Hungry Planet: What the World Eats In A Week (and other links)

[HejKatt]

I always enjoy photo studies contrasting lifestyles of families around the world. These could make a good springboard for social studies discussion - hope someone finds these links useful.

 

Peter Menzel's book "Hungry Planet" contrasts groceries used in a week by families around the world.

http://www.visualnew...eats-in-a-week/

 

Peter Menzel also published "Material World", which catalogs different families' possessions.

 

Another series of photos along the same idea is Gabriel Galimberti's "Toy Stories" (children with their toys).

http://www.gabrieleg...rojects/toys-2/

 

Also, James Mollison's "Where Children Sleep".

http://www.telegraph...dren-sleep.html

 

ETA: Adding the following Peter Menzel book, "Women in the Material World", that luckymamma recommended below.

http://www.amazon.co.../dp/0871569841/

 

ETA #2: For a change of tone, this is not about family, but photos from bureaucratic offices around the world.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/04/jan-banning-bureaucratics/

[Tita Gidge]

I've seen a few of these, but not all - thank you for the links.

 

So insightful, and a great reminder to us and to our kids about how others are living.

[Luckymama]

We used these books at the beginning of our geography study this year. They produced very interesting discussions.

 

You might also be interested in Women in the Material World http://www.amazon.com/Women-Material-World-Faith-DAluisio/dp/0871569841/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367276477&sr=1-2&keywords=material+world co-authored by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel. The topics discussed are appropriate for teens.

[Parrothead]

The link to where children sleep doesnt go there.

[Mergath]

The Hungry Planet link was really fascinating. Though the picture from Chad was heart-breaking. :(

[HejKatt]

The link to where children sleep doesnt go there.

 

 

Sorry about that! I've fixed it, could you try again? The photo of the book in the middle of the page is actually a slideshow - mouse over it, and you should see the arrows to the rest of the pictures.

[Slartibartfast]

Holy crap those Germans eat a lot of food!

[NotSoObvious]

Holy crap those Germans eat a lot of food!

 

 

My kids said, "Look at all that alcohol!"

 

And after all the pictures of beautiful fruits and veggies, we got to the US and dd says, "We'll that's embarrassing." (Referring to all the processed foods.) It's interesting to hear their reactions to each picture.

[Χά�ων]

I enjoy these as well. Thanks for posting!

[HejKatt]

The Hungry Planet link was really fascinating. Though the picture from Chad was heart-breaking. :(

 

 

Yes - it seemed to divide into 3 scenarios: first world countries (many processed foods), developing countries (fruit and vegetable heavy) and the African countries with little fresh food.

 

And after all the pictures of beautiful fruits and veggies, we got to the US and dd says, "We'll that's embarrassing." (Referring to all the processed foods.) It's interesting to hear their reactions to each picture.

 

Yes, you think the Californians would do better (tongue-in-cheek, I'm one myself).

 

I was actually trying to figure out what appeared most often in the pictures - at first, I thought it was soda but I think bananas win out.

[Rosie_0801]

My kids said, "Look at all that alcohol!"

 

Holy crap those Germans eat a lot of food!

 

 

My first thought was that the tap water must be disgusting in Germany to need so many bottles of drink.

[skeeterbug]

What the World Eats is the children's version of Hungry Planet, for anyone who is interested.

 

http://www.amazon.com/What-World-Eats-Faith-DAluisio/dp/1582462461/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367303688&sr=8-1&keywords=What+the+world+eats

[alef]

Yes - it seemed to divide into 3 scenarios: first world countries (many processed foods), developing countries (fruit and vegetable heavy) and the African countries with little fresh food.

 

 

I do wonder if some of this has to do with location--countries with a cold winter didn't have access to fresh produce in the past, so learned to rely on grains and preserved products. Tropical and semi-tropical countries could get fresh produce year round.

[Heather in Neverland]

Wow. I am floored by all the junk food in those pictures!!!!

[Rosie_0801]

 

I do wonder if some of this has to do with location--countries with a cold winter didn't have access to fresh produce in the past, so learned to rely on grains and preserved products. Tropical and semi-tropical countries could get fresh produce year round.

 

 

 

From what I've been reading lately, in tropical areas without refrigeration, virtually all food needs to be fermented. Southern Sudan was the example given.

[Melissa in Australia]

Not at all surprised that the Australians show the most meat!

[Tohru]

We were cracking up over Luxembourg! The guy on the left is holding a chicken and the guy on the right is holding a dog...does that mean they eat both? But then the woman in the middle was holding a picture of some one and we concluded that the chicken was either a pet or the family were cannibals.

[Alte Veste Academy]

We were cracking up over Luxembourg! The guy on the left is holding a chicken and the guy on the right is holding a dog...does that mean they eat both? But then the woman in the middle was holding a picture of some one and we concluded that the chicken was either a pet or the family were cannibals.

 

 

:lol:

[Slartibartfast]

Yes - it seemed to divide into 3 scenarios: first world countries (many processed foods), developing countries (fruit and vegetable heavy) and the African countries with little fresh food.

 

 

Yes, you think the Californians would do better (tongue-in-cheek, I'm one myself).

 

I was actually trying to figure out what appeared most often in the pictures - at first, I thought it was soda but I think bananas win out.

 

Well, also one has to consider that fruits and veggies can be expensive in some areas. Most states cannot grow some of the fruit that people in developing countries were displaying. I recall seeing a huge pile of mangoes. I sometimes can get mangoes for $1 but that is not often.

[HejKatt]

Well, also one has to consider that fruits and veggies can be expensive in some areas. Most states cannot grow some of the fruit that people in developing countries were displaying. I recall seeing a huge pile of mangoes. I sometimes can get mangoes for $1 but that is not often.

 

A lot of assumptions do go into interpreting the pictures and the authors' definition of 'typical family'. I like to think that the US families made their choices based on preferences, rather than economic necessity, but in the end I agree it is an assumption.

 

The authors include a breakdown of the food costs, at least in the kids' version "What the World Eats", but it is by food group (Grains, Fruit/Vegetables, Meat/Fish/Eggs, Dairy). I would have liked to see the item costs - as you've pointed out, it would make for a lively discussion.

[Mom in High Heels]

The Hungry Planet link was really fascinating. Though the picture from Chad was heart-breaking. :(

 

I know! I gasped when I saw how little there was.

 

Holy crap those Germans eat a lot of food!

 

 

Don't they though? Every time I go to Aldi there are people with shopping carts just LOADED with stuff. I always feel like I'm not buying enough. ;)

 

My first thought was that the tap water must be disgusting in Germany to need so many bottles of drink.

 

Oh, heavens, yes, it is disgusting. We have to constantly use a decalcifying agent on our sinks, faucets, pot and pans (I do cook with the water), etc. It's just icky. We spend a fortune on water. Germans are also really big into sparkling water, which I hate. It always leaves me feeling more thirsty than before I drank it.

 

I also LOL'd at all the beer.

 

Wow. I am floored by all the junk food in those pictures!!!!

 

Yech, I know! I figured it was going to be like that in the US and Britain. Britain has an amazing array of (delicious!) junk foods.

 

I was stunned by how much Coke was in the picture from Mexico. Holy cow! Just the thought makes my stomach hurt.

 

All the bread! Yum! I could devour the bread. I was surprised there wasn't more in France though. Those people can put away the bread. Probably because it's so freaking delicious. And the cheese. I could wax poetic about the cheese in Europe.

[Laura Corin]

A lot of assumptions do go into interpreting the pictures and the authors' definition of 'typical family'.

 

 

Yes. I know that people in China eat more meat than they used, but that still looked like an awful lot of meat and not much veg. I'm wondering if they bought more 'prestige' items for the photo.

 

Laura

[loftmama]

I love Peter Menzel's work.

[trinchick]

I've actually been reading this book on and off for the past few weeks. It's really fascinating. For each country, they also provide some interesting facts about health care expenditures, life expectancy, rates of obesity, number of McDonalds, and cigarette and alcohol consumption. Then there's a matrix in the back of the book to give you a sense of how each country stacks up against others. Really interesting.

 

I do have to stop myself from generalizing about the countries based on the eating habits of just a couple of families. Within each culture, I'm sure there's a full range of eating habits based on socio-economic situation, as well as personal tastes and general lifestyle. I know that my pantry would look very different from my neighbor's, which would be very different from a family on food stamps. Moreover, I'm sure that none of these is particularly representative of the US at large.

[Mom-ninja.]

thanks for the links

[Mom-ninja.]

A lot of assumptions do go into interpreting the pictures and the authors' definition of 'typical family'. I like to think that the US families made their choices based on preferences, rather than economic necessity, but in the end I agree it is an assumption.

 

 

 

That's for sure. My pantry and fridge do not look anything like the American picture.

[trinchick]

That's for sure. My pantry and fridge do not look anything like the American picture.

 

 

 

Yes, just like my kids' bedrooms don't look anything like those of the Kentucky pageant queen or young hunter in the Where Children Sleep link.

 

Many of these images are (rather judgmentally) set up to show a stark contrast between the developing world and the comparative luxury of first world nations. The Hungry Planet book is studded with essays on eating habits and economics and health that I think have a very one-sided, progressive tone. The images of the refugees in Chad say enough without someone having to beat me over the head with the unfairness of my good fortune. Nor is it fair to say that residents of all wealthy nations overindulge in unhealthful, processed foods. In many cases, I think the move toward locally-grown, organic, grass-fed etc foods is rather yuppie and upper middle class these days.

[Arcadia]

Yes. I know that people in China eat more meat than they used, but that still looked like an awful lot of meat and not much veg. I'm wondering if they bought more 'prestige' items for the photo.

 

Laura

 

There are so many factors though. One factor is location of the family in China (northern, southern, urban, rural, inland, coastal). Chinese fresh vegetables like bak choy don't keep well and if the family is in an urban part of China, fresh vegetables are not that cheap anymore and refrigerator space is limited. Another factor is whether the photos of the families were like take out whatever would be a week's worth of food from their kitchen or if the author ask them to shop for a week's worth of grocery and take a photo. If anyone ask me to take a week's worth of food out from my pantry today, it would look like an asian buffet spread with the only food in the vegetable category being mushroom, cauliflower, tofu, carrots and pickled vegetables. If the photographer took a photo after my trip to the supermarket, the vegetables would be a lot more.

 

The Mongolia photo looks pretty accurate for that region.

[Laura Corin]

There are so many factors though. One factor is location of the family in China (northern, southern, urban, rural, inland, coastal). Chinese fresh vegetables like bak choy don't keep well and if the family is in an urban part of China, fresh vegetables are not that cheap anymore and refrigerator space is limited.

 

 

It's probably not acceptable any more to pile a winter's worth of bai cai outside your door and work your way through it. When I spent '85-'86 in Beijing, the whole city seemed to smell of frozen and defrosting cabbage for months. But then, there was also the month when the water melons arrived from Xinjiang by the truckload, and the gutters ran with water melon juice.

 

Laura

[loftmama]

Interesting how these pictures are a springboard into our own prejudices. Certainly, a spread like that leads to comparisons and discussions of relativism even if it's not meant to be indicative of an entire population. I thought the same thing about growing food being yuppie-ish and middle class until I moved to deep country where every single family grows food if only because they never stopped. (And most still have chicken coops and trendy has nothing to do with it. And my mama laughs at the idea of rain water collection because that was actually how they got their water and it was nothing to desire.) So maybe that only applies to city-folk. Certainly in my low-income region of the country, no one is without a garden and what you're growing is the beginning of every conversation. And weather. Poor, middle-class and upper class. If there is an upper. :)

 

Which brings me back to how the pictures begin a dialogue of our own preconceived notions and biases. Of which none of us are immune. Which is a sign of good art.

 

Oh and my own pantry? I think of it as being very unpackaged, very full of fresh foods, mostly made of scratch and not typical at all of the photographs of the American families. Then I opened my fridge to make lunch and stopped when I saw how many packaged items I had to reach through to find the packaged cheese, bread, turkey and mayo. :001_unsure:

[trinchick]

 

Another factor is whether the photos of the families were like take out whatever would be a week's worth of food from their kitchen or if the author ask them to shop for a week's worth of grocery and take a photo.

 

They actually address this in the book. The Chinese family purchased a full week's worth of food (from a variety of vendors), and they commented that they would normally shop every day. They have a photo in the book of the family having a feast on the food, trying to use it up since it's more than they'd usually store at home.

 

Interesting how these pictures are a springboard into our own prejudices. Certainly, a spread like that leads to comparisons and discussions of relativism even if it's not meant to be indicative of an entire population. I thought the same thing about growing food being yuppie-ish and middle class until I moved to deep country where every single family grows food if only because they never stopped. (And most still have chicken coops and trendy has nothing to do with it. And my mama laughs at the idea of rain water collection because that was actually how they got their water and it was nothing to desire.) So maybe that only applies to city-folk. Certainly in my low-income region of the country, no one is without a garden and what you're growing is the beginning of every conversation. And weather. Poor, middle-class and upper class. If there is an upper. :)

 

Which brings me back to how the pictures begin a dialogue of our own preconceived notions and biases. Of which none of us are immune. Which is a sign of good art.

 

Oh and my own pantry? I think of it as being very unpackaged, very full of fresh foods, mostly made of scratch and not typical at all of the photographs of the American families. Then I opened my fridge to make lunch and stopped when I saw how many packaged items I had to reach through to find the packaged cheese, bread, turkey and mayo. :001_unsure:

 

I love your discussion on the differences within our own country; I agree that you can't make judgments on any of the cultures - including our own - based on the images of a few families.

 

Good point on having preconceived notions even about ourselves! I can definitely relate.

 

But I do think that the authors also approached this topic with some preconceived notions that come to the surface. I'm not suggesting that they're showing one culture more favorably than any other, just that they did approach this project with a preconceived vision in mind.

 

I think bias was especially clear in the link to the photos of where children sleep (not the Menzels' work so not to be confused with Hungry Planet). The contrast between the Japanese and American children vs. the African and some Asian children is deliberately exaggerated.

[HejKatt]

Many of these images are (rather judgmentally) set up to show a stark contrast between the developing world and the comparative luxury of first world nations. The Hungry Planet book is studded with essays on eating habits and economics and health that I think have a very one-sided, progressive tone.

 

Thanks for giving more info about the book. I do think its strengths lie in its pictures and data. I would consider the essays an additional exercise in the Rhetoric stage to analyze.

 

There are so many factors though. One factor is location of the family in China (northern, southern, urban, rural, inland, coastal). Chinese fresh vegetables like bak choy don't keep well and if the family is in an urban part of China, fresh vegetaables are not that cheap anymore and refrigerator space is limited.

 

Good points! For the record, the book also features a family from rural China, but I'm having trouble finding the name of the location.

 

I thought the same thing about growing food being yuppie-ish and middle class until I moved to deep country where every single family grows food if only because they never stopped. :001_unsure:

 

I have the same impression too. IMHO the urban/rural divide is real and most of us are closer to the urban mindset than we realize. I would like to see a photo diary, taken across a week, of rural and urban families' lives. It would contrast factors like home, children's lifestyle (school, chores, play), adults' lifestyle (work type and hours, availability and quality of shared products/services, recreation). ETA: Also, another axis would be poor and rich, e.g. poor in the country vs poor in the city. Photos from different countries would be a bonus, but I think even within the US there would be a strong enough contrast to mull over.

[saraha]

So we emptied out the cabinets and stacked everything up on the counters, it was more than a weeks worth of food, but interesting for mykids to look at. They were noticing what we had the most of stocked up and how it relates to what I make (we keep a weekly menu posted on the fridge) Interesting discussions today, thanks for the links!

[Rosie_0801]

Oh, heavens, yes, it is disgusting. We have to constantly use a decalcifying agent on our sinks, faucets, pot and pans (I do cook with the water), etc. It's just icky. We spend a fortune on water.

 

 

Thanks! I've been waiting for days for someone to comment, lol. Purchasing water is so annoying, but having to decalcify everything would do my head in. I have to use the laundromat for whites and blankets, but if I lived in Germany, I think I would use it so I didn't have to decalcify my own washing machine. :p

[Negin]

We have all these books and absolutely love them. We wish that Peter Menzel and Faith d'Alusio would hurry up and come out with more. :)

Where Children Sleep is very sad and heartbreaking at times and a bit sarcastic at other times (sarcastic with the more affluent and privileged kids - the "Toddlers and Tiaras" type for example ;)).

[HejKatt]

This is really tangentially related, but in a similar vein: Photographers took family portraits of 56 ethnic Chinese groups. The contrast of apparel and colors is lovely.

http://www.chinahush.com/2009/12/06/family-portraits-of-all-56-ethnic-groups-in-china/