In "Pass the Butterworms" Cahill takes us to the steppes of Mongolia, where he spends weeks on horseback alongside the descendants of Genghis Khan and masters the "Mongolian death trot"; to the North Pole, where he goes for a pleasure-dip in 36-degree water; to Irian Jaya New Guinea, where he spends a companionable evening with members of one of the last headhunting tribes. Whether observing family values among the Stone Age Dani people, or sampling delicacies like sauteed sago beetle and premasticated manioc beer, Cahill is a fount of arcane information and a master of self-deprecating humor.