Aug 4, 2011 (All Things Considered) — Few things are creepier than the idea of eating another person -- even in extreme circumstances. Author Mitchell Zuckoff recommends these three stories where humans are the main course, whether on account of tribal ritual, or of extreme desperation.
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Three Juicy Tales Of The Ultimate Food Taboo
by Mitchell Zuckoff
Aug 4, 2011 (All Things Considered) — Few things are creepier than the idea of eating another person -- even in extreme circumstances. Author Mitchell Zuckoff recommends these three stories where humans are the main course, whether on account of tribal ritual, or of extreme desperation.For starters, let's dispense with the cheap jokes about cannibalism. That means cracks about giving an arm and a leg (sorry) for a good book on the subject, or similar tasteless (sorry again) attempts to make the subject more palatable (last one). The fact is, the gags (really the last one, I promise) that pop up when discussions turn to the consumption of human flesh are defense mechanisms against the train-wreck fascination we have for the subject. When we move beyond the one-liners, though, nonfiction accounts of cannibalism provide a window into the farthest reaches of human nature, from desperate bids for survival to significant — and yes, disturbing — practices of lost cultures.
I came to this topic through a book I was writing about two cultures, one modern, one prehistoric, that stumbled on each other in the most remote part of New Guinea. When I learned that cannibalism was part of the story, and that my research would put me in contact with ex-cannibals, let's just say it whetted my appetite (I lied).
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