Killing It
A Memoir of Love, Life, Death and Dinner
Published on 11. July 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-5098-1102-1 (ISBN)
Description
'Killing It combines three popular, profound topics: where our food comes from, how to achieve purpose in life and how to find lasting love' - Sunday Times
After a career spent writing about food, Camas Davis came to a realization: she had never forced herself to grapple with how it actually got to her plate. Out of love with her life and with the world she found herself in, she knew she had to make a change.
And so she set off for France. There, in the rolling countryside of Gascony, she would learn the art of butchery, and with it the art of eating and drinking well. Surrounded by farmers, producers, cooks and food-lovers, eating some of the world's least processed and most lovingly made food, Camas discovered the very authenticity she'd longed for in her old life. She just needed to return to America, and bring what she'd learnt back with her . . .
Killing It is the story of one woman's quest to understand what it means to be human and what it means to be animal too.
After a career spent writing about food, Camas Davis came to a realization: she had never forced herself to grapple with how it actually got to her plate. Out of love with her life and with the world she found herself in, she knew she had to make a change.
And so she set off for France. There, in the rolling countryside of Gascony, she would learn the art of butchery, and with it the art of eating and drinking well. Surrounded by farmers, producers, cooks and food-lovers, eating some of the world's least processed and most lovingly made food, Camas discovered the very authenticity she'd longed for in her old life. She just needed to return to America, and bring what she'd learnt back with her . . .
Killing It is the story of one woman's quest to understand what it means to be human and what it means to be animal too.
Reviews / Votes
A brave book . . . I was reminded of Elizabeth David . . . very original * The Times * Killing It combines three popular, profound topics: where our food comes from, how to achieve purpose in life and how to find lasting love * Sunday Times * Camas Davis kills it indeed, gracefully and unpretentiously blending personal and universal, meat and flesh. If you're a carnivore, or even just wonder how others can be, you'll want to devour this well-crafted, engrossing account -- Colman Andrews, author of <i>Catalan Cuisine</i> Davis writes with the precision and pacing of a former editor, but one who has gained experience that extends well beyond Manhattan skyscrapers * Vogue.com * Killing It is as unflinching as one might imagine a book with that title to be, but it's also humanizing and thoughtful - with the butchery comes a journey of self-realization applicable far beyond the realm of animals or food. * Vanity Fair * Finding beauty and moral high ground in the abattoir . . . The making of a young female entrepreneur rendered in unvarnished detail * Kirkus * Whatever one's position on the meat politics spectrum, this book is an excellent testament to just how hard it is to push through to the magic kingdom of one's 'dream', and that anyone contemplating such a move is going to need adjectives like 'passionate' as a minimum requirement * Strong Words * Even if you don't have meat-butchering ambitions (or care for beef all that much), you'll enjoy going along with Camas on her journey into a totally new world * Bon Appetit * Killing It is both a sensual and sensitive ode to the necessity of lifelong learning and a deep look into the painstaking work of turning animals into 'farm to table' food that is simultaneously highly prized and depressingly devalued in U.S. culture * Salon * With grace and power, first-time author Davis tells of how she traded a keyboard for a cleaver . . . Her powerful writing and gift for vivid description allow readers to feel as if they, too, are embarking on a life-changing journey * Publishers Weekly *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
252 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5098-1102-1 (9781509811021)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Camas Davis is a former editor and writer for magazines including Saveur and National Geographic Adventure. In 2009, she traveled to southwest France to study whole animal butchery and charcuterie and subsequently founded the Portland Meat Collective, a transparent, hands-on meat school that has become a resource for education and reform. In 2014, Camas launched the Good Meat Project, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring responsible meat production and consumption through experiential education across the USA.