Results for “food” 2044 found
Twinkie, Deconstructed
There are entire companies which do nothing but break eggs open for other companies; the largest such egg-breaking company is based in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
That is from Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats, by Steve Ettlinger. So far this is my pick for the best food book of the year.
I also learned that a twinkie is about half sugar, sulfuric acid is the most produced chemical in the world, sugar is used to clean out cement mixers, phosphate rock and limestone make Twinkies light and airy, Twinkies’ butter flavor is created out of gas, Twinkies contain only one preservative (sorbic acid), and the original 1930 Twinkies were filled with banana flavor, not vanilla.
The bottom line is that I ordered bought two more of the guy’s books.
What is carbon-friendly?
Can this result be true? The guy claims that food production and refrigeration is so energy-expensive that it is more carbon-friendly to drive your car than to walk. Walking requires that you eat more to make up the lost energy, as you can lose only so much weight (what’s the relevant margin here? Ten feet of walking? A lifetime of walking?).
It is also claimed that: "Paper bags cause more global warming than plastic." Here is the book, I’ve ordered it and will report in due time. In the meantime, here is Ezra’s coverage.
From Chicagoboyz, here is a good post on whether tangerines from a distance can be more carbon-friendly than local fruit. Here is an earlier MR post on the same.
Podcast with me
This is me (more on me) talking with the very smart David Robinson of AEI, find it here. It is about thirty minutes long, here is their summary. I recall talking about why blogging should count as scholarship, what’s wrong with food in Sweden, and how my views on elites and voters differ from those of Bryan Caplan, among other topics.
Tyler Cowen’s kitchen favorites
Cowen also cowrites a less food-driven–and equally popular–blog called Marginal Revolution, which chews on a wide range of cultural concepts.
Here is more, including my kitchen favorites. Like this:
Favorite dumpling filling: “Pork, ginger, and scallions. And don’t forget the hot chili oil on top with a bit of soy sauce.”
Thoughts to ponder
This book review has introduced me to a new enemy, the economist Tyler Cowen…
…”The critical economic problem is scarcity,” he says in his book.
Like all other capitalist economist, Cowen is ideologically welded to
this bad idea of lack and shortages as the key problem. However,
scarcity is rarely real but manufactured. There is an abundance of
energy in the world. The sun gives it to us daily for free. All this
talk about there being not enough energy, food, fuel has been
essentially false. And the wars that have been fought to protect the
little there is for survival have been false wars–wars whose only truth
is that they befitted those who in this or that period of history owned
the means of production.If scarcity was an authentic problem (rather than a fabricated one) then Africa would not be poor.
Here is the full review, which is titled "Bad Economics." The pointer is from a loyal MR reader.
How long should the wait be to see a doctor?
Matt Yglesias notes that seeing a doctor in the U.S. involves waiting. I’ve never had this experience (not going to the doctor is my trick) but I’ve heard the same from other people. My question is a simple one: in market equilibrium, should we expect two- or three month-long waits to see a doctor? Or is this somehow an artifact of government intervention?
I understand why I might have to wait to get an iPhone (though I didn’t) or Harry Potter (though Yana didn’t). I understand why I can’t just call up El Bulli and get a reservation; they want the highest status people eating there, plus the air of exclusivity creates positive publicity for spin-off products. But I wouldn’t expect those mechanisms to matter for medicine, at least not at the GP level ("he won’t transplant a heart for just anyone, he’s promoting his personal line of stents", etc.).
Why might one have to wait for a doctor?
1. There are big gains to sticking with your previous doctor, and demand is uncertain each period so the lines add up. But I would expect the law of large numbers to kick in, plus sometimes the wait should be very short.
2. Waiting lists are a form of price discrimination. Some patients "hoard time" (just as dept. chairs in a university "hoard space") by making lots of appointments, many of which are unnecessary ex post. Indirectly they are charged for this privilege but they get immediacy when they need it. Matt (maybe) didn’t need immediacy and wasn’t willing to pay for it.
3. The President is always the last person to enter the room and that policy maximizes the value of his time. Maybe doctors have lots of "drop out" appointments (patients get better or perhaps they die), and so doctors maximize the value of their time by keeping a long queue. But for this to maximize profits, must the queue be longer than a week or so?
4. Some constraint — legal or otherwise — prevents doctors from raising their prices. (This hypothesis, by the way, suggests that American medical care is even more expensive than it looks.)
Readers, why is the wait often as long as it is? I’m not interested in debating health care policy today, I’d just like an answer to this question.
Addendum: Jane Galt adds commentary and analysis.
Denver bleg
In July I will have one day in Denver, what should I do? Mentions of superb spicy food are not to be ruled out.
Why did the Soviet Union fall?
In a simplified way, the story of the collapse of the Soviet Union could be told as a story about grain and oil.
That is from Yegor Gaidar. In the 1980s it was necessary to import more and more grain, and Saudi Arabia was no longer supporting oil prices. It worked like this:
The timeline of the collapse of the Soviet
Union can be traced to September 13, 1985. On this date, Sheikh Ahmed
Zaki Yamani, the minister of oil of Saudi Arabia, declared that the
monarchy had decided to alter its oil policy radically. The Saudis
stopped protecting oil prices, and Saudi Arabia quickly regained its
share in the world market. During the next six months, oil production
in Saudi Arabia increased fourfold, while oil prices collapsed by
approximately the same amount in real terms.As a result, the Soviet Union lost approximately $20 billion per
year, money without which the country simply could not survive. The
Soviet leadership was confronted with a difficult decision on how to
adjust. There were three options–or a combination of three
options–available to the Soviet leadership.First, dissolve the Eastern European empire and effectively stop
barter trade in oil and gas with the Socialist bloc countries, and
start charging hard currency for the hydrocarbons. This choice,
however, involved convincing the Soviet leadership in 1985 to negate
completely the results of World War II. In reality, the leader who
proposed this idea at the CPSU Central Committee meeting at that time
risked losing his position as general secretary.Second, drastically reduce Soviet food imports by $20 billion, the
amount the Soviet Union lost when oil prices collapsed. But in
practical terms, this option meant the introduction of food rationing
at rates similar to those used during World War II. The Soviet
leadership understood the consequences: the Soviet system would not
survive for even one month. This idea was never seriously discussed.Third, implement radical cuts in the military-industrial complex.
With this option, however, the Soviet leadership risked serious
conflict with regional and industrial elites, since a large number of
Soviet cities depended solely on the military-industrial complex. This
choice was also never seriously considered.Unable to realize any of the above solutions, the Soviet leadership
decided to adopt a policy of effectively disregarding the problem in
hopes that it would somehow wither away. Instead of implementing actual
reforms, the Soviet Union started to borrow money from abroad while its
international credit rating was still strong. It borrowed heavily from
1985 to 1988, but in 1989 the Soviet economy stalled completely…The money was suddenly gone. The Soviet Union
tried to create a consortium of 300 banks to provide a large loan for
the Soviet Union in 1989, but was informed that only five of them would
participate and, as a result, the loan would be twenty times smaller
than needed. The Soviet Union then received a final warning from the
Deutsche Bank and from its international partners that the funds would
never come from commercial sources. Instead, if the Soviet Union
urgently needed the money, it would have to start negotiations directly
with Western governments about so-called politically motivated credits.In 1985 the idea that the Soviet Union would begin bargaining for
money in exchange for political concessions would have sounded
absolutely preposterous to the Soviet leadership. In 1989 it became a
reality, and Gorbachev understood the need for at least $100 billion
from the West to prop up the oil-dependent Soviet economy.
Here is the full article. The pointer is from VoxBaby. Do you have further thoughts?
Norway thoughts
Oslo first struck me as more like Scotland than Sweden, most of all the craggy, weather-beaten faces and the wandering derelicts. I mean Inverness and Aberdeen, not Edinburgh. How could such a wealthy and well-organized country have such an ugly capital city? Only the surrounding waters and greenery were pretty. And why were so many people so poorly dressed? Then we went to Bergen — a "Hansa-Stadt" — which felt like familiar emotional territory. People were stylish and the faces were happier and everything seemed more intellectual. The visual synthesis of land, water, industry, and homes was first-rate, and yes sardine factories in the right setting are stunning. Usually I end up liking the uglier city more. Which city is the real Norway, or must I now see Trondheim? How can this country be the best place in the world to hear jazz? It is the young who listen, not the old; the players are sincere and convincing, imagine a blond guy named Thor Gustavsen riffing around a flattened third. We went almost every night, taking one break to hear Varese’s Ameriques, by the Oslo Symphony Orchestra. Yana loved it. The fjords bored me. They are as good as scenery comes, but they felt like a repetition of southern Chile and New Zealand. I admired the homes which had outlets only to the water. I wished I had brought an iPod full of heavy metal for that boat trip.
I asked for Voss water on several occasions, but no one had it. Not even in the train station in Voss. Some Norwegian servers had never heard of it.
I kept on toying with the theory that the country moved quickly from folk paganism to postwar secularism, with only a short Christian interlude in between.
We were never willing to spend on splendid food and the less than splendid food never came cheap. In Bergen I had one of the best fish and chips servings of my life, I told the happy cook he was a genius, equaled only by the fish and chips geniuses of New Zealand. I like to eat fish and chips at least once in every country I visit. Somehow that was my favorite moment of my travels. He gave us a free piece of fish and chips.
Does it make sense to wonder in which countries people are "the most normal" or "the least normal"? I’m fine with the exercise being about the wonderer, not the subjects. On the Continent the French seem the most normal to me. In the North the Swedes seem the most normal.
The joke ends with the exchange: "A: Does it always rain here in Bergen? B: I don’t know, I’m only fourteen years old."
This can’t be right, or location theory upended
The flight from Oslo airport to Bergen airport costs less than the cab ride from Oslo airport to downtown Oslo. Blame the taxi cartel if you wish (is there one in Norway?), but relative to food and other prices that cab ride seemed like a bargain. Fifty minutes in the cab cost only three or so kung pao chickens with water. Imagine how location theory should look when it is cheapest to travel far and costliest to make small moves. I am reminded of Venice, where getting your shopping cart up through the steps to cross a canal or two is sometimes harder than taking a train or boat out of the place altogether.
fatty snacks!
From today’s WSJ (gated but a free preview is available) : "With Corn Prices Rising, Pigs Switch to Fatty Snacks".
This is a convoluted one, but I’ll give it a try. The US seeks "energy independence". Our government has decided corn based ethanol is the way to go and subsidizes gasoline made from it to the tune of around $0.50 per gallon. However, BRAZILIAN corn ethanol is NOT the way to go and we have placed a goodly sized tariff thereon. Thus the price of corn in the US is off the hook as the kids like to say. Commercial farmers, who like to fatten their charges as quickly and cheaply as possible and traditionally use 30-60 percent corn diets for their pigs and cows have turned to another, now cheaper, proven form of quick fattening: JUNK FOOD!! Cheese curls, tater tots, cookies, candy bars and french fries are now on the menu for our future food. Pig farmer / comedian Alfred Smith says of the practice "I’ve heard no complaints".
Random impressions
Yes, I would buy Tanzania Fund.
The calm and reserved Dar Es Salaam is remarkably safe; I haven’t once felt threatened or even
"watched." It is the women who stare, not the men, as is common in Islamic countries. Throughout East Africa the country has a reputation for
politeness and courtesy.
If a 45-year-old Muslim woman tells you she took out a micro-credit
loan to open a "saloon," she usually means a "salon." In the interviews the Tanzanians are eager to be helpful, but they do not take over
the conversation, as might happen in West Africa.
Although there are no tourist sites of note, the city is a
pleasant green and backs into the water. You might see an Indian Dhow
pulling into the harbor. Every now and then you see an impressive Masai walking down the street.
Food prices are falling and the economy is
booming. Per capita gdp in Tanzania is about $700 but the city is
prosperous. Squalor can be found, but only with effort. There are plenty
of new buildings, a few real bookshops, and a bunch of OK shopping
malls. Spiderman 3 is already in the theatres. Given that
migration is possible, and the city is not crushingly overcrowded, how
bad can the countryside be? (Don’t answer that one.)
They carry eggs on the bicycles and everything else on the top of
womens’ heads. SUVs are common. Crafts are not impressive. Tanzania,
though large and populous, is far from an African cultural leader.
The Indian and Chinese restaurants are spicy and genuine. The crab and the vegetables are superb. Ugali is the native
dish; you get some ground cornmeal, roll it in a ball with your
fingers, and then dip it into a coconut sauce with vegetables. They
cook "pullau" rice with cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and coriander. Goat biryani is also common; it bears only a passing resemblance to the Indian concept of the same name.
Zanzibar, a two hour ferry ride away, has splendid old Arabic and
Indian doors and many Arabic-style buildings. Children play in the
narrow streets. Most of the women wear headscarves and a few wear the
full veil. The beaches appear perfect though I did not have time to
swim. For nightly street food there is spicy lobster, grilled fish,
large fresh prawns, and french fries.
My guide in Zanzibar explained:
I decide to sell to muzungu [in Swahili this means "white person," plus
some local nuances of expression] for my living. The Tanzanian custom is go to witch doctors. The muzungu custom is go to travels.
Special Interests, Universal Appeal
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.
H.L. Mencken
My colleague Bryan Caplan explains today in the Wall Street Journal.
When special interests talk, politicians listen and the rest of us suffer. But why do politicians listen? Social scientists’ favorite explanation is
that special interests pay close attention to their pet issues and the rest of
us do not. So when politicians decide where to stand, the safer path is to
satisfy knowledgeable insiders at the expense of the oblivious public.This explanation is appealing, but it neglects one glaring fact.
"Special-interest" legislation is popular.Keeping foreign products out is popular. Since 1976, … Americans who
"sympathize more with those who want to eliminate tariffs" are seriously
outnumbered by "those who think such tariffs are necessary." Handouts for
farmers are popular. A 2004 … Poll found that 58% agree that "government needs
to subsidize farming to make sure there will always be a good supply of food."
In 2006, … over 80% of Americans want to raise the minimum wage. … These
results are not isolated. It is hard to find any "special interest" policies
that most Americans oppose.Clearly, there is something very wrong with the view that the steel industry,
farm lobby and labor unions thwart the will of the majority. The public does not
pay close attention to politics, but that hardly seems to be the problem. The
policies that prevail are basically the policies that the public approves. …
To succeed, special interests only need to persuade politicians to swim with the
current of public opinion.Why would the majority favor policies that hurt the majority? … The
majority favors these policies because the average person underestimates the
social benefits of the free market, especially for international and labor
markets. In a phrase, the public suffers from anti-market bias.
Thoma excerpts more.
J. Galt’s provocation
A loyal MR visitor, J. Galt, asks:
I challenge you to write a blog post of decent length without the letter e
This woman might add: words of this woman don’t count, no spilling mistaiks aloud, and do it quickly, no agonizing with a dictionary.
This is not hard. An author from a Gallic land — I can’t say who — has a total book in this fashion, so a short blog post is snap. In Tanzania I find lots of corruption, lots of monopoly, lots of bargaining, but not much gross national product. Just think what will occur. (Tanzania is a cool word for my post; it is so good that I am not in a country of a dictator who runs Caracas.)
What about supply and purchasing? In my location — you can just call this city "Dar" — many Arabs add to urban culinary options. Spicy Sichuan food is also around, and Indian food is common. Why not? D falls downward to a rightward slant. Spicy food in Dar costs not so much. Transport of a spicy stuff or two costs virtually nothing. Call it proximity, or is "spatial" a good word too? "Marginal cost" also has not this bad sign, which again I must avoid in this blog post.
So, marginal cost is low for this spicy stuff. Now, S can fly rightwards in an upward slant, almost flat, but low low low.
I can put two flying slants synchronously. Right? Labor cost is low also. Monopoly is common in Dar but not for my mouth and stomach. P is jointly with marginal cost and for moi this spicy stuff is a Traum, of which I gnaw, swallow, chow, finish, grub down, polish off, run through, put away, and dispatch.
Now you try!
Memo to self
Visit London every year. Bar Shu, 28 Frith St., near Leicester Square, is the best Sichuan food I have had. The "Exploded Pork Kidneys" are especially fine, as are the green beans. Also noteworthy is Hot Stuff, 19 Wilcox Rd., a small Pakistani takeaways place which is rapidly gaining global fame.
For the first time in my life, I no longer feel I live in or near the center of the world.