An Economist Gets Lunch New Rules for Everyday Foodies

by Cowen, Tyler

• ISBN13: 9780525952664
• ISBN10: 0525952667
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-04-12
• Publisher: E P Dutton

Summary

One of the most influential economists of the decade-and the New York Timesbestselling author of The Great Stagnation-boldly argues that just about everything you've heard about food is wrong. Food snobbery is killing entrepreneurship and innovation, says economist, preeminent social commentator, and maverick dining guide blogger Tyler Cowen. Americans are becoming angry that our agricultural practices have led to global warming-but while food snobs are right that local food tastes better, they're wrong that it is better for the environment, and they are wrong that cheap food is bad food. The food world needs to know that you don't have to spend more to eat healthy, green, exciting meals. At last, some good news from an economist! Tyler Cowen discusses everything from slow food to fast food, from agriculture to gourmet culture, from modernist cuisine to how to pick the best street vendor. He shows why airplane food is bad but airport food is good; why restaurants full of happy, attractive people serve mediocre meals; and why American food has improved as Americans drink more wine. And most important of all, he shows how to get good, cheap eats just about anywhere. Just as The Great Stagnationwas Cowen's response to all the fashionable thinking about the economic crisis, An Economist Gets Lunchis his response to all the fashionable thinking about food. Provocative, incisive, and as enjoyable as a juicy, grass-fed burger, it will influence what you'll choose to eat today and how we're going to feed the world tomorrow.

Author Biography

Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University. He is a prominent blogger at marginalrevolution.com, the world’s leading economics blog. He also writes regularly for The New York Times, and has written for Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wilson Quarterly.

Table of Contents

On the Eve of the Revolution	p. 1
How American Food Got Bad	p. 17
Revolutionizing the Supermarket Experience	p. 39
The Rules for Finding a Good Place to Eat	p. 57
Barbecue: The Greatest Slow Food of All	p. 85
The Asian Elephant in the Room	p. 113
Another Agricultural Revolution, Now	p. 141
Eating Your Way to a Greener Planet	p. 167
Why Does Mexican Food Taste Different in Mexico?	p. 187
The Finding Great Food Anywhere Encyclopedia	p. 211
The Stuff and Values of Cooking at Home	p. 243
Notes	p. 261
Acknowledgments	p. 277
Index	p. 279
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