The only book I've ever read that made me laugh, salivate and re-evaluate my thoughts about economics - all at the same time. Ha-Joon Chang has been working hard at providing an alternative to neoliberalism for two decades now, ever since his book Kicking Away the Ladder pointed out that low taxes, free trade and deregulation simply wasn’t the way that most rich countries had developed. 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. The definitive, behind-the-scenes look at why Pokémon's evolution from a single Japanese video game to global powerhouse captured the world's attention, and how the "gotta catch 'em all" mentality of its fanbase shaped pop culture—and continues to do so today. 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”.

I was worried that this book would be similar to the Jungle and I'd be considering being a vegan after reading this book. Being a history reader, I knew about events like those told in the Anchovy chapter, the Banana chapter, etc. 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. 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.

P132 “…consumers do not have the time and mental capacity to process all the information on the carbon footprints of their food items…. Well, he already told us that we have limited “mental capacity;” so he gets big brother to”help” us. But if you're already in the field, read it for the interesting stories on ingredients and gastronomy.

Most seriously, there’s little engagement with the idea that economic growth itself might be the problem, and that curbing climate change isn’t just a matter of finding the right investment incentives. It doesn't necessarily translate to how food/ingredients shape the global economy but it tries to draw parallelisms into economic concepts.His descriptions of the wheres and hows of the food items serve as a springboard for his explanations about the economics and both are equally entertaining. Część rzeczy miałem wrażenie, że pokrywa się z poprzednią czytaną przeze mnie książką tego samego autora: 23 rzeczy. In my case, it was like a roller-coaster ride that I finished in a breath, but its charm will stay forever. His books include Economics: The User's Guide, Bad Samaritans and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism, which was an international no.

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. The blend of food and economics was sometimes good and sometimes non-existant and really just an interesting type of food and. Co zaskakujące autor bardzo płynnie przechodzi z tematów kulinarnych do tematów ogólnoekonomiczno- społecznych. I learned a good deal from each chapter and the author manages to entwine complicated concepts with charming stories and various facts. P 130: “ [re climate change, the government decides what you eat] “…changing our eating habits can have a big impact….It drew stories and parallels between various food ingredients to, often seemingly random, economic concepts. 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.

In chapters with titles such as Noodle and Banana, Ha-Joon Chang sketches out the story of his home country’s rise. En cada uno de sus libros, los mitos económicos ultraliberales quedan al descubierto, demostrado su falta de evidencia real e histórica. As with a Church of England sermon, it’s easy to chuckle at the artless way in which the points are sometimes brought in, – “In a very real sense, isn’t the carrot rather like a patent system? Ideal para los interesados en economía y gastronomía, dos grandes pasiones del autor, como lo deja claramente demostrado. Keeping my copy of this book as I definitely want to read it again, and it's hard to say much in the reveal without either giving it away or turning this review into something overly technical!

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) .