AN ECONOMIST GETS LUNCH New Rules for Everyday Foodies

Here's a good audiobook to listen to while preparing dinner. It’s part contrarian (GMOs are good for the ecology, meat should be taxed according to its environmental impact) and part travelogue (listeners take taxi rides to remote foreign locales for inexpensive ethnic cuisine). In essence, the book veers between the Food Channel and FREAKONOMICS. (Author Cowen is an economist and food blogger.) Narrator Stephen Hoye’s authoritative tone makes Cowen’s more provocative ideas palatable and provides vocal cohesion to what might otherwise seem like a series of essays. This big-picture econo-centric audiobook explains why you should avoid trendy restaurants packed with pretty girls, the link between Prohibition and bad dining, and how Dr. Spock dumbed down American eating habits. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2012]