Gulp

My husband and I have a Friday night tradition: we never cook.  After a long week of work, we mostly order take-out, and pizza is a frequent choice.  We used to sit on the couch and eat while we watched a rental video.  That is, until the night many years ago when we rented RoboCop starring Peter Weller.  The movie was so fraught with gore that we had to put down our slices of pizza.  From that moment on, we rated things we watched or read that induced a similar "ick" factor as "not pizza material".  And much as I loved Mary Roach's latest venture into science Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal (#284), I would definitely have to give it a "not pizza material" rating.  Some of it is just too gross to read about while eating, but with Mary's typical treatment of the fascinating facts she includes here, you also run a strong risk of experiencing nasal regurgitation.  In other words, you could find yourself laughing so hard that whatever you're eating or drinking spurts out your nose.  (Her footnotes are especially deadly in this regard!)  And thanks for giving me the precise scientific term to describe this particular phenomenon, Mary.

I don't want to sound as though I'm warning you off this book - in fact, just the opposite - I'm highly recommending it.  I learned more about the digestive tract and its functions (and malfunctions!) than I ever did after a year of anatomy & physiology (with lab!), foundations of disease, medical terminology and other assorted courses related to becoming certified as a Registered Health Information Administrator!  Mary Roach literally gives you an appetite to learn more, and makes it fun to boot.

So go out there and grab yourself a copy of Gulp and take your own adventure cruise down the Alimentary Canal.   (Hmm - sounds like this could be located in the Travel Section of your local bookstore!)  Just hold off on the refreshments while reading.