What the World Eats...

[sandbender]

Some interesting comparisons. This web page...

http://www.rustylime.com/show_article.php?id=1497

...has photographs of families from around the world standing alongside the food they use in a single week, along with a guesstimate of the dollar (US) cost,
as you might imagine the differences between the 'first' world and the 'third' are huge...

Germany - $500
Chad - $1.23

I was also struck by how much cola is being drunk around the globe
The images are taken from the book 'Hungry Planet, What the World Eats' by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio

More photos here...

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1645016_1408103,00.html

And the photographers website can be found here...

http://www.menzelphoto.com/

Edited to add...

I suspect that a typical UK family's shopping would look very similar).

The UK family can be found on this site...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48354634@N00/1554891295/in/set-72157602391235021/

$253 and most of it on chocolate and crisps

Edited to add...

Two photographs from my adopted homeland Hungary...

The first image is from Budapest, the second is from the permaculture settlement at Visnyeszéplak, many Hungarians have access to local food of this quality, however as everywhere food prices are rising, those who can and are able, are growing their own.

 

[Mike Ameling]

Classic socialist propoganda.

Comparing different cultures/geographical areas as if they were all the same - like comparing apples and oranges.

Do-Good crusaders trying to force everybody in the whole world to the same economic level - and everybody expecting that level to be the same as in western Europe and America. But the only "level" that would be reached would be to drag everybody down to slightly above the poorest. With those Do-Gooders in charge to tell everybody else how they should live, of course.

Different cultures, geographical areas, and economic levels. So easy to write a book comparing them as if they were all equal on every level.

Just my humble opinion to share. Take it a such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Toddy]

I don't get that from the post at all
What I do get is how wasteful we are, (just look at the packaging alone ) and how very little it is possible to get by with and still thrive.

Toddy...........in a generally socialist, with a small s, country, where we firmly believe that if one can eat then everybody ought to be able to.

 

[Staghound]

Where's the propaganda, socialist or otherwise? As far as i can see the pictures are a straight forward record of what different peoples diets contain, the article doesn't make any commentary or value judgements that I can see. It can hardly surprise anyone that people in in a poor African country (Chad) have a more restricted diet than Western Europeans or North Americans but how is saying so propaganda?

One thing I do find interesting about it is how little of the food bought buy the family from N. Carolina is fresh fruit or vegetables, almost everything is processed and packaged (and before I'm accused of being anti-American, I suspect that a typical UK family's shopping would look very similar).

Steve

 

[firecrest]

lol so if it was all shared out equally, we would all be a bit poor so its best that me and you keep our over-share and others go extra hungry because we can't see them and its more fun for us that way.

socialism is not about sharing out wealth but better conditions for the workers that produce the worlds wealth.

 

[firecrest]

Where's the propaganda, socialist or otherwise? As far as i can see the pictures are a straight forward record of what different peoples diets contain, the article doesn't make any commentary or value judgements that I can see. It can hardly surprise anyone that people in in a poor African country (Chad) have a more restricted diet than Western Europeans or North Americans but how is saying so propaganda?

One thing I do find interesting about it is how little of the food bought buy the family from N. Carolina is fresh fruit or vegetables, almost everything is processed and packaged (and before I'm accused of being anti-American, I suspect that a typical UK family's shopping would look very similar).

Steve

Yes and its interesting to see the amount of fresh veg and fruit eaten in italy - with the second highest longivity in the world. Japan has the highest, I expected more fish and fresh veg but a large amount seems to be dried packeted stuff.

 

[sandbender]

Classic socialist propoganda.

Sorry Mike, I have to agree with Toddy and the others, I don't see it that way.

 

[EdS]

most stricking things it shows is how much processed expensive junk the average American family eats - guess UK will be similar. And that Geramns class beer and wine as normal weekly food (guess that explains some of the amount they spend).

 

[spamel]

If you look at the German table, not all the bottles are booze. Saying that, they have more of an educational outlook on drinking as opposed to the average lager lout Brit. A lot of the bottles on the table are bottled water, for some reasons the Germans don't drink their tap water, but I found it quite nice!

Shopping in Germany is a totally different experience to UK shopping. Imagine the Lidl's and Aldi's you go into, but a lot bigger. You have then stepped into the Real and PennyMarkt type shops, Marktkauf et al. These shops sell everything from tinned beans to home computers, mountain bikes and pre-fab houses! There are similarities in food stuffs, but they seem to do things slightly differently. Lots of pickled produce, lots of meat products (salami, smoked pork belly, etc) and fresh meat too. A fair amount of fresh fruit and veg although I think British supermarkets tend to have more. Lots more types of funhgi, fresh too. There are differences, hard to put your finger on what exactly. The only way is to just go and do a bit of shopping there! I think a lot of the critics are being a bit harsh on the Germans, we could fill two shopping trolleys in Germany for the same price as it is in UK to nearly fill one. It is a rip off here. The standard and quality of produce is about the same, but it caters for a different type of cultural diet.

 

[Mike Ameling]

lol so if it was all shared out equally, we would all be a bit poor so its best that me and you keep our over-share and others go extra hungry because we can't see them and its more fun for us that way.

socialism is not about sharing out wealth but better conditions for the workers that produce the worlds wealth.

Such a simple "textbook" view. Good for the masses who follow that "siren call" to live off of the hard work of others and laugh at how easily they convince others as to how ... right and just ... it is to take from those who have (just because they have) to give to thos who WANT it. NEED is only a word they use to incite the masses.

Socialism ... dictatorship by committee - and a self-appointed committee at that.


Just because one person or people have more than others does not mean that they ...stole it ... from others, or that any others DESERVE it instead.

The book and web site/article were written for a purpose, and that purpose is being fulfilled as we type/read this. So goes propaganda.

These are but my humble ramblings. Take them as such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. Sorry for the political rant.

 

[fishy1]

Such a simple "textbook" view. Good for the masses who follow that "siren call" to live off of the hard work of others and laugh at how easily they convince others as to how ... right and just ... it is to take from those who have (just because they have) to give to thos who WANT it. NEED is only a word they use to incite the masses.

Socialism ... dictatorship by committee - and a self-appointed committee at that.


Just because one person or people have more than others does not mean that they ...stole it ... from others, or that any others DESERVE it instead.

The book and web site/article were written for a purpose, and that purpose is being fulfilled as we type/read this. So goes propaganda.

These are but my humble ramblings. Take them as such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. Sorry for the political rant.

What I believe in, is that every child should get the same start. Like the same opportunity for education, health, food, etc. If a child works harder at school, or better, then they'll make more money at work, and good for them. Lazy folk will have a poorer life which seems fair enough. I particularly despise inherited wealth.

 

[Staghound]

The UK family can be found on this site...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48354634@N00/1554891295/in/set-72157602391235021/

$253 and most of it on chocolate and crisps

Wow that is a lot of chocolate, crisps and biscuits, suddenly I feel healthy all over

 

[Staghound]

Such a simple "textbook" view. Good for the masses who follow that "siren call" to live off of the hard work of others

There are a lot of people in the world working as hard or harder than you or I (definitely harder than me, I'm a lazy git) and barely making enough to stay alive. Without opportunities for advancement hard work is no sure fire path to prosperity

and laugh at how easily they convince others as to how ... right and just ... it is to take from those who have (just because they have) to give to thos who WANT it.

Most of the people likely to be reading this "have", solely due to the accident of where they happened to be born, personally I'm grateful that I am fortunate enough to live in a country where I can be fairly confident that tomorrow I will have enough to eat and a comfortable place to live. There are many parts of the world where the above would not be true and where an individual born 'on the poor side of town' would find it almost impossible to significantly improve their situation. But hey, sod 'em, serves 'em right for not choosing their parents more carefully.

NEED is only a word they use to incite the masses.

I don't know how many millions of people die each year from malnutrition, lack of clean
drinking water and lack of basic medical care, but I think that they would possibly argue with your definition of "NEED"

Socialism ... dictatorship by committee - and a self-appointed committee at that.

Capitalism ... dictatorship by those who hold all the cards and ain't letting go of any of 'em

Just because one person or people have more than others does not mean that they ...stole it ... from others, or that any others DESERVE it instead.

Who mentioned stealing? I am aware that some people will always have more than others, I just don't understand why thinking that maybe the disparity could be a little less pronounced is so terrible

I've put the soapbox away now, apologies for crossing the politics line.

Steve

__________________

 

[firecrest]

well Im not getting into a political arguement with you mike, you are arguing from an emotional point of view not a factual one. As you dont appear know much about government systems and economy I wont bother. "You cannot argue with an Ignorant man" Mark Twain tell us.

 

[Humpback]

well Im not getting into a political arguement with you mike, you are arguing from an emotional point of view not a factual one. As you dont appear know much about government systems and economy I wont bother. "You cannot argue with an Ignorant man" Mark Twain tell us.

At the risk of adding to global warming I wondered, reading this thread and watching it spiral toward an inevitable conclusion, when the superior view card * would be played. Seems the socialist argument played first this time**.

(Everyone is allowed an opinion. Mine is that global warming, hunger, and economic migration could be eased by birth control but thats a new thread for a different forum.)

Dons expensive Western fireproof suit (made by Far Eastern slave labour).

* firecrest I know you may view this is observation as provocative but it is just that an observation and not a personal dig at you.
** if you are not a socialist I apologise .

Finally, I deleted this message twice before going ahead and posting it. So its a considered one.
Alan

 

[Toddy]

Y'know I still don't get the political angle from the original post

Wasteful, greedy, unnecessary, unhealthy, though some of the shopping seems to be, I still don't think that political bias was the basis for the thread.

Mike's capitalism, with a huge great C, contrasted dramatically with the socialism with a small s, but Americans (and yes this is admitedly a generalisation) seem to conflate socialism with communism............their particular world view, whereas Europeans, Antipodeans and others are more inclined to have a definite distinction between the two, or rather three, types of economy..............and yes, I did do political and social geography at University

Can we leave things at this ?
Mike, there's no intent to be offensive, and I hope you don't take my post as such, but you did bring up the political inference you perceived.


It's an interesting thread, can we please confine ourselves to the food aspect rather than the political ?
Any further political posts on this thread will be edited.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Humpback]

Toddy, Will do. how about this thought

I note the 'poorer' countries have much less processed food compared to the 'richer' ones.
Speaking for myself alone the ability to feed myself from basics is a skill set I would like to develop. I mean by that preparing bread for example form raw material i.e. grain to flour to bread.
Any links to such skills would be appreciated as I struggle to bake an edible bannock!
I suspect the processing chain adds greatly to the cost of refined items (crisps) thus bumping up the household bill for the "richer" countries, aswell as their heart disease!

Alan

PS for sale bannock door stops set of five, also double as hammerstones shortly to be on #bay.

 

[Toddy]

I so agree; the ability to source if needed, and to make edible food from basic commondities is a much under rated skillset.
It was part of the reason I joined this forum; people were genuinely interested, and enquiring, and finding out, and discussing, the uses of our natural food sources. THe old 'famine foods' as they are now referred to.
To be able to bake into something edible just needs practice, and even with that it still goes wrong sometimes I couldn't get the gluten to ease in the tattie scones I made at the Moot, they were like trying to ease out something rubbery. They ended up cheugh and thicker than I'd have liked, and I make them at least two or three times a month at home

cheers,
Toddy

 

[firecrest]

The people in California eat suprisingly less than the other american family. Are they richer?

 

[Mike Ameling]

The people in California eat suprisingly less than the other american family. Are they richer?

Some are, many are not. Because these figures/statistics are Averages. There are a surprising number of "poor" people in California - as well as a lot of very "rich" people. When you lump them all together and divide by the total Number of people, you get that Average.

But those "statistics" aren't even true numbers. They take a "statistical sample" (a small number of examples), measure their food consumption base upon voluntary surveys, and then multiply those numbers out by the total estimated population count. And then, to get that "average" they divide the total figures by that estimated population count. The margins for errors increase every time they ... guesstimate!

Statistics? An ... intellectual way to lie.

And the State of California is quite HUGE. It's total land mass and population is greater than most any Country in Europe, and also of most Countries in the world.

Personal note: I apologize for bringin up political issues. But I am far from one of the "uneducated/unwashed masses driven by base emotions". I ... survived ... the University system with the ability to think for myself. And I have studied politics, religion, and economics in many different countries over many past centuries. I am not the "common man", nor will I ever be just a "cog in the machine". But I am ... just one man ... with one opinion to share. Take it as such.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands