10/24/2022
Chang (Economics: The User’s Guide ), a professor of economics at SOAS University of London, blends culinary facts and economic expertise in this rollicking guide that makes “economics more palatable by serving it with stories about food.” “Economics has a direct and massive impact on our lives,” Chang writes, and, in an effort to make knotty concepts accessible to a wide audience, he explains economic theory with culinary anecdotes: okra’s use in gumbo gives way to a discussion of how the vegetable was brought to the U.S. via the slave trade, and how free market economics only grant freedom to some. Bananas lead to a look at the effects of multinational companies on “host economies,” and a personal story about a spice being “taken for granted” leads Chang to extrapolate on unpaid care work, which isn’t included in GDP calculations but “would amount to 30–40% of GDP” if it were. Chang infuses the survey with food-related trivia (strawberries aren’t actually berries, South Koreans consume 10 times more garlic than Italians), covers an impressive swath of economics, and concludes with a call that readers scrutinize, think imaginatively, and be open-minded in their quest for economic knowledge. Lay readers with a taste for the field will find plenty to savor. Agent: Ivan Mulcahy, Mulcahy Sweeney Literary. (Jan.)
"The only book I've ever read that made me laugh, salivate and re-evaluate my thoughts about economics – all at the same time. A funny, profound and appetising volume."—Brian Eno, composer Edible Economics is a moveable feast of alternative economic ideas wrapped up in witty stories about food from around the world. Ha-Joon Chang proves yet again that he is one of the most exciting economists at work today."—Owen Jones Tim Spector David Pilling Publishers Weekly The Guardian Kirkus Prothom Alo English
2022-11-24
Born in Korea, the author studied in England at a time when the food was inarguably awful. Yet even in the land of toad in the hole and bubble and squeak, global trends began to break through. “With increase in international trade, international migration and international travel,” writes Chang, “people everywhere have become more curious about and open to foreign foods.” So it is that Britain became a multiflavored nation even at a time when economics became monocultural. Using foodstuffs as metaphors as much as things in and of themselves, Chang examines them in the light of economic history. Okra, for example, came from Africa on the Middle Passage, affording the author an opportunity to reflect on the contributions of enslaved Africans not just to the antebellum economy, but also to present-day wealth. Without tobacco and cotton revenues, he writes, America would have never become an industrial marvel. The author also clearly enumerates how developing nations have been repeatedly victimized by colonialism and have an indolent if rapacious ruling class (“unproductive landlords, undynamic capitalist class, vision-less and corrupt political leaders”). Moreover, he adds, many key exports such as cochineal and indigo became valueless once European labs figured out how to make even less expensive synthetic versions. Switzerland is the site of many of these labs. However, in a chapter about chocolate, Chang notes that it’s incorrect to think it’s a service-based economy: “Switzerland is actually the most industrialized economy in the world, producing the largest amount of manufacturing output per person,” whether chocolate or machine parts. Writing gamely and with admirable lucidity, Chang concludes with another metaphor, urging that “the best economists should be, like the best of the cooks, able to combine different theories to have a more balanced view.”
It’ll help to have Econ 101 under your belt to appreciate this book, but it makes for fine foodie entertainment.
The only book I've ever read that made me laugh, salivate and re-evaluate my thoughts about economics – all at the same time. A funny, profound and appetising volume.
A brilliant riposte to the myth that policymakers can survive on plain neoliberal fare. Edible Economics is a moveable feast of alternative economic ideas wrapped up in witty stories about food from around the world. Ha-Joon Chang proves yet again that he is one of the most exciting economists at work today.
A fascinating stew of food, history and economics.
Ha-Joon Chang has done it again. His prose delights and nourishes in equal measure. Somehow he manages to smuggle an urgent discussion of the relevance of economics to our daily lives into stories about food and cooking that are charming, funny and sweet (but never sour). In taking on the economic establishment, Chang is like a teddy bear savaging a rottweiler.
Homer Todiwala provides a strong voice for this complicated examination of food and global economics, filled with personal anecdotes. He brings an arch, academic tone to this detailed analysis, which ranges from kimchi to globalization. Fans of innovative nonfiction will find much to admire. Todiwala amplifies the vivid personality of the author, as well as the intellectual heart of this project. He pronounces the names of the diverse dishes well. At the same time, he maximizes the casual tone throughout, explaining economic principles such as free-market theory in a conversational tone that makes them understandable. Todiwala is an excellent choice to capture the essence of this UK-educated Asian author who has become a unique voice in the field of economics. M.R. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile
Homer Todiwala provides a strong voice for this complicated examination of food and global economics, filled with personal anecdotes. He brings an arch, academic tone to this detailed analysis, which ranges from kimchi to globalization. Fans of innovative nonfiction will find much to admire. Todiwala amplifies the vivid personality of the author, as well as the intellectual heart of this project. He pronounces the names of the diverse dishes well. At the same time, he maximizes the casual tone throughout, explaining economic principles such as free-market theory in a conversational tone that makes them understandable. Todiwala is an excellent choice to capture the essence of this UK-educated Asian author who has become a unique voice in the field of economics. M.R. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile
