About Tastes Summary

This very short chapter details some of the stranger things eaten by humans, including various insects, reptiles, and love philters made of excrement and organs of various animals. Allende references some practices that she has personally witnessed, such as eating snails out of the shells, and selecting sea snakes for a breakfast soup. Allende also discusses practices that she has researched, such as eating live octopus in Samoa and eating live monkeys' brains in China. Allende expresses distaste for such practices and suggests that readers that find them appealing should eat alone and not broadcast their preferences.

About Tastes Analysis

Allende does not spend a lot of time on this topic and readers get the impression from what little is stated that she does not approve of many of the practices outlined in this chapter. The purpose of the chapter, seemingly...