What can a sandwich price tell about a nation's currency?

Big Macroeconomics: What can a sandwich price tell you about a nation's currency?
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

What can a Big Mac tell us about the price of tea in China? Turns out, a lot.

For 24 years, The Economist magazine has measured the value of currencies around the globe using those two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

China, for example, where you can buy almost two Big Macs for the price of one in America, has the world's most undervalued currency, the magazine recently concluded.

The Big Mac Index was designed to explain an economic concept called purchasing power parity, the concept that a dollar should buy the same amount from country to country. If there is parity, the price of a commodity - in this case a Big Mac - should be equal across the globe.

Read more at The Palm Beach Post

(and the translation at Uol)

What can our local street sandwich vendors say about it, macroeconomics notwithstanding?

Marcio, how much does a hot dog cost there in Recife?

Flavia, the cost of a hot dog varies greatly around town, depending on where you acquire it. Hot dog eaters will get a greasy, sometimes goey hot dog if they buy it from poorly maintained, badly managed, cockroach-infested hot dog stands. Otherwise, clean, healthly hot dog stands will offer equally clean, healthly, and good-looking frankfruters you can really get your teeth into and never worry about dying prematurely as a result of ingesting heavily aggressive or deadly bacteria.

A tasty, well-done hot dog will tell a lot on macroeconomics-oriented countries. The better they make them, the faster the money rolls in. And your country's economics thanks you. Wolf a hot dog down today. Or tomorrow.

hi, why we dont use does/tells in this question - What can a sandwich price tell about a nation's currency?

Olá josipaz

O verbo da frase - can - é um verbo modal, que se diferencia da estrutura mais 'comum' que você mencionou (a que utiliza o auxiliar does). Leia sobre os modal verbs nos links abaixo.

Modal Verbs

- O que são Modal Verbs?
- Modal Verbs: Need (to)
- Explicação completa de Modal Verbs (Parte 1 - Parte 2 - Parte 3 - Parte 4 - Parte 5 - Parte 6 - Parte 7)

you know humanity is in trouble when the value of currency is measured in big macs instead of gold...

Marcio_Farias escreveu:Flavia, the cost of a hot dog varies greatly around town, depending on where you acquire it. (...)

The same here, Marcio. The 'cockroach-infested' ones cost R$1 and the 'good-looking' ones can be R$5 or even more.

dlr escreveu:you know humanity is in trouble when the value of currency is measured in big macs instead of gold...

this is sad, uh?

See what I read today in Folha SP
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/ ... acao.shtml

p.s. urgh

The cost of a Big Mac does indeed tell us a lot. In any country I've visited you can gauge the cost of living by the price of the Big M. Hate to say it, but enjoy the Big Mac as well.
I prefer a cheeseburger with fries in it though.