Tasting economy

Continuing my wrap-up of 2012 in books, here are a few more from the non-fiction category.

I’ve already said my piece about Kati Marton’s self-serving vanity piece, Paris, A Love Story. Much more satisfying was Elizabeth Bard’s Lunch in Paris. It’s everything I might have expected from a professional journalist (but which Marton did not deliver)—plus some pretty delectable recipes. Bard gives an affectionate but clear-eyed view of the city and the French. (Reading it actually brings home some of the anomalies that seem to drive Tea Partiers nuts about Europe in general and France in particular.) I recommend it highly. But try not to be hungry whilst reading.

Speaking of food, I also ingested An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies, by Tyler Cowen, which was being reviewed all over the place mid-year. I checked it out from the library and it left me…unsatisfied. I think I know why they call it the dismal science—his approach is so narrow and he leaves no room for someone wanting a different experience. It’s his way or nothing.

I don’t get the logic of choosing the least appetizing item on the menu; he insists that if you do that (in upscale restaurants), you’ll never be disappointed. Huh?

“At a fancy restaurant the menu is well thought out. The time and; attention of the kitchen are scarce. An item won’t be on the menu unless there is a good reason for its presence. If it sounds bad, it probably tastes especially good.”

How does that work?

He’s a big fan of food trucks; fine. But deregulate them completely? Huh?

He goes to great lengths to discuss how you need innovation in cuisine…except when you don’t. And I definitely don’t get that.

One interesting fact: he describes the compostable utensils flap in Congress—when the Dems controlled the House, there were compostable eating utensils; once the Pubs took over, we were back to regular plastic. “Why not use metal knives and forks you might be wondering? The sorry truth is that this option was studied, but rejected on the grounds that too many Congressional staff—the people working so hard to improve America—would take these utensils away and, quite simply, never bring them back.”

That’s our Congress—steal the spoons from your table.