The Hungry Planet... or the Absurdity of the Anomaly

Sensitive people are suggested to pass on this one...

I am a "revolted"!!! Most of the time I cannot understand nor accept how the world is functioning. I have very, but very hard time to accept the inequalities, the misery, the sufferance, the violence, the poverty and many other irregularity and unfairness that life can offer to some people.

I grew up in Africa, in Niger specifically, which is the second poorest country in the world after Haiti. I had a great wonderful privilege childhood on the middle of poverty. Yes it is true! I was lucky enough to be born on the "privileged" side. But growing up being privileged didn't stopped me to open my eyes, learn, respect, help and act, try to change, or to ameliorate the life of the ones who were not privileged. My parents taught me that way and we had a lot to do.

I saw misery and sufferance... Real misery and real sufferance. The kind of, that most of my readers can even not imagine, or except maybe after seeing it on a quick shot on CNN or FOX (no sorry, not FOX... they don't show misery...).

I saw people hungry, I saw people dying from hunger, and most of the time what ever we could do was totally powerless. I recall one time, I was twelve or thirteen, while coming back from a trip into the Tenere (Sahara desert) with my parents, we stopped to help a woman who was standing alongside the road below a tree, holding her 6 month old baby in her arms, waiting for someone to pass and eventually to stop, to help her and provide her and her baby with some water and food. I still crying tears while I am typing this, as I remember when we approached her, we realised that she was totally dehydrated, in the haze, and that she even didn't realised that her baby was already dead. I pass on the detail, we took her and her dead baby to the closest village with a dispensary.

I saw worse than that but I will pass. You may think that after living and dealing with misery and sufferance on a daily routine you become harder, stronger and more insensitive? Well it worked the other way for me. I became revolted, frustrated because powerless, disgusted and confused about what to do or to change to make this world a better place for everyone, how to provide food and water to the unprivileged around the world, how to share our richness instead of bleeding to death economically other countries for our own capitalistic and egoistic sake, how to provide medicine and spend money into developing their economy instead of spending billions into wars... Yesterday, watching CNN during lunch I was amazed by the total misunderstanding of the priority, or should I said the absurdity of the priority some people have. There was that guy, defending and trying to sell his "global program for one laptop per kid", claiming it was important that people adhere to his program and send one laptop computer to every single child in the world no matter where and in which country they are. He conceived this laptop for kid who can function anywhere in Africa or Asia, or even on the middle of the Sahara because it can produce its own energy with a crank on its side, and is connected to the Internet. Needless to say that the laptop is loaded in English (which would be in my opinion totally useless in the majority of countries concerned). Every single kids in the world do not need a Laptop computer, sorry ! They need food, water and medicine!!!... That's why I find his priority totally absurd and disconnected with the reality. This idiot certainly never went out of the United States of America to witness what the real world is, and what the kids in poor countries really need. Or maybe he think it is a way to spread his country values, but then I will call it "propaganda"...

A book was written by Peter Menzel about what people eat around the world and what is the food expenditure of different families living in different place on the Planet. It proved my point of the absurd, and only increased my disgust towards the inequality... Here are few examples and I will start from the highest expenditure and work my way down to the least... I want to inform my readers that the list is long, so be patient and if you can go through and read all of it, so you can have a better idea...

You may realised that the highest expenditures are based on personal choice of life style, while the least expenditure are not a choice but something being imposed by circumstances, necessities and conjunctures.

Melander Family, Germany - 4 people : $500.07 - ($125.01/person per week)

This is the detail of what they eat for a week ( I won't post this detail for all of the families involved, just a couple of them...):

Grains & Other Starchy Foods: $31.98

Kölln muesli, 3.3 lb; Golden Toast whole grain bread, 3.3 lb; potatoes, 2.8 lb; brown bread, 2.2 lb; white bread (Italian style), 2.2 lb; bakery buns, 1.3 lb; Barilla linguini, 1.1 lb; Barilla rotini, 1.1 lb; Harry rye bread, 1.1 lb; wheat flour, 10.6 oz; croissants, with chocolate, 9 oz.

Dairy: $64.33

Milk, low fat, 3.2 gal; Onken yogurt, low fat, 9.9 lb; Velfrisk Danish fruit yogurt, 2.1 qt; Froop fruit yogurt, 3.6 lb; Langnese banana split ice cream, 2.2 lb; hard cheeses, assorted, 1.8 lb; Greek yogurt spreads, assorted, 1.1 lb; whipping cream, bio (organic), 14.1 oz; sour cream, 10.6 oz; Milsani butter, 8.8 oz.

Meat, Fish & Eggs: $51.31

Beef, 2.6 lb; goulash beef, 2.5 lb; eggs, 12; cold cuts, 1.4 lb; beef, ground, 1.3 lb; Iglo fish sticks, frozen, 1.3 lb; pork, thinly sliced, 1.1 lb; Lloyd herring fillets, canned, 14.1 oz; bacon, 4.6 oz.

Fruits, Vegetables & Nuts: $78.10

Oranges, 9 lb; apples, 3.9 lb, from family apple tree; yellow bananas, bio, 2.6 lb; red grapes, 10.6 oz; white cabbage, 1 large head, 11 lb; cherry tomatoes, 3.3 lb; green peas, frozen, 2.2 lb; yellow onions, 2.2 lb; cucumbers, 2.1 lb; kohlrabi (turniplike vegetable), 2.1 lb; butter lettuce, 2 heads; iceberg lettuce, 2 heads; fennel root, 1.8 lb; sour pickles, 24.4 fl oz; arugula, 1.2 lb; carrots, 1.1 lb; leeks, 1.1 lb; mushrooms, 10.6 oz; radishes, 9.8 oz; red bell peppers, 8.6 oz; yellow bell peppers, 8.6 oz; pickled peppers, 7.2 oz; green onions, 6.4 oz; garlic, 0.2 oz.

Condiments: $31.83

Extra-virgin olive oil, 16.9 fl oz; Homann 1,000 Islands salad dressing, 10.6 oz; Kühne mustard, 8.8 oz; sugar, 8.8 oz; Heinz tomato ketchup, 8.5 fl oz; sea salt, 7.1 oz; lard, 4.4 oz, for frying; powdered sugar, 4.4 oz; LÄTTA margarine, low fat, 4.4 oz; paprika, 3.5 oz; black peppercorns, 1.8 oz; balsamic vinegar, 1.7 fl oz; oregano, 0.2 oz; Bourbon vanilla bean, 1. Snacks & Desserts: $14.56Chocolate, assorted, 1.1 lb; stollen (a buttery German cake), 1.1 lb; pistachios, 10.6 oz; bakery cinnamon rolls, 2.

Prepared Food: $66.78

Dr. Oetker pizza, frozen, 2.5 lb; Knorr tortelloni, frozen, 2 lb; vegetables in butter, frozen, 2 lb; Erbsen-Eintopf pea soup, canned, 27.1 fl oz; Bertolli tomato, garlic, and pecorino cheese pasta sauce, 13.5 fl oz; olives with almonds, 10 oz; dried tomatoes in olive oil, 8.6 oz; instant soup, 7.1 oz; vegetable stock, 6 tablespoons. Cafeteria meals, five days a week: Finn at school, pizza or spaghetti; Kjell eats lunch at home (already listed); Jörg at work, green salad, meat salad, rouladen with potatoes and vegetables, spinach with potatoes and sausage, chili con carne. Susanne eats yogurt at work.

Beverages: $70.17

Jakobus soda water, 12 25.4-fl -oz bottles; Erdinger beer, alcoholfree, 10 16.9-fl -oz bottles; Frucht-Oase multi vitamin fruit juice, 4 1.1-qt cartons; Einbecker Ur-Bock beer, 10 11.1-fl -oz bottles; Quinta Hinojal red wine, 4 25.4-fl -oz bottles; Flensburger malt beer, 8 11.2-fl -oz bottles; Frucht-Oase multi vitamin orange juice, 2 1.1-qt cartons; cocoa powder, 14.1 oz; Lavazza espresso, 8.8 oz; fruit tea, 7.1 oz; black tea, 25 teabags; tap water, for cooking and drinking.

Miscellaneous: $91.01

Centrum vitamins, 7 pills, taken by Susanne daily. Vitamins and supplements taken by Susanne and children: Herbalife products: Formula 1, powder, 7.3 oz; AloeMAX, 2 fl oz; Formula 2, 45 pills; vitamin B, 45 pills; Formula 3, 23 pills; Formula 4, 23 pills; Herba-Lifeline, 23 pills; Coenzyme Q10 Plus, 8 pills. Food Expenditure for One Week: 375.39 euros/$500.07

Kuttan-Kasses, Luxembourg - 4 people : $464.84 - ($116.21/person per week)

Note that they have the picture of Grandma in hand so I am not sure if she is part of the menu for the week, with doggy and the roaster, or if she wasn't able to get up for the Family pic...

Moine Family, France - 4 people : $419.95 - ($104.98/person per week)

All right, they are trying to be "healthy" but they still spend a lot of money for their weekly meals...

Browns Family, Australia - 7 people : $376.45 - ($53.77/person per week)

Nice people, conservative on their money...

Melanson family, Canada - 5 people : $345 - ($69/person per week)

Revis Family, USA - 4 people : $341.98 - ($85.49/person per week)

Relatively high considering the cost of food in the United States... Here below is the detail :

Grains & Other Starchy Foods: $17.92

Red potatoes, 2.3 lb; Natures Own bread, sliced, 1 loaf; Trix cereal, 1.5 lb; Mueller fettuccini, 1 lb; Mueller spaghetti, 1 lb; Uncle Ben’s Original white rice, 1 lb; Flatout flatbread wraps, 14 oz; New York Original Texas garlic toast, 11.3 oz; Harris Teeter (store brand) Flaky Brown-n-Serve dinner rolls, 11 oz.

Dairy: $14.51

Harris Teeter milk, 1 gal; Kraft cheese, shredded, 8 oz; Kraft sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced, 8 oz; Kraft Swiss cheese, sliced, 8 oz; Kraft Cheese Singles, 6 oz; Kraft Parmesan cheese, grated, 3 oz; Harris Teeter butter, 2 oz.

Meat, Fish & Eggs: $54.92

Harris Teeter beef, pot roast, 2.5 lb; Harris Teeter pork chops, 1.9 lb; Harris Teeter chicken drumsticks, 1.7 lb; eggs, 12; Harris Teeter chicken wings, 1.5 lb; Armour Italian-style meat balls, 1 lb; Gwaltney bacon, Virginia-cured with brown sugar, 1 lb; Harris Teeter ground turkey, 1 lb; shrimp,‡ 1 lb; StarKist tuna, canned, 12 oz; honey-baked ham, sliced, 9 oz; smoked turkey, sliced, 7.8 oz.

Fruits, Vegetables & Nuts: $41.07

Dole yellow bananas, 2.9 lb; red seedless grapes, 2.4 lb; green seedless grapes, 2.2 lb; Birds Eye baby broccoli, frozen, 4 lb; yellow onions, 3 lb; Green Giant corn, canned, 1.9 lb; Green Giant green beans, canned, 1.8 lb; Bush’s vegetarian baked beans, canned, 1.8 lb; cucumbers, 1.4 lb; Harris Teeter tomatoes, vine-ripened, 1.2 lb; Del Monte whole leaf spinach, canned, 13.5 oz; garden salad, packaged, 10 oz; Italian salad mix, packaged, 8.8 oz; pickled mushrooms, 7.3 oz; Harris Teeter peanuts, 1 lb.

Condiments: $12.51

White sugar, 1.6 lb; Ruffles ranch dip, 11 oz; Crisco vegetable oil, 6 fl oz; Nestle Coffee-Mate, French vanilla, nonfat, 6 fl oz; Food Lion garlic salt, 5.3 oz; Hellmann’s mayonnaise, 4 oz; Newman’s Own salad dressing, 4 oz; Jiffy peanut butter,‡ 3 oz; black pepper, 2 oz; Harris Teeter Original yellow mustard, 2 oz; Heinz ketchup, 2 oz; salt, 2 oz; Colonial Kitchen meat tenderizer, 1 oz; Durkee celery seed, 1 oz; Encore garlic powder, 1 oz.

Snacks & Desserts: $21.27

Mott’s apple sauce, 1.5 lb; Munchies Classic mix, 15.5 oz; Kellogg’s yogurt-flavored pop tarts,‡ 14.7 oz; Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, 9 oz; Harris Teeter sunflower seeds, 7.3 oz; Lays Classic potato chips, 5.5 oz; Lays Wavy potato chips, 5.5 oz; Del Monte fruit in cherry gel, 4.5 oz; Extra chewing gum, 3 pks; Snickers candy bar, 2.1 oz; M&M’s peanut candy, 1.7 oz.

Prepared Food: $24.27

Bertolli portobello alfredo sauce, 1 lb; Ragu spaghetti sauce, chunky mushroom and bell peppers, 1 lb; Maruchan shrimp flavored ramen, 15 oz; California sushi rolls, 14 oz; Campbell’s cream of celery soup, 10.8 oz; Hot Pockets, jalapeño, steak & cheese, 9 oz; shrimp sushi rolls, 7 oz.

Fast Food: $71.61

McDonald’s: 10-pc chicken McNuggets, large fries, large Coca-Cola, Filet-o-Fish meal; Taco Bell: 4 nachos Bell Grande, 2 soft tacos, taco supreme, taco pizza, taco, bean burrito, large lemonade; Burger King: double cheeseburger, onion rings, large Coca-Cola; KFC: 2-pc chicken with mashed potatoes, large Coca-Cola; Subway: 6-inch wheat veggie sub, 6-inch wheat seafood crab sub; Milano’s Pizzeria: large sausage pizza, large pepperoni pizza; I Love NY Pizza: 4 pizza slices.

Restaurants: $6.15

China Market: shrimp fried rice, 2 orders; large fruit punch.

Beverages: $77.75

Budweiser, 24 12-fl -oz cans; bottled water, 2 gal; Harris Teeter cranberry-apple juice cocktail, 4 2-qt bottles; diet Coca-Cola, 12 12-fl -oz cans; A&W cream soda, 2 2.1-qt bottles; 7UP, 6 16.9- fl -oz bottles; Harris Teeter cranberry-raspberry juice cocktail, 2 2-qt bottles; Harris Teeter ruby grapefruit juice cocktail, 2 2-qt bottles; Capri Sun, 10 6.8-fl -oz pkgs; soda,‡ 5 12-fl -oz cans, purchased daily by Brandon at school; Arbor Mist strawberry wine blenders, 1.1 qt; Gatorade,‡ 16 fl oz; Powerade,‡ 16 fl oz; Snapple, Go Bananas juice drink, 16 fl oz; Maxwell House instant coffee, 1.5 oz; Kool-Aid, black cherry, 0.5 oz; breakfast tea, 5 teabags; tap water for drinking and cooking. ‡ Not in Photo

Ukita Family, Japan - 4 people : $317.35 - ($79.33/person per week)

Manzo Family, Sicilia - 5 people : $260.11 - ($52.02/person per week)

Baiton Family, Great Britain - 4 people : $253.15 - ($63.28/person per week)

Casales Family, Mexico - 5 people : $189.09 - ($37.81/person per week)

A lot of Coca Cola...

Dong Family, China - 4 people : $ 155.06 - ($38.76/person per week)

Sobczinsky Family, Poland - 5 people : $151.27 - ($30.25/person per week)

Ah.. they bought flowers... Flowers are important!!!...

Celik Family, Turkey - 6 people : $145.88 - ($24.31/person per week)

Mendoza Family, Guatemala - 7 people : $75.70 - ($10.81/person per week)

Ahmed Family, Egypt - 12 people : $68.53 - ($5.71/person per week)

Batsuuri Family, Mongolia - 4 people : $40 - ($10/person per week)

Paktar family, India - 4 people : $39.27 - ($9.81/person per week)

Ayme family, Ecuador - 9 people : $31.55 - ($3.50/person per week)

Natomos Family, Mali - 15 people : $26.39 - ($1.75/person per week)

Namgay Family, Bhutan - 13 people $ 5.03 - ($0.38/person per week)

And now the one I am more familiar with...:

Aboubakar Family, Chad - 6 people $1.23 - ($0.20/person per week)

The Aboubakar family of Darfur province, Sudan, in front of their tent in the Breidjing Refugee Camp, in eastern Chad, with a week's worth of food. Here below is the detail...:

Grains & Other Starchy Foods:
**Sorghum ration from European Funds Foundation, unmilled, 39.3 lb; corn-soy blend ration (called CSB), 4.6 lb.
Dairy:
Not available to them.
Meat, Fish & Eggs: $0.58
**Goat meat, dried and on bone, 9 oz; fish, dried, 7 oz. Note: Periodically, such as at the end of Ramadan, several families collectively purchase a live animal to slaughter and share. Some of its meat is eaten fresh in soup and the rest is dried.
Fruits, Vegetables & Nuts: $0.51
Limes, small, 5; pulses ration, 4.6 lb, the seeds of legumes such as peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, and fava beans. Red onions, 1 lb; garlic, 8 oz; okra, dried, 5 oz; red peppers, dried, 5 oz; tomatoes, dried, 5 oz.
Condiments: $0.13
**Sunflower oil ration, 2.1 qt; white sugar ration, 1.4 lb; dried pepper, 12 oz; salt ration, 7.4 oz; ginger, 4 oz.
Beverages:
Water, 77.7 gal, provided by Oxfam, and includes water for all purposes. Rations organized by the United Nations with the World Food Programme.

Sure now you do want to give a laptop computer to those kids, don't you?...

In fact, maybe you should, and since those laptop computer have internet connection, those kids may find my blog and see how much we care about in our disfunctional societies based on greed, waste and consumption !...

Now lets continue to the absurd...

There are two morrons in New York competing for the most expensive food creation... : Frank Tujague, executive chef of the Westin NY Hotel on Time Square, and Stephen Bruce, owner of Serendipity 3 restaurant.

The firts one, Franky boy, had the genius idea to create a $1000.00 Bagel... what the hell is that? Even thought it supposed to be for a "good cause" it is totally ridiculous and useless. The bagel is topped with white truffle cream cheese (yike !...) and goji berry-infused riesling jelly (re-Yike...) with golden leaves... Ohhhh ! Golden leaves.... Sorry Franky but this is a shitty creation and maybe you should go back to culinary school or take a trip to Chad...

The second one, Stephy boy, did even better !!!... He created the world records most expensive dessert with a ... $25.000 "Frrozen Haute Chocolate". I am not kidding, and the two "r" in "Frrozen" is not a typo. It is the way Stephy boy called it because it is much more UUUP scaaaaale that way.

As***le !!... Another one who should take a trip to Chad or Darfur and get a life. Totally shallow and unproductive. What those two, later on, will have to refere to, when they will look back at their life and accomplishment???... A $1000 bagel and a $25.000 frozen ice cream dessert!

Makes you wonder what you will eat today, and makes you more carefull of what you'll waste...