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How to Feed a Dictator
How to Feed a Dictator: Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Enver Hoxha, Fidel Castro, and Pol Pot Through the Eyes of Their Cooks | Witold Szablowski
9 posts | 3 read | 3 to read
A chilling look from within the kitchen at the appetites of five of the twentieth century's most infamous dictators, by the acclaimed author of Dancing Bears What was Pol Pot eating while two million Cambodians were dying of hunger? Did Idi Amin really eat human flesh? And why was Fidel Castro obsessed with one particular cow? Traveling across four continents, from the ruins of Iraq to the savannahs of Kenya, Witold Szab?owski tracked down the personal chefs of five dictators known for the oppression and massacre of their own citizens: Iraqs Saddam Hussein, Ugandas Idi Amin, Albanias Enver Hoxha, Cubas Fidel Castro, and Cambodias Pol Potand listened to their stories over sweet-and-sour soup, goat-meat pilaf, bottles of rum, and games of gin rummy. Dishy, deliciously readable, and dead serious, How to Feed a Dictator provides a knifes-edge view of what it was like to be behind the scenes at some of the turning points of the last century.
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keithmalek
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Smart idea.

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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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Idi Amin

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keithmalek
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Nope. If it were the only job in the entire country, I would remain unemployed. If Idi Amin gave me the ultimatum of either taking the job or choosing death, I would choose death.

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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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Texreader
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A few going onto my tbr, including the tagged book.

https://lithub.com/20-new-books-publishing-today-for-your-tbr-pile/

BittersweetBooks Ohh some good ones, thanks for sharing! 4y
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blurb
ReadingEnvy
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Books read January 2020 - 30. Starred are five-star reads.

Audiobook: 5
eBook: 14
Print: 11

Borrowed (other than library): 1
Galley: 16
Library: 8
Personal Copy: 5

Goal - Author List: 4
Goal - Middle East 2020: 2
Goal - TBR Explode: 2

MrBook Wow!!!! 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y
britt_brooke Impressive month!! 4y
readordierachel How did you like Mostly Dead Things? I've been very curious about it. 4y
See All 8 Comments
ReadingEnvy @readordierachel I said three stars... Definitely unique but I found it hard to connect to. Taxidermy is central setting and work life, characters are grieving, so it's not as cheerful as the cover might lead you to suspect. But interesting family dynamics and art. 4y
readordierachel Thanks. I'm especially intrigued by the taxidermy element and I'm fine with not cheerful, but the lukewarm responses to it give me pause. Maybe one day it'll call to me from the library. 4y
ReadingEnvy @readordierachel I'd be happy to send you my physical copy if you'd like? The cover is awesome. In the end I listened to the audio. 4y
readordierachel That's so nice of you! If you're sure and it's not a hassle, that would be great. 4y
ReadingEnvy Yeah! Email me with my username at Gmail with your address. I need to mail other stuff so it's good timing. 4y
63 likes8 comments
review
ReadingEnvy
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Mehso-so

This book doesn't come out until the end of April but it hit the spot for a different sort of read (and my first read of the year) connecting the Cambodian novel I finished to my new focus on the Middle East. Pictured is the Iraqi Vice-Chairman cutting himself a slice of Saddam Hussein's giant birthday cake in 2001 (the chef who made it is one of the personal chefs interviewed for this book.) ⤵️

ReadingEnvy "Witold Szablowski tracked down the personal chefs of five dictators known for the oppression and massacre of their own citizens: Iraq‘s Saddam Hussein, Uganda‘s Idi Amin, Albania‘s Enver Hoxha, Cuba‘s Fidel Castro, and Cambodia‘s Pol Pot—and listened to their stories over sweet-and-sour soup, goat-meat pilaf, bottles of rum, and games of gin rummy." ⤵️
4y
ReadingEnvy .
The stories are unnerving sometimes in their details but sometimes because of the perspective of the chef (ranging from fear to mental deterioration to complicity to... love?) It's an interesting combination of politics and food. The author provides considerable context in which to understand the situations involved.
4y
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