Retiring to live on a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, the author humorously describes how he learned through experience, from the first essential of handling a boat without danger to himself and others to his ultimate achievement of establishing an organic farm on the shore of a distant lagoon. Interspersed with vignettes of the local culture, the account gives an insight to the challenges facing Gringos when pursuing dreams of life on a tropical island.
Covering a span of six years from the beginnings of the growth of a tourist industry to a time when the islands were clearly destined to become a major tourist destination, "Don't Kill the Cow Too Quick" records a passing era.