scOct 10, 2021BACONomics: Biden’s plan to reduce food price inflationLast week I wrote about how Russia is trying to keep food price inflation down (within Russia) by implementing export tariffs on goods...
scOct 4, 2021Inflation and Russian Export Taxes + Orange Cake with Sunflower OilIt's hard to turn into the news and not read about food price inflation. The question now is what, if anything, should be done about it....
scJul 24, 2021What's up with (Micro)chips?This may be a little silly but bear with me… Imagine that you own a bakery, and you specialize in chocolate chip cookies. You make some...
scFeb 28, 2021Are Imports Bad? The Case of the Blueberry (+ blueberry muffins)Imports – goods produced in other countries but sold “here” (in this case that’s the U.S.). They come up in the news a lot – are they...
scJan 31, 2021Cookie Dough Cheesecake and Asymmetric InformationThe Cheesecake Factory is huge. Not only does it have the longest menu in history, its restaurants -- which are often two stories -- are...
scAug 23, 2020One a penny, two a penny, … where are all the pennies? (Hot Cross Buns)Where did all of the money go? If you’ve been road tripping recently… or gone to pick up a quick bite at a fast food restaurant, you’ve...
scJul 25, 2020COVID-19: Lumber, Pools, NYC Suburbs, & Gingerbread Houses: Unexpected Winners during a PandemicWhat did everyone do when the pandemic first hit and people were spending hours and hours at home? At first, the baking started (see...
scJul 12, 2020COVID-19: Maryland Crabs versus Maine Lobsters: Two crustaceans, Two different problemsI read this really interesting article in the NY Times about the Maine lobster industry. The lobster market is struggling due to a...
scJun 27, 2020Collusion in the Milk Market + Tres Leches CakeJust a couple of weeks ago, the chicken industry was charged with price fixing. According to the charges, executives were texting each...
scJun 14, 2020COVID-19: How COVID-19 gave an unexpected boost to Thai Rice Exports (+ Rice Pudding)COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on many industries. It has also been a boon to others, such as Amazon, Netflix, Zoom, Delivery Services,...
scMay 22, 2020COVID-19: Meat prices are high but farmers are hurting (+Texas Kolaches)We’ve talked about how the increased demand for flour and yeast led to shortages in grocery stores as people stocked up on staples and...
scApr 24, 2020COVID-19: Negative Oil Prices & Girl Scout CookiesWhen I was in elementary school, my mom agreed to be the “cookie mom.” What that meant was that all of the Girl Scout cookies for my...
scApr 22, 2020COVID-19: Foreign Labor & Strawberries Nothing beats biting into a strawberry and having the juices drip down your chin. But have you ever stopped to think about where these...
scApr 17, 2020COVID-19: Crossing State Borders & Homemade Vanilla ExtractOne of the first lessons in an economics class is “People respond to incentives.” This concept is quite intuitive. When you were a child...
scMar 5, 2020The impact of Brexit on … Oranges? And Orange Scones I’m sure you’ve read about Brexit. You may have heard that many people think it was a bad idea. In the UK, a lot of people think it was...
scDec 1, 2019Price Spikes and Oat MilkBy now you have probably seen a new milk substitute listed at your local coffee shop. Next to almond, soy, and coconut milk you can now...
scAug 27, 2019Honey: Shifts in Demand AND SupplyHoney prices are on the rise. The reason why is a fun one for an economics class. Not one, but TWO things, are happening simultaneously....
scJun 9, 2019Banana Bread and Trade WarsMost of the time when I start these posts, I have an econ lesson in mind first. This time, it’s the recipe I desperately want to share...
scMar 9, 2019Croissants and Butter You may wonder how prices in one market affect the prices in others. For example, you often hear that OPEC is reducing their oil...