Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World

by Ha-Joon Chang

Edible Economics brings the sort of creative fusion that spices up a great kitchen to the often too-disciplined subject of economics

For decades, a single, free-market philosophy has dominated global economics. But this intellectual monoculture is bland and unhealthy.

Bestselling author and economist Ha-Joon Chang makes challenging economic ideas delicious by plating them alongside stories about food from around the world, using the diverse histories behind familiar food items to explore economic theory. For Chang, chocolate is a lifelong addiction, but more exciting are the insights it offers into postindustrial knowledge economies; and while okra makes Southern gumbo heart-meltingly smooth, it also speaks of capitalism’s entangled relationship with freedom. 

Myth-busting, witty, and thought-provoking, Edible Economics serves up a feast of bold ideas about globalization, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation, and why carrots need not be orange. It shows that getting to grips with the economy is like learning a recipe: when we understand it, we can adapt and improve it—and better understand our world.
 

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Food, Politics, Business, History, Audiobook

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2022

About the author

Ha-Joon Chang is a South Korean institutional economist, specializing in development economics. Currently he is a reader in the Political Economy of Development at the University of Cambridge.

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book isn't about the economy of food production from planting to the market's shelf but about worldwide economics explained through food, a clever concept that makes economics accessible for the layperson.

Being one of the laypeople who thinks of economy only when deciding between a 0.9 kg can or a 300 g can of anchovies in olive oil on a given run to the supermarket, I appreciated how Mr Chang used commonly eaten and popular foodstuff across the world to explain economic theories, political-economic systems, processes, and even an economist's overview of world history from the recent past to the present. Taking the example of the humble anchovy, he tells us how the raw materials based economies were ruined by the surge of synthetic substitutes, as happened to guano, rubber, and dyes, on which economies such as Peru's, Brazil's and Guatemala's were dependent on to prosper, and how this can happen again (and why). That makes it so very understandable, put so simply, than the complex sociological and economical theories most of us would find labyrinthine at best and boring or dry at worst.

Using foodstuffs that go from meat (anchovy, beef, chicken, prawn) to veggies (carrot, okra), nuts (acorn) and fruit (banana, strawberry), to processed food (noodles) and finally drinks & desserts (Coca-Cola, chocolate), as conversation starters, each of the chapters dedicated to a given foodstuff will teach you something about economics. All the foods are organised thematically in five parts, which keeps them organised enough because sometimes the author tends to wander around a bit. Part One is about overcoming prejudice through using the author's own experience overcoming his aversion to food like okra (I can relate, hate that thing), and the next is about becoming more productive, then the third is about doing better globally; and the fourth and last sections are about living together and thinking of the future.

The titles of the sections might sound rather generic or dry, but the writing is anything but. Each chapter has a recipe as a header, not in full but as a list of ingredients that go into the recipe that showcases the food item used as an example to discuss the theme of the chapter. I'm not much of a recipe enthusiast, but sometimes I wanted to know the preparation part of the recipe mentioned. I guess it's left like that, just a list, so we can experiment if we want?

Anyway, you won't only learn about economics, you'll get plenty of neat historical facts you didn't know about, too. For example, did you know that beef extract, that cube you throw into your soup, was invented with the best of intentions (to bring the proteins of beef to poor people that couldn't buy meat as it was super expensive before the 1900s) by a German chemist? It ultimately didn't end up being the malnutrition problem-solver it was meant to be, sadly, but that goes to show that the now often demonised "processed food" was originally meant to address serious challenges to feed the population.

I enjoyed the conversational and anecdotal format, and the interlinking of stuff I knew with stuff I didn't. Being a history reader, I knew about events like those told in the Anchovy chapter, the Banana chapter, etc., and had a basic understanding of some economic phenomena such as industrialisation overtaking raw-materials based economies in terms of income and prosperity. It reminded me a bit of A History of the World in 6 Glasses in style and aims, though with a different focus as Standage's is history and Chang's is economy. I love this intermingling of foodie enthusiasm and academic erudition!

Of course, the author is not an historian and neither is he a sociologist, and his explanations are going to be simplified for the sake of readability, clarity, and brevity too, as this is a short book. So do bear in mind that the book is meant for the general public, the lay public, and not for specialists in economy or history, and that a lot of the things asserted here are the author's opinions and experiences, and tastes in food, which are always personal. I had my favourite chapters, and plenty of moments exclaiming "I never knew that!" But I also could tell when information was incomplete, or simply not true. The chapter on Coca-Cola, for one, showed me the author (or his research team) aren't all that versed in Latin American politics, so the commentary there was grating to me. There's one footnote in which he says "installed by the coup d'état" about the former president of Bolivia, which isn't true, and tells me more what the author/his research team were reading to have given such an overview of the entire continent in the manner he did. I'm very used to Europeans and Europe-based gurus (the author is South Korean, but he's made his career in the UK, so I'm counting him in) being awful at analysing South America, save the Spaniards and Portuguese because language and historical ties that continue make them closer and more in touch, but it never ceases to bother me how ill-informed their commentary can be sometimes. There's enough omitted and oversimplied in that chapter that it was bothersome.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you're an adventurous eater like me, who also likes micro-history books and the mixing of topics in an amenable way. This book reminded me why Southeast Asian cuisine is the one ethnic food group I most want to try, and reassured me in my obstinately experimental tastes. There's no ethnic food I won't try, to the point those that know me ask me half-teasingly and half-seriously, "Just what don't you like?" Well, perhaps okra, but now that Mr Chang mentioned gumbo was what convinced his palate to welcome okra, I'm going to try it one day.

Thank you to PublicAffairs for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did I want out of this book? I had some vague expectations like how food shapes economics in various parts of the world, which, the author explicitily says the book is not right at the beginning. So what did we get?

Essentially we got dinner and a movie where the dinner although quite interesting had nothing to do with the movie which was decent yet somewhat underwhelming. I enjoyed every one of Chang's food segments that usually included a brief history of what a particular culture eats and some interesting thoughts on recipes and differences between the cultures. I found many of the brief lectures on various economic topics good but some were a tad basic/boring.

The blend of food and economics was sometimes good and sometimes non-existant and really just an interesting type of food and...then some variably interesting economics.

3.5 stars rounded up. It was a novel way to talk about some economics concepts which was frequently entertaining but it wasn't a perfect blend.

[Kuszma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van némi bűntudatom ezzel a könyvvel kapcsolatban. Ugyanis legalább egy vevőnek azzal adtam el, hogy a gasztronómia változásán keresztül mutatja be a közgazdaságtani mechanizmusokat - ez egyfajta wishful thinking volt részemről, mert úgy éreztem, érdekes, értelemmel bíró megközelítés lenne. Ezzel szemben Ha-Joon Chang fejezetei úgy épülnek fel, hogy előbb cseveg kicsit az ételekről (mert szeret enni, aminek örülök), aztán meg a közgazdaságtanról, és a kettő között vagy van kapcsolat, vagy nincs kapcsolat. De többnyire nem sok, legfeljebb valami marha erőltetett átkötés. Maga a szerző is megvallja, hogy a gasztrobetéteket csak egyfajta jutalomnak szánja, hogy az olvasó kapjon valami finomat is, ha már közgazdaságtant kell olvasnia - hát kösz, kedves Ha-Joon, amiért hatévesnek nézel, akinek be kell ígérni egy fagyit, hogy megegye a zöldbabfőzeléket. Tudom, rohamosan csökken a társadalom attention span-je, de azért lekezelőnek érzem ezt a hozzáállást.

Különben szó se róla, ebben a kötetben hihetetlenül érdekes dolgokat olvastam. Sajnos ezeknek csak egy része kapcsolódik a közgazdaságtanhoz. Tudtátok például, hogy a konzerveket Nicolas Appert találta fel Napóleon megbízásából? Vagy hogy amikor Zsukov az európai szovjet haderők főparancsnoka volt, a Coca-Cola direkt neki palackozott átlátszó kólát, hogy a világháború hőse titokban tudja élvezni kedvenc italát? Érdekes. Csak épp miután kihüledeztem magam ezeken a kis színeseken, azt vettem észre, hogy a fejezeteknek valójában nincs mélysége, éppen csak meglebegtetnek valamilyen közgazdaságtannal kapcsolatos állítást. Jellemző, hogy úgy a kötet kétharmadának kellett eltelnie, mire meg tudtam ragadni benne valamiféle általános állítást: Ha-Joon Chang érdeklődési köre a szabadpiac és az állami szabályozás konfliktusa, és nagyjából azt állítja, hogy utóbbi igenis szükséges egy jól működő gazdaságban.

Nagyon látszik a szövegen, hogy fejezetei folyóirati közlésre készültek, és megszületésük között időnként több év is eltelt. Hiába csillan fel bennük néha egy-egy inspiráló gondolat, provokatív állítás vagy élvezetes szekvencia, nem állnak össze egésszé, és végig csak a felszínt karcolgatják. Jól szórakozni lehet rajta, de összességében: kevés.

[Makmild · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

5 ดาวสำหรับความตั้งใจเขียน ไม่ใช่ผู้เชี่ยวชาญทุกคนที่มีความตั้งใจจะเขียนหนังสือให้ทำความเข้าใจง่ายๆ เพื่อนักอ่าน beginner level แล้วประสบความสำเร็จ อย่างแย่สุดคือ ทำให้เรื่องยากยากกว่าเดิมจนขยาด อย่างดีคือทำให้นักอ่านมีความรู้มากขึ้นจนอยากศึกษามากขึ้นกว่าเดิมแม้จะยังไม่รู้เรื่องก็ตาม

ฮาจุนชางเป็นนักเศรษฐศาสตร์ที่มีลีลารการเขียนแบบใส่ความตั้งใจเต็ม 100 ที่อยากให้คนอ่านรู้สึกเศรษฐศาสตร์เป็นเรื่องที่ไม่ได้ยากต่อความเข้าใจขนาดนั้น แต่เป็นเรื่องใกล้ตัวที่ควรค่าต่อการทำความเข้าใจเหมือนเรื่องอาหารที่อยู่ใกล้ตัวและจำเป็นต่อการดำเนินชีวิตต่างหาก

Edible Economics พาเราสำรวจโลกอาหารหลากประเทศ จริงนอกจากเรื่องเศรษฐศาสตร์ เราอิจฉาที่เขาได้กินอาหารหลายประเทศขนาดนี้แล้วเล่าประวัติศาสตร์ เศรษฐศาสตร์ การเชื่อมโยงโลกเบื้องหลังอาหารผ่านความอร่อยของแต่ละเมนูได้มากกว่า (แม้บางเรื่องจะดู “พยายาม” โยงกลับมาอาหารไปหน่อย 55555 แต่ก็ไม่เป็นไร นับถือความพยายามนั้น) ซึ่งเล่มที่ใกล้เคียงกันคือเล่ม “เศรษฐศาสตร์ซูชิ” แต่เล่มนั้นเล่าเมนูเดียว (คือซูชิ แหง) แต่ลงลึก และไม่ได้เน้นนโยบายรัฐบาล และการเล่าแง่มุมเศรษฐศาสตร์อันหลากหลายเหมือนเล่มนี้

แต่ก็เพราะด้วยเหตุผลเดียวกันอันนี้แหละ ที่ทำให้บางเรื่องมันดู general เกินไป และพูดอย่างง่ายเกินไป (ไม่ได้พูดถึงข้อมูลผิดหรือถูกด้วย เพราะปัญญาไม่ถึงพอ เห็นในรีวิวฝรั่งบางคนบอกบางเรื่องผิด ซึ่งก็นึกไม่ออกว่าเรื่องไหน) คือด้วยความที่หนังสือมันไม่ได้เฉพาะเจาะจงไปที่ประเทศใดเป็นพิเศษ ความยากคือการเขียนให้ถูกต้องลงลึกไปถึงกฎหมาย และข้อบังคับใช้ของแต่ละประเทศมันเลยกลายเป็นเรื่องที่ยากมากๆ (ยังไม่ต้องนับเรื่องในแง่ประวัติศาสตร์ของบางชนชั้นอีก) ถ้าพูดอย่างหยาบๆ มันก็ค่อนข้าง Pop Academic มากกว่า Hard Academic มันย่อยง่ายกว่ามาก แต่อาจจะมีบางประเด็นที่ไม่ตรงจุดนั้น ซึ่งในฐานะคนอ่านทั่วไปแล้ว เราคิดว่า ประมาณนี้แหละดีแล้ว ไม่งั้นมันจะยากเกินแล้วกลายเป็นคนไม่อยากอ่านไป โดยปกติคนก็ไม่ค่อยชอบเศรษฐศาสตร์กันอยู่แล้วด้วย การนำของกิน (ซึ่งเป็นสิ่งที่ใครจะอดใจไหว) มาประกอบกับเศรษฐศาสตร์ (วิ���าที่ใครละจะทนไหว) ทำให้เรื่องยากนั้นอาจจะดูน่ากินขึ้นมาบ้างก็ได้ (แต่เราว่าสนุกมากเลย!)

มีหลายเรื่องในเล่มที่ได้แต่แปะ index รัวๆ ว่า I've never known that! (ขอโทษที่จำไม่ได้แล้วว่าเรื่องอะไรบ้าง) เช่น เรื่อง ช็อกโกเลต (บทท้ายๆ เลยจำได้) ที่พูดถึงอุตสาหกรรมหนัก และภาคบริการ โดยยกตัวอย่างประเทศสวิตเซอร์แลนด์ที่ถ้าให้บอกว่าประเทศเล็กๆ นี้ร่ำรวยจากอะไร เราตอบว่าช็อกโกเลต นาฬิการาคาแพง และภาคการเงิน (เอาไว้ให้คนหนีภาษีไปฝากเงินด้วยนโยบายการไม่ส่งข้อมูลลูกค้าให้กับรัฐบาลประเทศนั้นๆ ใช่ปะ) แต่จริงๆ แล้วก่อนที่จะมาถึงตรงนั้นไม่สิ จริงๆ แล้วเบื้องหลังของสวิสคือเทคโนโลยีคุณภาพสูงที่ส่งไปให้ภาคการผลิตอุตสาหกรรม ว่าง่ายๆ สวิสเป็นประเทศที่ค้าขายแบบ B to B (business to business) แล้วเราซึ่งเป็น Customer ลูกค้าก็ไม่ได้รู้หรอกว่าสินค้าที่เรากิน ใช้ ดื่มนั้นเบื้องหลังมีอะไรบ้าง ซึ่งนี่ก็เป็นเรื่องที่เพิ่งรู้อย่างหนึ่งในเล่มว่า อ้อ เวลาคนคนเราพูดกันว่า ภาคการเงิน และภาคการผลิตเติบโตจริงๆ แล้วเป็นอย่างไร และมันควรไปด้วยกันอย่างไร แบบเบื้องต้น

โดยส่วนตัวแล้ว เราคิดว่าหนังสือเศรษฐศาสตร์ของฮาจุงชานทุกเล่ม (ที่แปลไทยอยู่ตอนนี้มีสองเล่ม คือ เล่มนี้ กับ เศรษฐศาสตร์ ฉบับทางเลือก ) เป็นเล่มที่อยากแนะนำให้คนอยากเริ่มต้นศึกษาเศรษฐศาสตร์อ่าน หรือคนที่รู้เศรษฐศาสตร์แค่แง่มุมเดียว (เช่น รู้จักแต่ออสเตรียน เคนเซียนส์เนี่ย มาอ่านอย่างอื่นบ้าง) เพื่อให้เข้าใจว่าโลกเราก็เหมือนอาหาร มันไม่มีทางแก้ไขได้ด้วยสูตรใดสูตรเดียว แต่เกิดขึ้นจากการผสมผสานอันหลากหลาย อ้อ ปัญหาก็เป็นแบบเดียวกันนั้นแหละ 55555

[Sadra Kharrazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

خوندنی و جذاب با کلی داستان از خوراکی‌ها و مسائل اقتصادی

اقتصاد خوردنی تلاشیه برای توضیح مفاهیم پیچیده اقتصادی از دریچه غذا و فرهنگ خوراک در جهان. نویسنده به‌جای این‌که از زبان فنی و اصطلاحات تخصصیِ استفاده کنه، با مثال‌هایی از مواد غذایی مختلف نشون می‌ده که موضوعاتی مثل تجارت جهانی، سرمایه‌داری، نقش دولت‌ها، شرکت‌های چندملیتی و نابرابری اقتصادی چه‌طور در زندگی روزمره‌ آدم‌ها جریان پیدا می‌کنه. هر فصل با تمرکز بر یه خوراکی یا تجربه‌ غذایی شروع می‌شه و بعد کم‌کم به لایه‌های تاریخی، سیاسی و اقتصادی مرتبط با اون می‌رسه تا خواننده درک بهتری از مسائل پیدا کنه

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took food to get me interested in economics, but it worked!

[Julian Worker · Rating 5 out of 5]

First - here are two questions:

1) Which country was the first to abolish slavery and when?
2) Which two countries have the most industrialised economies in the world producing the largest amount of manufacturing output per person?

Answers at the bottom.

This is a book about the history of food and modern economics and so much more wonderful information, such as the above.

The author shows great imagination in writing about 17 foodstuffs (e.g. okra, chocolate, chili) and then linking some aspect of each foodstuff's history / production to modern economics and how this impacts our world both now and in the future.

There are many exciting ideas about how we can improve the state of the world and humanity's role within that future world. These ideas don't always use neoliberal ideas showing that there are some economists around who aren't slavishly devoted to neoliberalism (which had its start in 1973 in Chile after the overthrow of the democratically elected Salvador Allende and NOT with Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan 7-9 years later).

Answers:

1) Haiti in 1804.
2) Switzerland and Singapore.

This book is recommended.

[Maliha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning ⚠️ do not read this book on an empty stomach.

Progress in economic thought comes in three stages; first they laugh at you, then they fight you, then they ask you to write a quirky book explaining your ideas to a mass audience.

This book is myth-busting, witty, and thought-provoking, Edible Economics serves up a feast of bold ideas about globalization, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation, and why carrots need not be orange. It shows that getting to grips with the economy is like learning a recipe: when we understand it, we can adapt and improve it—and better understand our world.

[AJ Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a bit torn on this one. I love a book with tons of random knowledge thrown together, though that can get chaotic. And this one was chaotic. It drew stories and parallels between various food ingredients to, often seemingly random, economic concepts. But it’s not really about food, and it’s not really about economics. It’s an interesting mix. Though I wouldn’t say it’s always effective because it can leave you thinking, wait, what? How did the author get here? And that can take you out of the story. The author does address the strange connections he makes in the afterword, though perhaps I would have liked to have known what to expect a little more in the beginning. But hey, did I learn a bunch of random stuff about various foods? Yep. And did I learn a bunch of random stuff about economics? Also yep. So overall, I did enjoy the book, but think the execution was a bit more chaotic than it needed to be. Now I’m off to read some additional reviews to see what others thought about this one, because I’m not entirely sure what to think.

[Jadrian Wooten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Food stories were great.
Economics stories were great.

His attempt at combining the two was awful.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and inventive way to package some key economic concepts and consider how they have shaped the world today. I found this approach engaging, and interesting in the way it explored global economies past and present, alongside a consideration of how these concept will continue to evolve and shape the globe in the future. Economics can seem like a niche interest but really understanding how these forces shape our world is knowledge for everyone.

[Annaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have an interest in food, history, and/or economics this book may be for you! A fairly short read that explains economic concepts through tales of food. I learned a good deal from each chapter and the author manages to entwine complicated concepts with charming stories and various facts. There are a few awkward transitions and pacing issues but nothing severe enough to overcome the good.

I’ve received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[i am the problem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wszystko jest 10 razy lepsze, kiedy wytłumaczone przez jedzenie

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

In a rather unconventional manner, Edible Economics reviews a swath of economic theories and practices through the lens of foods — not through a given country or economy’s food culture or food economics, but simply through the lens of foods that relate to the economic thread.

This was a weird and wonderful little book! I honestly never thought I would enjoy a book on economics, but I found myself fascinated the whole way through. Ha-Joon Chang offers some unique perspectives on various economic theories, often presenting multiple differing opinions in the same chapter. He weaves together these theories and practices with tangible historical examples, all the while tying each one at least metaphorically to a food — such as the idea of chillies being representative of invisible labor or strawberries relating directly to the development of automation of the workforce.

While I did find some of Chang’s opinions to be distinctly British — though born and raised in South Korea, Ha-Joon Chang attended university and now teaches in the UK — it was still easy to remind myself that this is a book of opinions as much as it is a book of fact. It’s not a textbook, but rather a unique economic overview from one individual’s perspective. I do appreciate the author’s evident extended effort to present ideas and concepts fairly, particularly multiple discussions of different versions and perspectives of the same theories, but the overarching author’s voice and bias is still ever-present. Fortunately, Ha-Joon Chang’s final recommendation to the reader is to understand that every perspective is just that: a perspective. Economics, though presented as firmly rooted in hard data and science, is just as much a matter of opinion as most things in this world.

Edible Economics was honest, occasionally flawed and surface-level, but ultimately incredibly digestible and often delicious. I’m certainly not an economist by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel like I am leaving this book having learned far more than I expected to, particularly with a firm understanding of the society and world at large that I live in today, and certainly far more prepared to comprehend the ever-developing future stretched out before us.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Really impressed.

I was worried that this book would be similar to the Jungle and I'd be considering being a vegan after reading this book. But alas, Edible Economics didn't go in that direction. I've been in a bit of a rut with my reading and this non-fiction book caught my attention (extra kudos regarding the cover design) .

The author acknowledges (in the conclusion) that this is a bit of a strange book. For example the "Strawberry" chapter evolves into the impact of automation on jobs. The author is from South Korea and there is a lot of Asian influence in the food discussion and background, but it adds to the depth of the book. Each chapter is a bit of a stand alone essay of a food item and then the discussion morphs into something economic. I never would have guessed that I would have loved reading about economics. Well written and interesting!

Once again, many thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to an author that is new to me!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review Edible Economics in exchange for an honest review. Great job to author Ha-Joon Chang and publisher PublicAffairs, publication Date is 17 Jan 2023.

[Bigmike · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is effectively a collection of blog posts in which a single type of food is extraordinarily loosely tied to a vague topic in economics. In my opinion, this book lacks depth - a facet which especially hurts the obvious agenda-driven nature of the writing. The author states that they want to provide different perspectives and let the reader decide, but I found that to be very disingenuous. All-in-all, this was a real struggle to get through, and one I should have just called it quits on halfway through.

[Larsen Puch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es el cuarto libro que leo del economista coreano. Él lo califica de extraño, pero fascinante es el adjetivo que le hace mayor justicia.

El autor es un economista partidario de un capitalismo regulado y sustentable, pero un gran detractor de las premisas neoliberales que han sido dominantes en las últimas décadas. En cada uno de sus libros, los mitos económicos ultraliberales quedan al descubierto, demostrado su falta de evidencia real e histórica.

Este libro es fascinante porque conjuga con eficacia la gastronomía, la historia , la geografía y la economía. Permite viajar en el tiempo, por lugares diversos, conociendo detalles sabrosos de los alimentos y de ricas tradiciones culinarias, enlazando todo aquello con reflexiones convincentes sobre problemáticas económicas que repercuten en la vida cotidiana de todos los habitantes de este planeta.

Sin duda, en los plateamientos del autor subyace un aprecio por el valor de la democracia, el cuidado del medioambiente y la igualdad de género.

Un libro escrito con sentido del humor, rigurosidad argumentativa, con alcances literarios y culturales interesantísimos.

Ideal para los interesados en economía y gastronomía, dos grandes pasiones del autor, como lo deja claramente demostrado.

[Yashasvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written in an interesting way.

I personally enjoyed it since I can read almost anything about 'food'. Each chapter picks up a food item, talks about a certain aspect of how it evolved over time and concludes with what economic lesson we learn from it. To be clear, the economics part is not more than 30-40% in any of the chapters.

I'd have preferred the economics part in a higher proportion though. Each chapter just touches a concept but doesn't really elaborate on that.

Given that, I liked the writing style

This might not be the book for you if you aren't interested to know about some random food facts and already know some basics of economics.

[wiku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Can't believe I had fun reading abt economy😳

[Los libros de Bruno Los libros de Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Temas que no acostumbro leer pero alimentos que si suelo comer ( algunos )

Recomendado

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I by far prefer to read about food than economics, it was the title and the cover which encouraged me to pick up this book, rather than the author's (impressive) credentials. As it turns out, it was a trap set out for exactly such a reader like me. But I am so glad that I let myself get caught.

“My food stories are a bit like the ice cream that some of your mums may have offered to ‘bribe’ you to eat your ‘greens’ – except that in this book ice cream comes first, the greens later (what a deal!)” - admits Ha-Joon Chang in the preface. But he is also right when he adds: “my economic stories are going to be rewards in themselves because I have made them tastier than the usual by making them more varied in kind and more complex in flavour”.

The food stories are not just a pretext for a dry lecture, they are fascinating and engaging in themselves - so much engaging that you won’t realize when they morph into the economic ones. The author has an uncanny ability to connect very different topics into one coherent tale - say, pasta and automobile industry, or anchovy, guano and fertilizers.

Very refreshing is not only his style, but also his Korean background - he offers an original, non-Western-centric point of view on food as well as on economics.

I am sure it will be a tasty treat for everyone interested not only in food or economics but in a good storytelling about how the modern world works.

Thanks to the publisher, PublicAffairs, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Honey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn't necessarily translate to how food/ingredients shape the global economy but it tries to draw parallelisms into economic concepts. Often, it goes a bit off-tangent from the beginning of chapters and you end up in an entirely different plane. The author also likes referring back to other chapters in the book which I thought was unnecessary and slightly chaotic.

That said, an interesting and creative approach to get more people interested and understand how economics work at a global scale.

Pretty good footnotes and references.

[Mohd Jamizal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wow Ha Joon Chang made it again to explain economics in leisure manner yet academics. He explains economic principles via his favourite food and dishes but relate it to economic issues i.e employment, productivity, cultural, institution so on. Good read as we could refresh our mind on the nature of human behaviour.

[Gillian · Rating 1 out of 5]

As the Professor himself recognizes GIGO. Book felt like it was written with the purpose of discrediting capitalism/US. Facts and textual inconsistencies posed no problem in arriving at this goal. Okay for food entertainment but have Propaganda Antennae on high alert.

[Shauna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Will not rate. DNF

[Conor]

A decent read. I was drawn in by what I hoped would be some juicy tidbits on the history of certain food industries and how they tied into economic development. This is only the case for a few of the chapters — coincidentally some of the better ones — like those on bananas or beef. Others are complete non-sequiturs. This is fine, as the economic concepts are explained swiftly and clearly, but often threatens to give up the book's premise as wholly arbitrary. Still, the book keeps a good pace, and is a nice corrective to much of the neoclassical water us underinformed fish don't realise we're swimming in.

[Monika · Rating 2 out of 5]

W założeniu ta książka miała być super ciekawa: autor miał powiązać historię różnych produktów spożywczych z historią ekonomii.
Wykonanie jednak nie udało się - w teorii, właśnie tak wygląda ta książka. Nawiązania od jedzenia do ekonomii były naciągane i chaotyczne.
O ile jednak anegdoty o jedzeniu były dla mnie ciekawe i dość często dość odkrywcze, to ta część o ekonomii była z rozdziału na rozdział coraz krótsza i bardziej powierzchowna.
Raczej tę książkę polecam dla młodych ludzi, zainteresowanych lub których chcemy zainteresować ekonomią, gospodarka światową, a nie dla tych którzy mają jako takie pojęcie o tych kwestiach. Ewentualnie dla tych, którzy chcą poznać kilka faktów o czekoladzie, krewetkach, czy bananach.

[Michael Griffith-Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bite-sized and refreshingly balanced book which weaves food history with lessons in economics. I do not agree with all of Chang's conclusions as he often veers into statements of opinion disguised as facts, but the best books provoke a reaction and thought. I do not want to agree with every theory in every book. My tastes in food differ hugely to Chang's, I found it had not to spit out my tea when he listed Hotel Chocolat as a favoured chocolate shop and admitted to enjoying Hersey's whilst living in Britain! Chang is a fun writer and the book is easy to read. Those without a formal economics education might get more out of it, although a cursory knowledge of leading thinkers like Marx and Smith helps with a full comprehension.

[Joyce Yu · Rating 4 out of 5]

it says a lot about me that I was locked in the most for the food parts of the book but I thought this was an interesting way to write about economics, he presented topics in a easily consumable way with real world applications. added plus that the author is Korean so I was able to relate to his anecdotes better.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that uses short anecdotes about food to explain more complex economic ideas. I initially thought it was going to be about the economics of the food industry, but it was much broader and ended up touching on everything from patent law to the welfare state.