In the past couple months, the appetites of my kids, who are all of 50 lbs between the two of them, seem to have increased exponentially. Where a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk was once good for a week, and a dozen eggs could last weeks, now I need two or three loaves of bread and a dozen eggs and three gallons of milk every single week. And so. much. cream. cheese.
Which is why I've been a little preoccupied lately with monthly food budgets and consumption, and why I particularly enjoyed the photo album
What the World Eats (also a
book) of families in various countries surrounded by their weekly food
purchases along with how much they spend.
What I noticed:
- Almost everyone eats bananas. And carrots.
- I am alarmed that the family from Mali is really big, and those bags of grain aren't really enough.
- Packaging seems to be a big part of the Japanese family's food. Even the bananas are packaged.
- That's a lot of Coke to drink in a week, Mexican family.
- The Ecuadoran family looks super stylish in those hats.
- Ritz crackers and Lays potato chips cross country lines.
- Goodness, families all over the world eat a lot of eggs in a week.
- Why so much baking soda, Italian family? But I do love all the bread.
- Nice to see so much beer front and center of the German family food table.
- Do all Quebec families have Toblerone every week? I would.
- Is that Kraft Mac and Cheese over in Kuwait?
- So surprised that so many people buy bottled water.
I'm not sure which one is closest to what we eat. Our photo would have a piles of pasta. And gallons of milk. Some vegetables, especially in the summer but less so in the winter. But always a lot of cheese - cheddar, mozzarella (fresh and regular!), Parmesan. And yes, Ritz crackers. At least when I am shopping.
