中午吃什麼?

（點此前往博客來購書）

光看書名，或許會以為它是本教你如何挑選公司附近自助餐店的導覽手冊。可想而知肯定不是，這本書是一位知名的經濟學者泰勒.柯文針對如何找到一頓物值所值餐點，所給予的指導手冊。

「食物是經濟供應與需求的產物，因此設法找出供應品新鮮，供應者富創意，需求者消息靈通的地方。」是作者縱實全書的核心思想。延伸出來的各項絕妙建言，也相當符合講求效益的經濟學思維。像「千萬不要在觀光景點找美食，因為房租會轉價到餐費上」這點是顯而易見。但是「賭場的低價美食，是因為賭博事業會針對美食進行價格補貼」就是言之有理又十足有趣的觀點。用經濟學觀點解析餐飲服務背後隱藏的成本與效益內幕，確實能帶領讀者未來在享受美食時多一層額外的切入點。

中半段作者則是花了兩個章節，講述糧食革命和環保議題。對於政治正確的碳足跡和在地小農等文青們搖旗吶喊的思維，他提出了不同觀點的反對聲音。畢竟對於經濟學者而言，達成目標的成效，其價值是遠高於自我感覺良好的述求和主張。作者對孟山都等國際級農企業的觀點，或許會讓部份讀者覺得不好受，但也能理解成環保和商業的平衡本來就沒有非黑即白二元判斷。

最後的節章，作者花了一些篇幅講述了如何在世界各國找到有CP值的美食餐廳。可惜地是身為美國人的作者能舉例的不外乎是以歐美國家為主的例子，最多是加上日本和新加坡等國際都市。對不常環遊世界的讀者而言，真的是派不上什麼用場。

本書構思觀點算是獨樹一格，也帶來許多新奇有趣的新觀點。但中後半的章節有點脫離主題，將不同議題的文字混入其中，導致讀到後半段讓人興趣缺缺。可以說是本好書，但我不會有再讀一次的衝動。

Just by looking at the title, you might think this is a guidebook that teaches you how to choose a buffet restaurant near your office. But as you can imagine, that is definitely not the case. This book is a guide by the well-known economist **Tyler Cowen** on how to find a meal that is truly **worth the money**.

"Food is the result of economic supply and demand, so try to find places where the food is fresh, the suppliers are creative, and the customers are well informed." This is the main idea that runs through the entire book. The many great suggestions that come from this idea also fit very well with the practical way economists think. For example, "Never look for good food at tourist attractions, because the high rent will eventually be reflected in the price of the food" is pretty obvious. However, the idea that "casinos offer cheap food because their gambling business can subsidize the cost of food" is both reasonable and very interesting. Looking at restaurants and food through the eyes of economics, and understanding the hidden costs and benefits behind the food business, gives readers a new way to think about food when they enjoy a meal in the future.

In the middle of the book, the author spends two chapters discussing the **food revolution** and **environmental issues**. He presents opinions that are different from the politically correct ideas often promoted by people who support things like reducing carbon footprints and buying from local farmers. After all, from an economist's point of view, achieving the actual goal is much more important than simply supporting ideas that make us feel good about ourselves. The author's views on international agricultural companies such as **Monsanto** may make some readers uncomfortable. However, it can also be understood as a reminder that the balance between environmental protection and business is not simply a matter of right or wrong.

In the final chapters, the author spends some time explaining how to find good-value restaurants in different countries around the world. Unfortunately, since the author is American, most of the examples are from Europe and the United States, with a few international cities such as Japan and Singapore. For readers who do not travel around the world very often, these examples are not particularly useful.

The book has some unique ideas and offers many fresh and interesting points of view. However, some of the chapters in the second half of the book move away from the main topic and bring in discussions about other issues. As a result, I gradually lost interest as I continued reading. Overall, I would say this is a good book, but I don't feel any strong desire to read it again.

公門菜鳥飛：一個年輕公務員的革新理想

（點此前往博客來購書）

在台灣要找到對政府施政能讚不絕口的人，應該是屈指可數吧。畢竟歷經了兩、三次的政黨輸替後，不論是藍綠兩黨的執政表現，都是很難讓人用滿意來形容。

除了民政服務單位外，一般市井小民實在很難一窺公務部門的運作機制。這本《公門菜鳥飛》提供了一個簡便的切入點，讓外界能瞭解進而理解公務員的柴米油鹽。雖然將問題簡化成「千錯萬錯都是政府怠惰」、「公務員都是不做事的米蟲」能讓小老百姓有一時的情緒出口。但對於各項問題的解決和改善，卻沒有任何實質上的助益。不滿政府在執行政策上的滿頇與緩慢，或許可以先由瞭解公門中人的思考模式做為起點，找出雙方對話的適切頻率。

其實書中所講述的一些造成公務人員效益不彰的牽制因素，在私人企業也無法避免地時常遇見。為考核而考核的KPI、重視數字指標忽略核心精神的執行態度，都是讓事情只能做完，但不能做好的原因。大把的時間用在應付民代、上級長管交辨的事務，讓公務員從人民的公僕轉型成上級的僕人。瑣碎的考核、報告與會議，佔據了第一線人員的工作時間，有意義的事做不了，無意義的事做不完。加上專業外包讓公務員喪失磨練的機會，導致為廠商馬首是瞻，無法累積核心職能的情況下，別說主導創新，連基本的廠商稽核都力有未逮。這些描述真的讓身在私部門的我不禁失笑，台灣的組織文化或許在公、私部門之間有種另類的默契。

這本書推薦給關心台灣這塊土地的社會中堅，畢竟政治為管理眾人之事，一舉一動都能牽累你我日常生活。只有政府職能的日益改善，我們才能有機會過好日子。雖然無法一夜之間美夢成真，但相互理解至少是跨出了第一步。如果家裡有小孩又期待他們去考公家機關的家長，更一定要買一本來詳細閱讀，好歹也知道是把自家小孩推向那種火坑(笑)

In Taiwan, it is probably hard to find many people who have nothing but praise for the government's performance. After all, after two or three changes of political parties in power, it is difficult to describe the performance of either the blue or green party as truly satisfying.

Except for the public service offices that ordinary people have to deal with, it is actually very difficult for most people to understand how government agencies work. This book, **《公門菜鳥飛》**, provides a simple way to get started and helps people outside the government understand the everyday life of civil servants. It may give ordinary people a temporary way to vent their anger by simply saying, "The government is always to blame" or "Civil servants are all lazy people who do nothing." But this does not really help solve or improve any of these problems. If we are unhappy about the government's slow and inefficient way of carrying out policies, perhaps the first step is to understand how people inside the government think and find a better way for both sides to communicate.

In fact, some of the factors mentioned in the book that make civil servants less effective can also be found in private companies. KPIs that exist only because someone needs to evaluate employees, and an attitude that focuses too much on numbers while forgetting the real purpose of the work, are both reasons why things may get done but not done well. A great deal of time is spent dealing with elected representatives and handling requests from higher-level managers. As a result, civil servants gradually change from being "public servants" who serve the people into "servants of their bosses." Small-scale evaluations, reports, and meetings take up so much of the frontline staff's working time that they cannot finish the meaningful work, while they can never finish all the meaningless work. On top of that, outsourcing professional work takes away opportunities for civil servants to develop their own skills. They end up following contractors' decisions instead of leading the work themselves. Without the chance to build up their own core skills, it is hard to expect them to lead innovation. Sometimes, they may even struggle to carry out basic inspections of contractors. These descriptions really made me, as someone working in the private sector, laugh. Perhaps there is a strange kind of understanding between the public and private sectors when it comes to Taiwan's organizational culture.

I would recommend this book to people who care about Taiwan and its future. After all, politics is about managing matters that affect everyone, and every decision made by the government can have an impact on our daily lives. Only by continuously improving the government's ability to serve the people can we have a better chance of living better lives. Our dreams may not come true overnight, but mutual understanding is at least a first step. And if you are a parent with children and hope they will one day take a government job, you should definitely buy a copy and read it carefully. At the very least, you will know what kind of "fire pit" you are pushing your own children into. (LOL)