I remember looking at this photo essay from TIME magazine last year, but it's stuck in my head since then. The idea is intriguing– to photograph what families in various countries eat in one week and see how it all compares. These images and many more are compiled in Hungry Planet, a book by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio.
It's surprising to see that other nationalities don't eat as healthily as we assume– some seem to eat just as much junk food, if not more, as the typical American. But what's by far the most surprising is how much money it costs for a week's supply of food in certain countries– for example, the Chadian family, though clocking in at six members, spends only $1.23 on food each week. Of course, we have to consider that much less food in rural Africa comes from the supermarket than does food in America or other Western countries. In Ecuador, a family with seven children gets by on $31.55 a week for food; meanwhile, a family of four in Germany spends $500.07 for their meals. Obviously differences in commercial food prices play a large part in these disparities, but it's important to point out nonetheless.
How would your family compare to those photographed, both the foreign and the American? I think I would be surprised at what I'd find if I actually made a food log of my family's meals for a week and took a picture of it all. I just hope that fruits and vegetables would outnumber the processed foods! If you find this photo essay interesting, you can look at part II and part III of this "What the World Eats" feature.
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