An Economist Gets Lunch
New Rules for Everyday Foodies
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Hoye
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By:
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Tyler Cowen
About this listen
One of the most influential economists of the decade - and the New York Times best-selling 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 choose to eat today and how we feed the world tomorrow.
©2012 Tyler Cowen (P)2012 Random HouseListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"A perfect marriage of economics and food. Tyler Cowen is my newest guilty pleasure." (Rocco DiSpirito, author of the number-one New York Times best-selling Now Eat This!)
"Tyler Cowen's latest book is a real treat, probably my favorite thing he's ever written. It does a fantastic job exploring the economics, culture, esthetics, and realities of food, and delivers a mountain of compelling facts. Most of all it's encouraging - not a screed, despite its occasionally serious arguments - and brings the fun back to eating. Delicious!" (Stephen J. Dubner, author of Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics)
"A gastronomic , economic and philosophical feast from one of the world's most creative economists. Tyler Cowen offers the thinking person's guide to American food culture, and your relationship with food will be hugely enriched by the result." (Tim Hartford, author of The Undercover Economist and Adapt.)
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- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The decade-long Great Depression, a period of shifts in the country's political and social landscape, forever changed the way America eats. Before 1929, America's relationship with food was defined by abundance. But the collapse of the economy, in both urban and rural America, left a quarter of all Americans out of work and undernourished - shattering long-held assumptions about the limitlessness of the national larder.
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Not entirely accurate title
- By Robert on 06-07-17
By: Jane Ziegelman, and others
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Fast Food Maniac
- From Arby's to White Castle, One Man's Supersized Obsession with America's Favorite Food
- By: Jon Hein
- Narrated by: Jon Hein
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The charismatic radio personality from The Howard Stern Show celebrates what we love about American fast food, covering chains both national and regional and offering an opinionated view on restaurant history, secret menu items, and even drive-thru strategy.
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How is Jon Hein still alive?
- By Big Timmy Jim Tim on 03-12-17
By: Jon Hein
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Chop Suey
- A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States
- By: Andrew Coe
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1784, passengers on the ship Empress of China became the first Americans to land in China and the first to eat Chinese food. Today there are over 40,000 Chinese restaurants across the United States - by far the most plentiful among all our ethnic eateries. Now, in Chop Suey, Andrew Coe provides the authoritative history of the American infatuation with Chinese food, telling its fascinating story for the first time.
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Wanted to like this
- By Irene on 02-13-21
By: Andrew Coe
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World Travel
- An Irreverent Guide
- By: Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever
- Narrated by: Laurie Woolever, Shep Gordon, Christopher Bourdain, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Anthony Bourdain saw more of the world than nearly anyone. His travels took him from the hidden pockets of his hometown of New York to a tribal longhouse in Borneo, from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai to Tanzania’s utter beauty and the stunning desert solitude of Oman’s Empty Quarter - and many places beyond. In World Travel, a life of experience is collected into an entertaining, practical, fun and frank travel guide that gives listeners an introduction to some of his favorite places - in his own words.
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Poor man’s version of Lonely Planet guidebooks
- By KC on 04-23-21
By: Anthony Bourdain, and others
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Ferran
- The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man Who Reinvented Food
- By: Colman Andrews
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In his lively, unprecedented close-up portrait of Ferran Adrià, award-winning food writer Colman Andrews traces this groundbreaking chef’s rise from resort hotel dishwasher to culinary deity, and the evolution of El Bulli from a German-owned beach bar into the establishment voted annually by an international jury to be “the world’s best restaurant”.
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recasting needed
- By Marco I on 09-09-18
By: Colman Andrews
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Rice, Noodle, Fish
- Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture (Roads & Kingdoms Presents, Book 1)
- By: Matt Goulding
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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An innovative new take on the travel guide, Rice, Noodle, Fish decodes Japan's extraordinary food culture through a mix of in-depth narrative and insider advice. In this 5,000-mile journey through the noodle shops, tempura temples, and teahouses of Japan, Matt Goulding, cocreator of the enormously popular Eat This, Not That! book series, navigates the intersection between food, history, and culture, creating one of the most ambitious and complete books ever written about Japanese culinary culture from the Western perspective.
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Starts strong tapers off
- By Craig Bryan on 01-02-21
By: Matt Goulding
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High on the Hog
- A Culinary Journey from Africa to America
- By: Jessica B. Harris
- Narrated by: Jessica Harris
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed cookbook author Jessica B. Harris weaves an utterly engaging history of African American cuisine, taking the listener on a harrowing journey from Africa across the Atlantic to America, and tracking the trials that the people and the food have undergone along the way. From chitlins and ham hocks to fried chicken and vegan soul, Harris celebrates the delicious and restorative foods of the African American experience and details how each came to form an important part of African American culture, history, and identity.
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more of a history lesson than a culinary book
- By Scott Johnson on 09-02-15
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Eight Flavors
- The Untold Story of American Cuisine
- By: Sarah Lohman
- Narrated by: Sarah Lohman
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The United States boasts a culturally and ethnically diverse population which makes for a continually changing culinary landscape. But a young historical gastronomist named Sarah Lohman discovered that American food is united by eight flavors: black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha. In Eight Flavors, Lohman sets out to explore how these influential ingredients made their way to the American table.
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Great read... Terrible accents
- By S. Macklin on 12-14-18
By: Sarah Lohman
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Drive-Thru Dreams
- A Journey Through the Heart of America's Fast-Food Kingdom
- By: Adam Chandler
- Narrated by: Adam Chandler
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Most any honest person can own up to harboring at least one fast-food guilty pleasure. In Drive-Thru Dreams, Adam Chandler explores the inseparable link between fast food and American life for the past century. The dark underbelly of the industry’s largest players has long been scrutinized and gutted, characterized as impersonal, greedy, corporate, and worse. But, in unexpected ways, fast food is also deeply personal and emblematic of a larger-than-life image of America.
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Road Trip Audio!
- By Anonazon on 06-28-19
By: Adam Chandler
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Meathooked
- The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Year Obsession with Meat
- By: Marta Zaraska
- Narrated by: Emily Durante
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the great science and health revelations of our time is the danger posed by meat-eating. Every day, it seems, we are warned about the harm producing and consuming meat can do to the environment and our bodies. Many of us have tried to limit how much meat we consume, and many of us have tried to give it up altogether. But it is not easy to resist the smoky, cured, barbecued, and fried delights that tempt us.
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A very interesting book on why we crave meat.
- By Amazon Customer on 05-23-16
By: Marta Zaraska
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Slim by Design
- Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life
- By: Brian Wansink
- Narrated by: Brian Wansink
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In Slim by Design, leading behavioral economist, food psychologist, and bestselling author Brian Wansink introduces groundbreaking solutions for designing our most common spaces - schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and home kitchens, among others - in order to make positive changes in how we approach and manage our diets.
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Another Weird Diet Book
- By Michael on 01-05-15
By: Brian Wansink
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Pandora's Lunchbox
- How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal
- By: Melanie Warner
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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If a piece of individually wrapped cheese retains its shape, color, and texture for years, what does it say about the food we eat and feed our children? Former New York Times reporter and mother Melanie Warner decided to explore that question when she observed the phenomenon of the indestructible cheese. She began an investigative journey that takes her to research labs, food science departments, and factories around the country. What she discovered provides a rare, eye-opening - and sometimes disturbing - account of what we're really eating.
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Interesting.
- By Dr. Jeff McCombs, DC on 10-01-13
By: Melanie Warner
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Short Course in Beer
- An Introduction to Tasting and Talking About the World's Most Civilized Beverage
- By: Lynn Hoffman
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Straightforward and opinionated, Short Course in Beer is designed to turn the novice beer lover into an expert imbiber and the casual drinker into an enthusiast. Readers will come to understand the beauty of beer and the sources of its flavor, as well as learn which beers are worth our time and which are not. With tongue in cheek, the author examines beer's historical connections to the Crusades, the Hundred Years' War, and modern-day soccer riots. He talks frankly (and joyfully) about the effects of alcohol on the body and brain, he defends beer from its enemies, and ushers it out of the frat house and into the dining room.
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An Ok Beer Book
- By AppleCedAR on 10-21-13
By: Lynn Hoffman
What listeners say about An Economist Gets Lunch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- J
- 04-11-22
Not the Best, Still Worth a Listen
Honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I love economics and I love foodie/restaurant books. I suppose it spent a lengthy time on subjects that I felt could have been shorter and only touched on others I found to be more appealing. One listen was enough for me.
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- Dean
- 05-30-12
Enlightening and interesting
I have had to curtail myself from repeating lessons from this book too often. They are numerous and widely applicable, but friends do eventually tire of hearing about them.
The book did suffer from some tiresome sections that felt like little more than padding, but the bulk of it was fascinating and useful.
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- Jon M. Wilson
- 05-04-12
Food for Thought!
Would you listen to An Economist Gets Lunch again? Why?
Yes, in fact, I have already re-listened to this book a second time!
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
I will now second-guess every food choice I make while out of the country. Just kidding! I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion of BBQ, and as a native Texan, the author is right on the money!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sean
- 05-01-12
Rambling
The premise for the book (as stated by the author) is to inform the reader how to locate good tasting food at the best price. Unfortunately, the book appears to be a collection of random anecdotes from the author's dining history.
There are some interesting ideas throughout the book, but they are buried between lengthy, uneven stories or history lessons that are only tangentially related to the theme. He is also reluctant to name names when it would be most helpful. For example, he gives detailed directions to an obscure food stand in rural Mexico but can't be more specific than "you can now find good food in some Las Vegas casinos."
His advice is simultaneously too vague and too practical. He says to avoid Chinese restaurants in midtown Manhattan becuse their rent costs make them cut corners on food quality. Who needs a book to tell them that? He follows this up with advice that since many restaurants have higher margins on wine you should go somewhere with a nice wine list but not order any drinks except water. That might be economical, but it's no way to enjoy a meal. The advice is also not completely trustwothy. He recommends family owned restaurants where family members work for little or no wages because of the labor cost savings. As though someone who is willing to take advantage of their own family would not also take advantage of the customer, who is a total stranger.
The writing is very uneven. There is an entire chapter devoted to the history and minutiae of barbecue which boils down to a paragraph of three simple rules. He then spends roughly the same time to encompass all Asian cuisine from Vietnamese, Korean and Thai thru Chinese, Japanese and Filipino.
It feels like he couldn't decide between an advice book and a food travel memoir.
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9 people found this helpful
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- tl
- 05-12-12
Asks you to think differently about restaurants
What did you love best about An Economist Gets Lunch?
The book challenges you to think about how food businesses work, and how you make your choices about where to eat. Essentially the idea is to apply some economists principles where to find good food.
Consider when you're paying the bill, is it for the location or the view, or the cost to source the ingredients for the particular cuisine and by proxy explains why food in tourist heavy locations is usually not too great.
You have to take some advice with a pinch of salt, for example the axiom that if a restaurant has a surplus of attractive women you shouldn't expect good food, the point being that perhaps a place is more about being seen at rather than about the food.
However, this is a book for foodies and I get the impression that the holy grail is the undiscovered, inexpensive and wholly authentic exotic restaurant in a suburban strip mall, which is to say that part of the fun of eating out is discovery.
On the contrary to another review, I loved the in depth discussion about barbecue and why by it's nature isn't as commercialized as other American cuisines, and the passion for Mexican food makes me want to take a trip across the border.
What aspect of Stephen Hoye’s performance would you have changed?
I would have preferred a more conversational style, the presentation felt rather formal for the material.
Any additional comments?
Most food criticism tells you directly where is the best place to eat, but the problem is that either the selection of good places is either rather stagnant, or the information becomes out of date or is vastly expensive or elite.
So this book is different, book it is indirect in it's advice. I'm pretty sure that if you follow all the rules you are not guaranteed to find great food, but it has helped me to think different and explore beyond Yelp and media reviews.
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