What we eat makes us who we are, but how do our meals really show who we are? To find out, photographer Gregg Segal has been all over the world taking pictures of kids from different countries with the things they use to fill themselves up. The professional photographer spent three years traveling to nine countries, including the United States, India, Malaysia, Germany, France, Italy, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil. He wrote a book called Daily Bread: What Kids Eat Around the World to share his experiences. “I focused on kids because eating habits start young and if you don’t get used to a healthy diet when you’re 9 or 10, it’s going to be a lot harder when you’re older,” he says.
1. Kawakanih Yawalapiti, 9, Upper Xingu Region Of Mato Grosso, Brazil
Kawakanih Yawalapiti, 9, is from the Upper Xingu area of Mato Grosso, Brazil. He was photographed in Brasilia on August 19, 2018. Kawakanih lives in Xingu National Park, a national park in Brazil’s Amazonian Basin. He is from the Yawalapiti tribe.
2. Anchal Sahani, 10, Chembur, Mumbai, India
The picture was taken on March 11, 2017, of 10-year-old Anchal Sahani in Chembur, Mumbai, India. She lives with her parents and two brothers in a small tin shack on a construction site in a suburb of Mumbai. Her dad makes less than $5 a day, which is just enough for her mom to make homemade okra and cauliflower curry, lentils, and flatbread. Anchal wants to go back to the farm in Bihar where she was born, go to school like other kids, and become a teacher someday.
3. Meissa Ndiaye, 11, Dakar, Senegal
Meissa Ndiaye, 11, was taken on August 30, 2017, in Dakar, Senegal. The name of Meissa’s neighborhood, Parcelles Assainies, means “clean plots.” He lives with his dad, mom, and brother in a single room. Parcelles Assainies is a sandy, treeless neighborhood of Dakar that was built in the 1970s to house poor people who were leaving the city. Meissa lives across the street from a soccer field and an open-air market with hundreds of booths selling everything from fresh fish to wedding dresses. Before Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, in late August, goats that are tied down line the streets.
4. Davi Ribeiro De Jesus, 12, Brasilia, Brazil
The picture was taken on August 18, 2018, of Davi Ribeiro de Jesus, 12, in Brasilia, Brazil. Davi lives in a clean one-room house in the Santa Luzia favela, a slum right next to Latin America’s biggest garbage dump, with his dad, stepmom, and three brothers. Most days, Davi eats beans and rice with maybe some pork. He won’t eat bitter vegetables, though. He knows how to make his own fried eggs, oatmeal, and pasta. There are treats like sweet popcorn every once in a while. He never goes to sleep hungry.
5. Ademilson Francisco Dos Santos (11) Vão De Almas, Goiás, Brazil
The picture of Ademilson Francisco dos Santos (11) Vão de Almas, Goiás, Brazil was taken on August 19, 2018, in Brasilia. Someone named Ademilson comes from Vão de Almas, a town of 300 families in the Cerrado area of Goiás. Ademilson’s house is 200 kilometers from the closest town. Rice, manihot (cassava), sweet potatoes, squash, beans, gherkin, okra, jiló, orange, lemon, watermelon, corn, coffee, and sugar cane are just some of the foods that the family grows. A lot of local fruits are also collected, such as buriti, mangaba, mango, jatobá, pequi, caju, and coco indaiá. They make sesame and peanut pacoca, coconut oil, and mamona oil, which is also known as castor oil.
6. Hank Segal, 8, Altadena, California
It was taken on January 30, 2016, of Hank Segal, 8, of Altadena, California. Hank lives with his singing teacher mom, photographer dad, and their dog Django near the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles. Artichokes, yams, pomegranates, snap peas, watercress, rosemary, thyme, basil, Serrano chili peppers, boysenberries, kyoho grapes, raspberries, strawberries, and watermelon are some of the things that Hank and his parents have grown. Hank likes to try new things.
7. Beryl Oh Jynn, 8, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The picture was taken on March 25, 2017, of Beryl Oh Jynn, 8, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The quiet house where Beryl lives with her parents and two brothers is home to her. A national Chinese school, S. J. K. Han Ming Puchong, is only a short walk from her house. Beryl’s dad works as an engineer, and her mom runs a daycare. Beryl’s first memories of food are of cake and oatmeal. A meal she really likes is spaghetti with carbonara sauce. Beryl grows bok choy and spinach in her balcony yard. She can’t drink soda and won’t eat ginger. She wants to be a cheerleader.
8. Sira Cissokho (11 Yrs Old) Dakar, Senegal
Born on August 30, 1997, Sira Cissokho is 11 years old and lives in Dakar. Sira is from Tambacounda, which is about seven hours north of Dakar. She is one of nine children. The father of Sira is a singer, and the mother works as a housewife. Sira doesn’t always eat enough. When there are important events, Sira’s mom makes her favorite meal, chicken. Many of the foods that Sira and her family eat, like peanuts and millet, are grown in their yard. Sira has learned how to make Ngalakh, which is a Senegalese oatmeal made from millet. She would buy her parents a trip to Mecca if she had enough money. Sira loves the band that her grandfather gave her before he died more than anything else she owns.
9. Rosalie Durand, 10, Nice, France
Rosalie Durand, 10, was taken on August 18, 2017, in Nice, France. Rosalie lives with both her mom and dad now that her parents are no longer together. From her home, she can see both the Mediterranean Sea and the French Alps. Her father is a restaurant owner and told her how to make her favorite dish, lentils with sausage. She eats a lot of fresh fish, like sardines, and stays healthy because of it. Rasti, spinach, and cucumber are the only things she won’t eat.
10. Adveeta Venkatesh, 10 Years Old, Mumbai, India
10-year-old Adveeta Venkatesh was taken on March 11, 2017, in Mumbai, India. Adveeta is an only child and lives with her parents and maternal grandmother, who cooks most of her meals. They live in a large apartment with a balcony that looks out over Deonar, a neighborhood of Mumbai. She is a vegetarian and loves South Indian food, especially dosas, pancakes made from fermented rice and beans served with yogurt and spicy chutney. Adveeta used to be picky about what she ate a few years ago. She didn’t eat almost all of the food she does now. But she’s also eating more snacks and sweets, which her dad found out during the picture shoot.
11. June Grosser, 8, Hamburg, Germany
June Grosser, 8, was taken on August 11, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. June’s mom takes pictures of fashion, but she hasn’t done one for her daughter yet. Schnitzel is June’s favorite food. She didn’t like veggies until now, but now she does. After meals, she’s full, but she gets hungry again quickly. June doesn’t say much at dinner. Instead, she listens to her parents talk about politics, the election, and what’s going on in the world. Some of her favorite things about herself are her hair, her long eyelashes, and her dreams. She wants to fly to the moon, but she’d rather think about dreams that will come true. Since June is reading The Vampire Diaries, she often thinks about vampires while she’s trying to fall asleep when she’s in bed.
12. Leona “Nona” Del Grosso Sands, 6, Glendale, California
Leona “Nona” Del Grosso Sands, 6, and her family were taken on January 30, 2016. Nona lives in an apartment in Glendale, CA, with her mother and her pet cat, Cleo. She knows how to make cereal and pancakes, and she fed her sick mother one time. Nona grew a huge tomato plant that now stands like a tree and has taken over everything. She has to eat veggies, especially broccoli, because her mom makes her. While Nona’s food choices are as varied as the rainbow, she does have a lot of “sugar teeth.” Nona looks up to her mother, her teachers, and Joan Jett. Nona thinks that her grandmother is an angel sometimes when she goes to sleep at night.
13. Yusuf Abdullah Al Muhairi, 9, Mirdif, Dubai, Uae
The picture was taken on August 12, 2018, of Yusuf Abdullah Al Muhairi, 9, of Mirdif, Dubai, UAE. Yusuf’s mom moved from Ireland to Dubai to work as a chocolatier and baking cook. She married an Emirati man, and they had a son together before they split up. Yusuf loves it when his mom cooks, but he can make scrambled eggs and toast on his own. It’s fun for Yusuf to read, write, climb, ride horses, and do science projects.
He wants to be a fighter or a police officer when he grows up. That’s what he’d do if he had the cash. Batman and his mom are heroes to him. Yusuf hopes that his mom will get married again and that he will have siblings. He dreams about making a birdhouse with his grandfather, fishing with him in the rivers of Ireland, and going to Warner Brothers with his grandmother when he is lying in bed at night.
14. Tharkish Sri Ganesh (10) And Mierra Sri Varrsha (8), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sri Ganesh (10 years old) and Sri Varrsha (8 years old) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 26, 2017. Their great-grandfather came to Malaysia from South India to make a better life for himself, but all he could do was work as a rubber tapper until the Japanese forced him to build the “Death Railway” from Siam to Burma in 1943. Their dad is a gaffer in the movie business, and their mom runs the household and cooks most of the meals. On the weekends, though, they eat KFC, Pizza Hut, or Chinese food. Mierra doesn’t like the strong smell of blood and meat. She likes sweets and cakes best. Puttu, which is cooked ground rice with coconut on top and bananas and palm sugar on top, is Tharkish’s favorite food. Tharkish doesn’t like onions because they smell and taste bad to him.
15. Siti Khaliesah Nataliea Muhamad Khairizal, 9, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This picture was taken on March 26, 2017, of Siti Khaliesah Nataliea Muhamad Khairizal, 9, of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In an area outside of Kuala Lumpur, Siti lives with her father, who sells cars, her mother, who stays at home, and her four brothers. Mum cooks and sets the rules for the table: say the Du’a, don’t drink water before meals, and don’t talk during meals. But because everyone is so busy, the family doesn’t usually sit down to dinner together. Siti loves spaghetti carbonara and the smell of fried instant noodles so much. Her school is in China, where she learns Mandarin, plays the Melodian, and does Taekwondo. Siti wants her dad to put money under her pillow every night before she goes to sleep. She gathers different kinds of coins and money from other countries. Siti is going to buy an iPad when she has enough money.
16. Greta Moeller,7, Hamburg, Germany
Greta Moeller, 7, from Hamburg, Germany, was taken on August 11, 2017. She lives in Hamburg with her mother and younger sister, but she also spends a lot of time with her grandparents. There is a big chestnut tree on the way to her grandparents’ house. In the fall, Greta and her little sister look through the leaves for chestnuts. The food that Greta loves the most is fish sticks with mashed potatoes and applesauce. She doesn’t like rice pudding. Greta is very good at snapping her fingers together with both hands. Greta mostly thinks about her mother at night as she falls asleep. Her mother is normally watching TV in the next room.
17. Frank Fadel Agbomenou, 8, Dakar, Senegal
This picture was taken on August 30, 2017, of Frank Fadel Agbomenou, 8, in Dakar, Senegal. A Human Resources Manager, Frank’s father, and his older brother live in a nice part of Dakar. They have an apartment. Frank wants to see his parents again, but he doesn’t think that will happen. Frank likes to eat almost everything. He gets a lot of peanuts from the tree on his patio. His favorite food is fish, and the family cook always makes it just right. Frank loves to watch TV and play video games on his Play Station, but he is a great dancer and can do summersaults. His favorite thing to laugh about is when his cousin Coco trips and falls. Frank wants to buy a fancy sports car and take a trip to Paris. He wants to be a doctor when he grows up.
18. Isaiah Dedrick, Long Beach, California
Isaiah Dedrick, from Long Beach, California, was 16 years old when the picture was taken on March 20, 2016. His mother and grandmother raised him, and the grandmother cooks most of the meals at home. He wants to have enough room to grow his own garden one day. For Isaiah, orange chicken and fried rice are his best foods. He also loves the smell of apples cooked with cinnamon. His mom won’t let him drink soda, and Isaiah has chosen to stop eating snacks after this photo shoot. He prays that no one will go hungry in the world. Isaiah is learning how to act and plays the drums and flute. He wants to be as funny as Tyler Perry or Eddie Murphy and be able to fly like Stark.
19. Cooper Norman, 12 (10 At Time Of Shoot), Altadena, California
Cooper Norman, 12, Altadena, CA, USA (10 years old at the time of the shoot). Taken on January 30, 2016. Cooper lives in the mountains of Altadena, California, with his mom, who runs a school, and dad, who works in human resources. Cooper’s table manners were so good that the bride’s uncle asked him to join them for dim sum. Cooper plants many kinds of fruits and veggies at Odyssey Charter School. He is ready to try almost anything when it comes to food, but his favorite is Thai food, which comes from the country where his mother is from. Eating Cheerios in his stroller is the first thing he remembers about food.
20. John Hintze, 7, Hamburg, Germany
John Hintze, 7, was taken on August 11, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. He lives in a big apartment with a yard with his parents in a quiet part of Hamburg where there are more trees than cars. John says that he eats everything. He likes having breakfast in bed. Every morning before school, his parents bring him a tray of Oatmeal and Toast. John loves Orange Fanta, his grandmother’s roast, and Chinese food with cashew nuts. But he can only drink Fanta on the weekends. There is only water during the week. He used to enjoy mushrooms, but now he doesn’t. He used a sushi knife to make a fruit plate with his friend Henry one time.
21. Alexandra (9, Left) And Jessica (8, Right) Lewis, Altadena, California
Jessica (8 on the right) and Alexandra (9 on the left) Lewis, from Altadena, California, USA. Taken on February 21, 2016. Jessica and Alex’s dad and mom work as engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA field center in La Canada, California. They have blackberry bushes, grape vines, and fruit trees in their yard. There are fig, peach, pomegranate, guava, mulberry, jujube, and banana plants. They also have chickens, and they eat their eggs almost every day. Jessica doesn’t like peppers, beans, sushi, or chocolate, but she does like sweets and pizza with ham. She likes to think and draw. Alex loves to cook and loves making her own food. Her best meal is macaroni and cheese. She won’t eat Brussels sprouts or broccoli that is too wet from the night before. Alex and Jessica took a lot of the food that was left over from the picture shoot home to feed their chickens.
22. Paolo Mendolaro, 9, Belpaso, Sicily
This picture was taken on August 23, 2017, of Paolo Mendolaro, 9, in Belpaso, Sicily. Paulo and his four children live in an apartment in Belpasso, a small village on the east coast of Sicily that was formed in 1305 and is steeped in history. Even though Paolo’s mom works full-time for a makeup company, she still finds time to cook her family meals like Sicilian Cannolo and Pasta alla Norma after work. They get pizza or a roast chicken once a week, which Paolo loves the most. Paulo knows how to make his own big donuts, pizza, pasta, cookies, and pizza. The garden his grandpa had was huge, and Paolo helped him pick tomatoes, peas, olives, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, strawberries, peaches, and fava beans. Paolo kept a journal for Daily Bread for a week. During that week, he and his family went to the beach and ate less healthily than normal. They often ate fast food. He prays for his parents every day.
23. Henrico Valias Sant`anna De Souza Dantas, 10, Brasilia, Brazil
The picture was taken of Henrico Valias Sant’anna de Souza Dantas, 10, in Brasilia, Brazil, on August 18, 2018. Henrico lives in a nice area of Brasilia with his mom, who makes movies and runs an ad agency, and his two brothers. Henrico’s mom, grandma, and maid cook for him every day, but he likes to make his own snacks. A Brazilian stew made with black beans and pork, Feijoada is his favorite food. It comes with white rice, “farofa” (fried cassava flour), and collard greens. Henrico also likes desserts, such as chocolate soufflé, Toblerone and Talento bars, anything with Nutella, “brigadeiro,” a ball of baked condensed milk and chocolate, buttered toast sprinkled with Nescau powder (a treat his uncle made), and a dish he made himself: steak covered in banana slices.
24. Daria Joy Cullen, 6, Pasadena, California
This picture was taken on February 21, 2016, of Daria Joy Cullen, 6, in Pasadena, California. She loves sweets like mint chocolate chip ice cream, bacon, pasta, popcorn slathered in butter, milk chocolate, and other sweets. No matter what kind of fruit or veggie it is—not even mashed bananas or apple sauce—she won’t eat it. Daria’s doctor is worried about her low weight and limited diet, and her parents are afraid she might have a gag reflex that is too strong. Daria looks up to her big sister because she is friendly and can play the violin well. She acts like a monkey to make her friends laugh for fun. Daria would like to train dogs when she grows up. She would buy a horse and a dog if she had enough money.
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