Abstract Capital: Broken

Abstract Capital

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Broken

Well yesterday I snapped my ankle jumping down from a ladder, so I'm going to have plenty of time to write more!

First, (from) one of my law professors, he told us on the last day of class how VacationstoGo.com is a great, somewhat secret to most, bang for your buck cruise service he recently discovered. Even though the site itself looks deceivingly unimpressive, he is a stellar 5th Circuit Court attorney and one of our best professors, and while I haven't actually used it yet, I definitely put some stock in his recommendations, and I wanted to pass this on for you whom might be looking for a good deal on a cruise in the next few months.

I've always loved ethnic food, and I've wondered since the recession started, how niche restaurants like Chinese food vendors and Mexican places fare comparatively with American restaurants and fast-food chains. Ethnic food occupies sort of a middle-ground between expensive eats and ordering a #5 Super Sized, so how do middle-class of restaurateurs do during a recession?

Apparently not very well, with a notable exception: P.F. Chang's. Independently, I can see why. The experience and menu of P.F. Chang's is incredibly unique, Chinese-bourgeois American fusion, and really hard to come by in other venues, or, in economist terms, a relatively inelastic (uneasily substitutable) service. Since it is also one of my favorite restaurants to go to, I've noticed that they smartly choose to operate in boutique suburban mini-malls on the tony side of towns, which I have to say makes me feel like I'm eating food that is a lot more expensive and upper-class in terms of prices, than I really am! Moreover, P.F.'s seems like it's able to control costs while expanding and has stuck to its model steadfastly despite fewer consumers willing to shell out big ones. I know one thing, when I go to Birmingham for work in the summer, I'm definitely going to P.F. Chang's to get that bourgeois food (and I guess, sustain their growth while I'm at it:).

Here are a few other interesting links for your reading pleasure:

Salon: Don't Worry, Be Happy, Pay Lots of Taxes, Does the Scandinavian Model Work?

Salon: Can We Afford to Eat Ethically?

The Root: Ceasefire on the War on Drugs Declared?

Economist: Manufacturing Defects, Chinese Goods, & Why They Can be Born Bad

posted by Flaco @ 8:43 AM

Post a Comment