Hungry Planet: USA & Ecuador

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The two photos I chose from Peter Menzel’s Hungry Planet are significantly different from one another. Photo one shows the Revis family, mom, dad, and two teenage boys, in North Carolina, USA . They spend $342 on food for one week. We can see from the photo that their food consists of a lot of processed food and take out. Photo two shows the Ayme family, mom, dad, and seven children ranging in ages from 2-12 years old, from Tingo, Ecuador, South America. They spend $32 on food for one week. One can see from the photo that about half of the food is fruits and vegetables and other half of the food is grains like rice and barely.

The Revis family seems to be benefiting from the cheap food revolution. They have a massive amount of food and it ranges in variety, mostly processed though. While none of the family seems overweight, it does seem that the Revis family is not caution about what they eat. “The sheer abundance of food in America has fostered a culture of careless. (Pollan 54)”

These family obviously live very different lives and we can see that clearly by the food they eat and home they live in. The countries the families live is a big reason their lives are so different. The USA is an affluent nation that can make policies and regulations that keep our food cheap. There is also the grocery store, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, which allows Americas to buy a wide variety of food and store it properly. The Ayme family doesn’t have all these luxuries. We, as Americans, take for granted the wide variety and plentiful amount of food we can buy and consume. But we can also see that the cheap food revolution has caused other countries and families in those countries hardship and thrust them deeper into poverty.

However,  as Professor Litfin pointed out in my paper I was quick to jump to the conclusion that the Ayme family lives in poverty. While their living conditions seem to suggest that they live in poverty, the family does seem to have plenty of food and they seem to be happy and healthy.

2 thoughts on “Hungry Planet: USA & Ecuador

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    I believe that avoiding packaged foods will be the first step in order to lose weight. They might taste beneficial, but ready-made foods currently have very little vitamins and minerals, making you eat more in order to have enough vitality to get with the day. If you are constantly eating these foods, transferring to whole grain products and other complex carbohydrates will help you have more vitality while consuming less. Thanks alot : ) for your blog post.

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