The old adage “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” has always had its place in the United States. What many don’t know, however, is that it rings true well beyond America’s borders, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the country of Zimbabwe, as well. In fact, despite the growing number of overweight Americans and the malnourished masses of Zimbabwe, these two geographically distant nations are surprisingly close together in terms of their eating habits. Upon closer inspection, one finds that their knowledge of nutrition, eating preferences, and emphasis on convenience in food preparation, all create more common threads than differences.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that Americans are increasingly becoming more and more unhealthy. One of the key differences between diners from the ‘country of plenty’ and the rest of the world has been our taste for excess. As of 2009, for example, roughly 63.1% of adults in the U.S. were overweight or obese—up from sixty-two percent just a year before. In other words, each year an additional 900,000 people are tipping the scale. Zimbabwe, conversely, is known for its rampant starvation and food shortages. Drought conditions and poor harvests cause 7.2 million Zimbabweans per year to require outside food aid just to survive, meaning forty-five percent of the population is at risk for death due to undernourishment. Life expectancy for men and women alike ranges from the high thirties to mid forties, a far cry from the late seventies and early eighties enjoyed by their American counterparts.
Being so far apart on the spectrum with respect to the amount available for consumption makes many overlook the glaring similarities of these two countries’ eating norms. In both the United States and Zimbabwe, governmental agencies list recommended daily values for staple food groups like fruits, vegetables, and grains. Likewise, the citizens of both countries are taught the values of well-portioned meals, which make appearances in the schools and hospitals in both nations. It’s not a far stretch to believe that if Zimbabweans lived in a society with as much access to food as Americans, that they would eat very similarly. Despite the lack of education in Zimbabwe, knowing which foods are healthy and which are not is common, much like here in the U.S. On top of understanding the nutritional values of foods, both countries maintain pretty similar food and snack preferences. In Zimbabwe, popcorn, peanut butter, macaroni, and cereal are some the most popular snacks. In addition, the preferred meal is one made up of meat with vegetable side dishes and bread—structured with an uncanny similarity to an American dinner. Over the last thirty years, fast food in the United States has taken off. Whether it be at a drive-thru restaurant or a microwave TV dinner, Americans want their fix and they want it now. While the infrastructure of Zimbabwe prevents the average person from driving to their local McDonalds, they maintain a very similar approach to eating—one in which convenience is key. When they lack the resources or money for snacks or multiple eating forays, Zimbabwean families eat but one meal a day. That meal emphasizes quick and easy, albeit in a different way. The meal will typically be a type of corn porridge (called sadza) with meat, vegetables, and grains and fortified with vitamins and minerals. Because porridge is ground up and cooked in a liquid (usually water or milk) it can be heated in a bowl over a fire rather quickly, allowing a hungry family to efficiently meet their dietary needs on a budget and with time constraints. It’s no surprise that for more well-off families, chain fast food restaurants are becoming quite popular in more densely populated areas.
Anyone can focus on how others are different, but when one looks beyond the superficial distinctions, we begin to see that human beings maintain deep-rooted commonalities. So, while Americans are steadily becoming overweight and those in Zimbabwe are faced with limited access to food, people from both societies have cultures that emphasize the same nutritional focal points, food and snack preferences, and value of convenience in cooking and eating. Is the way to a man’s heart through his stomach? The answer to that question may depend on whom you ask, but at least now I know it doesn’t depend on where they live.
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