1. I realized something while deciding on which Menzel photo to use. I definitely had the most interesting reaction to the picture of the Aboubakar's camp. This was mainly due to the fact that I had been anticipating the reveal of that picture, or at least something like it. As soon as I had seen the bountiful veggie display presented in Menzel's first photo, I assumed one of the photos would contain a less fortunate family, struck by some form of poverty, and living off whatever they could scramble together. I envisioned dark skin, the absence of smiles, and a tone befitting the harsh truth of reality. Faith D'aluisio's accompanying descriptions continued to confirm my expectations. I have only just realized the worst part of this situation. My comfort with this familiarity left me completely unmoved.
I would describe Peter Menzel's photos as a firm reminder of societal differences through kitchen/dining life. I'd say I notice the size of their living quarters, more so than the differences in space.
2. The Fernandez family and Ukita family have all laid out a week's food, and these servings take up a large amount of space. My original assumption was that the Texan family had spent more money, with a considerable amount going towards junk foods. They were the larger American family with the bigger house so it made sense. The Japanese family looks to have spent most of it on local market snacks and fish. D'Aluisio's descriptions reveal that I was wrong. The Ukito's had actually spent more overall, and a large amount of finances had gone towards fruits and vegetables, as well. Maybe I was confused by the spatial differences in the apartment, or the fact that most of the Japanese food packages on the ground look like American trail mix bags. I'm still a bit confused by the logic of the situation. One would expect the family of four, living in what appears to be poorer conditions, to spend less than the family of five?
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