Hungry Planet - What the World Eats

Thanks for the links, Elizabeth! These made me think ...

Part #1
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html

Part#2
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1645016,00.html

Part#3
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1667690,00.html

…and the book
http://www.tenspeed.com/store/index.php?main_page=pubs_product_book_jph1_info&cPath=4_103&products_id=2386

I was recently telling a friend about the low point in my adult life, when I had so little money that I could spend only $5 a week on groceries. I made a lot of filled crepes, since I had a bag of flour in the cupboard and could make simple ones with just some water. They weren't nutritious, and they often weren't even good. Nowadays, as I pay off college credit card debt and loans, I spend an average of $20-$50, depending on whether or not I need to replenish the basics like eggs and oil (dang, eggs are getting expensive these days). That includes money spent eating out, too. I feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury because I can afford fresh produce, good-quality meat, and healthier staples like whole grain bread. Those things take time and money to buy.

I wonder if anyone's done a study on impoverished people's spending habits. Another friend and I talked about whether or not blue collar families could eat better than they actually do. He said they could if they really tried. I know from having worked double-time workweeks and earning just enough to get by that it's hard. Nobody who's overworked, underpaid, and in charge of a family wants to get off a double shift to go pick up the kids then run to the market to sift through produce. Hamburger Helper is a treat because it required a little more love and time than a frozen pizza or salisbury steaks. Good-quality, healthy food often takes time and money that a lot of people don't have.

I hope I never take what I have for granted.

For people in and around Phoenix, tomorrow's the big day! Between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Waste Not is holding its Empty Bowls events at all the local AJ's Fine Foods. Members of the Arizona Clay Association have donated handmade clay bowls to sell for a minimum $12 donation. All proceeds will got to Waste Not, a local organization that drives around to pick up excess, perishable food items from restaurants, grocery stores, caterers, etc., and delivers them to organizations like food banks and soup kitchens who can ensure that food will go to where it's needed most.