Hungry Planet - What The World Eats

Frustratingly, I have lost the link to the blog where I first read about this book. I do remember the second place I saw it was here at the FoodTv.ca blog. (Here's the link to the Time.com photo essay)Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio shows us what 30 families in 24 countries eat over the course of one week. I borrowed this book from the library and I don't want to give it back! It's a wonderful book - funny, sad, touching, and especially thought provoking.

The differences between the amount of food a family of 9 in Ecuador eats in a week versus a family of 4 in Great Britain is shocking, not only in amount but in natural versus processed. Also eye raising are the facts provided on each country - Ecuador has 10 McDonald's Restaurants, Great Britain has 1,110. The obese population in Ecuador, male/female: 6/15%. Great Britain 19/21%. And don't get me started on the amount of Coke the family from Mexico drinks on average per week! (12 bottles!!!!)

This is a completely fascinating book, very well written and with gorgeous photos. If you have a chance to read this book, take a look at the photo of the fish stand on page 190. Possibly one of the most stunningly beautiful pictures I've ever seen.

What I liked most about this book was the stories on the families and learning more about countries and cultures different than my own. It made me realize, not for the first time, how fortunate I am to live where I live, and how relatively easy we've got it. Can you imagine having to rely on the refugee camp you live in to provide your family with food? If you could not afford to buy fruit? Or if you could not catch a fish there would be no dinner that night? And for me personally, how much would I still want to eat a pork chop or a piece of chicken if instead of purchasing it all sterile and wrapped in plastic from my big-box super grocery store I had to walk into a hot building full of unrefrigerated dead animals hanging from hooks in the middle of the room? Um, I wouldn't.

I was amazed at some of the animals that are eaten in different countries around the world. Things I never would have thought someone would eat are common dinners elsewhere. My parents happened to be in town while I was reading this book. My Dad will eat almost anything, and my parents have been to some interesting places around the world. Scott is a pretty adventurous eater too, whereas compared to the three of them I am a total wuss. So for fun I made a list of some of the animals consumed elsewhere in the world, then polled the 3 members of my family and myself (a) if they had ever tried any of these animals before and (b) would they eat it.

Here's our results.

Remember, the first answer is if we've had it before. The second answer is would we eat it.
As you can see, I really am the least adventurous eater ever. (Even though my Mom said no to all everything too, she did say yes to some stuff that didn't make the list.) I am still coming to terms with the fact Scott would eat Guinea Pig given the chance, but at least he wouldn't eat a seahorse like my father would.

I have to take the book back to the library tomorrow unfortunately, but I'll be adding it to my book wish list so I might have my very own copy one day. If you see this at the store or at the library, or at a friends house, grab it! You'll love it.

Pop quiz - are there any foods on that list that you've eaten, or would eat?

________________________________________________________________________

In other news, my next piece is up at Food for Thought, the Foodtv.ca blog. Would you like to read it? You would? Well then, click here.