Module 11: What the World Eats

Module 11 (November 1-7)

D’Alusio, F. (2008). What the World Eats. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press.

Summary: The authors of this book wanted to chronicle the food eaten in a week for various families in over 21 different countries, including the United States, Mongolia, Greenland, Bhutan, and Chad. With each family’s section, there is a portrait of all the food that family will eat for the entire week, and the comparisons are startling. Also included are quick facts about each country profiled, as well as a recipe from each family.

My Impressions: This book is all at once incredibly fascinating, incredibly beautiful, and incredibly sad. How lucky we are in the United States and other more “Westernized” nations is undeniable as you flip through this book, and the heartbreaking circumstances of many of the families in this book is at times hard to look at. It is simply amazing how hard some of these families must work each day just to provide food and water for their families. This book gives us things to think about, and hopefully encourages us to do whatever we can to help those around the world in need.

Reviews: “Intended to inform middle-schoolers of the wide variety of food traditions as well as discrepancies in access to adequate nutrition, this collection of photos, essays and statistics will require thoughtful concentration….The plentiful photos are fascinating, offering both intimate glimpses of family life and panoramic views of other lands. Whether used for research or received as a gift from socially conscious adults, this version offers children plenty to chew over—but it’ll take them some time to truly digest.”—Kirkus Book Reviews. http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/faith-daluisio/what-the-world-eats/

“The main narrative presents friendly, multigenerational portraits of each family, with meals and food preparation an avenue toward understanding their hopes and struggles. A wealth of supporting information—lush color photographs, family recipes, maps, sidebars, etc.—surrounds the text (superb design accomplishes this job harmoniously) and implies questions about global food supplies…. Engrossing and certain to stimulate.”—Publisher’s Weekly. http://www.amazon.com/What-World-Eats-Faith-DAluisio/dp/1582462461/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290928756&sr=1-1

Library Use: During the discussion boards, one of my classmates mentioned that they used this book as part of a large display at their library that included large poster-sized versions of some of these family portraits, as well as facts about the nations in the books. I thought this was a fantastic idea! If there was a space, it might also be interesting to recreate the amount of food eaten by one of the American families as part of the display, for more of a tangible comparison.

Image retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/What-World-Eats-WHAT-WORLD/dp/B001TKYWQI/ref=sr_1_28?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290838147&sr=1-28