Cover; Table of Cotents; Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Thinking about Meat; 2. Making Flaps; 3. Trading Meat; 4. Papua New Guinea's Flaps; 5. Smiles and Shrugs, Worried Eyes and Sighs; 6. Pacific Island Flaps; Conclusion; Notes; References; Index
Summary
Cheap Meat follows the controversial trade in inexpensive fatty cuts of lamb or mutton called "flaps," from the farms of New Zealand and Australia to their primary markets in the Pacific islands of Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Fiji. In this engrossing story, Deborah Gewertz and Frederick Errington address the evolution of the meat trade itself along with the changing practices of exchange in Papua New Guinea. More importantly, they show that flaps-which are taken from the animals' bellies and are often 50% fat-are not mere market transactions but are evidence of the social nature of