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An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies Audiobook
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(3.00) - 562 listener ratings
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One of the most influential economists of the decade-and the New York Times bestselling 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 Stagnation was Cowen's response to all the fashionable thinking about the economic crisis, An Economist Gets Lunch is 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.
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"Tyler Cowen is an economist and a foodie and uses both interests to write a fascinating book about the intersection of food and economics. I am so bad at deciding where to eat out that chapter 4, "The Rules For Finding a Good Place to Eat", is worth the price of the book. But he goes on to make very interesting points on why not using plastic bags or eating local may not not be that green. I certainly have a lot of new ideas to think about."
— Rachel (5 out of 5 stars)
An Economist Gets Lunch Listener Reviews
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" If you can get past the patronizing tone and the insults to people who spend a lot of money on food, people that don't spend a lot of money on food, people that like to go to restaurants that other people they know go to, people that use yelp or other internet searches, businesses that actually adapt to be successfully, people that like to shop at stores with labels they can read, there's some really interesting stuff in this book. Occasionally it really annoyed me but for the tidbits of information I found useful, it was work pushing through. "
— Jennifer, 2/20/2014 -
" This one is a challenge to rate. I think it is really a 3.5. I loved the first few chapters about thinking about how to find good food. I also liked some of the counter arguments to Omnivore's Dilemma (one of my top books.) Still, I thought that it was a bit too sporadic and lost steam. "
— Tripp, 2/20/2014 -
" This book got off to a good start with the first two chapters, explaining how American food went bad. Subsequent chapters were too scattered and depended too much on the author's personal preferences. Despite initial high hopes, the book was ultimately a disappointment. "
— Kitty, 2/14/2014 -
" I highly recommend this book!! There are separate chapters on different food in the country like Barbecue, Mexican, Asian other ethnic food. There is even a chapter on how to decide on which restaurants to eat at when you're travelling abroad. The chapter with the rules on finding places to eat is stellar. Even if you're not interested in economics the books should maintain your interest if you're passionate about food. "
— Magnus, 2/12/2014 -
" Quite interesting but obviously does not cover everything. "
— Vn, 2/7/2014 -
" A very interesting look at the best ways to find and cook good food for reasonable prices. "
— Harvey, 2/6/2014 -
" Very interesting book, combined two of my favorite subjects "
— George, 2/5/2014 -
" Started GREAT. Ended badly. Delete the last two chapters and you have a great book. I love the counter arguments for GMOs, localvores, Monsanto, etc - different POV! "
— Kim, 1/14/2014 -
" Great Book! Thought provoking! "
— Diane, 12/8/2013 -
" If you are not a "foodie", you will not enjoy this book. "
— Erwin, 11/24/2013 -
" Interesting stuff. He occasionally bothered me, but his love of good food (especially ethnic) and how we can get it was what I took away from the book. It's a quick read, too! "
— Katie, 10/21/2013 -
" While I loved and enjoyed all the information, some sections just dragged on so much that that I had to skip some. How much can one really read about barbecue? "
— Elaine, 6/15/2013 -
" A very interesting read, I enjoyed the economics/foodie perspective. My husband and I discussed many of the ideas in this book and anyone looking to enhance their experiences with food can learn some neat tips. "
— Sheryl, 6/2/2013 -
" Just started last night when it arrived on my kindle at midnight. So far, so good. "
— Todd, 4/6/2013 -
" Excellent book for foodies, economists, and anyone that likes getting a bargain eating out -- particularly at ethnic restaurants. The chapters on the history of barbeque and the guide to eating in international cities around the globe are both fascinating. "
— Ian, 3/12/2013 -
" Liked the idea but it was sooo hard to follow what he was saying. "
— Wonderlandkat, 10/22/2012 -
" Another painful book that I sloughed through until I could no longer stomach it. Tyler Cowen makes comments on just about everything (mostly about ethnic food) and after a while, it becomes tedious. It's certainly not the best writing, either. "
— Gail, 6/15/2012 -
" Not worth the time it takes to read it. Nothing new or interesting. Too many back east restaurants. "
— Candice, 6/11/2012
About Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen, PhD, holds the Holbert C. Harris chair in economics at George Mason University. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller The Great Stagnation, and a number of academic books. He writes the mos- read economics blog worldwide, marginalrevolution.com. He has written regularly for the New York Times and contributes to a wide number of newspapers and periodicals.
About Stephen Hoye
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.