edit: since first publishing this post I have been informed that these pictures were not just random photos in an email, rather these are the work of Peter Menzel Photography for a piece published in Time Magazine. There has been quite a stir from what I understand because many many people have been stealing these pictures from different websites and selling them as their own work.
My uncle sent out this email (probably a forward?) and I thought it was super interesting. In each picture you get to see the weekly food intake for an average family of the country they represent.
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week $341.98
Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Pretty interesting?
19 responses so far ↓
1 Chad Cheverier // Dec 11, 2007 at 8:30 pm
thats really interesting!
2 TJ Cameron // Dec 11, 2007 at 10:08 pm
wow.
3 Elizabeth // Dec 12, 2007 at 5:51 pm
One thing that really strikes me is how much soda people are drinking.
The other thing that strikes me is how much dead (processed) food we Americans eat. The pic of the North Carolina family has tomatoes & grapes - that’s the only “real” food they’re eating for the week. Kinda sad, I think. AND how much fast food they’ve got: Taco Bell, Burger King, McD’s, KFC, and pizza! Hello!
Anyways… very insightful!
4 Becky // Dec 13, 2007 at 6:51 pm
That is amazing. Not many fresh fruits and veggies for the US family. I was also stuck by all the soda consummation. (Don’t get me started on soda and decay!) We take for granted all the variety we have, and the ability to have fresh produce year round!! Thanks Tim!
5 Anna Costa // Dec 14, 2007 at 1:14 pm
That is SO interesting!! Thanks for sharing. Mike and I had a blast with you last night!! Let’s hang out soon for sure!!
xo
6 Lucinda Mudd // Dec 17, 2007 at 9:41 am
really puts our needs into perspective!
7 mike larson // Dec 17, 2007 at 11:09 am
crazy!
8 sandig // Dec 19, 2007 at 9:43 am
This post brings to mind one of my fav. books… Material World by Peter Menzel… it sits on my desk so that I never forget. It was published in 1994 by Sierra Club Books. It is a beautiful and thought provoking work. You should check it out… I think you would both really like it.
Happy Holidays!
Sandi
9 Tim Halberg // Dec 19, 2007 at 12:16 pm
I just found out that these pictures were originally published in a story from National Geographic.
Awesome, I’ll have to check that book out! Thanks for the suggestion!
10 Bob // Jan 9, 2008 at 4:32 pm
awesome
11 Janelle // Jan 17, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Thanks for posting this. It’s actually embarrassing to look at the US family’s food. Everything processed and pre-packaged and pre-cooked and just awful. I saw this several weeks ago when you first posted it, and it’s been in my mind ever since. It literally changed my life in the way I shop, cook, eat, and think about food.
12 admin // Jan 18, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Hey Janelle,
Awesome, I’m stoked that it made a difference for you! I really need to have it help me more…
13 Nicole // Feb 14, 2008 at 9:30 am
These are truely amazing pictures! They really bring an alarming perspective to food consumption in our nation. It’s embarassing to see that US families actually feel fast food is a staple in their weekly consumption. This nation has become so damn lazy; it’s disgusting. And we wonder why our nation is overweight and plagued with diseases like obesity and diabetes. I hope one day our nation wises up, or there won’t be a generation to carry on in our footsteps.
14 Vicky // Feb 22, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I belong to the Diversity Committee on our college campus. Is it permissable to print one or two of these pictures to put on our display board or committee website to call attention to the diversity in food, culture, and standard of living in different parts of the world? I think these pictures speak volumes.
15 admin // Feb 22, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Hey Vicky.
Sadly, these aren’t my pictures. I would have LOVED to photographed this assignment.
I believe these pictures were originally in the National Geographic from what I’ve been told.
Hope that helps.
Blessings,
Tim
16 admin // Mar 20, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Turns out these photos about food consumption around the world were photographed for Time Magazine.
I’m glad these pictures are getting some attention through this blog post, but I hope that all credit is rightfully given to http://menzelphoto.com/
17 Stephen // May 29, 2008 at 2:29 am
Its truly amazing pictures, its clearly suggest that the normal Indians are much less consuming than much of its equivalents.
Mr. George Bush- The So Called President of America is Crying That The Rise in Price of Food is Because of Indians. Coz, They are Consuming More and More Food Day By Day…
He should check this.
The Union Finance Minister of Indian Union, Mr. P Chidambaram, has said that the average Indian food consumption is one-fifth of average American food consumption. and also added that President Bush’ comment is an ‘ill-informed statement.’
18 Bad timing at Niles’s Blog // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:30 pm
[...] also marvelling at what people around the world eat. Italians - lots of bread. Germans - lots of beer. Americans - an awful lot of things in [...]
19 Mohamed Adan // Aug 7, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Why are we all focusing criticisms on the American family? I know America is everyones favorite punching bag, but that North Carolina family has a reletivly healthy and normal diet. I saw meat, veggies, bread, and soda. Look at the Mexican family! They have by far the unhealthiest diet.
If you want to have your belly full, that will mean ignoring the suffering of folks like that family in Chad. This planet just cannot feed six billion people, some will have to starve, or eat a lot less.
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