An Economist Gets Lunch; New Rules for Everyday Foodies

Tyler Cowen is an economist, George Mason University economics professor, best-selling author of The Great Stagnation, and restaurant reviewer/food critic.  I think I've covered all the bases for this author of An Economist Gets Lunch; New Rules for Everyday Foodies (#193).

I found this book to be quite an interesting read.  Mr. Cowen presents many facts about the current world-wide supply of high quality, cheap food and the forces which drive this market in a way that is easy to understand and grasp in layman's language. 

On the other hand, since the title contains the words "Everyday Foodies"  many of the tips to finding and enjoying food that tastes good as well as being nutritious he includes here are positively ridiculous.  I don't know about you, but I'm not likely to be strolling the food stalls in Singapore, or sitting down to a $150 lunch in Tokyo or complaining about the dismal quality of food in central Paris anytime soon.  If you are like me and will be eating anywhere in the United States, we're apparently doomed to a lifetime of awful food.  That is, unless, you happen to live near the Great Wall Asian Market in suburban Washington, D.C. and shop their produce stand.  If you are abroad eating on someone else's expense account, you may find some tolerable meals out there.  Mr. Cowen does rave about the cheap meals he was able to find recently - on a trip to Nicaragua.  If you go anywhere other tourists visit because, say, there are interesting things to see or do there, expect miserable meals.

That being said, there really is much food for thought (sorry!) in this book.  And that's the point: that it's important to think about your food choices, and why you eat the way you do., Mr. Cowen suggests ways that you might be able in the future to eat better, improve your health and the overall health of the planet and the people we share it with.

And just for the record, if you do decide it's worth your time to read this book (and I think it is) Tyler Cowen is absolutely dead wrong about hospital food - I spent eight years of my working life as a software implementation specialist eating in hospital cafeterias all over the US, and yes, Mr. Cowen, there are lots of places where the hospital cafeteria serves the best food in town, outsiders regularly eat meals there, and they are the most in-demand caterers in town!  He is also spot on about Somerville, Massachusetts being a hot spot for high quality, high flavor ethnic foods.  I know, because I grew up there eating in little mom-and-pop restaurants with my parents way before it was the fashionable foodie thing to do!