Steak and Fish

Sitting in the midst of summer, food is generally a hot topic as cooking becomes more of a regular occasion (grilling out, picnics, etc.). Two books landed on my desk that admittedly made my mouth water, while imagining the business implications likely addressed within.

Mark Schatzker's Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef is less a business book and more an analysis on the differing approaches to raising, preparing, and serving beef between seven countries/regions. While reading, you'll learn a lot about culture, history, and general culinary practice, but within these stories, there's a lot to be said about how industries have taken unique routes within each of these regions. An interesting read, but maybe not for vegetarians...

Paul Greenberg's Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food takes a much more economical view of things, detailing how the ocean has been affected to the point of limiting its fish output, to the rise in urban fisheries, creating a scenario where the future has our children's children never eating a fish that actually came from the ocean. It's not all politics, though. Four Fish is a great case study about how entrepreneurs in different countries are addressing problems of pollution, etc. and creating sustainability in as natural a way as possible. Fascinating stuff, and I'm personally glad to know that tuna and salmon will be coming my way for years to come.

Two great reads for the summer!