Love and other dangerous sports

So i just finished reading the book Emily sent me for my birthday, The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine, by Steven Rinella, and I am head-over-heels in love. Even before I saw the ridiculously attractive pictures of him on his website, I was totally smitten. Emily KNEW this would happen, that's why she sent me the book.

You see, I frequently fall in love with men I barely know- experience has taught me that it's much safer than falling in love with the men who actually play a role in my life. I fell in love once with a boy I was arguing with across a bonfire. I fell so in love with a cocaine-addicted sixth grade history teacher named Bobby on a cruise ship that I was a giggling wreck at loss for words in his presence. Heck, just a few weeks ago I fell in love with the guy belaying me at the gym. I never met any of them again, but it was still love. I fall head over heels for the simple things, like a week's worth of backcountry scruff and a a story to go with it, a sense of humor and a sense of adventure. But I digress.

The point is that I have fallen in love with Steven Rinella for several reasons. The first is that he wrote an awesome book that combines food and playing outside- which happen to be pretty much my two favorite things. It's also a lot about killing things, which I never realized that I was interested in until now. He hunts, catches fish, digs for clams, spears frogs, and captures baby pigeons from the nests around town. And then he cooks it all into one big feast. It's about returning to a more natural way of being in touch with your food and your environment and your family and friends. LOVE.

His interest in hunting and fishing makes perfect sense to me. My purpose in not eating meat these days is not because I don't enjoy the taste or because I think carnivory is wrong, but simply because I don't want to support our industrialized system of agriculture, in particular the inhumane and ecologically disastrous ways in which we produce meat. I've been more than happy to eat wild caught fish, wild game, and meat grown on small, ecologically responsible farms. Now, after reading this book, I wish I could do that a lot more. I guess I need to learn how to hunt and fish. Just what I needed was more new hobbies. I even asked Dad for a shotgun for Christmas (since I feel left out in Nevada without one) but I think he thought I was joking, so I'll have to tackle this one on my own.

I'm also in love with Steven Rinella because he has the type of job I would love to have. He's succeeding in freelance writing about his passions; the outdoors, food, adventure, and science.
Do I want to marry him or be him? I am so torn. But until I decide, I'm going to check at my library for his new book, on Buffalo, and if they don't have it, I'll have to buy it. I can't wait. It might be better to have my own personal copy, since I'll probably be drooling the whole time I read it anyway.