Friends gave me Hungry Planet for my birthday nearly two months ago, and I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and read it. It’s a fantastic book, quite like anything else I’ve ever read: part coffee table book, part recipe book, part commentary on the differences (and similarities) that exist between the developed and the developing world.
The basic idea of the book is this: Photographer Peter Menzel and his partner Faith D’Alusio travel to a variety of countries, all over the world, and document what people eat. Each family they visit is photographed sitting with a week’s worth of food, and the family is interviewed; the reader gets a sense of how food fits into the family’s life and culture.
I’m not sure I’ll make any recipes in the book, but the family photos alone are eye-opening. It’s sobering to compare the weekly food consumed by a family in a first world country with that of a family living in a refugee camp.
I’ve seen all of the British version of The Office, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but it took me a while to warm to the American version. The first few episodes follow the British series very closely, and it was painful to watch. Then, the American version branched out in it’s own direction, and it got considerably better. It’s very different from the British series, but funny in it’s own way.
grevillea has commented on (6) products.
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel
grevillea, May 21, 2008
Friends gave me Hungry Planet for my birthday nearly two months ago, and I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and read it. It’s a fantastic book, quite like anything else I’ve ever read: part coffee table book, part recipe book, part commentary on the differences (and similarities) that exist between the developed and the developing world.The basic idea of the book is this: Photographer Peter Menzel and his partner Faith D’Alusio travel to a variety of countries, all over the world, and document what people eat. Each family they visit is photographed sitting with a week’s worth of food, and the family is interviewed; the reader gets a sense of how food fits into the family’s life and culture.
I’m not sure I’ll make any recipes in the book, but the family photos alone are eye-opening. It’s sobering to compare the weekly food consumed by a family in a first world country with that of a family living in a refugee camp.
The Office: Season Two (Widescreen)
grevillea, April 28, 2008
I’ve seen all of the British version of The Office, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but it took me a while to warm to the American version. The first few episodes follow the British series very closely, and it was painful to watch. Then, the American version branched out in it’s own direction, and it got considerably better. It’s very different from the British series, but funny in it’s own way.Little Star of Bela Lua by Luana Monteiro
grevillea, April 20, 2008
A series of short stories set in Brazil, all with an element of the supernatural.Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver and Camille Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp
grevillea, April 12, 2008
This account of one family's attempt to eat locally has changed the way I buy and cook food.(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
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1-5 of 6 nextgrevillea, April 6, 2008
A beautifully illustrated graphic novel that captures the immigrant's experience.