27 December 2006

A Macaroni Economy

I have of late been doing some very interesting research at the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website - the home of the CPI and other collected economic data. Checking on my favorite food, pasta, I was shocked to find out that since the early 1980s its price has only risen by about 16%. I am perplexed. I know for a fact that all of the ingredients that go into making pasta - flour, water, labor, machines and energy - have all gone up considerably more. Flour, for instance, has increased by 50% over that same time, and energy has more than doubled. The dollar, of course, officially has about half of its early 1980s value. Looking at this data, it would seem that macaroni would be a better currency than the US dollar. Therefore, I am all for a "macaroni dollar". We'll call it the "Big Mac". For our trading convenience, it is already available in various denominations, such as elbow, rigatoni, spaghetti, and rottini. We can use lasagna for the big purchases. And let's not forget, pasta is already internationally available and is inflation resistant - one can simply eat any excess and grow fat on the profits.

(other articles are archived on my Writings page.)

Rebecca Iocca

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