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What the world eats now

By JANET K. KEELER
Published November 9, 2005

	[Photos: Peter Menzel]
	The Aboubakars of Sudan in Breidjing Camp, Chad
	The Mendozas of Todos Santos, Guatemala
	The Matsudas of Yomitan Village, Okinawa
	The Revises of North Carolina

Have you ever had the occasion to assess everything your family eats in a week and how it got to your table? It's an interesting exercise that is the premise of Hungry Planet: What the World Eats (Ten Speed Press; $40).

Writer Faith D'Aluisio and photographer Peter Menzel traveled the globe chronicling what people eat. From Chad to China, Ecuador to Egypt, Menzel made photos of families displaying a week's worth of groceries. He also shows us how their food is grown, purchased and prepared. Theirs is cleverly presented commentary on a critical issue facing the planet: how to feed 6-billion people.

Interestingly, families in the United States and Europe eat more processed foods than their counterparts in other parts of the world, who have tables piled high with produce and grains. The Cavens of the United States pose with a table full of boxes, while the Patkars of India have colorful fruits and vegetables front and center.

Hungry Planet is food for thought and sustenance for curious minds.

- Janet K. Keeler, Times food editor

Rationed grains, dried goat meat and fish, limes, garlic, dried okra, bottled water.

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA francs/$1.23.

Corn, potatoes, corn tortillas, powdered milk, chickens, eggs, fruits and vegetables, oil, sugar, salt, pepper, other seasonings, tortilla chips, hand-pressed chocolate, bottled water, coffee.

Food expenditure for one week: 573 quetzales/$75.50.

Rice, udon noodles, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, fish, pork, fruits and vegetables, red miso, bitter orange juice, ketchup, salad oil, sesame dressing, Werther's candy, ginger candy, canned beef stew, prepared gyoza (meat dumplings), beer, vegetable juice, coffee, tea, tap water.

Food expenditure for one week: 22,958 yen/$214.26.

Potatoes, bread, pasta, milk, cheese, butter, beef, pork, chicken, bacon, tuna, fruits and vegetables, sugar, salad dressings, shortening, coffee creamer, mayonnaise, peanut butter, mustard, ketchup, applesauce, popcorn, Pop-Tarts, sunflower seeds, potato chips, canned fruit, chewing gum, candy, pasta sauces, canned soup, fast food, beer, fruit juices, soda, coffee, tea, tap water.

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98.

[Last modified November 8, 2005, 11:15:56]