What the World Eats

“Every day, millions of families around the world gather–at the table or on the floor, in a house or outdoors–to eat together. Ever wondered what a typical meal is like on the other side of the world? Or next door? Cultural geographers Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio visited twenty-five families in twenty-one countries to create this fascinating look at what people around the world eat in a week. Meet a family that spends long hours hunting for seal and fish together; a family that raises and eats guinea pigs; a family that drinks six gallons of Coca-Cola a week. In addition to profiles of each family, What the World Eats includes photo galleries and illustrated charts about fast food, safe water, life expectancy, literacy rates, and more! Each family’s profile features: Full-color photographs, including each family posing with the food consumed in a week; Information about each family’s food, including cost and quantity; A world map showing where each family lives; Facts about that country, including population, currency, average income, and more. This enthralling glimpse into cultural similarities and differences is at once a striking photographic essay and an essential study in nutrition and the global marketplace. (International Reading Association’s Teachers’ Choices Project 2009 Winner)