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Somebody Tell Them...or Not by Brad Edmonds
This
suggests one of two things about the economic education of those
involved:
Either they’ve had a lot of it, or none at all.
Among the foods they’re promoting are the above-mentioned black
cherry wine and certain specific varietal fruits.
Being specific to a region, such products (especially fresh
fruits and vegetables) are in season only at certain times, and are
expensive due to limited production.
Hence, the market is extinguishing these items, extinguishing
them at least from broader distribution, because there are other items
that do the job better—similar fruits that are available year-round,
or are produced by major agribusinesses and therefore far less
expensive, etc.
In fact, a quote from the news item linked above shows the
possible dumbheadedness of the thinking behind this movement:
“We are attempting to rescue products that are in danger of
dying out because there’s no market for them.”
If “no market” means people don’t want the items, the
movement is doomed.
If “no market” means only that people haven’t heard of the
products, well, then once they’ve heard of them, there will be a
market IF the products are somehow superior. The
latter point is where Slow Foods may be getting it right:
Perhaps the foods they list are truly superior, and it is almost
assured that once they are publicized they’ll be in high demand.
This will indeed rescue the foods from extinction, since (as any
economist knows) high demand will create production.
This is true even in the most extreme cases, as for example high
demand for cocaine keeps creating growers and distributors, many of whom
are deliberately erroneously called “pushers” when in fact their
activities are pulled by the demand of the market.
If everyone stopped wanting cocaine today, the drug trade would
disappear tomorrow; if everyone in the drug trade were killed today but
demand remained, new drug traders would appear tomorrow.
If people start wanting farm-made raw-milk Edam cheese,
there’ll be new farms soon, and this special cheese will be saved from
extinction.
If Slow Foods is aware of this, then their economic thinking is
better than that of the US government. Which
brings us back to Slow Foods’ possible errors.
In some cases, such as oysters found only in a certain bay, it
may not be possible to increase production.
In other cases, such as raw-milk Edam cheese, given the higher
sanitary standards that must be observed, the product might remain very
expensive regardless of increases in production, while imitators in
Wisconsin might produce something just as good, if not identical, in
flavor for a price so much lower that the real thing could never catch
on. As
an example, Wisconsin’s very good imitations of parmesan cheese cost
$6/lb, while the real thing is $19/lb.
The real thing is lovely, but not three times as lovely as the
imitation; and the real thing will remain a niche item forever as long
as the price is so high.
In still other cases, it is possible that the market just
doesn’t want the thing.
Fish heads are a delicacy in Japan, and likely never will catch
on in the US, regardless how they’re promoted or how available and
affordable they become.
Perhaps many of the items on the endangered food list are
disappearing because they should disappear. Any
time you can try something new in a good restaurant, and that new thing
doesn’t sound repulsive to you (i.e., there’s a chance you’ll
really enjoy it), consider it.
The same goes for grocery shopping.
Don’t try new things for their own sake, of course; if
there’s something you love, such as the 6-inch-tall liverwurst
sandwich at McGuire’s Irish Pub in Destin, Florida—served with
low-cholesterol potato chips, so it’s okay—it can’t hurt to keep
loving it.
But always evaluate the claims of new gurus, such as Slow Foods,
critically.
I intend to peruse their list of delicacies, if I can find it,
but I’m also going to consider price, availability, and whether I want
a thing in the first place before I plan a menu around it.
After all, you already can produce spectacular dishes of your own
with perfectly common ingredients.
As an example, slice some white grapes in half, and marinate them
for several hours in white wine, white wine vinegar, and black pepper;
drain and use them generously as a garnish for fettuccine alfredo.
discuss this column in the forum Brad Edmonds, MS in Industrial Psychology, Doctor of Musical Arts, is a banker in Alabama. |
