An Economist Gets Lunch
by Tyler Cowen
- Percentage of approved critics who have given this book a positive review.
Critic Rating
51%
Critic Reviews: 17
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- User rating from iDreamBooks & iTunes
Reader Rating
69%
Reader Ratings: 67
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Synopsis
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... more
About Tyler Cowen
- All Critics: 17
- Positive: 9
- Negative: 8
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Kirkus Reviews | 15 Mar 2012
The narrative gets a touch repetitive at points, but if you’re a foodie with a calculator, this is your book.
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TIME | 1 May 2012
Overall, he explains, advances in agribusiness have been good for everyone, bringing food prices down and feeding more people than ever in human history.
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The New York Times | 10 Apr 2012
After 75 pages you’re still poking at it, thinking, “What is this thing?” and “Can I order something else?”
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Rigotnomics | 8 May 2012
When reading his book, I get the impression he sat, wrote, and the publisher printed. He seems to want to get it out too fast like a blog post.
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City Journal | 18 May 2012
Cowen’s book has its wonky side, but even then it’s mostly fun.
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Green Biz | 8 May 2012
In his provocative and engaging book, economist Tyler Cowen rejects the popular argument that American food is bad for us
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Boston.com
If Cowen’s opinions smack solipsistic at best and myopic at worst, the logic of his inquiry feels similarly elusive... This particular supply, to put it kindly, serves up a pale, desiccated, maddening dish.
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USA Today | 29 Apr 2012
Cowen’s book is a thoughtful, offbeat guide to better individual eating for readers with money to prepare food in well-appointed home kitchens, to dine at restaurants near home, and to travel widely away from home while eating experimentally.
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The Wall Street Journal | 9 Apr 2012
If one's goal is to eat well, Mr. Cowen's rules are golden.
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Heath Gordon | 14 May 2012
“An Economist Gets Lunch” is without a doubt one of the best no-nonsense guides to eating and food that I have ever read.
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BookBrowse | 2 May 2012
An Economist Gets Lunch demonstrates Cowen's depth of knowledge about a wide variety of food and cooking styles, but it does not show off his ability to construct a succinct argument and compelling narrative.
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The Spectator | 31 Mar 2012
This is a delightful book that will broaden horizons to people uninitiated to the economic way of thinking.
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Ford Literary Blog | 7 May 2012
Cowen’s generalizations about locavores ... are also too sweeping, and slightly hypocritical, in this reviewer’s opinion, given Cowen’s high praise for local foods in other countries.
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Leo Weekly | 25 Apr 2012
...but it’s Cowen who starts to sound paternalistic, adding “we can’t trust our intuitions,” because consumers can’t “see” the true environmental costs of their decisions.
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The Independent | 11 May 2012
An Economist Gets Lunch might be the most interesting book about food you read all year.
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Daily Finance | 17 May 2012
much of Cowan's book is taken up with long, dull diversions into his barbecue-eating experience and the layout of his local Chinese market.
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Agivator | 8 May 2012
The problem is it all seems backward. It seems like Mr. Cowen starts with the answer and then comes up with an economic explanation for what he believes to be true.
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