10 Countries That Are Cutting Back on Their Iconic Foods
Last week, the shocking news broke that French people are eating less bread than ever before, The situation is so dire that the Observatoire du Pain, the bakers' and millers' lobby, recently started a "Got Milk?"-style ad campaign, with signs asking, "Coucou, tu as pris le pain?" ("Oh hey, did you pick up the bread?")
One of the Observatoire's leaders told the New York Times that the regrettable baguette situation comes from changing eating habits, with citizens of la Republique skipping more meals and coming home from work too late to make it to the bakery on time. But as the world economy changes, and national cuisines evolve with the times, France isn't the only nation that's forsaking its most essential food. Koreans are eating less rice, Argentinians, less beef, and even the Russians are slowing down on vodka. Check out the slideshow to see what other countries are leaving their historical staples behind.
1/10France Is Eating Less Bread
Between 1900 and 2013, the average French bread consumption fell from three baguettes per day to a measly half a loaf. Even in 1970, Frenchmen were eating "almost a whole" baguette. By 2050, according to a survey we just invented, the French are predicted to get by on a single slice, although it will still be slathered with incredibly good butter from Normandy.
2/10Russia Is Drinking Less Vodka
In just the past year, Russian vodka consumption has dropped by 25 percent, largely thanks to a tax hike on the clear booze. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're drinking less in Mother Russia--in the same period, the volume of whiskey sold jumped by a third.
3/10Ireland Is Eating Fewer Potatoes
Per capita potato consumption has dropped by almost half in the past two decades, and even the potatoes people are eating tend to be in processed foods, rather than cooked at home.
4/10Japan Is Eating Less Fish
Average monthly spending on fish dropped 23 percent in Japanese households over the first decade of the 21st century. Like the French "Coucou, tu a pris du pain?" campaign, the Japanese government has launched an effort called "Fast Fish" to promote fish that are easy to cook or come pre-deboned, in an attempt to appeal to younger home cooks more interested in Western cuisine.
5/10The USA Is Eating Less Fast Food
Believe it or not, the push for Americans to eat healthier might be working. Well, a little bit, anyway. The average percentage of Americans' daily caloric intake that comes from fast food dropped a whopping 12 percent from the period between 2003 and 2006 to the period between 2007 and 2010. The actual percentages, though, only changed from 12.8 percent of daily calories to 11.3 percent of daily calories. Baby steps?
6/10Bolivia Is Eating Less Quinoa
The crunchy little grain might be trendy in the States right now, but it's been a staple of the Bolivian diet for centuries. Today, though, rising consumption in the U.S. and other Western countries has driven quinoa prices in its homeland through the roof, and Bolivian consumption has dropped 34 percent from 2005-2010. To fill the gap, Bolivians are eating more noodles, rice, and processed food.
7/10Argentina Is Eating Less Beef
Despite having a national identity tied up with beef-eating (and the gauchos of the pampas who tend the cattle), Argentine beef consumption has dropped 42 percent over the last 56 years, to the point where Uruguayans--Uruguayans!--now actually eat more beef on a daily basis. In hard poundage, that drop is from an average 222 pounds of beer per year in 1956 to a paltry 129 pounds in 2012. How can they even live with themselves?
8/10Korea Is Eating Less Rice
In the past 30 years, Korean rice consumption has fallen by half! In standard-size bowls of rice, that's down from about three per day in 1982 to one and a half in 2012. As with everywhere else, the drop is mostly blamed on a growing taste for non-traditional foods among the Korean populace.
9/10Italy Is Drinking Less Wine
In 2011, a study found that 69 percent of Italians over 65 drink wine every day, while only 13 percent of Italians in the 16-35 demographic do the same. One of the people behind the study cited fragmenting Italian families as a cause: "They're not eating meals together and so wine is no longer a form of food." We're glad the same decline hasn't yet damaged wine's status at long lunches in the BA office.
10/10Germany Is Drinking Less Beer
Ach, du Lieber! Germans might have collectively consumed 2.5 billion gallons of beer last year, but compared to the days of yore, that's a 30 percent decline. Back in 1976, the average German slugged back 151 liters per year--today, it's down to a piddling 106. Even in this sad state, though, that's still more than the 80 liters (just 21 gallons!) we lightweight Americans put away per annum.
