Most experts blame factory farming

In An Economist Gets Lunch, his louis vuitton handbags on sale analysis of food, farms, and restaurants, he argues that the real story of American cuisine bears little resemblance to the tales told by Spurlock, Pollan and their fellow travelers. From Cowan's perspective, America's culinary problems date back much further, and the solutions may be as near as your local Chinese restaurant. And the Real Villain Is ... Most experts blame factory farming and mass production for the downfall of American cuisine, arguing that the availability of cheap, plentiful ingredients translated into blandness. No surprise, the contrarian Cowan offers up a few alternate food villains. He starts by blaming Prohibition. As he points out, in the 1920s, the country's finest restaurants used alcohol sales to subsidize the prices of their food, and their French-trained chefs often cooked with wine. When America banned alcohol, it effectively louis vuitton 2012 belts destroyed their business model and robbed them of one of their primary ingredients. And while 1933s repeal got the liquor flowing again, it didn't heal the economic damage: It took about 40 years for U.S. alcohol consumption to return to its pre-Prohibition levels. Cowan also places blame on another unusual set of suspects: our children. His findings suggest that a rising desire to produce convenient food for the entire family meant that parents and restaurants had to adapt by finding ways to tantalize kids' bland, sugar-centric tastes. Add these two factors together with a post-World War II food-packaging push, and you get McDonald's burgers and louis vuitton bag on sale in outlet Stouffer's mac and cheese -- foods that please the kiddies, but not a sophisticated palate.