Hungry Planet
Science and Technology Museum
Jan. 15 – April 18
Stars 4/5
The Ottawa Science and Technology Museum is opening its doors to a culinary atlas entitled Hungry Planet, an exhibition produced by the Montreal Science Centre that focuses on food sustainability and the eating patterns of families all over the world.
The exhibit is running until April 18 and covers the eating expenses of 25 families in 21 countries across the different continents. The exhibit is based on Faith D’Aluisio’s book Hungry Planet: What The World Eats, photographed by Peter Menzel.
The exhibition is a hallway of large photographs of families and their food supplies for the length of a week. The exhibit highlighted the family name, the country of origin as well as the amount they spend on food, in American dollars, every week.
The best part of the exhibit was the arranging of the photographs from the lowest grocery bill to the highest. The comparison between the most expensive and the least expensive was outrageous and certainly eye opening.
The organization of each family portrait was ideal because it allowed for a visual representation, not simply number figures. The fact that each amount was organized in American dollars allowed for better comprehension and comparison on the enormous differences in price.
For instance, the Aboubaker family from a Chad Refugee Camp spent the least amount of all families at the price of $1 US. This $1 allowed them rice, grains, beans and a small jug of water. While the German Melander family spent $500 US a week on food and large amounts of alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine.
It was shocking to realize that the weekly diet of a family like the Melanders’ could feed 500 families in a Chad Refugee Camp. It most definitely sends the message desired by the creators: that dietary changes are worldwide and caused by issues such as globalization, migration, travellers, and refugees.
Another interesting factor was not only the difference in price but also the varying food products that each family consumed. It seemed the more the family paid for food, the more packaging there was.
In a way, the exhibit proved true various stereotypes about eating habits in multiple countries.
An American diet was compromised of almost all packaged items and many boxes of take out, including Chinese food and pizza, while the Australian family had large amounts of various meats.
A helpful addition would have been to mark how many members were included in the family pricing for the week.
As well, more information from the study and a caption describing where the families got their food would have been more informing and would have allowed for a better comprehension on monetary control and what factors affect eating patterns.
All in all, the exhibit was well done, informing and brought to light how many different, yet fascinating habits and traditions there are to a simple human necessity such as eating.