Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide (Atlas Obscura)
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- Create Date：2021-09-01 10:19:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Cecily Wong
- ISBN：B08519GCJ5
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Reviews
Lydia Pazienza
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I've been a fan of Atlas and Gastro Obscura for years， and have read many of the entries online for both topics。 I was worried that many of the entries in Gastro Obscura would be repeats of what's online， and was pleasantly surprised that 85% of the entries were new to me！ This book isn't just about looking at gross or weird foods- it's about examining the way that food intersects with culture， how food is affected by capitalism and political upheaval， and the ways people have innovated to have I've been a fan of Atlas and Gastro Obscura for years， and have read many of the entries online for both topics。 I was worried that many of the entries in Gastro Obscura would be repeats of what's online， and was pleasantly surprised that 85% of the entries were new to me！ This book isn't just about looking at gross or weird foods- it's about examining the way that food intersects with culture， how food is affected by capitalism and political upheaval， and the ways people have innovated to have tasty foods in hard times。 I read every entry in this book and learned a lot！ My only qualms is I wish there was more。 Thanks， NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kat
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Well， thanks to Gastro Obscura， my Christmas shopping is done。 This book is informative， entertaining， and at times really disgusting。 It is a must-read for anyone who eats。 It is one of those books that has such fascinating info， the reader must share tidbits with anyone nearby， which can be annoying。 I advise people to buy two copies and read them in sync with a partner， This is one of those books that is better shared while reading。 An absolute blast！
Glennis
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Review PDF expired before I started reviewing this
Jennifer Schultz
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Read if you: Want an addicting， gorgeously designed， and fascinating look into world cuisine and history。 If you love learning about food history and food culture， this is for you。 It's a dizzying collection of amazing tidbits and features about food from all continents。 It's attractively designed so that it's not overwhelmingly busy。 Librarians/booksellers: This is a browser's delight。 A fabulous addition to your culinary collection。 Many thanks to Workman Pub and NetGalley for a digital review Read if you: Want an addicting， gorgeously designed， and fascinating look into world cuisine and history。 If you love learning about food history and food culture， this is for you。 It's a dizzying collection of amazing tidbits and features about food from all continents。 It's attractively designed so that it's not overwhelmingly busy。 Librarians/booksellers: This is a browser's delight。 A fabulous addition to your culinary collection。 Many thanks to Workman Pub and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Andréa
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Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。
Beverly
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Gastro Obscura is just a delightful book for all that is interested in food or food history information， as there is something for everyone here。I enjoyed the format by region and especially liked the sections for the US and was geeked by the Antarctica section which showcased Base Station Cuisine by country。 Each page， country， or region provided me with information that intrigued and informed。 I liked that the book goes beyond what is often the “signature” food/dish of a place， but gave me a b Gastro Obscura is just a delightful book for all that is interested in food or food history information， as there is something for everyone here。I enjoyed the format by region and especially liked the sections for the US and was geeked by the Antarctica section which showcased Base Station Cuisine by country。 Each page， country， or region provided me with information that intrigued and informed。 I liked that the book goes beyond what is often the “signature” food/dish of a place， but gave me a behind scene lesson into lesser known food patterns/habit。 I came away better informed of different cultures and traditions and felt more of a participant of the world。I recommend this book for fans of Atlas Obscura， foodies， trivia fans and curious readers。 And just think of all of the interesting conversations this book will generate if you leave it out on the coffee table for others to browse。I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alina M。
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This has become one of my favourite books。 I loved how it showed different kind of foods that may be weird in some countries but totally normal in others。 I liked the history behind some types of food。 I definitely recommend this book to whoever is interested in food， traveling and a bit of history of food。
Lisa of Hopewell
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I learned of this book here: https://lydiaschoch。com/top-ten-tuesd。。。 I learned of this book here: https://lydiaschoch。com/top-ten-tuesd。。。 。。。more
June
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Gastro Obscura explores the world through what it eats， and sometimes， what it shouldn't eat。 The book is divided up by location， with lots of illustrations， captions， and sidebars， and most stories take no more than a page or two to tell， so it can be read piecemeal （sorry） or cover to cover。 Regular readers of Atlas Obscura， Mental Floss， and other such sites will know some of these stories， but there is still plenty to learn and digest （sorry again）。 My one wish would be for more citations an Gastro Obscura explores the world through what it eats， and sometimes， what it shouldn't eat。 The book is divided up by location， with lots of illustrations， captions， and sidebars， and most stories take no more than a page or two to tell， so it can be read piecemeal （sorry） or cover to cover。 Regular readers of Atlas Obscura， Mental Floss， and other such sites will know some of these stories， but there is still plenty to learn and digest （sorry again）。 My one wish would be for more citations and/or an index to learn more about certain sections。Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more
❀●○●○Ashley○●○●❀
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Thank you to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for sending me a copy to review。 This was full of delightful and sometimes strange facts and tidbits of history about food from all around the world。Full review to come closer to the release date。
Kristin C
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Atlas Obscura has long been one of my top go-to books whenever I plan a trip。 So when I discovered Gastro Obscura， I shrieked with excitement！ Chock full of odd eats， historical anecdotes， plotted maps， culinary musings and fantastical festivals both near and far， this glorious encyclopedia of eats will whet the appetite of any food-loving， globe-trotting， intrepid adventurer in your life。 This book is beautifully designed， intelligently organized and richly illustrated。 I can't wait for it hit Atlas Obscura has long been one of my top go-to books whenever I plan a trip。 So when I discovered Gastro Obscura， I shrieked with excitement！ Chock full of odd eats， historical anecdotes， plotted maps， culinary musings and fantastical festivals both near and far， this glorious encyclopedia of eats will whet the appetite of any food-loving， globe-trotting， intrepid adventurer in your life。 This book is beautifully designed， intelligently organized and richly illustrated。 I can't wait for it hit the shelves！ 。。。more
Leah
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Like most Atlas Obscura books there is a lot of information packed into this book。 But my family loves it。 I like how it is split up regionally and there is great historical and current information。 The pictures are beautiful。 And the article/sections are perfect to read 1 or 2 with the family a day while letting everyone take turns with their favorite country。Currently I have a digital version。 I am looking forward to being able to buy a physical copy。*I received a copy of this book from NetGal Like most Atlas Obscura books there is a lot of information packed into this book。 But my family loves it。 I like how it is split up regionally and there is great historical and current information。 The pictures are beautiful。 And the article/sections are perfect to read 1 or 2 with the family a day while letting everyone take turns with their favorite country。Currently I have a digital version。 I am looking forward to being able to buy a physical copy。*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review。 。。。more
Violet Laflamme
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I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。What I liked:This book had basically everything I was expecting！ There were foods I had never heard of， great photography and illustrations throughout， and enough information with every entry that if anything took my fancy more than a little it was easy enough to track down more information。 I also really appreciated the sections that were about a phenomenon rather than one specific food， like certain places to find a I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。What I liked:This book had basically everything I was expecting！ There were foods I had never heard of， great photography and illustrations throughout， and enough information with every entry that if anything took my fancy more than a little it was easy enough to track down more information。 I also really appreciated the sections that were about a phenomenon rather than one specific food， like certain places to find a type of restaurant， for example。What I didn't like:Always hard to find things I didn't like about a 5* book， but if I had to pick something it would be that I wish some of the entries that were clearly dealing with famous widely available regional foods had listed more than one restaurant in the "how to try" area。 However， being pointed at a specific place as an especially good example of something never hurts either。Overall:If you're interested in food or food history， this is a great book。 It doesn't go into depth on any one food， choosing to instead cover a vast number of dishes across the entire world。 Its strength is as an introduction to what is out there， or as a great coffee table book due to the colourful pictures throughout and short entries 。。。more
Manda
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Gastro Obscura， like Atlas Obscura before it， is the adult version of the BrainQuest trivia decks held together by a plastic rivet I grew up on。 Gastro Obscura covers interesting and little-known food facts from around the globe。 The organization is wonderful - first broken down by geographic region， then country。 Columns contain the corresponding photo and make reading each section smooth。 There was info about everything from blood being added to Soviet-era snakcs for kids to a detective bar in Gastro Obscura， like Atlas Obscura before it， is the adult version of the BrainQuest trivia decks held together by a plastic rivet I grew up on。 Gastro Obscura covers interesting and little-known food facts from around the globe。 The organization is wonderful - first broken down by geographic region， then country。 Columns contain the corresponding photo and make reading each section smooth。 There was info about everything from blood being added to Soviet-era snakcs for kids to a detective bar in Japan。 I got a digital ARC from NetGalley and a lot of formatting was there， but photos and captions were not。 The pandemic lockdowns delayed the final touches and pushed back the publication， which worked out well for me as I got a copy regardless。 I can't wait to see the finished product。 。。。more
Rebecca
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For Atlas Obscura fans and foodies alike， this book is a fun， slightly shocking， and engaging read。
Leith Devine
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When I saw this book I was excited to read it。 I get a weekly newsletter from them that gives 5-8 facts every time， and I always discover new facts about interesting/historical food and how people prepared and ate them。 I'm going to buy this book， it would be fun to be able to refer to it occasionally。 It's a very educational book！Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the ARC of this book。 All opinions are my own。 When I saw this book I was excited to read it。 I get a weekly newsletter from them that gives 5-8 facts every time， and I always discover new facts about interesting/historical food and how people prepared and ate them。 I'm going to buy this book， it would be fun to be able to refer to it occasionally。 It's a very educational book！Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the ARC of this book。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Annie
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To be published on my blog at release: Nonstop Reader。 Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide is a fascinating survey of facts， factoids， tidbits， and culinary world history curated and presented by Dylan Thuras and Cecily Wong。 Due out 28th Sept 2021 from Workman Publishing， it's 448 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats。The layout is arranged with chapters grouped by geographical location: Europe， Asia， Africa， Oceania， Canada， the USA， Latin America， and Antarctica。 To be published on my blog at release: Nonstop Reader。 Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide is a fascinating survey of facts， factoids， tidbits， and culinary world history curated and presented by Dylan Thuras and Cecily Wong。 Due out 28th Sept 2021 from Workman Publishing， it's 448 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats。The layout is arranged with chapters grouped by geographical location: Europe， Asia， Africa， Oceania， Canada， the USA， Latin America， and Antarctica。 Each of the chapters is further divided by country/region。 The entries run the gamut from curiosities and weird local tourist destinations to profoundly strange cuisine （casu marzu is peccorino cheese intentionally exposed to the eggs/maggots of the cheese fly - mostly banned these days because of the rare potential for intestinal infestation in humans by the maggots of P。 casei）。 The book is full of photos and interesting sidebars with "How to try it" for many of the entries。 The local delicacies and tourist spots are specified in the text。 Really adventurous readers could certainly plan outings or even travel holidays around the entries in this encyclopedic volume。 Five stars。 I can't imagine how much work and reference checking went into the writing of this book。Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
kepz_lovesreading
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Gastro Obscura is a book written by the team behind Atlas Obscura。 It's a trip around the globe of the weird and not so weird things that are eaten around the world and where you can find them。 This book isnt published for another year in September 2021 so the eARC I received definitely still needs work with photos and captions and I had blank pages in my download。 I enjoyed this book immensely because I myself travel the world and have eaten many of the delights in this book。 It's definitely a Gastro Obscura is a book written by the team behind Atlas Obscura。 It's a trip around the globe of the weird and not so weird things that are eaten around the world and where you can find them。 This book isnt published for another year in September 2021 so the eARC I received definitely still needs work with photos and captions and I had blank pages in my download。 I enjoyed this book immensely because I myself travel the world and have eaten many of the delights in this book。 It's definitely a book suited for any globe trotting foodie。 Thanks to Netgalley。com and Workman Publishing Company。 。。。more
Lisa
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Gastro Obscura is a compilation of fascinating， offbeat， and just plain weird tidbits about food。 It's broken down by region， so you can pick a location that interests you and read up on some of their food traditions and techniques， or you can just go straight through the book for the world tour。I enjoyed the heck out of this book！ I learned so many things about food and its accoutrements。 I never knew what a pickle castor was， much less that I needed one in my life。 And who doesn't enjoy learni Gastro Obscura is a compilation of fascinating， offbeat， and just plain weird tidbits about food。 It's broken down by region， so you can pick a location that interests you and read up on some of their food traditions and techniques， or you can just go straight through the book for the world tour。I enjoyed the heck out of this book！ I learned so many things about food and its accoutrements。 I never knew what a pickle castor was， much less that I needed one in my life。 And who doesn't enjoy learning about things like the magical cheese-making cave or a museum/gallery with art made from salt-cured bacon fat？ This book is filled with little gems of culinary information， with history and travel lore sprinkled in。 It's an adventure from the comfort of your favorite reading chair。Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing for the delightful reading experience！ 。。。more
Daphne Manning
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I wish I could put into words the delight this book should bring。 It is infectious and you can tell the authors are truly committed to their craft。 In this tome we are invited along to exciting tidbits of life on the road and the endless adventures there。。Here you never know what awaits you。 I could not stop reading every moment opened your eyes to a new take on eating and every plate offers a great backstory。 If you have culinary acolytes here is the holiday gift done and dusted。 Happy reading
April Gray
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So， the good news is this is a really cool and interesting book that foodies and/or world travelers are going to love。 The bad news is， it looks like it's not coming out until September 2021。 Still， that'll be in time for Christmas more than a year from now， so yay？This is an interesting book to thumb through even if traveling isn't really a thing right now （at least， not if you're from the U。S。- nobody wants us， and I can't say I blame them）。 The book is broken up into regions， even including A So， the good news is this is a really cool and interesting book that foodies and/or world travelers are going to love。 The bad news is， it looks like it's not coming out until September 2021。 Still， that'll be in time for Christmas more than a year from now， so yay？This is an interesting book to thumb through even if traveling isn't really a thing right now （at least， not if you're from the U。S。- nobody wants us， and I can't say I blame them）。 The book is broken up into regions， even including Antarctica， and my， don't we humans eat some interesting things！ Learning the history behind these foods made it even more interesting， and seriously， I wish I could visit so many of these places to try out the local fare。 Some of the places are no longer in existence， which is sad， but makes this an informative read for food historians as well。 I look forward to seeing this book in the flesh， so to speak， when it does come out- the e-book version I was given to review was well put together， with lots of photos and ephemera related to the various foods covered， and I'm sure it will be even more impressive in person。#GastroObscura #NetGalley 。。。more
Elisa
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This is fun！ This is a compilation of articles that have appeared on the Gastro Obscura website。 It's not something you read cover to cover but something you pick up and jump around。 It's laid out geographically so you can take a trip around the world and read about unusual foods or noteworthy restaurants specific to a certain region。 You and your stomach can travel， without leaving quarantine。 This is fun！ This is a compilation of articles that have appeared on the Gastro Obscura website。 It's not something you read cover to cover but something you pick up and jump around。 It's laid out geographically so you can take a trip around the world and read about unusual foods or noteworthy restaurants specific to a certain region。 You and your stomach can travel， without leaving quarantine。 。。。more
Ann
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This is a book for people who relish little-known history about little-known foods and out-of-the-way places。 It's not called Gastro *Obscura* for nothing。 This is a book to dip in and out of， not so much for devouring in a single sitting。 Color photos and drawings provide enticing illustrations， and a "how to try it" feature lets people know how to give the weird and/or new-to-you foods a go。 This is a book for foodies and armchair travelers （aren't we all that right now？）， and an excellent vol This is a book for people who relish little-known history about little-known foods and out-of-the-way places。 It's not called Gastro *Obscura* for nothing。 This is a book to dip in and out of， not so much for devouring in a single sitting。 Color photos and drawings provide enticing illustrations， and a "how to try it" feature lets people know how to give the weird and/or new-to-you foods a go。 This is a book for foodies and armchair travelers （aren't we all that right now？）， and an excellent volume to nibble at， whetting our appetites for curiosity and wonder。[I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley; this is my honest and voluntary review。] 。。。more
Crystal
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As a “foodie” I was intrigued with this book when I saw it on NetGalley。 Our family loves to watch food bloggers on YouTube and the weirder the better。 Now I do need to let you know that this is NOT just a cookbook。 This is a world food adventure you can go on right from the comfort of your favorite chair。 There’s loads of images and sketches of the different dishes with the history behind it。 You can flip around， go to the countries you want to see first， or do what I did and just start at the As a “foodie” I was intrigued with this book when I saw it on NetGalley。 Our family loves to watch food bloggers on YouTube and the weirder the better。 Now I do need to let you know that this is NOT just a cookbook。 This is a world food adventure you can go on right from the comfort of your favorite chair。 There’s loads of images and sketches of the different dishes with the history behind it。 You can flip around， go to the countries you want to see first， or do what I did and just start at the beginning and slowly wend my way through the different countries， locales， and specialties。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think it would be a perfect fit for people who love to learn about where dishes originated from， those who love weird history， and those who love food。 I really have to take a moment and tell you how impressed I am with all of the time， effort， and research that had to happen for this book to come about。 Kudos to everyone involved。 Y’all did an amazing job！**I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Mellissa Bushby
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How bizarre people are！ It never ceases to amaze me what they get up， and even more so， what they are prepared to put in their mouths。 This book is quite a revelation， from Stargazy Pie （fish heads stuck into a pastry crust） to bouncing meatballs and coffee or avo on toast while reclining at what was once a Victorian urinal。 Possibly my favourite was the fact that runners in the early 1900s were given glasses of bubbly laced with strychnine as performance enhancers， or energy drinks if you will。 How bizarre people are！ It never ceases to amaze me what they get up， and even more so， what they are prepared to put in their mouths。 This book is quite a revelation， from Stargazy Pie （fish heads stuck into a pastry crust） to bouncing meatballs and coffee or avo on toast while reclining at what was once a Victorian urinal。 Possibly my favourite was the fact that runners in the early 1900s were given glasses of bubbly laced with strychnine as performance enhancers， or energy drinks if you will。 There were， predictably， quite a few really 'ugh' moments along with a few shockers， but all in all an entertaining read。 Many thanks to Net Galley， Workman Publishing Company and Cecily Wong; Dylan Thuras; Atlas Obscura for my ARC。 。。。more
Elaine Howlin
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This book was utterly fascinating！ It's full of easy to read foodie facts， stunning photos and even the odd recipe。 Some of the foods showcased look quite tasty but others are repulsive but still pretty interesting。A wonderful addition to a foodie or world traveller's coffee table。 This book was utterly fascinating！ It's full of easy to read foodie facts， stunning photos and even the odd recipe。 Some of the foods showcased look quite tasty but others are repulsive but still pretty interesting。A wonderful addition to a foodie or world traveller's coffee table。 。。。more
Josephine
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Wonderful book full of beautiful images and fascinating facts about the two best things in the world - food and drink！ Can't wait to buy this as a gift。 Wonderful book full of beautiful images and fascinating facts about the two best things in the world - food and drink！ Can't wait to buy this as a gift。 。。。more
Kate TerHaar
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Fascinating book of food from around the world， food customs， celebrations and even a few recipes。 Want to know about unicorn horn poison detectors？ How about a recipe for Finnish mustard？ And let's not forget about stuffed camel spleen。Interesting facts presented in a very readable format with lots of photo illustrations。 Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review Fascinating book of food from around the world， food customs， celebrations and even a few recipes。 Want to know about unicorn horn poison detectors？ How about a recipe for Finnish mustard？ And let's not forget about stuffed camel spleen。Interesting facts presented in a very readable format with lots of photo illustrations。 Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review 。。。more
Angela Natividad
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I thought this would be a cookbook of obscurities。 Sometimes it is （you will find， for example， a recipe for the South African milk tart）， but it is also more。 Gastro Obscura is a vast collection of strange food products， like New Zealand's Gunpowder Rum， or a Canadian soap-flavoured gum called Thrills。 But it also contains a diversity of food customs and tastes: The Eastern European origins of Montreal Steak Spice are explained in colourful detail， and the whole is peppered with fascinating sto I thought this would be a cookbook of obscurities。 Sometimes it is （you will find， for example， a recipe for the South African milk tart）， but it is also more。 Gastro Obscura is a vast collection of strange food products， like New Zealand's Gunpowder Rum， or a Canadian soap-flavoured gum called Thrills。 But it also contains a diversity of food customs and tastes: The Eastern European origins of Montreal Steak Spice are explained in colourful detail， and the whole is peppered with fascinating stories and anecdotes， including a Canadian maple syrup heist， and a primer on the blossoming mycology scene in Oregon。 I liked learning how food is used in Hollywood post-production—in Titanic， the sound of Rose’s ice-covered hair breaking， as she clings to her life-saving plank， is achieved with frozen lettuce—and discovering Fool’s Gold， a sandwich that stole Elvis’s heart （it’s composed of a whole jar of peanut butter， a jar of blueberry jam， and a pound of bacon in hollowed-out bread， and costs $49。95）。Even casual foodies will enjoy this volume， which makes an interesting companion to the standard Atlas Obscura。 But everyday students of people will find all kinds of joy here， too， particularly those who can’t travel right now and thirst for the weird wonder being lost in a new place affords。 The odd person may even find a passion， whether it’s mushrooms， or where to attend world’s only hot pepper school。Thanks to #NetGalley and Workman Publishing for an advance glimpse of this nifty volume！ 。。。more
Krystelle Fitzpatrick
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