This seems to focus on what upper-middle class families eat. Do the majority of families in Nigeria, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Haiti, KwaZulu-Natal eat like that?
2
Thanks Sara Bonisteel, Kim Gougenheim, and Lisa Dalsimer for this refreshing glimpse into a universal product and how people internationally are using the product to create and/or retain the entity of “family.”
And what are the poor people eating?
1
i enjoyed this, and also am struck by how similar families are throughout the world and many different cultures. And also how many families make (on presumably ordinary weeknights) elaborate, balanced meals with lots of different ingredients. I also was very aware how affluent all these families seem to be, relative to the rest of the population. It would interesting and useful to do a similar story about family meals in poorer households.
Love this! Noted all of our similarities and differences. So many families are vegetarian. I need to rethink my food choices.
Would love to know what the U.S. eats and what single diners eat.
Finally, the world eats the same foods, just cooks or flavors them differently.
Thank you so very much for this wonderful piece! I pored over every story and every photos. Shared meals are the crux of family life, and to see some of the very authentic and lovingly prepared dishes was a real treat. Loved every bit of this and it really made my day.
I am someone who lives with great privilege. Each of these meals sounds exquisite and a feast of flavor, texture, and nutrition. Almost all of these would be a splurge eaten out sort of meal for me which I do very rarely. It is no wonder that our expectation of everyone eating this way on a daily basis with meat on most tables is not sustainable by our weary planet. Will we all learn to adapt our habits in time?
What a neat read, with wonderful photos! Makes me hungry. :)
People who enjoy this article might also like the book WHAT THE WORLD EATS by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel.
Wonderful, life-affirming, spiritually uplifting. Please take time to read the sentiment hanging on the wall in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Why is the US always depicted by an unhealthy, conservative Christian family?
I loved this story. Well done. Thanks you.
This was a good, informative but incomplete piece. All the families appear relatively well off and well fed.
There were no wood fires in smoke-filled one room homes. No one was eating a simple porridge or pot of beans.
And no child went to bed hungry.
Where are these stories?
While I enjoyed this article immensely, I felt that the families shown are not the norm for some of the locations. These were all at least middle class families. I would like to see how the farmers that grew the food live and eat.
1
Nice piece on the middle class around the world. BUT what about the families worldwide who have no dinner or eat just rice and found scraps?
1
Has my Vote: KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Loved this, especially the fridge in the Texas house, reminds me of childhood. I found the Nigerian food most intriguing. So many interesting sounds condiments, would love to see them featured more in depth.
1
I love Thailand I'm going for tournaments of fighting after corona
You know, at the age of 8, I would love to each food. Each one had a unique name, flavor, and texture. But, really the homemade pesto, salad, and tomatoes au gratin really caught my eye.
I commented once but have more to add...I think you should do this same article but on those in poverty. So people who have more can maybe assist in helping those who struggle to put a meal on the table.
I know personally what hard times are. I have a son who has a brain tumor that we have been treating, he’s had multiple surgeries, a shunt put in his brain that runs to his stomach and they cannot remove all of the tumor being it’s on his brain stem. I also am fighting stage 3 breast cancer. So we have a lot of medical bills and sometimes go without some basic things that others take for granted. Just a thought....thank you for reading and listening.
4
I've never thought of visiting Turkey, but if that family invites me to dinner, I'll go! Great article and so nice to see families eating together. Homemade dinners, shared by the family and made with love. It is the simple things that unite us.
In México, dinner isn’t the main meal.
That’s why the family were just eating eggs. I think is important to keep this in mind.
2
I love this story. I'm fascinated with learning about different cultures. I have a book called What the World Eats and it's similar to this article in that it depicts what families around the world eat on a regular basis. Thank you for this article!
1
When I was a kid old enough to help with supper (in the 1960s) we ate at home as a family every night. It was great, we all helped with prep and/or cleanup. Everyone had their task. It was wonderful.
1
Very disappointed that the Times chose not to include some less than privileged key players - the unnamed "chef" from the Osans, for example, in this article. Their role in these daily routines is critical, and in a supposedly candid narrative like this, deserves to be de-anonymized.
1
One of the most enjoyed articles I've read in a long, long time!
Thank you!
2
As a lover of food, I so appreciated this insight. Great reporting. But it struck me that these families are possibly "privileged" compared to the "average" in their area. Was that taken into consideration by the NYT? What does the average family eat in Lagos, Nigeria, for example? Just curious what this article took into consideration based on income level, social class, etc. so we are comparing apples to apples. Thoughts?
3
I love this so much and I can't even put my finger on why. I love the variety of foods and I want all of them. I love how they're all just cooking normal food and not acting like it's the hardest, most impossible thing ever. There was no mention of kids who only eat nuggets. I am completely inspired to step up my own efforts.
4
similar to the very popular time article "What Kids Eat Around the World" by gregg segal. His book, Daily Bread, details what children from around the world eat on a weekly basis.
an insightful peek into the different relationships we have with food.
It was fascinating to see the similarities in the kitchens and dining rooms across the cultures. Seeing the universal bond of families preparing meals and dining is heartwarming and reassures me that there is so much more that unites us than divides us.
3
This article was enjoyable but somewhat unrealistic, as it focused mostly on upper class families in each country. Are we supposed to believe that the typical Indian family has a cook to prepare their meals? Or that an average Peruvian family has a housekeeper? Or that a typical apartment in Bangkok or house in Mexico actually looks like that? That's not the reality of most people's lives in underdeveloped countries, but maybe reality is too unpalatable for the Times to report.
The social part of eating with family is as important as what you eat... these photos of the food and the families preparing meals together are mesmerizing and help show how much we share, regardless of the culture or country we inhabit. But mostly, yum!
This just reinforces what we all know to be true. More binds us together than separates us. We are in fact all the same when it comes down to it. We love our family, we try our best to nourish them, body and soul and we enjoy being together.
Why we fight about the most stupid things still baffles me. This shows what is really important. Family and friends are all that really matter. To quote the wonderful Beatles "Love is all you need."
Thanks for the reminder.
3
If the Times were coming to photograph dinner at our house, we'd have to scramble to clean up. I vote for dinner at the Nigerian house. Their dinner looked far more interesting to eat than the usual something heated from the freezer at our place.
In all these pictures, only the United States family had what look to be a processed food out of a box or can, microwaves and topped with Cheese :)
1
I found this very interesting and really connected our world. Sadly, it hit me that I know very few families in the United States who actually all eat together as a family. Their kids are over-scheduled and away from home at mealtime, and/or dad (or mom) are working late. We have lessons to be learned from these other countries who take time to lovingly prepare meals for family time. Also, it was an observation I made that many homes appeared to be of families with higher incomes, lovely kitchens, etc, with just a few exceptions. I was surprised to see the picture of the Texas family. The home was not comparable to any other photos you had, nor the family themselves. They are not even representative of a Hispanic family, nor an Hispanic meal, as our state has many awesome Hispanics who bring a wonderful culture to Texas.
What a beautiful article! I loved seeing these wonderful families - so simple but speaking volumes. We are all the same and yet different.
2
Beautiful reportage
We are more alike than different.
All these families seem affluent on a global scale. Far more interesting would be to see the dining practices of average families around the world
I absolutely loved this article as it reminded me of my family sharing meals together growing up in the Caribbean, where we had dinner together at least 6 days per week.
1
Why didn't you do a weeknight dinner for the Israelis also? I love seeing Shabbat dinner and who doesn't adore challah, but this is a classic Friday night meal and not a weeknight, where you'd be likely to see something far simpler but amazing including an array of colorful takeout "salatim," veg salads.
3
one thing they have in common. no cellphones on the tables at dinner time.
i like that peru picture where the parents each have their own bottles.
What a wonderful document of shared humanity around the world! More, please.
2
Nice - I am wondering how the families were selected? I am guessing they would all be middle or upper-middle class in their contexts? What would this look like if more economic diversity were shown across contexts?
2
I'm shocked at how many courses and intricate sides, condiments etc people are preparing. Really interesting! But I couldn't help but wonder how are people finding the time to prepare some of these? The US work week certainly doesn't really allow for it ....
1
The comments were positive, I believe, because most Americans are comforted by the rest of the world creating American style kitchens and eating areas and wearing casual American clothes. They are hardly indicative of most people who actually live elsewhere. It would be interesting to do another take on this theme with families below the middle to upper middle class.
Am I the only one who was wishing for recipes to accompany each family's meal? I will be Googling to try to replicate some of these tasty sounding dishes for sure!
1
Thank you for such a wonderful article. This illustrates how food is what always brings us together. I cook for my family 5 days a week and I am amazed at how surprised people are that I still regularly cook at home. It makes me feel happy to see that I am doing something that my family will always remember- Home cooked meals
I really enjoyed this article and found it encouraging. I especially noted the family unit with both mother and father in most of the families that are featured.
I loved this article and the photos but it seems quite romantic and made me feel a bit inadequate. As a single mom of a busy preteen we barely get home from work and actvities to prepare a meal as represented here. The weekend yes when I have time, the weekdays no. The French family was closest but we'd have homework and laptop present so we can get everything done that needs to get done before sleep.
3
As a mom who cooks a family dinner 5-6 nights a week, I loved this article. It was so interesting to see all of the different meals around the world which were ultimately variations on the same thing. We are all so much more alike than we are different. Thank you NYTImes and Lauren DeCicca .
Beautifully written article, with powerful content. Indeed, the world's a big place with multiple cultures in so many different environments. But there was some feeling of wholeness that I could feel whilst I kept reading. From Lima, to Texas, To Paris then to Sub Saharan Africa to the Far East... Meals bring families together.
Perhaps the next UN GA meeting ought to be done around the dinner table as the various country representatives discuss matters of global concern amicably.
1
So much meat!
@Michael Cole TOO MEATY!
American living in western Nepal here. I wish I could transport to each of the homes for however many days straight!
My twelve-year-old is mastering the art of cooking chapati. The linked recipe is wrong. Chapatis should not be cooked with ghee, although ghee can be added as a topping after they are cooked.
Love this photo essay. What a great idea, so well-rendered.
1
Would have bee nice to see some same sex couples with families, more single parent families, other ways of interpreting family. I'm a single mother and I felt pretty alienated by this article. It's also lovely in many ways.
4
@Hope It's too bad these families didn't have more divorces to help you feel better.
1
@James Divorce is not the only reason for single parent family.
2
This was a great article. I live in the Virgin Islands. Next time please include athe Caribbean.
Love this article. Especially the Lagos Nigeria photo , so many spices on that shelf!
A random sample of the same size would have produced a very different, and more informative, article.
1
This should be a regular feature! What a wonderful reminder that we're really all the same: people sitting down to dinner is universal. Thank you!
6
This is the best newspaper article I've read in a long time.
Kudos.
5
I loved this and didn't want it to end.
4
This is a spectacular piece. No doubt there are billions of other situations, but this is just wonderful to see our common humanity ... and one that doesn’t just focus on the negative or on the extremes. We obviously need and want that coverage, too, but this was a great glimpse into what makes so many people alike across our planet. Also, i think i would’ve been happy to eat any of the meals these families prepared. I loved this article.
2
This was a lovely article.
I really enjoyed the photos of families and the food.
It made me feel good that, ultimately, we’re all kind of the same wherever we are.
What didn’t make me feel good were the over the top critical comments in this section.
People: just chill out sometimes...
It’s a fun, feel-good feature that piques our curiosity about other cultures. It doesn’t have to check every box for every person every time.
The rest of the news has enough political drama, inequality, and sadness to last eons.
Take a break from that and enjoy the small stuff.
14
All around the world, with just a few exceptions, it seems women are still the primary homemakers tasked with feeding the family. How interesting.
5
Shabbat dinner always starts at 8pm for the Levys? Or did the reporter of this otherwise lovely article lack the cultural competence to know that Shabbat evening meals usually start at or just before sundown which, in summertime Israel could be around 8pm, but in winter much earlier?
1
@Huh I can imagine the family just told him "we generally start eating around 8pm"... I wouldn't be suprised if the Israeli dad told the photo-journalist that for brevity, I can totally see this scenario with my Israeli dad. took it as that. The primary story here isn't really the Shabbat part. And this are just photo-journalists and producers on this story, you can't really expect them to side step into details like that.@Huh I can imagine the Israeli dad just told the photo-journalist "we generally start eating around 8 pm"... I wouldn't be surprised if Israeli dad told the photo-journalist that for brevity, I can certainly see this scenario with my Israeli dad, who never bothers to explain any details. The primary story here isn't really the Shabbat part. And there are only photo-journalists and producers on this story, you can't really expect them to sidestep into details like that. The photos are the story.
@Huh Based on the text, it seems that the family probably told the photographer "we generally start eating around 7 pm, but tomorrow is Shabbat so come at 8 pm". I can see how a non-Jewish photographer would have no reason to look any further into that, especially since that isn't the primary subject of the story.
"Happy last Shabbat - of the year; many the new one - bring you what you need"; "Life's major events - get discussed, celebrated - and mourned over food"
2
Our family meal has been fading away because of school, work and sport schedules and I truly appreciate this article. And, with the world feeling divided right now, it is the perfect timing and medium to show how similar we are to one another.
A few days ago my son and I were talking about public service announcements and the environment. We agreed that a PSA displaying people all around the world individually littering and the destruction and then showing people individually picking up, and the solution would be powerful visuals that show how one simple action, collectively, can make a difference. This article provides the same kind of visual or elicits those feelings too. The simple things we can do to connect and be happy. I love this article.
4
I really love this feature.
Helps us feel connected around the world.
4
This is special. My parents took turns cooking dinner when I was growing up and we'd sit down together every night to share it, often talking about what we'd done in school or what my parents had done at work, or sometimes politics and other topics of interest. On Fridays we had challah and special drinks (often Juice Squeeze for us who were underage) for shabbat. When I look back on my childhood it was a treasured part of growing up that I intend to replicate for my own family someday. As it is my partner and I cook and share delicious meals together nearly every night -- which our cats also attempt to participate in, especially if we've made meat or fish!
2
Remarkable how commonly a television screen, often enough turned on, features in dinnertime scenes in middle (upper-middle?) class homes around the world.
1
And shouldn't the title of this interesting article more accurately be "Weeknight Dinner for people Around the World who are wealthy-enough and westernized enough to afford a western/American-style kitchen stocked with a modern stove-oven combo, plenty of other kitchen equipment, dining tables and matching chairs, various electric appliances, and enough space to fit it all along with sofas, artwork, glassware and other decor"?
Meanwhile, for millions of children and adults around the world (including here at home) such dinners (and their settings, perhaps) would be extravagances well-beyond their reach. How about including them in an article about weeknight dinners around the world? What do they eat for dinner, and why?
12
And you didn't mention that some of these families even had cooks!
1
This article is food for the soul, quietly powerful, nourishing.
5
Kudos For The Entire Food Section on Wednesday. Even with everything happening in this newsworthy time, I spent much more time poring over this story and relishing the window on these lives around the world.
2
Wonderful. This should be the ideal life.... enjoying a meal with family. Thanks for the great article. Wonderful journalism
4
Sad that the only household where a maid did all the cooking and all the cleaning was in Peru. Shows how little attention we give to home cooked meals and food preparation in a country that ironically, prides itself, of its cuisine. Also, as a Peruvian, I know that this meal was staged, as I am aware that us Peruvians, don’t drink wine with meals on a regular occasion, particularly not on a weekday. Peru has one of the lowest wine consumption per capita of all of South America. Instead of trying to impress a foreign newspaper, the family should have taken pride in displaying what a true middle class meal would consist of; probably delicious lunch leftovers of aji de gallina or seco de carne or estofado de pollo instead of bland steak with salad.
6
This article was superb. However, I am surprised that it only portrays somewhat stereotypical families, namely, children with two parents. I've been aa single mom for 11 years now (not by choice), and reading this article makes me feel like an outsider looking into the homes of "real" families.
14
Indeed. No same-sex couples either.
5
No childfree couples either. My husband and I share dinner together most every night. I guess the NYT only was interested in meeting "traditional" families for this article. Despite this, I still found it interesting.
4
I’m in a childless, biracial same sex relationship, and I had no problem with this article. Sometimes I attempt to cook Indian dishes that my husband’s parents will always do far better. Sometimes i cook midwestern or Scandinavian food my mom would do much better. Still, my husband and i relish our meals at home . It was heartwarming to meet these families, and meeting them didn’t demean my family or my life.
14
What on earth? I guess the article proves you can find families with an American upper-middle class income level in any country on earth - no matter how rare (think Haiti), and...they eat dinner! It certainly spoiled my appetite.
6
What is it about these people's homes and meals that makes you think they are upper middle class? Having lived in South Africa, the family used as an example was definitely not upper middle class (though not poor) based on their settings, and I assume the same is true of some of the other families. How do working class people eat dinner in the States that so many people are questioning the class of the interview subjects?
4
Oh the joy!! Thanks for this article. I'm also very happy to see that kitchen counters around the world are just as crowded as mine are. 😃
9
Thank you for this beautiful piece on our common humanity.
9
What an enjoyable article, especially on a day when the news pages are so filled with turmoil! I was especially interested in how similar many of the kitchens appeared.
One thing: I enjoyed seeing multigenerational families here, but that made my heart ache a bit for the many elderly people in this country who eat alone, and not very well, missing that important part of the human experience: sharing a sit-down meal.
I also thought about college students and others who eat in institutional settings.....
American families who are too busy shuttling their children to after school activities to have a real dinner....
Single parents who may be too busy to cook and too pressed for money to buy healthy food....
That said, as above, it's a charming article that I very much enjoyed!
9
I absolutely loved this and like many readers pored over it taking in every detail and loving it for its similarity.
But I have to say: Anything and anyone that is observed inevitably changes its behavior and becomes something else.
What I'm trying to say is: did each family put on a show of sorts for the world to see? If I knew The Times would be paying a visit and taking pictures of my dinner tonight, I in lieu of probably ordering a pizza would go all out and cook veggies, put out fruit etc?
Sorry to be a wet blanket :)
6
The writers did an outstanding job in selecting the countries, the families-all lovely to see, and real meals. Others have tried to do stories like this and were not nearly as good. The story is a help for working with cookbooks from around the world and getting the components of a meal correctly. One odd thing: only France was limited to a late afternoon meal for kids, when the French dinners are so special; a little something, entree and sides, salad, cheese, fruit, a sweet all in small portions.
What a wonderful, enlightening read with great photographs. Folks who enjoyed this might also enjoy a photo essay book that this article reminded me of "Material World" : A Global Family Portrait " by Peter Menzel. Meals are depicted in a similar way in that presentation, as well.
Thank you for this.
3
Beautiful. I'm struck by how much in common I have with these women, these families. Here on the West Coast of Canada, we're the same as people all around the world.
1
Yes, I did read the criticisms and I do agree that the families pictured here are middle to middle upper class people. Of course, it would be nice to do reportage on poorer families and also reportage on same sex households and also households with a single parent.
That said, this article was a total reprieve from the depressing news of the day. I just loved looking at the photos of these families from around the World, including one from my home town (Claudia Bellucci, you could invite me to dinner anytime, I would come!), the food cooked (recipes should be included!), how these families unite around the table, how their homes are designed, who cooks and who cleans.
It is wonderful to reflect upon the journeys that all those fruits and vegetables have made from their origins to tables all around the World. Cauliflower and carrot from the Mediterranean, potato from Peru, cucumber from India, tomato from Central America, spinach and onion from Iran
and on and on and on.
We are truly connected in many ways.
11
How much I enjoyed this piece! Studied all the families, their names, their kitchens, and each interesting dish, some so simple and others quite complex. Heartwarming to know, in these stressful times, that people all over the world are coming together as families at the end of the day to eat and be together. That we are all the same, when it comes right down to it.
4
Americans are not social people . They are not a social culture at all, even inside the nucleus of the family.
They rarely share meals together , that they made.
And outside of the family they are not a social culture either .
Commercial malls.... after 9 or 10 pm in all the US cities, there is no life it is dead.
On the week ends all the stores are open but no cultural life is happening anywhere.
For a European it is a real abyss. No life in the USA .
2
@JPH I feel badly for you. Wherever you are living I hope you make some friends soon.
You sound very lonely, and I am sorry for that.
9
Vegetables! It's what's powering the whole world!
5
Great article! Ms. Ozoz Sokoh’s meal was particularly compelling! Those sauces and condiments sound amazing. Inspired to learn about Nigerian cooking. Thank you.
2
It seems only the Indian family had all vegetarian meal. Imagine if majority Indians switch to eating animal protein how much worse the climate crisis will be!
6
A majority of Indians, who are poor/working class eat meat. maybe not daily but they are non vegetarians.
1
Are all the families from hetero parents? That’s not the only type of families who share meals together. Would’ve liked to have seen more diversity from NYT in 2019.
10
@Andrea Pitelka Non hetero families eat differently ?
What is that story ?
7
Apparently there are no single people preparing dinner for themselves in this world.
3
@Daryl They don't eat in family . That is why they are single.
Americans discovering family dinner.
Few American families have dinner together sitting at a table with a meal that they prepared themselves.
3
@JPH How do you know this? Have you surveyed the majority of American families? or are you basing your opinion on your small sample size. My experience has been quite the opposite.
2
@JPH
The article title does not refer to "family dinners." It rather refers to "Weeknight Dinners Around the World."
Presumably, single individuals also eat dinner on weeknights. Some single people even dine with friends, colleagues, neighbors, children and other family members during the week.
May you find a welcoming table to join.
3
All this made me really hungry, but I really want to try masoob.
5
Loved the story and photos, thanks
3
Beautiful and intimate look into lives I would otherwise never know.
6
I too would like to register my outrage! It is simply unacceptable that all the nice people depicted eating dinner were right handed! Where are the left handed people of the world? Please unite and demand representation!
And oh please enjoy the simple fascinating pictures of people living life. Thank you.
33
I understand that this article was meant to represent WHAT families eat. However, preparing an early meal for her two children in Paris before her husband gets home does not represent a FAMILY meal. Well, maybe a French family meal...
3
Wow, NYT, way to give your readers a halcyonic view of global diets! Your sub-title should have read “We asked 18 educated, upper-middle class families...”. I work in international nutrition and i can tell you that these meals are typical for only a fraction of families. Almost everywhere, the poor majority are following american cheap, junk food culture, increasingly eating overly processed foods low in essential vitamins & minerals and loaded with salt, fat & sugar contributing to a global obesity pandemic. A recent Lancet article found poor diets was a leading risk factor for death & disease globally. The picture is not as rosy as this piece would have us believe.
17
Thank you for your credible input.
I found myself asking, "How did the "producers" of this article choose which families to ask?" All I could think was that they asked their friends, family members, or people their fellow journalists knew and, accordingly, the middle or upper-middle class skew, and probably the westernized aesthetic as well.
2
One article does not have to do as much work as you want it to. I can get my poverty porn from so many other places. Let this one do what it set out to do... and IMO does well.
6
@Susan S Not as. rose as this article, but I would argue not as bleak as you make it sound either. I live next to a community of people who earn less than $1K USD per year (in South Asia), and they don't seem to eat enough fruits and vegetables, but they load up on lentils, beans, rice, and supplement with whatever fruit falls off the trees in the jungle nearby and whatever green leaves they can find. That's not as unhealthy as living from frozen foods like most EBT families in the USA.
2
Such a marvelous article, I would not tire of reading it weekly with different families. I was surprised at how familiar most of the meals would have been to our family. To state the obvious, it illustrates our similarities at a time of too much polarization. To the Times editorial board, seriously, please give us more of this nourishment and less of the toxic leftist vitriol.
9
@CB in California: What a great idea! This could be a series...and include nonhetero, single, non conformist, verging socioeconomic, and left handed cooks :-).
2
All these families are obviously comfortably middle class. What do refugee families eat? What do homeless families eat? What do families of parents who have lost their jobs eat?
Show these around the world. Then you will have an interesting story.
11
Obviously you have never been poor, what may be an interesting story for you to read can be an embarrassment for them. Well some maybe open about their situation many feel that humiliating and featuring in a major newspaper would be adding insult to injury!
Besides why does everything we read and hear have to be negative news coverage, why can’t we enjoy news that makes us smile?
9
@ROK
Why do you assume all working-class and poor people would feel embarrassed to show what they eat for dinner, and where? And why would an article featuring people of lesser means necessarily be negative?
My friend, perhaps your own shame, or bias, has shadowed your view? Instead, take pride in yourself and your family and what they were able to provide despite the odds and in the face of hardship. No parent, or person for that matter, need feel ashamed or embarrassed when doing their genuine best to provide food and human connection to others.
Wonderful article, especially during this time of divisiveness in our own country and also around the globe. It also was a great reminder that much of the press that we hear about certain places is overblown and not a true picture of everyday life for folks living there. Example: I visited Monterrey, Mexico many years ago and it was a lovely city. Recent news has portrayed Monterey as a hellhole where you're likely to be killed upon arrival. I loved reading about this family having dinner there and living an apparently normal life.
3
3/18 = 16.7% are not eating meat, the rest are; where do we go from here to feed the world?
1
Riveted to how similar we all are. More of this “sharing our humanity,” please. Thank you.
10
what a deeply profound article. a seemingly mundane topic, when captured as a snapshot from around the world - the participants, postures, kitchens, tables and of course the food - reminds us that in the end we are all united - doing our best to get through each and every day
10
All interesting to me but can’t help but wonder how wealthy all the households you covered are. I’d like to see what the lower class families in all those countries are making for dinner.
8
@Heidi Blackett lentils, rice, and foraged fruit and green leaves in rural Nepal.
What surprised me most was how much earlier in the evening I ate dinner as a kid than these folks. Sit down meals at my house were about 4:30 to 5PM.
4
@Steve Really ! You go to bed before the chicken ?
In France regular dinner time is 20.00 h ( 8 pm ).
If you are invited it is not polite to arrive before 20.10 or 15 . To leave time for the hosts to prepare dinner.
In Spain dinner is at 22.00 h ( 10 pm ).
In Paris the clubs open at midnight . Nobody there before.
1
This article and the wonderful photos brought tears to my eyes. Families together....a lovely, positive, life affirming exposé. Many thanks to these families for letting us into their lives. This article is a statement for world peace; we are brothers and sisters. Thank you NYT.
13
Amazed that nearly everybody cooks mainly fresh food as opposed to packaged or processed.
6
@Jed Because they probably arrive home at a decent hour to do so. Something we could learn in this country.
5
@MS In France parents work legally 35 h/ week .
No more. And 5 weeks paid vacation per year for everybody after 1 year work.
1
@JPH Unfortunately, in many households there is either someone working a second job, or overtime. I can't remember when I had a full week off....with pay. I get two weeks off at Christmas...but without pay!
2
Interesting how at least 2 'middle-class' households had help - a cook or house person. Even by first world standards, that is not middle class.
5
In countries with high rates of poverty and where labor is cheap... many middle class families do have help. Sometimes (the horror) much poorer distant relatives. The Western social structure is not the prototypical one.
4
@ariwo You are correct. I see people in my host country who don't have money to buy a car or travel abroad, but they do have money for domestic help.
1
Maybe others noticed this, too: all these families are at least reasonably well off. Their kitchen cabinets look about like OUR kitchen cabinets in our decent middle-class home in Ohio. Would like to have seen how poorer folk around the world are eating and cooking, how often they can do those two things and how they manage. How often do they have a family meal? How do they find the ingredients they may want?
Let's don't kid ourselves, a great many families don't eat anything like those we see here -- even in the U. S., where most of what many people wish they had is hard to afford, and working two jobs means take-outs from fast foods, and the cheaper ones at that.
10
Do Americans need to see photos of poor malnourished people suffering in other countries in order to make ourselves feel better (superior)?
3
I liked seeing the kitchens and various products.
7
A shared meal in home fosters so many positive outcomes. There is so much good that comes from this seemingly mundane task that is completed around the world. I see it as an expression of love for those we hold dear. Now if we could figure out how to bring people everywhere together over a meal, maybe we can change the world.
91
I'm floored by how powerful this story was. I stared at every photo and read every word. How amazingly similar we all are! The humanity in this piece was so beautiful, NYTimes. Thank you!
280
@Brooklyn Dog Geek same here!
2
I was similarly absorbed, first noticing how similar the ritual of "family dinners" are across the NYT sample of tables, and then I started wondering what the conversations might be like. Conversations about the days' ordeals and discoveries are where things become very different. I'd really like to be a guest around these tables.
@Debra Carriere
me too!
Now this article with it's photo's and commentaries about families, traditions, food, family expectations and working kitchens is proof we are not so different after all. Nothing to be fearful of or judge! This is how we bring peace to the world. Thank you NYT's!
99
What a lovely article during a chaotic time! Studying the photos and imagining the food took my mind away from our nation's predicament for a few happy moments.
I was impressed by how complete and varied most of these meals were. On weeknights, I usually stick to one- or two-dish simple meals - like a tossed version of a Nicoise salad or baked chicken with roasted vegetables. Most of all, I was a little saddened to reflect how few Americans enjoy regular home cooked meals as well as many of the ingredients seen here, such as eggplant, okra, lentils, and fresh fish.
72
I did NOT want this article to end. I read it while my own family dinner simmered on the stove and in the oven.
111
I would love it also if some recipes were included. I know many ingredients would be difficult to attain, but it would be enjoyable to try to recreate recipes
5
I loved this. I’d like to see this theme replicated throughout the day, such as breakfast or what families do to unwind in the evening or for entertainment or how much homework a teenager has in each city and where he or she completes it.
124
@RLS I seem to remember a piece in this very newspaper on what children around the world eat for breakfast.
4
@RLS I think there was the same sort of thing about breakfast a while back. But it could have been elsewhere than the NYT...
1
Because I love to cook, I eagerly await the Food section of the Times each Wednesday. Today was an exceptional experience for me when I read your article, "The World at Dinner." In this xenophobic time, where the current administration seems to be fostering fear and distrust of other cultures, I believe this article does much to combat that fear and distrust. Here we see families; people just like us, cooking and sitting down for dinner. Just as we do. Thank you for this. While I also love looking at the recipes and pictures of finished dishes, I especially love to look at human beings doing what we all do. Sitting down together after a long day to eat dinner and reconnect. Thank you.
57
@Shirley Hand
Thank you….I agree.
Fascinating. I love the insight into such a basic daily ritual. I’m fascinated by how modern and similar all the kitchens are around the world. When I had seen a similar photo story years ago, most of the kitchens were more rustic. I think without captions most people would be hard pressed to place most of these places.
66
@Jim Ristuccia Ironically the Americans had the most unfashionable kitchen. The rest of the countries had similar kitchens, even once in smaller economies countries.
@Sarah I noticed the same and feel it was probably intentional. It seems as if all of the families featured in this article are probably at least upper middle class (for their cultures/countries), until we came to the American family, who was clearly a working class/lower middle class family.
3
It would be nice to have someone do the cooking for me, but at the same time featuring a meal prepared by a paid employee kind of isn't the point of "weeknight cooking" for most of us, is it?
@Cilantro Liberation Front The article covered examples of weeknight cooking of various families around the world, which obviously may or may not be different from your weeknight.
2
I’d eat any of these meals as much for taste as the family environment that is even more tasteful and soul satisfying,
3
Now this is the content I pay a subscription for. I teared up constantly while going through this and I’m not even totally sure why, just that I was very grateful to get to imagine for a moment what dinner would be like with these families. I love meals where every generation is involved in some way. Also, “Thin cooks can’t be trusted” is my new favorite kitchen quote. Thank you, NYT Cooking. You did good today.
10
I would like to have dinner with all the families. The food sounded good and filling. Very nice to see families sharing dinner together.
8
For most of my 70 years, my mother, as long as she was able, cooked Sunday dinner for our extended family. Children, in-laws and cousins rarely missed. On a typical Sunday, Mom would fry a couple of chickens, southern style. She would also have a broad array of vegetables such as green beans, fried okra, fried squash, tomatoes, peppers, and home-made cornbread. Dessert would be a home-made cake or pie. It was wonderful, and I miss it so. Thank you for a wonderful article.
11
I love this article. I would love to see more articles like this. Good for people to see what is happening around the world.
11
It's a simple fact that the richer you are the healthier you will eat. Healthy food is expensive. For instance a bowl of fresh cherries will cost you 5 dollars. While a bag of potato chips will cost you a dollar. And for the working poor the most expensive thing is time itself, with both parents working, and hungry for overtime whenever they can get it. For the working poor, when you have children, you are always fighting some kind of deadline, like picking up kids from school, or from a day care, or a relatives house, and in the jumbled up world of 2019, you take dinner where it is the easiest and most affordable.
8
Actually, take a look, a bag of chips costs 3-4 dollars. The processed food manufacturers get their pound of flesh anywhere and as often as they can.
It reinforces my belief that we are all alike and share many of the same values, among them family, friends and a good meal together. Thank you for a lovely photo essay.
13
I was pleased to see only one screen in this article, and it wasn't even in the USA. I highly encourage all to leave screens of any size or shape away from the dinner table, it should be a time for conversation. My husband and I made dinner for our kids (now 33 and 38) almost every night. Saturday breakfast was eggs on toast and was the only meal allowed in front of the TV for cartoons. Sunday breakfast was pancakes. My kids still talk about it and still love to come home for dinner.
4
Raising children, living in a household, family time are all highlighted in this wonderful article. My ex partner and I had family meals together almost every night like the people in this article. Brings back wonderful memories while having a window into some of the inhabitants of our planet.
3
I love peaking into other people's homes. Even in my apartment building, it's fun to see how people live their lives, decorate, and eat.This was absolutely fascinating, and I shared it widely.
9
This was such a lovely respite from all the daily awfulness. Thank you highlighting the quiet ways we are the same. It was, in a subtle way, one of the most hopeful things I’ve seen in a long time. Nearly perfect but as other readers have noted, I do wish someone on staff had thought to include same sex families. Maybe next time. Please do more work like this. We appreciate it.
12
Nice article - enjoyed seeing the family dine together, the adults and children helping prepare and clean up after the meals. We, family of four, dine together, which we find out from our teenage children is a rarity among their friends in high school. Most families are too busy with extracurriculars to dine together, which is a shame, as its our opportunity to be together, hear stories about each person's day and plans for the next day or week.
4
Growing up in Mount Vernon, NY, all six of us children had dinner with our parents at the dining room table every night; usually my Dad came home from work and cooked!
That communion around the dinner table was everything, and I feel that it still is with those that can make it happen.
6
Excellent compilation of typical weekday dinner from various parts of the world. Loved the pictures. Extremely informative. Thank you.
7
Wonderful article, I found every single house/kitchen interesting but that apartment in Paris, France - wow - nice view!
4
I enjoyed this article about healthy families who can eat well. I would like to see another article like this about the people who cannot afford a healthy meal - the homeless, the unemployed, the folks in poverty. You could then list organizations to contribute to that can help feed the hungry.
18
Really did you have to publish this wonderful piece of vicarious journalism with all these beautifully balanced meals on the very night I assembled a quick, and extremely carbs-rich pasta (with fennel and sweet onions) for dinner, which my family then politely picked on while sitting around our dining table.
But seriously, if there are any awards given out for simple yet beautiful writing that touches our hearts and fills us with the warm glow of a shared and wondrous humanity, this piece from the NYT needs to contend for it. Thank you.
10
As one who cooked for a family of four twenty two years, I’m intimidated. It was rarely as complicated as these meals—usually a meat and two vegetables. There seemed to be an absence of bread in most of the dinners—a good thing for nutrition.
2
I loved this piece! Thanks for all the hard work.
5
Lovely list. Would have been nice to include the name of the faceless “cook” who helped the Indian family get dinner on the table. She deserves to be named as well.
16
We're not so different after all. Loved this.
10
A common denominator
of mankind: families sitting
around the hearth to eat,
our dogs at our side.
Great article!
20
@Ha! For the privileged few!
I wonder, how people find the time to cook these meals, they seem to be pretty time consuming. If both work full time, then the commute etc. I mean sure, if I have a help at home ...
3
The photos of the kitchens and dining rooms are wonderful.
17
Interesting article. Please have this on a monthly basis. It’s educational to know how and what people in different countries eat their meals.
19
This is a great piece and really fun. This should run as a regular feature every week.
26
I can't help but notice how most (all?) of these families are eating fish/meat. By 2050, the earth should be in such despair, oceans depleted, coastal cities besieged by rising tides, that a profile such as this article will look much different.
10
@Left Coast
So glad SOMEONE mentioned that every meal had meat or fish. This is totally unnecessary, and Left Coast, you are right, this is one of the major reasons we have climate change and its disastrous effects, and it will only get worse if the majority of the world doesn't adopt a vegan or at least vegetarian diet.
There are so many variations and alternative articles that spring to mind! I love this one, don’t get me wrong... Many readers have already pointed out that this photo-essay is a beautiful portrayal of the basic nuclear family - heterosexual mom, dad, children, with occasional grandparent. Upon reflection, I almost felt that I was back in 1960...
12
In German-speaking families one would probably find a lighter evening meal called “Abendbrot” - evening bread: different kinds of breads (including flat bread, Knaeckebrot) and cold cuts, cheeses, salads, pates and of couse beer.
6
A lot of people complain that this set of diners from around the world seem to be all of the same class. So what? Why compare apples with nuts? What this set of examples shows is that middle class familial aspirations worldwide share a lot in common.
It would NOW be interesting to go up a class level or two, and/or down a class level or two, and take a similar slice through global dinner time. Might be harder for the journalists to arrange, but it *would* be an interesting exercise. And it would certainly satisfy the complainers. Or, at least I hope it would!
41
Loved the article. Most families middle middle class, nothing pretentious in the rooms , tables or meals. Human beings have evolved less well than we could have, but this article showing everyone preparing dinner cooperatively, showing the peaceful intent of a family gathering, is also showing we humans to be remarkably similar and wise and nurturing in at least this one respect. Thanks.
19
I loved this article and the diversity of its subjects and the food. We got to see families from all over the world and the images challenged preconceived notions. You portrayed Nigerians and Haitians in ways that they are often not portrayed in the media and showed the socio-economic diversity that exists in these countries. We often only see the bad and miserable when it comes to certain countries. This article as a whole showed the simplicity of humankind and how at the core, we’re more similar than different. We love food and enjoy family. Very well done! Hopefully NYT can run pieces like this regularly.
38
Please stop offering recipes and then requiring additional payment in order to see them. Truly not nice.
41
Getting hungry reading all of these dinner menus!
6
Kudos to the Times for this transcendently good piece.
12
I was impressed at how many men helped or even completely made these dinners.
14
@annabelle Not me. I was surprised at how many women were the cooks. That has not been the case in my US or MX households since I was a kid.
I want to know more about the Nigerian food writer! And I also want to know about dish with all the condiments.
11
@signedsealeddelivered That's the one that intrigues me most, too!
All dysfunction aside, growing up, the one thing we in our family always did was eat the evening meals together and elaborate lunches on weekends together. After being married and having my own family, we continued this tradition. I am so glad I was fortunate to have that opportunity; I have seen too many families without this opportunity.
12
Obviously these folks are able to afford these meals, but regardless I loved reading about the diversity of food and similarities between all of us. My only complaint is that now I am hungry for all of it!
1
Thanks NYT's for a fantastic article! What a great way to realize that we are more a like then different!
9
Joining those who love this kind of story. More photos of the food, please!
14
Wonderful! Loved this. Please do more pieces like this one. It gives me hope as well as ideas for dinner...
19
Bravo NYT for this wonderful piece. Great to peek into other worlds. I only wish there were more slide shows!
21
There’s hope for humanity as long as we can gather round the table and break bread together. It’s a universal practice since prehistoric times - perhaps our oldest ritual - which everyone should have the privilege to share.
10
@Ellen G Something I missed when growing up. Really wish our family had sat at the dinner or breakfast table. Maybe that's why we're so far apart in thoughts and "likes".
2
How much advance notice did these families have for your photo shoot? You've portrayed well-curated Instagrammable weeknight meals from the lives of super-homogeneous middle class families around the world.
To be fair, I did love the photo essay despite the complete lack of economic diversity in the subjects. Can you give us more of the same, but with changing variables like incomes and family compositions?
35
@RohiniA..Sorta presumptuous of you to make an economic assessment of the families. You want changing variables. What is your baseline? Should your study account for cost of living and currency fluctuations?
1
Wonderful article of global togetherness! So jealous of everyone else’s meals -yum!!
11
Love this article.
And: Lagos, here I come!
9
I would love to see the recipes! Pleeaaaassseeee
13
This story and the accompanying photos of families worldwide dining together was such a welcome respite from the constant, wearying drumbeat of Trump news.
61
great article. great pictures. :)
18
A totally wonderful article.
14
They all appear to have dinner quite late in the evening.
6
Bravo, well done, nice pics. But the piece perpetuates standard cisgender heteronormative stereotypes. I frankly did not expect such a 1980s spread from the NYT.
6
@Paul Duberstein
It is comments and sentiments such as this that will get us another 4 years of Trump.
We need to celebrate normalcy, not look at every thing as a means to offend.
33
@Paul Duberstein What is wrong with reality? How do you know their sexual preference? We know they are married but nothing about their sexual preference as it should be. This piece is about what is for dinner, around the world, why inject so other topic.This piece is about dinner, food.
1
@stan
And it is comments like YOURS that got us stuck with Trump in the first place. It isn’t a crime to want representation, especially when it is so long overdue.
I find strange a French family who eats dinner without the father.
That is not typical of a french family.
And you don't buy a chicken at the butcher around the corner. The Butcher does not sell chicken in France. May be the charcuterie but who does not know the difference between a butcher ( beef, veal and horse meat ) and a charcutier -traiteur is not allowed to document French family cuisine.
3
The excellent butcher in my 17th arrondissement Paris neighborhood most certainly sells chicken, and so do the others on the street. Not only do they have raw organic free-range birds, and a few famous poulet de Bresse (blue feet!), there are their own spit roasted birds, under which, in the bottom of the roaster, are the potatoes cooking in the dripping juices. Heavenly! French families are as busy as American ones. Who will turn down an expertly roasted quality bird when there’s no time to cook?
39
@Susan RST Paris is not a typical example of cooking as most apartments are small and not well equiped. You cannot roast a chicken in a studio or 1 bedroom apartment.
The 17th Arrondissement has bigger apartments and is very expensive. if you own an apartment in the 17th you are rich . And the 17th Arr has a lot of mixed rotisseries/ traiteurs where you can buy about everything to entertain the international crowd and the bourgeoisie . But it is not typical of French cooking culture. They are not typical French boucheries.
It is just that as a foreigner you acquired a view of the French culture that is tainted and superficial.
@Susan RST No. It is because as an American from Maine you don't know what a butcher is. You confuse it with a rotisserie or a traiteur.
Yes there are a few butchers who will sell a chicken or 2 because it is Paris but it is not a general trend. A butcher sells beef, and veal and not even pork, may be lamb but it is a little bit outside of his field. You should know that in France by law, even a supermarket butcher has to be a certified butcher who has been educated in cutting meat, refrigeration laws, etc.. which is not the case in the US .
In South Asia, the main meal of the day occurs at about 9 a. m.
3
More photos of the food please! It would be nice to see the actual food that was prepared by each of the families.
17
More pictures of the meals would make this piece even more interesting.
18
I really enjoy reading how people around the world go about their daily lives.
10
Very disappointed in the NYT. This article about what people eat around the world for a weeknight dinner is instead about what upper-middle class people eat. This is hardly reflective of what typical people eat around the world, because the typical person in any country does not have this standard of living.
23
@RLH - someone else already suggested that the NYT run this piece featuring families who live a couple of economic echelons below and above this very middle class bunch, which I think is a great idea.
What I loved about this article was it's apples to apples -- middle class families in Asia, Africa, Europe, North & South America, Australia sharing evening meals. That's just plain nice. There's no implication that the world lacks famine & abject poverty. This was just a glimpse of 18 households having supper. Made me (and evidently many others) feel good.
Have you seen the photo essay from years ago of families with their weekly groceries? That, too, is eye-opening - here is a link (if it works)
https://fstoppers.com/food/what-week-groceries-looks-around-world-3251
Anyway, let's just enjoy this, why don't we?
11
@RLH...Upper middle class aren't typical?Anyway, how did you arrive at your assessment ? How about a series detailing a typical homeless person's creative meals.
Why are you complaining? The article never claims to be representative of every socioeconomic class—which, by the way, would be impossible.
3
Why not visit families who live in small towns?
4
I don't know why I love this article, but I do. Guess I'm just nosy.
By the way, I'm eating french fries with bbq sauce for dinner.
26
If I could chose one family to eat with, it would be the Sokoh family in Lagos. All those condiments made my mouth water!
13
@Holly this made me smile x thank you. Almost all the recipes are on my kitchenbutterfly.com blog x
15
@Ozoz Sokoh I am going to check it out now. I agree with Holly.
1
@Holly I agree!
When I was a kid growing up on the southwest side of Chi, we made simple foods that take no real effort to make. Throughout the week, we often ate grilled potatoes, baked beans, corn on the cob, applesauce, pork chops, ribs, meatloaf, bratwurst, casserole, mostaccioli, pot roast, green beans, broccoli/carrot soup, grilled asparagus, homemade apple sauce, cornbread, chicken pot pies, etc. The NYTs chose to report one of the most generic American dinners to showcase...perpetuating the stereotype we don't know how to cook.
6
@Nameless I wish I could agree with you but I've learned over the years how rare those of us who actually cook homemade dinners most nights are. The truth is most Americans normal nightly dinners come out of the frozen meals section, cans, or fast food take-aways. I've been shocked over the years how moms who really care about doing the best for their kids and you might almost accuse them of being overprotective, don't think twice about feeding their kids processed foods with lots of chemicals and sugar. It's sad but that is the normal American dinner.
2
@Nameless spaghetti is a very common dinner served in america though so I'd say it's an accurate representation. It would be interesting though to see "18 dinners served across America"
6
Oh, I miss Picard Surgelés: thank you for making me homesick New York Times!
6
Every family dinner in this story looks great; especially the Italian one, which I would eat every night if I could. Of course the author had to pick some middle-class family in Texas, while every other one was clearly wealthier in their country. Next time pick an American family in an urban center - make us look good! Go for SF, LA, NY, Chicago, or probably the best one, Seattle. If you want to get enjoyably fat, go live in Seattle. The food is amazing.
8
@J They all looked totally middle class to me. You are mistaken to believe other places are more poor in terms of lifestyle and basic households than they actually are.
10
@J Wealthier people in American actually eat worse than poorer people in other countries because they make food a priority. I would like to see an article, "18 different dinners served across America"
3
What a lovely moving depiction of our common humanity.
There is only one biological DNA genetic evolutionary fit human race species that began in Africa 300, 000 years ago.
What we call race aka color is an evolutionary fit pigmented response to varying levels of solar radiation at different altitudes and latitudes primarily related to producing Vitamin D and protecting genes from damaging mutations in ecologically isolated human populations over time and space.
What we call race aka ethnicity aka national origin aka sectarian is an evil malign socioeconomic political educational demographic supremacist prejudiced bigoted myth meant to define certain meaningless groups as inferior and others as superior.
There is only one race aka human and one national origin aka Earth.
6
if this piece does nothing else, it serves as the rebuttal to our president's speech at the UN .We are all one species. We all want pretty much the same thing, peace, prosperity, years for our children. The planet is small, much too small for the petty nationalistic ideology that our president espoused.
32
Your beautiful photo essay made the world smaller. Thank you!
16
Good article on family ties and the unstated importance of sharing a meal together. It would have been thoughtful and inclusive to have included a same gender couple with their family. Just sayin’.
6
nice article - sitting around the table for dinner, they all look pretty much the same ...
the Nigerian food looked like something I'd like to try !
7
I was struck at how unlikely it is that people will ever quit eating meat. Most of these 18 out of 7 billion families are eating meat fish or both. While vegetarians and vegans reading this article are probably appalled, I am happy that the animals represented on the plates here will not disappear altogether. The logical final result of removing meat from all diets would be the last any of us will see of cows grazing in the field, duck hunting season and lazy days of fishing, never mind clam fritters, Texas bar be que, and the luau.
5
Oh good grief. Everybody wants to see what poor people eat. Did you think that maybe poor people don’t want to be identified and depicted as such? Don’t see themselves as such? And what would it be? A peanut butter sandwich alone in front of the tv? Nothing? Also, there was a fair amount of pretension at play in many of these menus. If you are going to be in the paper, you’re going to put your best foot forward.
20
How can you compare an extremely rich Indian family with a not real lower class French family, etc... it does not make any sense.
Americans go to a certain social level in a country and they have no idea of the social scale in that country.
The guy who drives a Jeep in Marocco is like me.
No The guy who drives a basic Jeep in Marocco is extremely rich and if you drive a jeep in the US you are poor.
4
Can I just say that I really dig the painting in the kitchen of the Western Australians?
17
Interesting photo essay. But very narrow idea of what a family is (middle-aged married heterosexual couple with minor children).
7
@Kim
You just can't enjoy a very nice piece without the politics.
17
@Kim How do you know they are heterosexual? All I know from the story is that they prepare and eat meal together. The story was not about sexual preference. The peice was about meal time
2
What a nice story! Respite from Trumpranos shenanigans. I've dined at local homes in all the countries cited, except Haiti. The variety is nice, but the best food is in Lima par excellence.
5
I'm a long-time NYT subscriber, but I rarely comment. This piece made me want to. I absolutely loved the everydayness of it, the portraits of worldwide families addressing universal human needs (and doing it really, really well! Please invite me to dinner, someone, anyone, your meals looks amazing!). This time, I want to give well-deserved props to the people responsible for A) the concept; B) approving the budget to send the scouts, reporters, photographers and crew to get the interviews and shots; C) the fantastic reporting and writing that brought these stories to life; and D) the people who agreed to be interviewed and photographed. You all let those of us simply reading the article to go on a down-home meal journey around the world--what fun!! And now I need a snack...
68
Is it silly to say I wept a little as I read this? People are the same everywhere. It's comforting to be reminded of that in these strange times.
28
Can’t believe no one has commented on the presence of meat in so many of these meals. If we really care about climate change, we need to reduce our consumption of animal products.
11
It’s too bad that you can’t appreciate the good in this article. Also, many of the families ate fish—or do you object to that too?
1
Yum, but not to forget how many people go hungry for dinner on a typical weeknight.
10
It’s an article about food, not the lack of it. How sad that you can’t appreciate an article about family, nourishment and pleasure.
4
Working couples often in different shifts hardly have the time to have a proper dinner atleast on metro cities of Bangalore , chennai and the likes. Long travel commutes with nerve wracking traffic, we mostly eat out. If its south india, a plate of Idli takes the spot on the table with dal based sambar. A very beautiful compliation indeed!!
5
This superb article goes a long way toward showing why we're living longer. Everybody in it is eating a fine variety of foods.
Clarence Birdeye's dream of food frozen fresh, straight from the farm to the table, seems to be fast becoming the normality. It is a family from what we very recently thought of as a developing country who are here eating eggplant, fresh from the freezer. I eat very well in onrushing old age, one of my regular meals being "California blend," an assortment of healthy (an' like totally anti-oxidant, man) vegetables with a steamed farmed fish.
Life is good.
6
I like this world tour of the weeknight family meal. I would have liked to know what those families drank with their regular meal. Some appear to prefer sugared sodas or juice, while others seem to rely on water. None appear to have milk. I always wonder if the daily combination of sugared drinks with food, a relatively recent phenomenon, alters the evolution or the choice of recipes.
12
While this piece is beautiful, I suspect it is not very representative of average weekday meals. I was struck by the time-consuming meals prepared by all these families with young children, and I suspect that some if not all were chosen selectively for the camera (while other families, tellingly, have home help assisting with the cooking). In Israel, for instance, that is not a representative weekday meal. It is a meal served once a week on the sabbath, which traditional families will spend their day off preparing before the day of rest. A more typical weeknight meal for a family with young children would be an omelet and a salad.
23
@Liz An omelette for dinner. ? That is not very digestable.
In France we never eat eggs at dinner.
It is a basic taste knowledge. Eggs are not good for dinner.
2
Many French people eat eggs for dinner, as most eat their main meal at lunch.
10
@JPH Really? I guess times have changed. My very French MIL often made eggs instead of meat for dinner in the 70's and 80's. Soup or salad depending on the season, and either eggs or charcuterie.
6
I doubt the Italian meal was served in the evening. It seems suited more to midday.
1
Leftover chicken and frozen food? Work hours and commute are long in Paris (I should knoww) but the French have to get back to preparing somewhat decent meals even during the week! It is, after all, part of the UNESCO intagible heritage, and it's not too hard to liven things up.
4
@Arnaud Tarantola the woman's name indicates that she is not of French culture. It is not that I have anything against being different but it is not really representative of what a French mother prepares. Picard is really bad cheap industrial product mostly eaten by people who live alone . TV frozen meals.
A french mother with dignity would never give food from Picard to her children. Couscous from Picard ? You can buy good dry couscous to prepare instantly from the arab store at the corner. But it is not couscous , it is just semoule.
Americans don't know what couscous is.
@JPH Your experience is not universal. In fact, when I lived in Paris, Picard was specifically recommended by a number of "French mothers with dignity" - upper middle class working parents! It's a godsend to be able to have healthy options that don't take hours to make.
8
@JPH Picard has a good choice of basic vegetables, washed and ready to cook, but not prepared. They are a French family staple because they can be waiting in the freezer and don't have to be bought every day by working parents. And leftovers? The French do the same thing Americans do (I should know) they cook more on weekends when the have the time, and are thrilled to have some leftovers for week nights. Yes, many French people do eat badly, but on average they do eat better than Americans.
4
I don’t understand why it bothers so many commentators that this article shows the middle class that fortunately still exists.
Showing what poor people eat would have to be a different article because you can’t compare families with very different situations.
32
Reading this article brought to mind Michael's Moore's documentary, "Where to Invade Next", in which he "invades" several European countries to see what we can learn from those countries. In one segment of the film, he looks at the school lunches offered in several countries. Needless to say, those lunches put to shame the typical school lunches available in many American schools.
13
This should be entitled Middle Class Nuclear Family Weeknight Dinner Around the World.
This does not at all reflect how most people eat. In many of these countries, the reality for the majority of people is far different.
16
I want to underline that even if Picard frozen-food store is pretty famous in France (mostly in Paris area though) it doesn't represent the average cooks of french families. Most of them cook themselves dinner in France, especially in middle class and upper middle class families, which is seems to be the target of this article.
10
Come on, there is nothing wrong with that menu. France is one of the countries with the highest percentage of women working after having children. That’s part of the reason Picard is so successful and also because they’re offering great quality and a lot of organic produce. I don’t expect my son and my daughter in law to cook a sophisticated dinner on a weeknight after work, a subway ride and picking up the kids, one from kindergarten and the other from daycare. They keep the more time consuming cooking and baking for the weekend and I’m glad women are no longer expected to stay home and to make cooking the highlight of their day.
46
@MALINA Sounds very similar to Marks and Spencer here in the UK. Many working women rely on some form of "ready meals" when making dinner during the working week.
13
@Xavier
There are two Picards within a few blocks of each other in our neighborhood, and they are both always very busy with shoppers. Many people go to Picard for plain frozen vegetables, basic soups, and sauces that round out their otherwise “homemade” meals—I was surprised to discover how many French people rely on Picard, and they praise it for its quality and convenience. Many organic foods are available there as well.
12
Its interesting to see how those outside the states seem to eat smaller servings unlike Americans whose plates tend to hold enough food for two people.
11
I know where I want to eat, and it’s not in the United States! Starch with your starch with your starch?
I’m so pleased to see families sitting down to eat together! And I’m obsessed with that gorgeous, perfectly executed photograph of the Paris apartment. (Funny that in the city we associate with exquisite food, the children’s meal is leftover meat roasted at the butcher’s shop and frozen couscous. I’d like to see the adults’ dinner.)
Wonderful idea, this.
10
@Passion for Peaches
Don't come to that conclusion quite so fast. The American family depicted is clearly far less affluent than most of the families from the author countries shown. It also lives in a small community rather than in a major city. So comparison of that family with other others makes little sense, in view of the clear correlation between socio-economic status and diet.
23
In France the more important meal is lunch. The kids had lunch in school and their parents have most likely had lunch at a cafe near their work if the company they work for doesn’t offer in house meals. In the evening a bowl of soup, cheese, bread and wine would be typical.
9
@Passion for Peaches The mother is not French. That is not a French family cooking. A french mother makes fresh food and for the father at the same time. Family communication is very important in France.
2
This was wonderful to read. More articles like this with more links to recipes and articles on that region's cuisine? Agree wth Stacey W. from Oakland--around the world, there is very little that separates us.
23
I'm missing German "Abendbrot", which is mostly varieties of hearty and crusty breads with butter, sliced deli meat, assorted cheese, dips, pickles, beer and such. It is very common in Germany to have a warm meal at lunch and Abendbrot for dinner.
16
@Andre Yes, that's the evening meal for most in Germany. But I am grateful my German husband doesn't want that. The only "vegetable" is the pickel! No matter how hearty the breads, or even if you add a salad, all those cold cuts every day is just not healthy. And for about 50% of Germans, this is their breakfast, too! Except then you exchange a boiled egg for the pickel. The first thing I did upon arrival was insist on a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables--every day. People seem to get a lot of colds here--2 to 4 a year. Whereas I get one cold every 2 to 4 years...
4
Regardless of where you live and who's in your family or how many, there's not so much that separates us.
25
Great article - I also found myself scrutinizing the photographs. I also know you can't please everyone.
14
The real commonality here is that no matter where we are in the world, it seems women are still responsible for daily cooking. My guess is that a vast majority of these women, like in the US, are doing it as part of their “second shift.”
49
@Liz
Finally! I've been scrolling through the comments to see when someone would point this out - I'm surprised I had to get this far. Only two out of the 15 families (I'm not counting the ones where a housekeeper cooked the meal, nor the dinner in Paris where the father had to work late) have the fathers doing the actual cooking. The fact that the fathers are present at all of these meals suggests that they at least were home by around dinner time - surely they could have done more to help with the cooking? While helping to clean up after dinner is a start, that takes nowhere near as much time or energy as it takes to cook the multi-course meals that the mothers here are preparing.
1
One thing that strikes me is how Americanized everything looks. The whole world wardrobe: t-shirts.
30
@Barbara
Perhaps "Standardised" is the more appropriate term than "Americanised". Sartorial choices are shaped by easy accessibility, namely price and availability, and comfort.
America is not as normative as the writers and readers of the NY Times are wont to believe.
4
You have to think that the people they contacted were of upper echelons - those who can afford to dine western style. Go into the lower class peoples' homes and you will find authenticity
2
I am quite surprised that “typical” didn’t involve more take out in the developed countries.
Also surprised that family=kids.
7
It doesn’t take kids to make a family, but the need to feed kids creates a pressure on the evening meal that usually mostly affects the mother. A CEO friend who nevertheless feels compelled to cook dinner most nights calls it “the hegemony of dinnertime,” where many of a culture’s expectations for women converge. I didn’t feel its weight until it was lifted, and now delight in empty nest dinners that sometimes are little more than foraging in the fridge. The point of the article is the middle class daily grind around the world, not to present an exclusive definition of any of these places or to say a home without kids can’t have a lovely evening meal.
8
Impressive, only two televisions, and zero phones.
11
@jlj
No... in at least one photo there was a phone resting on the table next to one of the people
2
@Alicia Black Good eye.
Livermush & scrambled eggs for my dinner tonight in Western NC!
2
The saddest meal is of course in France. Poulet rôti and haricot verts surgelés de picard... in most other places they cook fresh complicated simmered dishes...! Triste France
7
@Rose Actually, it sounds delicious. Pan-roasted local chicken, prepared organic vegetables, and good cheeses. Who has time to make a homemade three-course meal on a weeknight? That requires a cook or housekeeper, or a parent who stays home. That's just not realistic, especially in a city like Paris, where two incomes are necessary to support a middle class lifestyle.
2
Wonderful experience!
4
I'm going to Italy.
3
It would have been nice to have good pictures of the food, in this article about what people are eating.
14
What a grand article.
Thank you for the look inside how other people dine.
13
Loved the article, would like to see similar in the future! A few thoughts: I got the impression that there was (of course) advance notice and that at least some of the families actually prepared special meals for the photo shoot. Or maybe some of the women who were cooking don't have a job outside the home? Some of the meals were quite elaborate for a weeknight. I, too noticed that only 2 men were noted as splitting the cooking responsibilities. Agree with other comments, can't believe there was only one type of "family" featured, with maybe the exception of Japan (divorced father) and Nigeria (single Mom?). And from NYT, to boot! What about same sex couples, people with no kids, or roommate families? Very interesting to see the homes and kitchens. Next time, tie in with NYT Cooking to feature recipes. I want the condiment recipes from the food writer!
31
@Desertbluecat thanks! A lot of the recipes are on my kitchenbutterfly.com blog.
15
@Ozoz Sokoh
Thank you!! That list of condiments made me jealous! Now I can’t wait to try some.
This is a nice piece but I prefer the photo essay Hungry Planet, which shows what families around the world buy and spend on dinner in a week. While this essay emphasizes the similarities, which are interestingly, it focuses on the middle and upper classes. Hungry Planet highlights inequality. The photos can be found here: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5005952.
12
@Deb E Was about to suggest the same book! Thanks for sharing.
All the menus for dinner sounded yummy and no junk food. I select the dinner in Turkey with the stuffed grape leaves, rice pilaf and would not turn down an invite there. Instead, I had a simple meal because I'm tired. English Cotswold (cheddar) cheese on pita crackers with sweet marinated peppers washed down with a Diet Coke and home made sugar cookies for dessert.
Americans work so hard with long days so then end up with that junk food, alas.
4
This article made me sad. When you glimpse into the lives of people around the world, you realize we are all the same. Any of these people could be your neighbors living next door to your home. Yet there is so much turmoil in our beautiful world. Why does it have to be this way? Most people want the same things.
My sadness come from the reality that there are power hungry politicians and billionaires who have their own selfish agendas.
46
I think that is the point. The similarities are so striking, regardless of the actual food. This moved me so much. Particularly because I cook, or have eaten, so many of these dishes. It reminded me that we are more similar than different.
18
I enjoyed the photos, but inevitably, MY sadness came when my thoughts moved from noticing how stereotypical these families seem (Yes! where ARE the single people? Same sex parents? Cohabiting friends or roommates? Mid-age caregivers and their senior parents?), to, how many people - and animals - go to bed hungry? starving? around the world each night. Depressing, yes, but we have to admit, this beautiful world has more than enough resources for all its creatures, if only we could figure out how to share them equally, and without harming others.
Please cast your future net a little wider, NYTimes - some things are not easy or comfortable to document, but it broadens our understanding of the world, and our place in it, to see a bigger picture.
6
I just recently lived in Gurgaon for 2 years. Let me tell you, the cook made that whole meal herself.
4
I enjoyed this pleasant break from all the troubling news today. Except when I noticed that with only two exceptions it looks like women do all the cooking. I wonder if some of those women feel like I do...tired after work all day and wishing someone else would make me a nice dinner.
17
More stories like this!
More photos!
Give them some parameters?
Easy, 30 minute dinner.
Budget dinner - $2.00 a serving, or whatever.
Etc.
4
This is an amazingly beautiful piece. Also would have loved to see a same-sex family out of the 18 shown.
11
Thank you, thank you. Mr. Trump this is the world, in all its glory.
10
I really do love pieces like this that offer a glimpse of domestic lives around the world. That said, do only traditional cis heterosexual families cook?
7
@Scott R, "... do only traditional cis heterosexual families cook?"
Um, no. Why would you think that?
Fascinating series of photos and info. Thanks!
3
What excellent photojournalism and intimate insight into one of the most important health behaviors that determines health status, what one eats and the social setting. It’s visually delectable for foodies and for health promotion experts, oh so delicious nutrition data.
7
I would happily accept a dinner invitation from any of these families. All of the meals described sounded flavorful and delicious.. all except the American dinner. How did we get so unoriginal in the kitchen? As a completely unrelated side note, I was very surprised to see how modern the Russian kitchen appeared.
13
This made me hungry. Hungry for dinner and my family.
4
Where are all the one pot wonders of the world? Families exhausted from the school and work run, scrambling to make something within the orbit of healthy (before bedtime meltdowns ensue) would be a welcome follow-up!
4
A more typical meal might be gobbled down while driving, shuttling the boys from lacrosse practice or other commitment. I have literally tossed a KFC drumstick to both boys while driving. A multi course home cooked meal from scratch would occur at best once or twice a week. Reality for a hectic, over scheduled life--lots of take out.
7
I don’t know- was there a bit of showing off going on? I’ve eaten many family meals in Turkey, and even among the best home cooks they don’t have so many courses (unless it’s a celebration of some kind). A typical meal would be one nicely prepared main dish or soup, and some type of salad perhaps on the side. Not 7 or 8 items!
25
“All the important things are discussed, celebrated and mourned around food,” Ms. Barragán said.
It's not just food! The dinner table needs to be a place people want to come. We don't talk about school or work. So, celebrated moments, thoughtful remembrances, and healthy dialog are essential. We add background music (French Bistro like, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, etc.) to round out the experience.
4
Interesting that people cook so many courses. Given how expensive it is to eat out here, I almost always cook dinner at home. Usually, I make one course that includes enough for a balanced meal, e.g. stir-fried pork in bean sauce with a number of green veggies. Also, I make it in big batches so that it can be re-heated over several days.
2
As a single dad this article actually made me feel a little sad and inadequate. I kept looking and hoping for a single parent or anything that would break the monotony of these upper middle class, heterosexual couples with children, most of which prepared delicious and nutritious multi-course meals. I was also wondering how representative these meals are of everyday cooking in this household. I can vouch for the French one though, which is quite typical for a weekday meal.
80
I think (hope) there was showing off going on here for a weekday meal - either that or there is a stay at home parent or housekeeper behind all these courses. I think the only meal I identified with was the Parisian one. You’re right it would have been good to see a mix of different household compositions.
10
@David
The Tokyo segment showed a single father with his daughter and mother.
3
The Tokyo meal was VERY typical day of everyday cooking. If anything, it was on the plain side. So not at all fancied up for the photo shoot.
2
I’m surprised how many people have commented on the families appearing largely middle and upper class as a bad thing. I find this refreshing. The US and other western media always use these features to depict families around the world, especially from black and brown countries, as solely consisting of poor families cooking on dirt floors, hauling water from a probably not very clean well. It’s the reality for many but it’s not the full story. Every story can’t spotlight plight, especially when so often we take that approach for everyone else and then compare it to a well-to-do American family like that’s the norm here. This story does what it’s meant to do — it shows what families around the world eat for weeknight dinners. How could it show that without showing families who can afford regular weeknight dinners?
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@Vanessa Moses
I would have preferred a mixture of folks on the socioeconomic scale, including homeless people.
If a photo essay purports to show a weeknight's worth of meals around the world, why not show people who are truly representative of the world?
Rich, poor, middle-class, homeless, nomadic, in a tiny house, in a mansion, under a tent, on a boat or container ship, out in the desert, in space -- we all have to eat, whether with family, with friends, with co-workers, or alone.
9
@Vanessa Moses I agree. Many people who have never left the US do not understand that "normal" middle class life exists around the world. I know: it was a shock to me as a teen travelling outside the country for the first time! I'm sorry that some readers feel unrepresented by this article, but I think it is helpful in these times when Americans are confronted with foreign cultural stereotypes on the news every night to pick a stereotype of "family" and illustrate commonality around the world. We can extrapolate that other types of families in these locations are living similarly mundane, normal lives.
11
@JustMe2 It would have been a completely different article if they had pictured folks eating in a homeless shelter, or on a houseboat or any of a myriad ways of "sitting down" to an evening meal. I know not everyone is lucky enough to be a part of a loving nuclear family who connect nightly over the dinner table. Still, I enjoyed this article immensely!!
mmmh... my husband happened to mention during dinner tonight the typical US family spends, on average, less than 75 minutes per meal..i.e. prepping dinner and eating... I spent time in south America and Europe as a young engineer, and I told him ,most people in the world spend about that prepping meals and eating. Food production has made it available for families around the world to prep meals quickly, during weekdays. I am not surprised to see the families sitting around the dinner table, drinking wine, but I agree with some of the other readers comments, for some countries, it is representative of a segment, and sad to see gender roles haven't changed per the photo essay. In my family, all men cook.
4
Seventeen out of 18 of these 'typical' weekday family meals involved animal products. No wonder climate change is on the rise. No wonder the Amazon is on fire and the oceans are being emptied of fish.
19
The homogeneity of the families in this photo essay could not gave been random. It made what could have been a interesting piece like something out of Family Circle magazine in the 1960s.
22
Could we at least try to get a few more examples of men making the meal? Or at least an acknowledgement of this gender dynamic? I realize this is the norm throughout the world, but it’s still tough to see that this is the predetermined expectation for me.
12
I appreciate all of the critiques of this article, and appreciate the article itself. In an age of extremes it’s so leveling to see what everyday life looks like, globally - what’s different, what’s unifying. More of this please.
25
Hard as it is to have a single family represent an entire country (basically impossible), this is an interesting portrayal of some eating habits around the world. It is heartening to see that most folks (at least among the ones shown here) still cook at home. I am somewhat worried that as eating out becomes more common, exciting and affordable in many parts of the world, cooking skills are diminishing, specially among the young.
4
Nice article for those in about 100 years from now, chewing on the last bones and grass that are left over from centuries of destruction.
18
Weeknight family dinners apparently involve a man, a woman and 1-4 children. Surprised and really disappointed to see a focus on this convention. I wish you had stretched just a bit in one of the essential everyday experiences that we ALL partake in at one point or another—the shared meal, the communion. With barely any extra effort, what might you have unearthed if you went outside this obvious homogeneous box?What does it mean to cook for one on a typical night? What does dinner look like cooking co-operatively for 10, 20 or more? What about when you're living on the street? What does a typical, shared weeknight meal look like? Sweet series but lacking the depth and humanity that would've really brought this to life.
23
@ccxtina Those suggestions would be for different articles, not this one.
Loved this, especially the photos. Family is beautiful everywhere.
16
We share more things in common when we gather to eat than any differences that might separate us.
11
I'm torn. On the one hand, the article shows a Port-au-Prince family enjoying a wonderful meal in a home with a stove. On the other hand, I only wish this typical weeknight meal *was* typical. No one I know cooks on a stove; we cook with chabon (charcoal) with one pot balanced on three rocks. No one I know eats an evening meal; we eat at midday to have energy to work. No one I know eats at a neatly set table; we eat in the lakou (the yard outside a home) sitting on a chair. I so wish this was typical. I so wish.
123
While your experience may be true for some Haitians it’s not true for all and there are many Haitians who do eat at tables, in spacious kitchens, with stoves and indoors. I applaud the NYTimes for capturing this subset of Haitians because all too often what we see in the media is Haitians who are hungry, who don’t have enough, and who are suffering. The NYTimes did well to challenge this and show readers what they aren’t used to seeing about Haitians, Nigerians, or any other group of people.
That’s the role of good journalism, to challenge preconceived notions and they did just that with this piece. What’s annoying is all the comments about the ‘lack of economic diversity’. I read that as readers being shocked at the sight of middle class black people (Haitians and Nigerians) eating at tables like Europeans instead of shacks and dirt huts.
19
Almost every one of these families ate beef or fish. We MUST acknowledge the ecological disaster of the majority of these meals. Change starts with each of us. If we are going to curb what we can of global warming, a plant based diet is not an option - it is a necessity.
51
It’s not what people eat, it’s how much of it that has the impact. Pesticides are used to grow crops (to cater to the large volumes) and they also have far reaching impacts: health, environmental etc. Can we please stop suggesting that the choices are simply binary as if the whole world stopped eating meat or fish that might solve the problem. Maybe a plant-based or vegan diet isn’t for everyone. Maybe we should think about wholistic sustainable consumption-rather than these either-or suggestions that keep propping up-the clothes we wear, how we live, how many children we have, what modes of transport we use...
This article beautifully portrays (middle class) families from all corners of the world engaging in something we all like to do but perhaps don’t get the chance to do so as often as we wish. Perhaps we should just enjoy it?
14
@Lewis, great insight. There is no simple answer, and sometimes I think the focus on animal products is just to distract from the other issues, including pesticide reliance and soil degradation.
2
Lewis and LisaLisa, sorry, but S is correct. Animal agriculture is a leading contributor to methane emissions and destruction of forests, among other things. The amount of land in production to simply grow crops to feed all the animals people eat is staggering. Yes, pesticides contribute to a host of environmental ills. But don’t for a minute think you’re “off the hook” in contributing to climate change if you don’t reduce your personal consumption of meat and dairy, regardless of how it is produced.
3
Are all these commenters really that bothered that they perceive these families to be middle class? Is middle class reserved for Americans and Western Europeans? (on the other hand, others were bothered that the Texan family was, I don't know, not middle-class enough?)
Those not offended by the middle-class-ness were surprized at the lack of traditional (read: "ethnic") clothing or surprized that people in other places actually sit at (gasp) tables. One commenter couldn't believe an Asian family was not eating with chopsticks.
While I hope everyone achieves their dream of seeing poorer families eat in the NY Times, some may do well to realize that we-Americans are no longer the only ones who can afford to eat and sit at tables.
192
@cj Chopsticks are more Chinese/ Korean/ Japanese/ Vietnamese. Thai people don’t use chopsticks. They historically ate with their hands and now eat with forks and spoons. Thailand is Buddhist but not Confucian. What the West thinks of as “Asian” culture is often confused with Confucianism.
5
I wholeheartedly agree! Those commenting saying there wasn’t enough socio-economic diversity were probably just shocked to see Haitians and Nigerians who were middle class, eating at tables, and in spacious kitchens. Open up your minds, people!
15
@Lee BA except in their countries they are not middle class but upper middle class. Let's be honest here. Having lived in some of the countries profiled, I can assure you these people are comfortably well off.
6
I feel these are exaggerated weekday meals at the very least. Only the meal from France and Texas sound somewhat real to me. I am Indian and even on days my parents have help weekday meals are just roti OR rice, one side and maybe a salad. Being a working mother these meals sound elaborate. Our weekday meal on Monday was plain quinoa, dal and sauteed green beans. I would expect NYT to be more authentic or name this article "Family dinners around the world".
45
@Aparna N
I can offer comments from my experience visiting family in Turkey - yes, that’s how people eat. Lots of dishes, small portions, yes there’s meat but it actually is only a small portion of a pretty healthy, balanced meal heavily reliant on veggies and grains.
Not sure why a stew with rice and salad (Brazil) sounds fancy or contrived - I do that at least once a week in winter. The Russian meal also sounds very much like what our meals in Eastern Europe were growing up. I have no comment on the Texas meal other than wonder where the plates are, but maybe the picture was taken at a weird moment. I certainly hope the kids eat more than a slice of garlic bread, but to each their own. The Amsterdam family had a lovely meal - we marinate salmon all summer (4 ingredient marinade, takes exactly two minutes to whisk, and then we grill the fish). Easy, healthy, fast and family friendly. I really liked their meal a lot, very balanced. Same for Australia...
5
@Beatrice Lawson I do agree these are typical meals from respective parts of the world. But the title of the article makes it sound like these are quick weeknight dinners.The Amsterdam family had a home made custard with fresh fruit and jam for dessert. There is a touch of fancy in here. We cook 5 days a week and they are all healthy and we are by no means short of money, but we are short of time. Our weeknight dinners do not look anything like this.
2
We’re all connected. Beautiful reportage.
22
@Ronald S. Clark (jake)
No we are not connected..we are divided by political factions.. Food is a "Nothing Burger"
In addition to the many comments about these families' clearly upper-middle-class status, I was disappointed that "family" seems to default to the dominant heteronormative nuclear family. Acknowledging other family structures would have been appreciated. That said, these meals look delicious.
27
@Heather There were several divorced or single parents. And to be fair, many of these cultures don't allow for LGBT people, let along LGBTQ families, so it's probably pretty accurate.
12
@Heather We KNOW there are a variety of family structures. I don't think they eat any differently than anyone else.
6
@Heather I think the point was to show how people eat who are similar to NYT readers.
I have a real problem with this photo-essay. The texts suggests that these are typical meals, that the aim is to give the reader an understanding of what "dinner" means around the world. But based on the photos -- with their swanky kitchens, their upmarket dining tables and chairs, etc. -- and the reference to various families' "cooks" and "housekeepers," I am left to assume these are far from typical families, that these are families who have quite a lot more money than the average family in the various locales. If this were a photo-essay about "how the wealthy eat," that would be one thing, but "typical" these families, I think, are not.
66
@Maggie I shared the same feelings. Everything is all very pretty and, I assume, much better off than the average. I also rather doubted that the mother of the family cooked the meals herself in many of these countries, where families of this obviously rather high social class almost always have household help.
16
In many countries around the world, including those in the Caribbean, you don’t need to be wealthy to have a cook or housekeeper at home. In fact, it’s one of the things that middle class families who immigrate to the United States feel the most stressed about—the lack of help at home in the US, including from extended family.
31
@Maggie I would agree maybe not typical, but wealthy? Maybe in the poorer countries, but not in the developed nations. Nothing about the dishes, the decor, nothing, said wealth.
6
I can assure you that the Japanese family meal situation is FAR from typical - first, that the family has enough land for a garden, then that the father is actually home to eat with his family, and that he goes to his mother's to have her cook for him and the kids, as a divorced father. This makes me wonder how atypical the rest of the meals in other countries are.
36
There are plenty of houses with land in the outskirts of Tokyo, where I live. Not walking distance from the nearest station. True though, not a lot of dad's are home at dinnertime. But some are. The meal looked very typical to me.
2
The article is as remarkable as the comments. We delight that middle-class people all over the world are, well, middle-class. I guess it was a fantasy trip to make us forget the middle-class is shrinking.
10
The humanity of the families around their dinner tables is utterly lovely. It is so interesting that all of these delicious dishes are all so attainable and universally enjoyed. That the region does not necessarily define the pleasure of particular tastes. Thank you for the photos :)
36
What's really amazing is, if I hadn't had the captions, I would have assumed that all of these families were living and cooking in the United States. Truly, we are the world.
51
@Ann Paddock -
Or, we are not really that special.
4
I am stunned that in only ONE of these 18 families does the father/husband seem to be the primary cook. That saddens me.
42
Those dinners look wonderful, and the homes look warm.
It would be interesting to know how much each family spent on those dinners.
Also, it would be great to see this kind of spread with photos on dinners on a very tight budget.
15
This was a great piece—refreshing and interesting. I found myself studying the photos, looking for extra clues about how the families live, their choices, taste and style etc. But there is one issue I have. I love the food in Texas, and I feel like that was the worst representation of a family meal in Texas!!! Why would you do that?! Seemed unnecessarily retrograde. But, I love the idea of this piece and look forward to many more.
14
@Dan Miller
I'm from Texas, and I think that is a perfect representation of a working class family week night meal in Texas. It's quick, easy, and kid-friendly. I might as easily say I love the food in Paris, but frozen couscous doesn't quite fit the bill; however, I don't expect people to be serving Duck a l'Orange for dinner every night.
5
I found it interesting that only the family from Texas seemed truly “working class.” It was a meal on the run, made by a busy family that might not have the funds or the time to make a deal as sophisticated as some of the others featured.
5
I loved this article HOWEVER, as a Franco-American this is not representative of how my family, or most French families I know, eat dinner most nights. I get it, people are busy, we all eat leftovers, etc. But come on, we take pride in our culinary traditions, which we have gifted to the world and experience on a daily basis. To feature a French family as being the only one in the entire article that's eating leftover take-out chicken and frozen couscous is not right!
43
@Roberta But have you tried Picard? I was amazed by them when I visited France and from some of the article I read at the time, even chic Parisians love Picard. It's a cult store. They're not like the frozen foods of the US.
2
I’m French, and proud of my culinary heritage. No one can make a pie crust or a pan sauce like my mom. But in a household where both my parents worked full time and then some, this is exactly how we ate on a typical weeknight. My mom wasn’t going to start peeling vegetables after 12 hours on her feet and barely 5 hours of sleep the night before. The working class in France is subject to the same time (and money) crunch as the working class in the U.S.—they just make better pastries over there.
12
@Nikki Me too! I get it but my point is that people all over the world rely on time-savers, but only the French family was featured as doing so, instead of showcasing our heritage.
I loved this article so much because it showed how similar everyone on earth is. Yes I know it was very middle class, but it was eye opening for me to see the ubiquity of middle class living. It made me want to sit with each and every family to help wash rice or clean veggies. Haven’t felt this connected globally by any article I can recall. Please do more stories that show the shared humanity we are all going to need if we are to get through to next century.
109
@Will "...see the ubiquity of middle class living"? Really? Because they chose to show only other middle class families you think they are typical of those countries?
Loved this! So fascinating being brought into other people's houses from a visual sense to see how people live around the world. Yes, please do more global, photo-intensive lifestyle pieces like this!
31
A lovely essay and pictures. I don't know why, but I am amazed at the similarities of all the kitchens. They are all my neighbors.
43
Thank you for the wonderful and fascinating article and pictures. Food and family--' important reminders we are one world, one people. Only wish I had each and every recipe!
12
I agree with the comments on the fact that the families could have been more diverse financially, but, the basic idea of showing how, while their food may be quite different, the sames of people around the world out number our differences is a very important point to make in these trying and troubling times. After all, we all need to eat don't we? And we all need to share. And we all need understanding. I'd like to see more pieces like this in the future!
15
I wish I was born in France 30 years after I actually was born in NY State. Then I'd look a lot better, since the French "get" sunscreen.
4
How much closer we all seem when gathered around food at the table. The communal global experience. What a wonderful article on a day when things seem to be splintering apart. We need to be reminded of this universal ritual. Thank you to all the families for sharing and the Times for publishing it.
22
Well, that was a very middle-class experience.
23
I grew up in a Haitian-American family in New York City and because of the hard working conditions for so many Haitian immigrants in NYC (& elaborate preparation, including finding ingredients, marinating of protein & soaking dry beans for 12- 24 hours, for many Haitian dishes) we only had the type of meal featured in this article for the Haitian family on Sundays at 3 pm after church. My mother was stressed out by work 6 days a week and would start preparing the Sunday meal at the latest on Saturday evening after work. During non-Sundays, the eldest daughter in the apartment (starting at age 9 for me) was responsible for cooking dinner and making sure that the youngest ate. For most of the years that I was in charge of the non-Sunday dinners, my younger brother and I ate spaghetti (dry pasta that required boiling) and meat sauce (semi homemade because it consisted of cooked ground beef, sautéed onions, sautéed green peppers, garlic powder, vinegar, salt, pepper and Ragu marinara sauce from a jar) for dinner on each of those nights. Home econ in 6th grade helped! Mom could not get herself to eat the “Italian-American”-style pasta I attempted to prepare as much as six nights per week and so on those days, I remember her eating tuna, sardines, peanut butter or sliced American cheese with saltine or Ritz brand crackers for dinner. Sunday was the one guaranteed day my mother would eat a big, diverse meal during which she tried to showcase the foods from Haiti she missed so much.
56
Absolutely beautiful. l’ll read this story many, many more times. This is news!
19
Loved this article! Great to see a common and shared experience around the world.
Would have liked to have seen a larger discussion on dinner traditions though.
Can you do a breakfast and lunch article next time?
22
This is a beautiful piece! Thank you to its creators, including the photographer. I'd like to see more in this series, along with some of the recipes. Could the Times do it in a video format, a la Melissa Clark?
17
The best article I’ve read in the NYT in a long time. It was so interesting and warm. I would love to try so many of these dishes- some I have never heard of, some I have tasted and cooked. In a changing world where we are constantly worried about what future generations will eat, this was reassuring and made me hopeful to learn that so many families stick to their roots hence sourcing locally and avoid fast food. This would also be a great idea for a good reality show.
38
Great article. Most of the meals are well-balanced. I approve!
11
I love this idea and really enjoyed seeing the photos and hearing about the diverse meals and the divisions of labor. But as a person without children I was disappointed by the lack of diversity in the family structures. All the families have kids and I don’t believe any were untraditional. Not sure why a traditional family structure would be a requirement of the piece.
26
So interesting and gratifying to see how much we share regardless of where we live. Now please give us recipes for all those intriguing dishes.
21
This satisfies our human urge / innate nosiness to know what other people around the world are doing /eating. Thanks!
58
Very interesting! I was surprised by the nice kitchens/homes of the folks all around the world.
All of the families - except the American family - looked fairly wealthy. (The American family looked less so.) Perhaps this perception is a bias on my part.
32
Definitely picking the Italian meal by Claudia Bellucci and her daughter in Rome - Pasta with fresh herbs and tasty meat - sounds delicious- the simple Italian menu is simply amazing!
15
@Guido I agree. Most appealing meal (to me). Also, the Haitian dinner looks interesting.
6
I loved it!
As I read other comments what Poor people eat would be good article also
Thanks
18
Any of these photos could have been taken in NJ (really!). Well, certain towns and certain parts of certain towns.
After all, these are upper middle crusty folks who are primed for a photo op!
I made dal chawal tonight with fresh tomatoes from our garden on the side and tagged on some samosas to bait our kids. Hearty and healthy.
Not so fancy though.
But some great conversation and lots of laughter!
11
Now that we have been given this enlightening view of a certain class's commitment to healthy food, I hope the Times will undertake a similar study of the less fortunate and their means of coping not only with prices but also availability.
35
I think I’ve seen your comments in the ‘cooking’ app complaining about the fat and calories in a recipe.
What impressed me most was the number of people from all over the world who still prioritize a meal with family and/or friends.
More, please.
26
@Joan Years ago the NYTimes had regular, almost weekly articles on budget meals. They were based on what was available and on sale at local markets. They also had a regular column on preparing meals in under an hour, many prepared in about a half hour.
Now you rarely hear about how much a meal will cost a family (or 1 or 2 people) to buy and prepare.
Many news articles about low income families, but practically no recipes for low to middle income meal preparers!
Talk about elitism.
3
@Bernice Glenn
People are shifting more toward prepared meals they can get at supermarkets now for a lot less than restaurant meals. They're not much more expensive than home cooked meals, without the preparation time and effort. They're better quality than manufactured frozen dinners or what people would often make for themselves.
I loved this. I want to read it again on my desktop so I can see the kitchens and the dishes better. Please consider a regular feature like this...even the backdrops are fascinating. Our world is so big and so small!
220
@Mom of 3 This is exactly the comment I wanted to say--well said. Please make this a regular feature.
27
Yes, more of these indeed. Lovely to look at, an eye into other cultures (noon staged) and reminding us what we all share: love of family & food.
19
@Mom of 3 Thank you for saying this, I thought I was the only one fascinated with the different kitchens! It's also nice that the kids are all so cute!
18
Thank you for sharing with us the pictures illustrating these comforting commonalities throughout the world, albeit from a certain traditional and socioeconomic level. They warmed up my heart and were a nice change from the otherwise shocking news of the day....
29
This is an amazing article with great images and a better theme.
20
Thank you for this article. I'm waiting for the day when an equal amount of men contribute to the meal-making. There were only 2 or 3 families where the men actually prepared the meals and kudos to them for it!
15
I would love to cook more. But my wife prefers I shovel the snow, unplug the toilet, help our daughter with her homework, bring her to the orthodontist, pay the build or fix the heating. I find cooking quite relaxing, to be perfectly honest.
23
Looks like the indian meal was the only vegetarian one. Long may our wonderfully diverse vegetarian Indian cuisine flourish
55
This wonderful article made me feel that we really are all alike in our humanity. Different foods, different preparations, different spices, and yet we have all come to see the unifying force of preparing and eating a meal together.
Thank you NYT
I have had my occasional beef (pun intended) with you in the past 3-4 years, but this is a great piece!
12
A very life affirming glimpse into everyday lives, thank you from one individual who thrives on articles like this that gives me a larger perspective.
47
Loved seeing the bowls, the stews, the rice, the stoves, the shelves, the dining room tables.
84
Lovely article! More like this please! Great meal ideas and inspiration.
36
Very fascinating. But, like someone mentioned this does seemed to be skewed by class and socioeconomic status and access to reliable and healthy food. I loved that so many actually cooked. I think I'll look up a few of the recipes.
25
18 upper middle class families to be precise.
The meals and airy homes shown are not typical for lower income groups in each country.
64
@Ananya
This article never claimed to be about how the very poor eat in each country. To me these look like average families.
My guess is the very poor eat less meat - except perhaps in America where they mostly eat processed meat products.
4
@Alex
The article claimed to depict a ‘typical weeknight meal’ of each country.
The question is typical for whom and what you mean by ‘average’ in some of the countries shown, where the upper middle class is only 10 percent or less of the population?
1
These all seem examples of upper middle classes across the globe. I think it would be interesting to see NY Times feature a story of what poor or lower middle class people eat across the globe and how they have to be creative to use local but inexpensive ingredients (often without meat) to come up with a meal.
67
This is what everyone wants (and strives for) in life: food, shelter and the warmth and love of family. I will show to my children.
39
Thank you for a great article. This gave me lots of ideas for weeknight meals here in the Hudson Valley.
5
Meals made with real vegetables, grains and lean protein. Most of these meals contain nearly negligible amounts of processed food or added sugars. This is what healthy eating looks like.
159
@JT It's also a very unrealistic representation of what people actually eat.
2
What a great dinner trip around the globe. Italy saltimbocca; made me miss my mom’s cooking. A great slice-of-life story.
12
Allons, allons. That Parisian meal of left-over chicken and frozen couscous is definitely not representative of a French diner. Where are the home-made dishes? The vegetables?
23
@MBV it actually is VERY representative of how us French eat on a normal weeknight. Simple food, small portions, a slice of cheese... we don't cook nearly as much as you'd think, perhaps in part because France has one of the highest rates of dual-income families where both parents work (much higher than in the US). French work hours usually finish later than in the US which doesn't leave a lot of time for food prep.
7
@MBV I'm French and for busy families in Paris this meal is not unusual. Sunday lunch would be an entirely different affair!
4
@MBV
Where do you think the leftover chicken came from? They had the meal you're expecting, earlier. They didn't get it already left over.
1
I love the focus on the common elements in the global middle class. Its great to see the focus on the commonalities that bind us all together! However large segment of the word population lives in poverty; Nearly 1/2 of the world's population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day. So a common dinner for those families includes hunger. And while the US diet averages over 2500 calories, in many countries it is about half of that. So kudos to the humanizing element of this, but it would be nice to explicitly mention those 'not at the table'.
64
What a great story!
Please, do this more often and include slides for each family dinner. We need to know what we have in common with other families in our world now, more than ever.
123
I enjoyed the photos so much but agree that more variety (in terms of economic status not food) would add a lot. Is it me or did it seem like the majority of meals were prepared by women?
17
Pascale Luse | South Carolina
Sunday night meal in Paris My mom cooked for us every night, delicious balanced meals ( we loved the lamb livers with capers or the Cervelles d’agneaux from the butcher( calf brain) ....my mom said it would make us smarter. But the highlight of the week was the Sunday night meal. The only meal she didn’t prepare for us, really. We called it « le petit déjeuner-diner ( the breakfast diner): croissants and a big bowl of milk chocolat ! Mom was a hero.... and she didn’t cook on Sunday nights.... She cuddled with my dad.
40
i love this so much! It reminds me of a book that I used to read over and over again as a kid. It was a photo diary of children around the world, not doing anything particularly exciting or exotic, but just living their lives. I love seeing how these few families around the globe are living both differently, and the same, as me. Dinner is so everyday wonderful; this is a refreshing change of pace.
43
With Greta T. visiting the US, a tribute to the great variety of vegan dishes enjoyed in homes worldwide might have been apropos and inspiring. Please consider!
26
I’m assuming all these families fit within their culture’s economic middle class. I’d like a followup article on how the poor eat.
31
We are different, but truly so alike, family, meals and home. Loved this article
34
What a great reminder of all the different cuisines there are to try! I would love to see more of these types of photo essays with a global focus as well as a U.S. focus.
21
Interesting to some people, I guess. Nothing new here for most of us. Actually cannot see the point. Would rather have seen what different families in different economic situations within each country eats. Doubt the average Haitian eats that meal and certainly not Texans.
13
All of this sounds looks and sound delicious. I just ate my last dinner before leaving Morocco tomorrow, where we're visiting family. We started with zalouk and taktouka, salads made from cooked tomatoes, eggplant and pepper, then had pastilla, a baked pie made with phyllo dough, pigeon, ground almonds and sugar, moved on to vegetables (eggplant, potato, red bell pepper, onion and carrot) stuffed with rice and lamb and then couscous made with beef, onions and raisins. We finished with fresh pineapple, apples, grapes and melon. Everyone around the world is eating wonderful food!
13
@Shane. sounds delicious! I hope you saved me a slice of pie!
2
Super interesting, thank you!
I always wonder how it all works elsewhere.
BUT - only one dog counted! In my home the dog would definitely be right there, looking to partake :)
12
Such an interesting article on normal life! Reassuring. Thanks.
34
Thank you for letting us into your homes. I would love to see more pictures of their foods, along with recipes please.
I would also like to see how refrigerators are filled around the globe, or how their grocery stores are stocked.
134
Beautiful people, beautiful meals. Our world is smaller than we imagine.
Two objections: I counted only two men who do dinner preparation in the feature. As a man who has always cooked dinner for my family (my wife works much harder than I), I'd like to see similar images. And, we seem to be seeing only people of means, for whom affording a full meal with a variety of ingredients, is possible. I'd like to see people of more modest means and the meals they share.
60
@Famdoc I noticed that too. There were some nice kitchens!
@Famdoc I imagine the reality is that it's just more common that women around the world are doing the cooking.
3
Nice article ( and photos!). It seems good to share domestic experience somehow.
19
I absolutely loved this story! I hope to see more like this in the future. It is so interesting to see daily life among regular people around the world.
248
@KT
I thought it was a missed opportunity. The story had so much potential, potential that I feel the NYT did not fulfill. Each family was featured rather perfunctorily, and there were not enough pictures!
2
I love this! I read it once closely and then scrolled back through again to look at the photos more carefully paying attention to little details like what people were drinking with their meals. This reminds me of a wonderful book I used to read with my little ones called "Children Just Like Me," which I highly recommend to parents. While other readers expressed dismay that everyone here appears to be "too wealthy," I am delighted to see all of these families sharing a meal together. Thanks, NYT, for this heartening piece and reminder of our shared humanity and love of good food.
152
@Suzanne Wilmoth OMG! thanks sooo much for this comment. I used to read this exact same book, and I could remember the title. In fact, I just commented a few moments ago about how much this article reminded me of this book! I read it over and over again as a kid. It's so awesome that you read that book to your kids; it inspired me with a lifelong love of world history and culture.
5
@R Oh, wow! My daughters are in their 20's, but I still think about that book surprisingly often. It seemed like such an honest and generous way of looking at other cultures and ways of living, and it made me rethink my concept of poverty and wealth. I loved how there wasn't a drop of judgement in it. Glad I was able to jog your memory! Best to you.
5
@Suzanne Wilmoth Loved this this piece too. Unfamiliar with Children Just Like Me. Will look for it. Thanks for the tip!
4
Enjoyed this very much. It's interesting that people in other countries prepare such healthy meals for such dinners. In general, I believe people in most other countries eat healthier meals than we do in the U.S. ... at least for those who can afford to buy food to make meals.
32
This reminds me of the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel, which documents in wonderful photographs the food families from around the world would normally eat in one week and how much money it costs them. Fascinating. Also Material World by Menzel which show families around the world outside of their homes surrounded by their possessions.
These types of photo essays help us to see the amazing diversity in our world and understand how differently we as humans live on the earth, some with very simple lives, others with very complex lives.
I agree this article would have been more interesting if it depicted an average family from each country, but I still found it educational and inspiring, and a nice change from the typical front page stories. Great work!
20
@Teresa Mulvihill
I have this book too. It is fabulous.
3
Fascinating to see what other people eat. I didn't know the Japanese ate okra. I love the tiny pot on the stove in the first photo of the Nigerian family. It would be great to make or reheat a small amount of soup.
9
@Lynn in DC Okra is eaten many ways in Japan. Pickled, sliced raw with soy sauce over rice, in miso soup, and in many regional dishes. It's often minced and combined with natto fermented soybeans and served with rice. The slippery texture is a rich part of the food culture in Japan.
7
@YukariSakamoto
Thanks for the info. I love okra and always buy it when there is a good selection in the supermarket. It never occurred to me to pair okra with rice but it makes perfect sense now that I think about it. I will have to try it.
1
I agree with other readers that this is a lovely spread (photos and meals alike), but I also am struck by the fact that most families seem upper-middle class or middle class, and that most have kitchens that frankly, seem huge, and would seem very luxurious to the majority of the poor around the world.
This does not take away from the beauty offered by the families' stories told here, but may be food for thought for the editors. Obviously the selection of the families in these stories is not random, and likely they have journalistic connections to the Times or its employees; it's difficult to get a random sampling of income-disparate global weeknight dinners, and perhaps that's a pretty high bar to set.
But I believe that it may be a bit tone-deaf to publish so many pictures that present similar narratives, while ignoring the truth that many — not just Americans — face each day: tiny kitchens and impossibly expensive groceries, different family compositions (as someone pointed out, single parents, childless couples/singles, etc.), folks working night shifts who eat dinner in the morning, etc...
It might have been more honest to call this piece "Weeknight Middle-Class Dinner Eaten Around the World by Intact Nuclear Families With Similar Dining Table Sets".
562
@Gwyneth well put. thank you. great alternative title. I kept thinking about my time in Haiti and how the majority of people there are food-insecure, not to mention that most don't have a dining room or dining table.
54
@Gwyneth - ""Weeknight Middle-Class Dinner Eaten Around the World by Intact Nuclear Families With Similar Dining Table Sets".
God forbid. I too long for NY photo spreads about what the homeless man on my street corner is eating. I too am enlightened.
25
@Gwyneth I get your point but on the other side, Americans often have pre-conceived notions too about how undeveloped other countries are. I grew up partly in Saigon in the 1970s. Although Vietnam in that era was always -- as my parents say - 10-15 years behind the US, it wasn't as undeveloped as people think. They had baguettes, pate, and coffee galore and you could buy major brands. My mom's wedding gift from my dad was an Omega watch, which astounds some people still who view Saigon of that era as primative.
Even so, I was surprised upon reading Hans Rosling's book "Factfulness", in which he talks about our pre-conceived ideas of countries. Rosling was not naive: he was a physician who specialized in international medicine for decades and co-founded the Swedish branch of Doctors Without Borders.
90
What a lovely piece. It would be great to have the recipes posted in NYT Food!
12
@Kelley, and accessible to everyone, not just special subscribers.
2
@Kelley
Yes, recipies please!
Especially the Moscow eggplant, red pepper and basil salad.
1
This was delightful! Thank you for sharing this.
11
Tonight, it was a harvest risotto: Arborio rice with local zucchini, onion, fennel, and chanterelle mushrooms, mixed with the guest of honor—smoked North Atlantic turbot, and finished with a dollop of homemade pesto. Growing seasons are short here but it’s wonderful to mix the bounty of the sea and the land when we can get it.
43
I loved reading this article. Very interesting to see families across the globe at their dinner tables. I would love to see additional takes on this theme, as others have posted, include a bit more diversity in regions, ethnicities and stages of life. It would be also nice to have a few accompanying recipes. Thanks!
18
Kudos to Jarrod Opie in Western Australia for being the one male who cooked dinner, and to Luis Leduc in Monterrey, Mexico, who takes turns cooking dinner with his female partner, even if it wasn't his night for this article.
214
Very interesting look into different cultures lives.
Also makes the idea of eating my dinner alone tonight off of my lap in the tiny apartment I can't fit a dining table into seem even more depressing than usual.
94
My view of the examples , having visited almost 50 countries, is that they represent typical fortunate , middle class families.
91
And what’s wrong with that?
2
@Lee BA it's not REALISTIC. What proportion of families in TEXAS, U.S. of A, eat a home-cooked meal, six times a week?
A wonderful article not only for the menus and the recipes but also for the photographs of the families and insights into their home furnishings.
Another comment writer mentioned that "All these families look western." Possibly true. In some of the nations represented the families might even be considered upper upper middle class. It doesn't really matter the families economic status. Most "New York Times" readers (hard copy & digital) probably can identify with these families primarily because they appear similar to themselves.
What matters is their selection of foods and cooking techniques.
7
I was interested by the fact that the Thai family was eating with forks and spoons rather than chopsticks and spoons.
4
@TH It is a common misconception that Thai people eat with chopsticks for all meals. In fact, forks and spoons are rather common, with chopsticks used only occasionally and most of the time with noodle dishes if they're used at all.
14
In the 19th century a Thai king wanted to "modernize"/Westernize - forks and spoons became the norm versus eating primarily with their hands.
3
@Tom I have lived in Vietnam and forks are certainly not unknown.there but chopsticks and spoon is the most common arrangement there,
Excellent article. For some reason it was uplifting. I plan to share it with my family at dinner tonight.
30
Very interesting: Gosh, those people are human, too. We have so much in common, just flavored with near-endless variety.
I couldn't eat the fish with the eyeballs glaring out at me, and the salmon deluged in soy sauce seems overkill, but may be tasty. I love it over rice. And good to see the kids getting healthy fruits and vegetables.
Nice heart-warming story. I could get used to stuff like this.
Think I'll rustle up a Romaine lettuce salad with walnuts, onions, cherry tomatoes, and Ranch dressing.
16
@Jim Muncy, soy sauce makes a delicious marinade for salmon. :)
1
@Jim Muncy
That was a LOT of soy sauce!
This article was fun to read, but I wish it had shown a greater variety of kitchens, utensils, and cooking and eating practices. In India at least, many families outside the middle and upper classes (that is, the great majority) eat without tables. chairs, silverware, or cooks. All these families look western. Maybe a topic for a follow-up article?
77
@MP not completely true. Yes, India has a massive population of poor who might not use or own a dining table and chairs. But India has a large population. Almost all middle class families (including lower middle class families) in urban and rural areas own a dining table and chairs. Estimates put the Indian middle class (excluding lower middle class) at 158 million. This is about half of the population of USA. In India, even poorer families have adopted the dining table set as it is useful for older members (Indian families are typically still multi-generational), who cannot sit on the floor anymore. Even among the poor, the dining table set holds aspirational value. When my parents wanted to dispose off their old dining table set, it was one of the maids in the apartment complex who bought it (nominal amount of a few hundred Rupees for a six seater wood dining table set), as she needed to ensure the house was fully furnished. Only then would her son be able to find a bride! This is a family that is well below the poverty line (all the family members own mobile phones btw). India is not homogenous and Indians are extremely aspirational, even in remote rural corners
6
Beautiful piece. Can you recreate the recipes for the Nigerian meal?!
13
@Mrs B thank you. Most of the recipes are on my Kitchenbutterfly.com blog. Thank you
2
Hmmm. Seems like a great premise for a Netflix series--a dinnerdocudrama with all the families, in turn. Add the cooking part for yet another crossover category. I'd watch!
33
Thank you for showing families from Africa and Haiti as part of our large, beautiful, diverse human family.
178
Middle class eating around the world. Yes, middle class life is becoming more uniform universally, and most of the families have kitchens that would make millions of New Yorkers sigh in envy.
51
@Mike M. Not uniform in food! But interesting and welcome how many men contribute - big change in that.
8
@Mike M. ...make millions of New Yorkers [City] dwellers sign in envy.
Those of us who live in New York State might have kitchens more similar to those portrayed in this article.
Fun to read. I will share the article and pictures with my family this evening before dinner.
10
A fun idea, however, judging by the photos and also reading about the bountiful, diverse spread at most of these dinner tables, one can surmise that most of these families represent a middle class demographic, which is not very representative of the world's population. All of these houses have non-dirt floors, electricity, look clean and most had TVs in view and were overall "modern' looking. More socio-economic diversity is needed here, please.
151
@Maureen where do you get the idea that the world’s population that is anything other than middle class live in dirt-floor dwellings and are not clean??
11
@Maureen agreed, perhaps, but it's also nice for us to see that all Russians don't live in brutalist dark apartments and all Indians don't sit on the floor.
17
Really interesting although extremely surprised by the French family. Having lived there for over 30 years, very few families eat frozen couscous - this was obviously a quick meal done for children who really didn't care and their mother was making a real meal for her husband who was coming later. Not really comparable to the other meals.
23
@Alison Pretty much my thoughts, too.
The concept of one meal for kids -- served early -- and another for the adults isn't uncommon in France. I'd have been more interested in what mom and dad had to to eat. And drink.
3
I am wishing that I could share a meal with every single family - what stories, what an experience, what a meal!
141
a fun read. thanks!
55
I would have liked to see more diverse families like single parents, or partners, or people that live together, cook together and consider themselves a family, or families without children.
275
@Ritu Saheb, Architect There are not as many of these families around so would perhaps not illustrate a typical experience. That'd be great fodder for another piece, though!
9
@Nash
Middle class and upper middle class families aren't a "typical experience" worldwide, yet that's all we see in this piece. Like Ritu Saheb, Architect, I too was struck by the homogeneity of settings and makeup of the profiled families.
12
I agree. As an only child of a single mother, growing up I was constantly aware that our family dynamics were different than what was represented in media (and thus implied that it was less than). As I scrolled through I sought to see one mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter, or father-son family. But, alas, there were no families of only two. I’m surprised the Times was so blind to this bias they had when putting together this series.
1
So fascinating this story, so very real I would like to see more of these photo essay's, the power of photography to tell a story from such a simple setting. Well done to your photographers.
153
I share the joy expressed below of these tables from many places in the world.
What's amazing that except for the scene from Japan - all tables looked alike.
Don't we have folks eating the traditional way - for example, in India many families will eat on the floor and with hands etc.
This homogeneity of the scenes makes you wonder - if art imitates life or life imitates tv.
25
@Neil
The article may have a bias toward middle/upper middle class households, as evidenced by some of the families having a cook/housekeeper who helps in the food prep. In India, most urban, middle class + families would eat at a table. But yes, most people do eat mostly with their fingers.
38
@Neil Well said. All middle class, all urban, all same.
1
There must be villages where food is a bowl of noodles or rice topped by pickled vegetables, and, since it is unbearably hot inside the house (no air conditioning, cannot fan and eat at the same time with only two hands), everyone takes their bowl outside to eat and chat with neighbors under the night sky and among mosquitoes. The lucky ones may have a crook to sit by and put their feet in water.
As a “certified foodie” I absolutely loved reading this article!
26
@Grandpa totally agree....would have liked a couple more pictures of the actual food (esp. Mexico).
2
The project is a great idea, the entries interesting, but why, in a piece specifically about weeknight meals, the selection for Israel is from Friday night, the most formal meal of the week for any religiously observant (and many non-observant) Jewish family?
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@Asir Sirpad
Because that's the best meal of the week.
Happy New Year. 5780
5
@Asir Sirpad I had the same thought. It was NOT a weeknight meal.