Dalibor Rohac

Going ethnic

issue 31 March 2012

Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, has been keenly interested in food for years. Besides being a blogger, scholar and the youngest chess champion in the history of New Jersey, he is also the author of an online dining guide to the Washington DC area and an opinionated foodie.

This is a delightful book that will broaden horizons to people uninitiated to the economic way of thinking. Cowen’s fans will enjoy it too — although some of the arguments will be second nature to followers of his blog, MarginalRevolution.com.

It answers the question of why American food got so bad over the course of the 20th century. Hint: the commercialisation of food was not to blame. The book also provides tips, informed by economics, to improve one’s culinary life. Finally, Cowen attempts to set the record straight on contentious issues such as locavorism. This combination makes for an enjoyable and eclectic read.

Historical accidents, Cowen argues, were to blame for the decline of good food in the United States.

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