I was assigned this book for my Economic Geography class in lieu of a textbook and I actually enjoyed it quite a lot. The book has tons of very beautiful and striking photos in it which accompany each essay. I learned quite a bit from the book and it was interesting to see the types and amounts of food that different families around the world eat. There were funny little things I noticed too like the fact that even some of the poorest families still had Coca-Cola in their picture.

I enjoyed reading this book more than reading a textbook and it was very good and also thought-provoking. The writing and essays were very well done and had no bias at all in them which I appreciated and as stated the visuals were very well done. Hungry Planet was a quick read but very informative and very nice to browse through.

This book is an eye-opener! It takes you on a photographic tour, around the world. You will meet families who share information about their homes, neighbors, lifestyle and most importantly how they eat and what they eat. The data included with each family tells you specifics of the population of the country they live in (percentage of obese & overweight individuals, percent of diabetics, etc.) Along with a picture of the family and an array of food they normally eat in one week (fruits & vegtables, meat, snack food, fast food,etc.), is the amount the family spends for a week of groceries.

Want to know what real people around the world eat?! Check this book out. I was amazed...coke is everywhere! People who work with fish all day don't eat it fresh fish?? What's going on? People you think are eating the best aren't. Like the Japanese! Still they out live the rest of us. What I liked most about this book was the honesty of the people. I also liked hearing their stories and the recipes some of them shared. In rural China they are able to eat now. The grandfather said he didn't think they'd have so much food. It's a great blessing! Eat what you like...in moderation that's my mato don't gorge or eat to fill a void or something like that. Eat happy!

As close to an update of  Material World as I'm ever going to get as Menzel uses the same families from Japan, Mali, and Bhutan. An excellent, neutral study of food and it's consumption around the world.

I'll admit, what held the most interest for me was the update on the Japanese family. I noted that the family had the same last name in the table of contents, but thought I must be mistaken, for the father now appeared absolutely ancient. But it was them.

What's so strange about this book is that it's about something completely different than what the authors think it's about. Maybe they got a grant to study the effects of globalization on obesity, so maybe they're obliged to include writing on this tired topic in the book's short essays. Who knows? Ignore the essays -- one does not need to travel around the world taking pictures of people with a weeks' worth of food to pontificate about the health effects of McDonalds. One does, however, need to travel around the world taking pictures and interviewing people about food to unearth these stunning windows into people's lives, as told through food culture. Reading this book is such a voyeristic indulgence, I read one profile each evening, then dreamt about ice fishing or making dumplings all night long ...

This was a fascinating book to read. A world tour of cousine, culture and economics. Menzel and D'Aluisio toured 24 countries, visiting and eating with 30 families around the world. They learned what they eat in a week, how they get it, prepare it and serve it. They visited local markets and family farms.

At the end of each visit, they took a portrait of their host family, surrounded by a week's worth of food. The similarities and differences are compelling. The cost differences are staggering. The photography is excellent and the text enlightening.

This is very much a book of the moment. In a year or five or ten, it will be outdated. Economies and price differentials will have changed. Still, today, this is well worth the read. Highly recommended.

I love this book. It profiles families all over the world, with photographs of what they actually eat in a week. The stark contrast between the paltry rations in Darfur and the stacks and stacks of packaged convenience food in Germany was amazing. The stories about the families were so interesting, and the photographs make me want my kitchen to be filled with real foods... fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.

I heard a review of this book on NPR and immediately requested it for my birthday. The whole concept is fascinating to me...travel the world and see what people eat in a typical week. Not only does it give insight into the daily lives of folks in every type of life situation imaginable (okay, not serious war ravaged countries or extreme poverty) but it also includes loads of information on various customs and traditions that have influence our own eating habits here in the good old USA. Geographic and economic information on each country featured is included as well.

I wish I had thought of this sooner and written the book myself.

Fascinating. I loved the photos, the statistics, the stories of the families around the world. For instance, I knew NOTHING about Bhutan before reading this book. Now, at least I know a little. It is shocking to see how privileged we are as Americans, and how much people around the world have to pay for even less food.

However, I could have done without the guest essays and the endless reminder that fast food= death, misery, and evil. I would love to garden and compost and shop organic, but I am the wife of a poor grad student. Therefore, we eat what is cheap. I don't think this makes us bad people.

Since this book was written in 2005, it would be interesting to do a follow-up as gas and food prices worldwide continue to soar.

Just as fascinating as its predecessor, Material World. Again a median family but with 3 from the US. Black, Hispanic and Caucasian, each family with similar and not so similar traits. Food for a week was spread out in each family's home, listed for quantity,weight, and cost. A refugee family in Africa was lowest with less than $2 American, a family in Germany was highest with $500 American. Again great centerfolds about breakfasts, fish, and other differences.

From full page photo spreads and provocative essays (with contributing writers such as Michael Pollan, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food") sprinkled throughout, the authors of "Hungry Planet" dive into the lives of thirty families from 24 countries around the world, following them into their homes and out into the communities. Also has an interesting compilation of recipes, from Guatemalan Sheep Soup to Greenlandic Seal Stew, this book was a pleasure to read and look at.

Beautiful photos, stunning juxtapositions. I wish the writing could have been a little more gripping, and clarifications made (did they or did they not purchase the weeks worth of food for the portrait takers? The afterward states that they did, but reading the text implied that the families were buying the food with their own money).

The photos! I still cannot get over the ubiquity of certain food items, like knorrs bullion or pringles or coke!