{"product_id":"9780345536259","title":"The Mushroom Hunters: On the Trail of an Underground America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of Michael Pollan’s \u003ci\u003eThe Omnivore’s Dilemma, \u003c\/i\u003eSusan Orlean’s \u003ci\u003eThe Orchid Thief, \u003c\/i\u003eand Mark Kurlansky’s \u003ci\u003eCod\u003c\/i\u003e—a renowned culinary adventurer goes into the woods with the iconoclasts and outlaws who seek the world’s most coveted ingredient . . . and one of nature’s last truly wild foods: the uncultivated, uncontrollable mushroom.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWithin the dark corners of America’s forests grow culinary treasures. Chefs pay top dollar to showcase these elusive and beguiling ingredients on their menus. Whether dressing up a filet mignon with smoky morels or shaving luxurious white truffles over pasta, the most elegant restaurants across the country now feature an abundance of wild mushrooms.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The mushroom hunters, by contrast, are a rough lot. They live in the wilderness and move with the seasons. Motivated by Gold Rush desires, they haul improbable quantities of fungi from the woods for cash. Langdon Cook embeds himself in this shadowy subculture, reporting from both rural fringes and big-city eateries with the flair of a novelist, uncovering along the way what might be the last gasp of frontier-style capitalism.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Meet Doug, an ex-logger and crabber—now an itinerant mushroom picker trying to pay his bills and stay out of trouble; and Jeremy, a former cook turned wild food entrepreneur, crisscrossing the continent to build a business amid cutthroat competition; their friend Matt, an up-and-coming chef whose kitchen alchemy is turning heads; and the woman who inspires them all.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Rich with the science and lore of edible fungi—from seductive chanterelles to exotic porcini—\u003ci\u003eThe Mushroom Hunters\u003c\/i\u003e is equal parts gonzo travelogue and culinary history lesson, a rollicking, character-driven tour through a world that is by turns secretive, dangerous, and tragically American.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Mushroom Hunters\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e“A rollicking narrative . . . Cook [delivers] vivid and cinematic scenes on every page.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Mushroom Hunters\u003c\/i\u003e lends fresh, sharp illumination to a little-known but vigorously contested patch of gastronomic turf. . . . [It’s an] entertaining ramble through the woods with a group of ragtag characters.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Like Susan Orlean in \u003ci\u003eThe Orchid Thief,\u003c\/i\u003e Seattle author [Langdon] Cook shines a light on a shady subculture operating at the seam between wilderness and commerce. Like author Michael Pollan, he knows that every bite of food these days has a complex, often unsavory backstory. Like the late Hunter Thompson, he not only goes along for the ride with the shifty characters he’s writing about, but drives the getaway car. After reading \u003ci\u003eThe Mushroom Hunters,\u003c\/i\u003e you’ll never look at a portobello the same way. . . . [A] beguiling, surprising book.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Not simply about mushrooms, this book examines human behavior, economics, food, society, and nature. In the end, readers will have learned a great deal about U.S. economic and social structures—all while being entertained and enlightened by stories of gastronomy and mushrooms. Highly recommended.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Intrepid and inspired.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Uncultivated mushrooms are one of our last truly wild foods; it often takes truly wild and rough mushroom hunters to bring them to our table. Cook travels and hunts with them in a riveting, crazy undertaking, told in often-poetic prose.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47012871373040,"sku":"9780345536259","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780345536259_p0.jpg?v=1763688341","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780345536259","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}