State of the Arts Blog

We are what we eat. And we eat a lot.

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© Peter Menzel www.menzelphoto.com from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

The Bell Museum of Natural History has announced it's hosting the exhibition "Hungry Planet: What the World Eats" this fall. The exhibition grew out of the book by the same name. Like the book, the exhibition explores how different cultures consume food: what type of food they eat, how much of it, and how much they pay for it.

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© Peter Menzel www.menzelphoto.com from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

The Bell Museum's exhibit focuses on 10 cultures, many with ties to Minnesota, and lets visitors "shop" for global produce from world markets and track that food as it travels from field to fork. The exhibit features special sections on the rise of fast food culture, the evolution and history of food plants, current and ancient agricultural methods and the practice of raising and eating meat.

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© Peter Menzel www.menzelphoto.com from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

Since many people these days are interested in "greening" their lives and households, they might be particularly interested in witnessing the difference in packaging from one culture to the next. Some cultures appear to live entirely without packaging, while others seem entirely dependent on it.

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© Peter Menzel www.menzelphoto.com from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

Other issues raised by the exhibition are nutrition, obesity, sustainability, and the "locavore" movement. "Hungry Planet: What the World Eats" opens at the Bell Museum in Minneapolis on October 17 and will run for 6 months.