What is Eaten in One Week

What is eaten in one week
This is undoubtedly one of the most interesting e-mails I've received. It's usually impolite to invite yourself to someone's house for dinner, but that's exactly what photographer Peter Menzel and writer Faith D'Aluisio did for their new book, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. The husband-and-wife team invited themselves for meals with 30 different families in 24 countries. They snacked on deep-fried starfish in downtown Beijing; ate freshly killed walrus in Cap Hope, Greenland; tasted congealed porridge at a refugee camp in the Darfur province of Sudan; and noshed on nachos and pizza in Raleigh, N.C. Menzel and D'Aluisio say they wanted to see how migration, growing wealth, and globalization--the increasing cultural and economic integration of world cultures--have affected people's traditional diets. Each chapter of the book features a photograph of a family with a week's worth of food, plus details about the food and what it cost. Eight of those photos are featured in this special report. Look carefully at the images. What kinds of foods are pictured? How might geography, religion, politics, and culture affect the families' diets? How do theirs compare with yours? What a great reminder for us to count our blessings, pay attention to what we consume and continue the fight against HUNGER!

Germany : The Melander family of BargteheideFood expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

United States : The Revis family of North CarolinaFood expenditure for one week: $341.98

Italy : The Manzo family of SicilyFood expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

Mexico : The Casales family of CuernavacaFood expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09

Poland : The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-JeziornaFood expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

Egypt : The Ahmed family of CairoFood expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53

Ecuador : The Ayme family of TingoFood expenditure for one week: $31.55

Bhutan : The Namgay family of Shingkhey VillageFood expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03

Chad : The Aboubakar family of Breidjing CampFood expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

In Honor of Martin Luther King

Each year, on the third Monday in January, people in the United States pause to honor the life and dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. I hope that we will take the time to teach our children about Dr. King’s legacy of tolerance, equality, and respect. Although many people see this, and other holidays as "a day without work," or "a day to hang out with friends," let’s use this day as “A Day On, Not A Day Off!" The holiday is an occasion for joy and celebration for his life and his work toward nonviolent social change in America and the world.

To honor this legacy let’s use Dr. King's nonviolent strategy to help guide our lives not just today but everyday.

I asked some of the children that support Voices for Humanity to share with me some of their dreams for the future. This questionnaire was filled out by an 8 year old boy who aspires to be a baseball/philanthropist when he grows up! I think he is going to be an amazing global citizen! Enjoy!

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16,1963

Questionnaire Directions: Create your own "I Have a Dream Too!" speech

I have a dream that one day the world will-
the wars will stop and we will all live in peace

I have a dream that one day-
People will use words not guns for peace

I have a dream that one day-
That doctors will find a cure for cancer and AIDS

I have a dream that-
All my friends in Africa will not have to go to bed hungry

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day-
All the children around the world will have a chance to be educated and their spirits will be lifted.
I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day-
Their will be peace in Africa and around the world

This is my hope and faith.

With this faith we will be able to-
Have a world of peace and no poverty

This will be the day when-
I will be so happy and feel like the world is coming together.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing the words, "Free at last! Free at last!, we are free at last!" Excerpt from Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream." speech.