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Haiti food fact of the day
At the market in the La Saline slum, two cups of rice now sell for 60 cents, up 10 cents from December and 50 percent from a year ago. Beans, condensed milk and fruit have gone up at a similar rate, and even the price of the edible clay has risen over the past year by almost $1.50. Dirt to make 100 cookies now costs $5, the cookie makers say.
Here is more information. Here is one review:
A reporter sampling a [mud] cookie found that it had a smooth consistency and sucked all the moisture out of the mouth as soon as it touched the tongue. For hours, an unpleasant taste of dirt lingered.
Thanks to William Griffiths for the pointer.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on January 30, 2008 at 10:01 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink
Comments
And people whine about how tough life is here in America ...
Posted by: Peter at Jan 30, 2008 10:30:54 AM
that's a bit misleading...
they say "The mud has long been prized by pregnant women and children here as an antacid and source of calcium."
Now I know that clay is consumed in Africa for more or less the same reason. And certainly not as an alternative to food. And I bet the tradition comes from there.
Now in Haiti nowadays, is it clay or clay-rich dirt they're eating ?
Posted by: nu at Jan 30, 2008 12:13:42 PM
OK, sorry to be clueless, but:
Is this "dirt" regular soil from the ground or some special ingredient called "dirt"? Who eats dirt cookies? Even worse, who has to buy dirt? Can't you just get soil from the ground for free?
Posted by: clueless at Jan 30, 2008 12:35:36 PM
To nu:
In a country where about three quarters of the country is in poverty I think it is very likely that children and adults do eat dirt, especially since the article specifically says that it is used to reduce hunger pangs. If homeless people in affluent American cities eat out of trash cans, I see no reason why poor people in Haiti would not be forced to consume whatever was available. And about the clay/dirt issue, it seemed to me like they were two different products since it listed two prices.
To clueless:
Apparently the dirt and/or clay is from the center of Haiti. I guess that's the region where the dirt has some nutrients. Also, part of the cost of the cookie is the shortening, sugar, and labor spent making it.
Posted by: Andrew at Jan 30, 2008 2:27:50 PM
I was about to say I wondered how much worse things could be if this hadn't been stopped, and then I noticed it was the Dominican Republic instead of Haiti.
Posted by: TGGP at Jan 30, 2008 2:53:16 PM
This may be an obvious point, but... if they're hungry, and they've got moist dirt, why don't they put seeds in the dirt and then eat the plants that grow out of it?
Posted by: Smelly at Jan 30, 2008 4:38:12 PM
Sounds like a good way to get fiber in one's diet.
Posted by: Bruce Bartlett at Jan 30, 2008 5:05:05 PM
"And about the clay/dirt issue, it seemed to me like they were two different products since it listed two prices."
no it didn't. It listed a price hike for clay and a price for mud. It's really not clear how different the two are. And the fact that the dirt is from the center of the country make it even more confusing.
And of course, in a country that poor (and so devastated, ecologically), i don't think it's unlikely that they're actually eating dirt but it's still confusing.
Posted by: nu at Jan 30, 2008 5:28:00 PM
The practice, well known to geographers and anthropologists, is called geophagy. See Hunter, John M. "Geophagy in Africa and in the United States: A Culture-Nutrition Hypothesis." Geographical Review April 1973: 170-195. Wikipedia also has an entry.
Posted by: Harry at Jan 30, 2008 9:00:38 PM
The practice, well known to geographers and anthropologists, is called geophagy. See Hunter, John M. "Geophagy in Africa and in the United States: A Culture-Nutrition Hypothesis." Geographical Review April 1973: 170-195. Wikipedia also has an entry.
Posted by: Harry at Jan 30, 2008 9:01:13 PM
Man I got sick from the dirt-flavored Jelly Belly, I can only imagine being hungry enough to eat the real thing.
Posted by: Paul N at Jan 30, 2008 10:34:59 PM
TGGP -
Dominica != Dominican Republic
Posted by: Topher at Jan 30, 2008 10:45:33 PM
At our medical clinic at Tovar, a survey indicated it was not uncommon for people not to have eaten for two days and more common for only on meal a day. What is the worst hunger you have ever experienced? Now if you can imagine doing that every day, you have a typical life in Haiti. No jobs, 85% unemployment. Some of the most beautiful spirits found in any people, anywhere.
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Posted by: baom at Feb 9, 2008 12:02:34 AM
Posted by: 深圳翻译公司 at Feb 23, 2008 9:46:36 AM
Si on consommait la terre aux USA, on dirait que c'est une pratique medicale normale puisse qu'elle est partiquee depuis des millenaires par des peuples un peu partout dans la monde. Mais quand ce sont des Haitiens, il faut trouver la maniere de deformer la verite. Soyez serrieux avec vous meme
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Posted by: Tonny at Mar 18, 2008 8:10:15 PM
Facts: I am from Haiti and I lived there for 16 years
Facts: The notion about people are eating clay as food is kind of misleading.
My mom and auntie are middle class people who had well enough money for a good life but they still eat clay when they are pregnant. Usually they craved this thing around that period but they don't eat as food to appease their hunger.
Posted by: jr1886 at Apr 9, 2008 1:13:43 AM
People eat dirt because it is good you are missing something in your body and you can get it from dirt. Its is called pica it is something about the freshness of the dirt that calls you. Try it you might like it, people that eat paper and pencil lead might like it. There are diffrent kinds of white dirt if you get the wrong one you might get sick.
Posted by: Frances Bynum at Sep 19, 2008 12:04:05 PM
聽說在國外淘一輛中古車非常的容易，到處都是，真想有一輛自己的車，哪怕是二手車也行。這樣就不用受聘于租車公司了。有這方面信息的請email我。
Posted by: 租車 at Sep 26, 2008 2:56:34 AM
