What people eat around the world

[andrew_plamondon]

Interesting to see the amount of processed/ready to eat shit vs unprocessed food


What's on family dinner tables in fifteen different homes around the globe? Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book "Hungry Planet"

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City

Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25
Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips


Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily

Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks


Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat


Kuwait: The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City

Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar or $221.45
Family recipe: Chicken biryani with basmati rice


United States: The Revis family of North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken


Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca

Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken


China: The Dong family of Beijing

Food expenditure for one week: 1,233.76 Yuan or $155.06
Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with sweet and sour


Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna

Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Family recipe: Pig's knuckles with carrots, celery and parsnips


Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo

Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Family recipe: Okra and mutton


Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo

Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage


United States: The Caven family of California

Food expenditure for one week: $159.18
Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream


Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar

Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.02
Family recipe: Mutton dumplings


Great Britain: The Bainton family of Cllingbourne Ducis

Food expenditure for one week: 155.54 British Pounds or $253.15
Favorite foods: avocado, mayonnaise sandwich, prawn cocktail, chocolate fudge cake with cream


Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village

Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork


Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide

Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
Favorite foods: fried potatoes with onions, bacon and herring, fried noodles with eggs and cheese, pizza, vanilla pudding

Source: http://www.time.com/time/photogaller...626519,00.html

[Lost Dog]

Who doesn't love a good mayonaise sandwich?

[Johnka]

Fascinating stuff - thanks for the link!

*sigh* I miss international travel.

It's interesting how some of the healthiest selections in these photos are people who can't afford the comfort foods that litter the Westerners' tables.

Combine the fruit and veggies in Cairo with the seafood in Japan and the free-range meat and eggs from Mongolia, and you've got a great diet.

[SpacecityPaula]

I don't know why anyone would want to subject themselves to Weetabix.

I think the thing I noticed is how pervasive Soda is in all of those pictures...

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by SpacecityPaula

I think the thing I noticed is how pervasive Soda is in all of those pictures...

I was just thinking the same thing.

[Blackjack]

I noticed the chubby folks & kids from the U.S. versus the other countries...disconcerning to say the least.

[AFI82]

What got me was the $500 per week for the last family of 4 people. My wife and I are around 80-100 per week. Either food is really expensive there, or they've got picky tastebuds.

[RedLefty]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Who doesn't love a good mayonaise sandwich?

Combine it with some pig knuckles and you've got yourself a genu-wine party.

[Frank.S]

I live by myself and I budget about $480 per month for food here in canada. Food is much more expensive here then the united states mind you.

[Blackjack]

I've got a family of four that SELDOM eats out even for lunches and we don't generally spend more than $100/wk at the g-store. We've also got one drinking formula which isn't exactly cheap. I still say that produce and eggs and most lean meats are relatively cheap.

[Aoife]

Originally Posted by Blackjack

I still say that produce and eggs and most lean meats are relatively cheap.

Not when compared to the awsome combo of hot dogs, "hamburger" (yes, it's a bit different than ground beef) and ramen noodles (or box mac & powdered "cheese"). Which is what most of my family eats. They'd have wicked-cheap grocery trips if it weren't for the cookies and candy isle.
:p


We spend, for the two of us in NC, about 150/week give or take. 96% beef is expensive most places, so is milk, so is a lot of produce. plus, I go organic a lot, and being a veggie with convenience foods isn't super cheap either.


Of all these pics the one thing I don't really get is... why would you shrink-wrap bananas?

[RacerBill]

Those pics are fascinating.

We'll have to ask Neil or some other Brit to explain the mayo sandwich. That sounds gross to me.

The family in NC sure eats a lot of fast food.

I didn't realize people overseas drank so much pop. In Europe, Coke especially was not easy to find at the grocery store (in 1988... haven't been back since; maybe things have changed).

[andrew_plamondon]

Cola is almost everywhere. But it's also interesting to see that some families don't have bottles of drink at all. I'm guessing they probably live on water, coffee and tea.

[Egham]

This reminds me of a book a friend brought into work several years ago that showed photos of families out in front of their homes around the world with all their possessions spread out around them. I find it fascinating to look at compilations such as these to note both the differences and similarities.

Another food compilation I've found fascinating, even though it is not illustrated beyond the use of maps, is Thelma Barer-Stein's You Eat What You Are: People, Culture, and Food Traditions(1999) Firefly Books (ISBN:1-55209-365-4). To quote the back cover, Barer-Stein it....

...examines the history and traditions of meal patterns, eating customs, regional specialties, and distinctive methods of food preparation commonly used by more than 170 cultural groups around the world.

Neat stuff.

[Egham]

Originally Posted by RacerBill

Those pics are fascinating.

We'll have to ask Neil or some other Brit to explain the mayo sandwich. That sounds gross to me.

It does to me too. It needs a thick slice of tomato on it.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Egham

It does to me too. It needs a thick slice of tomato on it.

Don't forget the salt and pepper. Hmmm... I have a couple tomatoes left from the farmer's market on Saturday... and it's going to be 90F today... thanks for the idea, folks

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Frank.S

I live by myself and I budget about $480 per month for food here in canada. Food is much more expensive here then the united states mind you.

Considering how expensive food is here, that frightens me. As if y'all's tax burden wasn't bad enough.