he probably cannot read.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, fine: it might seem a little unfair to add this one because, well, I wrote it. But I did actually read it (a nauseatingly number of times, in fact), so I think it's an appropriate add, right? Kind of like voting for yourself in an election, I imagine. Sufficed to say, I hope all of you out there will want to read it, and if you do, don't be shy to say what you think!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Gold written a thoroughly entertaining, informative, interesting, and fun book. Quite zealous about meat in general and most food from meat in particular, Scott takes us through a journey of the strange and wonderful meats he east, both delicious (most) and disgusting (few). His accounts of 31 animals in 31 days, the Testicle Festival in Montana, slaughtering a cow and eating each edible part of the cow are all fun to read and informative. He walks the line between being fun and humorous and investigating the philosophical and scientific issues surrounding carnivorism, sometimes falling into a gray gulf somewhere between. I recommend this book for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike as all can learn a thing or two about the cuts of beef, the Tibetan take on eating meat, and the heath issues of eating meat. It made me hungry and want to try some more non-traditional foods! Yay Scott!

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the title, there was a lot of shame and health warnings about eating too much meat, like the author had abundant guilt and worry about his food choices. The health warnings were mostly garbage. Many people eat all or mostly meat and are perfectly healthy. I would have preferred the book focus on the glories of meat instead.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really taken by the concept of this book. What's not to love about someone trying different types of meat and discussing a critical issue for the conscientious omnivore - is it okay to eat meat? I hate to say poorly executed, but that's what it seemed to me.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't entirely know what I was expecting out of The Shameless Carnivore, but it wasn't this. This book is essentially the literary equivalent of one of those mass produced, fast food burgers that Gold holds in such disdain: Far too much of it is filler, with no nutritional value; most of the actual substance is bland; and the handful of actual worthwhile bits are few and far between.

Let's start with the filler, because it's the most egregious problem. If Gold's editor had made him trim the fat, The Shameless Carnivore could've probably been about 100 pages shorter--he spends nearly a page and a half talking about how much he likes turkey sandwiches, for crying out loud. But the worst example (and where I stopped reading) was Chapter 5, wherein he realizes that the dictionary definition of "shameless" holds some negative connotations that he didn't intend. But instead of changing the title to something like, The Proud Carnivore, or The Unapologetic Carnivore, and never writing this entire section, he instead decides to argue with the dictionary about how he feels the word should be used. And the real kicker in this chapter is, and I quote: "That's right: I don't believe that eating meat is inherently wrong." Stop the presses. It's like Gold expects this to be some kind of grand reveal, on page 104 of a bloody book with this title. This is nothing but empty calories.

And if you think the various food-related quips I've used so far are tiresome, then you're going to hate the "humor" Gold injects at every opportunity. Simply put, the guy just isn't funny. From musing about making "yakos" (yak tacos), to him lambasting a vegetarian friend of his about the stomach trouble she had after he convinced her to try kangaroo meat. And I quote: " 'Well,' I told her, 'that's what you get when your body forgets how to digest meat properly. Don't worry--keep eating meat, and you won't have that problem for long, I swear.' " Condescending? Sure. Smug? Sure. But it's the fact that he just kept going after he made his initial point that really illustrates how tone-deaf to humor this guy is. Because I can only assume he was trying to be good naturedly-humorous to his friend, considering how much time he spends claiming to respect the dietary choices of others. He just sucks at it.

And that's really the second major problem I mentioned: the blandness. Much of the book seems focused on Gold embarking on a quest to try a different kind of meat, each day of the month, to fully explore what the animal side of the culinary world has to offer. This could have made for an interesting read, potentially, but all the life is drained out of it by him constantly failing at humor and/or overexplaining his jokes. Far too much of the word count boils down to, "Airplane food? More like airpain food! You see, because it's not very good, and you won't like it."

You may be wondering why I stuck with it for over 100 pages, when it's so lackluster. Well, because every so often, there'll be a nugget of information that's actually interesting or useful. Recipes, passages about food chemistry, historical tidbits about certain animals, or foodstuffs, or terminology...it's just all too brief and spread out. Maybe Gold reins it in in the last two thirds of the book, but with Chapter 5 looking to be entirely superfluous, I don't think I care enough to find out. The truffles are tasty when they show up, but I don't want to dig my nose through any more mud to find them.

[KM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two years on a Paleo/primal diet, and I finally got around to reading this book. It was written well and I found myself laughing out loud at parts; especially the details about the Rocky Mountain Oyster festival in Montana. I also liked how the author made it important to note that carnivores should not be wasting any of the animal, trying new things, and not being a glutton with meat. I did disagree with his stance on genetically altering food, and a random paragraph about statin drugs and how they can be used to control your cholesterol so you can eat however you want. Granted this wasn’t a book about pursuing a healthy lifestyle, but rather an homage to carnivores, however, I still found myself scratching my head at some of the points he made.

[Kara R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Has a few decent recipes, but that's about all it's got going for it. The book could've easily been halved (or even cut to 1/3 the size) and it would've served the same purpose ... in fact, it might have gained a star if that happened.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not so much a manifesto for meat lovers as much as the author's adventures in the land of meat. There is hardly a meat the author doesn't try, including guinea pig (served whole) and snake. He goes squirrel hunting (compare that to the pig hunting of the author of Omnivore's Dilemma), and finds a website that ships exotic meats (www.exoticmeats.com--located in San Antonio!). He even assists in a slaughtering and butchering of a young steer. This man is dedicated to meat.

Like the Ominivore's Dilemma, the author is really all about being aware of what you eat. Why would you ever settle for an inferior piece of meat, he says. Do you even know what that fast food hamburger patty is made of (usually old dairy cows). This book is a good accompaniment to the Omnivore's Dilemma, but is really more of a humorous telling of a man's love of meat.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that revels in all things meat. The book is primarily made up of the description of Gold's attempt to eat 31 different animals in 31 days, his ruminations on the morality of eating meat (oddly enough, he finds it moral), his attempt to eat every single part of the cow, his participation in butchering a cow and even the week he spends as a vegetarian. Gold loves all things meat and meat related, and that love comes through strongly in his writing.

Despite the title, Gold doesn't advocate eating large amounts of meat. Instead, he prefers quality over quantity, and extols the virtues of the local butcher.

While he does occasionally poke fun at vegetarians (rightly so), he doesn't go over the top with it. Though I can't imagine any reason a vegetarian would even crack open the book.

[Yune · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this mildly entertaining, although it's really more a personal recounting of the author's attempts to eat varied types of meat (we're talking about guinea pig, snake, and cow brain here) rather than a genuine discussion about meat, how we raise it, why we eat it. I can't blame Gold for his gusto, but I can't help feeling that there was a lost opportunity here -- he did mention sustainable farming practices and spoke with a Buddhist monk for his take, but everything's secondary to his own carnivorous adventures. These are not uninteresting adventures, but they're after reading some very thoughtful books about food, it just felt...boisterous and shallow. I would've liked some more research to bolster this, a little less "this is how I do things" and a little more "this is how we can do things."

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this hugely entertaining book was a lot like talking to my DH. The author and the meat aficionado with whom I live share the gospel of fat, the way of proper cooking, and the adventure of the organ meats. In other words, there wasn't a lot of new territory covered for me, but the ride was a lot of fun. Perhaps my favorite chapter was the one in which Gold participated in butchering a steer. He touched very nearly on the sacred, and brought tears to my eyes. There's a reverence I've noted in the truly devoted carnivore, and Gold has it in spades. And somehow, he gets from there to the ridiculous bull pizzle chapter which had me wincing and giggling in equal measure. The Testicle Festival write-up was also hilarious.

Recommended for foodies of all persuasions.

[Da277]

Note: I gave up on this book. I hated picking it up every night.

This book is a slow form of torture for me. I am truly struggling to get through it. I picked it up with the thought of trying to understand someone else's point of view. The author seems to enjoy eating everything from kangaroo, guinea pigs, etc. He tries to be humorous but I find it sickening. I love how he touts the health benefits of eating meat. Must have gotten a kickback from some industrial factory farm to write such propaganda. I am still muddling through this book about 2 pages a day. I might just throw this in the recycling bin.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my wife (all the time) and my daughter, for the most part, are vegetarians, I am the shameless carnivore of my family, although, I've always thought of myself as an omnivore. I am shameless about eating meat however, at least as defined in the book. So I feel a great affinity with the author. I also grew up in New Orleans. Maybe there are more commonalities between us. The most appetizing portions of the book are the many adventures the author describes. Although meaty, the book was prepared in a style suggesting that it should be consumed for pleasure and paired with a sense of humor. And it is a preparation I highly recommend. I look forward to a second course.

[Hong · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason why I read this book is yes I am a lover of meats and enjoy trying out different kinds of meats.

This book is a mildly amusing read of one guy who loves meat and goes out to try different types of meats out there. It's filled with small facts and horrible jokes as he goes about the country in attempt to complete his goals. It took quite a bit of effort to keep my attention on the book due to it kinda jumping all over the place in attempt to explain his story and reason to why eating meat is good for you. I feel like it could be a little more detailed or at least a bit more organized.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fun book on the subject of... meat. I was in a store and randomly opened the book to a page where he is describing his quest to find roasted guinea pig. A friend suggests that he go to a pet store and buy one. Although he did not do this, I laughed a lot. I had had similar thoughts about guinea pig a couple of months prior(I didn't do this either).

The writing is pretty good and he does go into some interesting explorations of lesser known meats. However in general, I found it to be less inspiring than I would have liked.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading about Scott Gold's adventures with meat. It was witty and delicious. And I learned a bit about meat -- how different meat products are farmed, the difference between "wild" meats and farmed meats, the relative healthfulness of different meats, and how to best prepare different cuts of beef.

[Jean-claude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Gold eats 31 different animals in a month. He describes his adventures with so much gushing emotion that it is close to food porn. His writing style is very engaging and hooked me in.

I read this book while flying to the west coast and couldn't wait to grab myself a juicy enchilada right after landing. Read with caution.

[Dena Burnett]

Loved it! Very conversational writer, I felt like I was having a full out discussion over beers with Gold. He takes the time to look at as many facets of the desire to eat meat and has made a "shameless carnivore" out of me!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book and it had the potential to be really good ... and would have had there been better editing. Buy it if you find it on the "sale" table and have an interest otherwise don't spend the money.

[Richard]

Blurb: "...Gold writes with an infectious enthusiasm that might just inspire readers to serve a little llama or rattlesnake at their next dinner party."
Llama?!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't wait to make some buffaloaf.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was funny and entertaining.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed my stop on the train when I was reading about pigeon.