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An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies Hardcover – April 12, 2012

by Tyler Cowen (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 130 ratings
See all formats and editions
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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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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dutton
  4. Publication date
    April 12, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780525952664
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0525952664
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Bookforum

An Economist Gets Lunch suffers from a good deal of sloppy diction and a casual, haphazard, all-over-the-map structural strategy. Meanwhile, Cowen's pedigree as an economist can make for an unfortunate tendency to present either obvious or loony ideas as new insights. . . . As an eater, I often found myself agreeing with Cowen's commonsensical (if fairly obvious) recommendations for eating out and shopping at grocery stores. As a would-be reformer, he is much less convincing. —Kate Christensen

Review

"A perfect marriage of economics and food. Tyler Cowen is my newest guilty pleasure."
-Rocco DiSpirito, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling 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.

“A fun and informative book that environmentalists, economists, and (most of all) foodies will enjoy."
-Library Journal

"Cowen writes like your favorite wised-up food maven...a breezy, conversational style; the result is mouth-watering food for thought."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Economist reveals how to find great food."
-Seattle Weekly



"Tips on eating food that's better for you, your wallet, and the environment."
-Fast Company

“Tyler Cowen explains with great authority why good food doesn't have to be expensive and why expensive food isn't inevitably good. Cowen makes an argument for affordable food that results in both economic and sensory benefits. He espouses a fascinating new discipline I couldn’t help but think of as ‘Foodienomics.’”
—Barb Stuckey, author of Taste What You’re Missing

"An Economist Gets Lunch is a mind-bending book for non-economists."
-USA Today

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0525952667
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton (April 12, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780525952664
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525952664
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 130 ratings

About the author

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Tyler Cowen

Tyler Cowen

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Tyler Cowen (/ˈkaʊ.ən/; born January 21, 1962) is an American economist, academic, and writer. He occupies the Holbert L. Harris Chair of economics, as a professor at George Mason University, and is co-author, with Alex Tabarrok, of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution. Cowen and Tabarrok have also ventured into online education by starting Marginal Revolution University. He currently writes a regular column for Bloomberg View. He also has written for such publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Time, Wired, Newsweek, and the Wilson Quarterly. Cowen also serves as faculty director of George Mason's Mercatus Center, a university research center that focuses on the market economy. In February 2011, Cowen received a nomination as one of the most influential economists in the last decade in a survey by The Economist. He was ranked #72 among the "Top 100 Global Thinkers" in 2011 by Foreign Policy Magazine "for finding markets in everything."

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
130 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful, brilliant, and informative. They describe it as a great read with interesting concepts and reasoning. Readers also say it's great for any foodie, a fresh take on finding a great meal, and entertaining.

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InsightReadabilityFood knowledgeEntertainment value
16 customers mention "Insight"14 positive2 negative

Customers find the book insightful, brilliant, and informative. They appreciate the logical and understandable set of rules to use. Readers also mention the book is rich in culture and offers many tips on increasing your odds.

"...Don't be fooled by the title: this is a book rich in culture and insight into the human condition. Recommended for foodies and humanists alike." Read more

"...much of my copy is highlighted with his recommendations and interesting reasoning...." Read more

"...But thinking and writing about food and economics he is specially insightful and brilliant.I strongly recommend the book." Read more

"A fresh take on finding a great meal. Also, offers many tips on increasing your odds to accomplish it...." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book great, fantastic, and brilliant.

"This is an excellent book...." Read more

"...Really worth a read." Read more

"...For those of us who are interested in both it is a great read, I suspect it will be for anyone who cares about either food or economics." Read more

"...This was an enjoyable read however I would recommend skimming this book as many ideas are repeated." Read more

7 customers mention "Food knowledge"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book great for any foodie. They say it's a fresh take on finding a great meal and makes them want to eat good barbecue. Readers also appreciate that the author does a great job at breaking down cooking and explaining the incentives that affect it.

"...The pages crackle with Tyler's humane, deep appreciation of food and food culture, and how it is no mere commodity, but an essential part of what..." Read more

"A fresh take on finding a great meal. Also, offers many tips on increasing your odds to accomplish it...." Read more

"Cowen does a great job at breaking down cooking and explaining the incentives that affect its ingredients, preparation, and innovation...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the unexpected look at food." Read more

4 customers mention "Entertainment value"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining. However, they say they prefer how-to content over libertarian pontificating.

"...various entertaining anecdotes, the book is very accessible and entertaining. I must that my instinct does want to cry out "subjectivity!",..." Read more

"...Fun, easy, informative read." Read more

"Quirky, Fun, Informative, Wide-Ranging..." Read more

"Entertaining, but liked how-to more than libertarian pontificating..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Shiraz Allidina
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't focus on conclusions, focus on the tools & method
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book.

One reason you can quickly tell it is good: just by googling it, you can find intelligent discussions both pro and con Tyler Cowen's conclusions. But, as stated by the author himself, the goal is to inculcate a lens of viewing things which allows the reader to observe and draw their own conclusions about how the world of food works. This is a nuanced view of economics, which blends conventional price theory with other items such as behavioral economics, substitutes and complements, network effects, and the evolutionarily stable strategies of game theory.

Tyler deftly applies insights from the dry topics above to something universally accessible and fun: food. The pages crackle with Tyler's humane, deep appreciation of food and food culture, and how it is no mere commodity, but an essential part of what makes us human. Don't be fooled by the title: this is a book rich in culture and insight into the human condition. Recommended for foodies and humanists alike.
3 people found this helpful
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timothylord
4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky, Fun, Informative, Wide-Ranging
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
I'd especially recommend this book to anyone with an interest in expanding their food horizons downwards and sideways, rather than only up-up-up (in price, Michelin star ratings, social status rankings). That's not to say downwards on tastiness or interest, though, which is the point: Cowen emphasizes that he is an "everyday foodie," and while he's got strong opinions about *food,* he's not in it for the atmosphere, or at least not for nice tablecloths and obsequious waiters. More the opposite: he advises finding places where the diners look a little serious rather than glibly happy, the cooks have incentive to cook their best for you, the customers aren't glamorous, and the rent is cheap. He concentrates on "ethnic" food, with the important proviso that *all* food is ethnic food.

For the U.S., he gives a lot of attention to the creative possibilities of BBQ, one food that may be less available in authentic form in some parts of the country, but in wide-ranging profusion across a wide belt.

This book has less to offer for vegetarians, never mind vegans, than it does for people willing -- as is the author -- to eat the weird bits of meat and seafood, though he has great things to say about the greens, and the prices, at Chinese groceries. Cowen lives in Northern Virginia, and a lot of his examples reflect that. He does travel world-wide, and some of the most inspiring stories are from his low-budget eating adventures in Asia and South America, but readers in the Maryland / NoVa / D.C. area get some extra luck here.

Not everyone will like all of Cowen's rules of thumb (I think happy diners *can* be just as good a guide as angry-looking, family-fighting ones, as long as it's the food they're happy about), but they make a good starting point.

Bonus, for some people, and the main attraction for others: this is a book about food by an unconventional economist, and a book about economics by a broad-thinking foodie. Not many books about food make economic history a central component; with Cowen, you're going to learn some thought-provoking bits about incentives and supply chains. Why is America good at sauces, but bad at Cantonese food? He's got stories.

My 4-star rating loses the 5th only to account for some repetition and phrasing that I just found off; also (totally unfair) because I wish this book was a bit longer. Would like to hear more about coffee (he's got an upbeat assessment of Starbucks, which I share but for different reasons), about foods of the midwest and northwest, about central and eastern Europe ...

Highly recommended. It's already inspired me to get some local Texas barbecue, which turned out to include one of the greasiest and tastiest sausages I've ever had ;)
6 people found this helpful
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Gary Simon
3.0 out of 5 stars I need an economist, not a food critic.
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2012
Verified Purchase
Tyler Cowen is a talented, established economist. I was very much interested in his discussion of the economic issues in food preferences, production, and distribution.

His forays into food critique are much less interesting. A quick run-through of his adventures with Asian supermarkets or of variations on barbecue were all that I needed. Long chapters on these were..... well, boring. I skipped over very large sections of his book.
One person found this helpful
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Adam Freit
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic and delicious
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2012
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Already a fan of his side ethnic food blog for recommendations in our shared area, the DC metro region, I actually had high expectations. Boy did he meet them. Beginning with how to find good food in the towns and countryside of Central America he expands to why American food got so bad in the mid-20th century, the importance of immigration, the best kinds of places for food in various countries, a guide for grocery shopping, and food policy in general. Suffice it to say much of my copy is highlighted with his recommendations and interesting reasoning. I may not agree with 100% of what he says, but Cowen certainly thinks a lot about food from an economic perspective and it's quite useful. A must for any foodie or person interested even a bit in how the world works.
One person found this helpful
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wow
4.0 out of 5 stars Many interesting concepts, a little tedious
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2012
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed many of the author's concepts relating to food quality vs. price. The idea that high wage countries (ie. Japan and France) will have expensive restaurants makes sense.

His methods of finding good food in various places seems to be very sound. We have found that the local working people can tell you where the honestly good local cuisine is available at a reasonable price.

Outlying restaurants in strip malls are one of the many surprises that do seem to follow his general rule.

His fixating on a particular Asian market in DC seemed a little tiresome, and his insistence that good barbeque is unavailable anywhere except a major wood pit seemed a little over done.

Overall I enjoyed the book and have recommended it to people, especially those who hate all agribusiness. I think he strikes a reasonable balance of the need for seeking good food and recognizing that with out big agriculture, the world would go hungry.
One person found this helpful
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Leonardo Monasterio
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant. Strongly recommended.
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2016
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Readers of Marginal Revolution already know that Tyler Cowen knows everything about every subject under the sun.
But thinking and writing about food and economics he is specially insightful and brilliant.
I strongly recommend the book.
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Acham
5.0 out of 5 stars Increase your chances on finding a great meal
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2013
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A fresh take on finding a great meal. Also, offers many tips on increasing your odds to accomplish it. I hope Cowen writes a second book with more stories of him hunting for a great meals.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Saurabh
3.0 out of 5 stars Love the book, not the print quality
Reviewed in India on December 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book is great – 5 stars for that.
But the copy I got seems like a pirated version – the page and print quality are subpar—1 star for that.
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Dieter
4.0 out of 5 stars na ja
Reviewed in Germany on November 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
das ist ja ein Kochbuch

und warum kann ich hier nichts schreiben mit wenig Worten ? Merkwuerdiges System abc abc abc abc abc abc abc
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A. T. Ramsay
4.0 out of 5 stars At times a bit laborious, but if you skip ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
At times a bit laborious, but if you skip those parts that are not applicable to your country or interests, some enlightening and thought-provoking opinions and propositions.
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Jorge Vilar Palop
3.0 out of 5 stars Gran libro, mala entrega
Reviewed in Spain on August 20, 2013
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El libro es muy interesante. Cowen es una mente inquieta que necesita entender todo lo que ve y así descubre el funcionamiento de la economía de la alimentación allí donde va. Lo que acaban siendo sus consejos son muy útiles si uno se dedica a andar por el mundo tratando de disfrutar al máximo de la comida local sin acabar con una indigestión.

El libro tardó casi un mes en ser entregado, recomiendo buscar otra librería!
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