We need to downgrade our expectations some in the US for what a minimum, viable kitchen is. We tend to have oversized refrigerators compared to other countries and it's actually problematic because you can't keep milk cold enough to not spoil in a mostly empty, oversized fridge.
European kitchens for a family tend to have fridges like US hotels and dorm rooms. My understanding is most Japanese kitchens have no oven. They use a wok for most things.
We have ridiculous minimum standards and it actively gets in the way of providing basic, decent housing.
I can't speak for all of Europe, but here in Amsterdam most people have a decent supermarket within walking (<15min) or cycling (<5min) distance, with plenty of unprocessed / raw ingredients (so not mini-markets that mostly sell sandwiches and microwave meals). So we tend to buy groceries often (daily or every other day) and in small portions, or even on a whim. We also don't own a car (yes we do have a child, and we know plenty of multi-child families without cars).
AFAICT, that's a lifestyle that's not available to most Americans. The flipside is of course that our houses are tiny by American standards.
In the few Asian cities I visited, there were also plenty of small cheap eateries in walking distance.
You mostly adapt your fridge size to your way of living. Living off of sales, not having a decent convenience store nearby, making meals preemptively etc. all contribute to having a bigger fridge. This was still pretty bad here a few years ago when most shops in a 30km radius would be closed for multiple days on end for religious holidays, most big families would stock up big time.
That's the big thing Tokyo does best. If going to a convenience store is actually convenient, you don't need a large fridge at all, except for some niche situations most people don't care for anyway (cooking dishes which require a lot of space in the fridge/oven/freezer). I'd also wager eating staples kept in cupboards helps.
Can't speak for the remainder of the kitchen though. You don't need 4/8 stoves, an oven etc., but appliances don't take that much space when packed together. Even fridges don't really take that much more space.
Most Japanese kitchens have a combined microwave and oven; the oven is consequently small compared to one in the US but works well enough. Woks are used for Chinese cooking and so aren't standard in a Japanese kitchen.
The fridges are small by comparison but, especially in cities, most people shop several times a week and so space isn't a problem.
Trade-offs. Americans might have huge kitchens, but you don't usually have several cafes and restaurants that make great food 10-15 meters from your house entrance. Last place I lived at in Istanbul had it right on the first floor — I didn't even have to go out to "go out".
Can you clarify what is meant here by minimum standards? I'm not American.
Over here in the UK no-one is stopping me from replacing my fridge with whatever fridge I want. It's weird for me to imagine that this could be otherwise. Like, it's just plugged in.
Really puts things in perspective again. With even my plans
Just bought new apartment. Was considering adding more surface and some cabinets in kitchen. That is 3+3 cabinets and work surface about 160cm in width. Price 1000€+ plus installation and delivery...
Really does put things in perspective. So much for rather small amount of space and not even any appliances. Just some cupboards with doors...
In the end I will just buy still pretty expensive shelf, for fraction of cost.
> In the end I will just buy still pretty expensive shelf, for fraction of cost.
The "kitchen triangle" seems to be an important thing to keep in mind when (re)designing kitchen layouts:
> Developed in the early twentieth century, the working triangle—also known as "the kitchen triangle," also known as "the golden triangle"—is a theory that states a kitchen’s three main work areas should form, you guessed it, a triangle. Specifically, the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove.
The total summed distance between those three appliances should (ideally) be in the range of 13-26 feet (4-8m); each side/edge of the triangle should ideally be in the 4-9 foot (1.5-3m) range.
Then each of the sink, the refrigerator, and stove should have have a certain minimum counter space around it:
Is that really expensive though? Someone has to cut the wood, someone has to transport it, then someoneone will cut up the trees, someone will finish the wood, someone will build a cabinet out of it, and then someone will deliver it to your door. All those people need to be paid for your cabinet to exist.
I like to consider how much people would have to pay me to spend a similar amount of time, and the cost would be much, much higher than €1000.
“… this household each adult can consume goods and services worth … US dollars each month. “
This is not an intuitive measure.
“We guesstimated this amount based on the assets the family owned and the incomes they reported.”
So owning a ridiculously expensive espresso machine is supposed to be a measure of the quality of food produced in a kitchen? No.
I have an electric steamer and rice cooker which I use a lot, and the quality of my food is excellent.
I understand a measure of nutrition is too far to be expect. But relevant to kitchen technology are CO2 production, energy efficiency. And these measures don’t need to be so granular. A multi-factor analysis on binary scale would be more informative and thoughtful than saying the dirt kitchen is $40/mo and Manhattan Penthouse kitchen is $7k/mo, and some other kitchen in India is 4K/mo?? Nonsense.
I noticed that the dollar value on this page is not income, instead it's the dollar value of the consumption per adult in the family and adjusted for purchasing power parity.
That means that if there are two households in India and USA, and both have an "income" of 1000 USD, their consumption is similar. However it's very likely that the Indian households has significantly less actual income because stuff in India is cheaper. This also means that for goods that cost almost the same around the world e.g. an iPhone would be more affordable for American household.
What really put things into perspective for me was seeing how despite the terrible gap in living conditions the "families" category just showed a bunch of pictures and videos of what looked to me like perfectly ordinary families.
It really helps show that people are just people and highlight the disparity of their circumstances.
Why not just store appliances not being used somewhere else? For me the only things that stay on the counter are a kettle and espresso machine. If I want to make toast I’ll just pull the toaster out of the cupboard.
Very cool site. While the disparity is pretty obvious in things like kitchens, it's also interesting to see just how similar most of us live when going through the categories of e.g. worship, applying make up, pets, etc.
I'd have liked to see Japan and it's all income levels...
it's quite comical when you apply your local jurisdiction's regulations on these
i bet one can make so much content on youtube filming reaction videos of your local regulator browsing this and either helpfully explain why/how or simply condemning; hilarious
Weird; I expected the most high-income kitchens to be either absent or completely unused. Don't nigh income individuals mostly rely on eating out and food delivery? As a digital nomad, I haven't cooked anything even once in most hotels/airbnbs I've lived at during the last 3 months.
That, in turn, sounds weird to me. I could easily afford not to cook, it doesn't have anything to do with money, and I definitely don't consider it a hobby either - I don't enjoy it particularly.
Making my own food allows me to eat exactly what I want, in the right amount, made from the right ingredients. It's also more healthy. If you want to get all abstract about it, it's also about keeping a culture of food alive that I grew up with.
I suspect your experience as a digital nomand isn't quite representative, and it probably also has a lot to do with where you're from originally...
The kitchen is considered the “heart of the home”, in the USA at least. The trend has been towards larger and more luxurious kitchens as they’re seen as the most used communal room and the centerpiece for entertaining.
So even if you don’t cook often you’ll see 48” ranges, counter depth fridges, and custom cabinetry and islands in high end homes.
It’s not uncommon for a modern luxury kitchen to cost more than most homes across the country.
American here. I happen to know some extreme high net worth individuals (incl. 1 billionaire). Anecdata, I haven’t personally seen a trend towards not cooking associated with wealth.
None of them have places that outright lack kitchens, that would be strange. Few of them shop for groceries though - the majority use eg Amazon Fresh
As a digital nomad you are probably able to live in places with a lower cost of living, but usually high salaries are in places with a high cost of living as well. This makes the price of eating out quite higher as well, often much more so than the cost of groceries.
Additionally, just because you can afford to eat out every meal doesn't mean you wouldn't rather do other things with your money (e.g. save to retire early).
Of course, if your income is high enough you might not even care about that, but I don't think this website covers such incomes (the highest kitchens I can see are $10k/month) and at that level you can probably pay someone to cook for you.
I used to barely cook when I lived small with a shitty kitchen (because it was so annoying and depressing), once I got a good job and could afford a nice place with a big kitchen, it suddenly become a lot more enjoyable to make my own food.
Where does this data come from? It doesn't look like people took these videos on purpose just for this site, as they show off kind of random (sometimes weird) things.
> We want to show how people really live. It seemed natural to use photos as data so people can see for themselves what life looks like on different income levels. Dollar Street lets you visit many, many homes all over the world. Without travelling ... A team of photographers have documented over 264 homes in 50 countries so far, and the list is growing. In each home the photographer spends a day taking photos of up to 135 objects, like the family’s toothbrushes or favorite pair of shoes. All photos are then tagged (household function, family name and income) ... Gapminder is an independent Swedish foundation with no political, religious or economic affiliations.
[+] [-] DoreenMichele|3 years ago|reply
European kitchens for a family tend to have fridges like US hotels and dorm rooms. My understanding is most Japanese kitchens have no oven. They use a wok for most things.
We have ridiculous minimum standards and it actively gets in the way of providing basic, decent housing.
[+] [-] em500|3 years ago|reply
AFAICT, that's a lifestyle that's not available to most Americans. The flipside is of course that our houses are tiny by American standards.
In the few Asian cities I visited, there were also plenty of small cheap eateries in walking distance.
[+] [-] BlargMcLarg|3 years ago|reply
That's the big thing Tokyo does best. If going to a convenience store is actually convenient, you don't need a large fridge at all, except for some niche situations most people don't care for anyway (cooking dishes which require a lot of space in the fridge/oven/freezer). I'd also wager eating staples kept in cupboards helps.
Can't speak for the remainder of the kitchen though. You don't need 4/8 stoves, an oven etc., but appliances don't take that much space when packed together. Even fridges don't really take that much more space.
[+] [-] ume|3 years ago|reply
The fridges are small by comparison but, especially in cities, most people shop several times a week and so space isn't a problem.
[+] [-] golergka|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] stackbutterflow|3 years ago|reply
Where do Americans stand on this in 2022?
[0]https://www.ipsnews.net/2012/05/us-lifestyle-is-not-up-for-n...
[+] [-] throwaway22032|3 years ago|reply
Over here in the UK no-one is stopping me from replacing my fridge with whatever fridge I want. It's weird for me to imagine that this could be otherwise. Like, it's just plugged in.
[+] [-] staz|3 years ago|reply
In Europe, the milk is pasteurized at a higher temperature so it can keep for much longer
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] Ekaros|3 years ago|reply
Just bought new apartment. Was considering adding more surface and some cabinets in kitchen. That is 3+3 cabinets and work surface about 160cm in width. Price 1000€+ plus installation and delivery...
Really does put things in perspective. So much for rather small amount of space and not even any appliances. Just some cupboards with doors...
In the end I will just buy still pretty expensive shelf, for fraction of cost.
[+] [-] throw0101a|3 years ago|reply
The "kitchen triangle" seems to be an important thing to keep in mind when (re)designing kitchen layouts:
> Developed in the early twentieth century, the working triangle—also known as "the kitchen triangle," also known as "the golden triangle"—is a theory that states a kitchen’s three main work areas should form, you guessed it, a triangle. Specifically, the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove.
* https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/kitchen-triangle-b...
The total summed distance between those three appliances should (ideally) be in the range of 13-26 feet (4-8m); each side/edge of the triangle should ideally be in the 4-9 foot (1.5-3m) range.
Then each of the sink, the refrigerator, and stove should have have a certain minimum counter space around it:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_work_triangle
[+] [-] Aeolun|3 years ago|reply
I like to consider how much people would have to pay me to spend a similar amount of time, and the cost would be much, much higher than €1000.
[+] [-] TheSpiceIsLife|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xtiansimon|3 years ago|reply
This is not an intuitive measure.
“We guesstimated this amount based on the assets the family owned and the incomes they reported.”
So owning a ridiculously expensive espresso machine is supposed to be a measure of the quality of food produced in a kitchen? No.
I have an electric steamer and rice cooker which I use a lot, and the quality of my food is excellent.
I understand a measure of nutrition is too far to be expect. But relevant to kitchen technology are CO2 production, energy efficiency. And these measures don’t need to be so granular. A multi-factor analysis on binary scale would be more informative and thoughtful than saying the dirt kitchen is $40/mo and Manhattan Penthouse kitchen is $7k/mo, and some other kitchen in India is 4K/mo?? Nonsense.
[+] [-] qolop|3 years ago|reply
That means that if there are two households in India and USA, and both have an "income" of 1000 USD, their consumption is similar. However it's very likely that the Indian households has significantly less actual income because stuff in India is cheaper. This also means that for goods that cost almost the same around the world e.g. an iPhone would be more affordable for American household.
[+] [-] helpfulmandrill|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Agentlien|3 years ago|reply
It really helps show that people are just people and highlight the disparity of their circumstances.
[+] [-] Gigachad|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] glanzwulf|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kiliantics|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] alliao|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] golergka|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] throwaway285524|3 years ago|reply
Making my own food allows me to eat exactly what I want, in the right amount, made from the right ingredients. It's also more healthy. If you want to get all abstract about it, it's also about keeping a culture of food alive that I grew up with.
I suspect your experience as a digital nomand isn't quite representative, and it probably also has a lot to do with where you're from originally...
[+] [-] nemo44x|3 years ago|reply
So even if you don’t cook often you’ll see 48” ranges, counter depth fridges, and custom cabinetry and islands in high end homes.
It’s not uncommon for a modern luxury kitchen to cost more than most homes across the country.
High end and custom is expensive.
[+] [-] lelandfe|3 years ago|reply
None of them have places that outright lack kitchens, that would be strange. Few of them shop for groceries though - the majority use eg Amazon Fresh
[+] [-] anamax|3 years ago|reply
Eating out has overhead that can easily exceed that of cooking, plus it's one block of time.
Eating out is especially time-wasting for snacks.
Food delivery reduces some of the overhead but introduces delay.
Plus, meals that you cook are more customizable. (Ghost and automated kitchens can solve that.)
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] NathanWilliams|3 years ago|reply
How rewarding it is to see someone genuinely enjoy something you made.
[+] [-] Liquid_Fire|3 years ago|reply
Additionally, just because you can afford to eat out every meal doesn't mean you wouldn't rather do other things with your money (e.g. save to retire early).
Of course, if your income is high enough you might not even care about that, but I don't think this website covers such incomes (the highest kitchens I can see are $10k/month) and at that level you can probably pay someone to cook for you.
[+] [-] lilyh|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Avalaxy|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] walterbell|3 years ago|reply
> We want to show how people really live. It seemed natural to use photos as data so people can see for themselves what life looks like on different income levels. Dollar Street lets you visit many, many homes all over the world. Without travelling ... A team of photographers have documented over 264 homes in 50 countries so far, and the list is growing. In each home the photographer spends a day taking photos of up to 135 objects, like the family’s toothbrushes or favorite pair of shoes. All photos are then tagged (household function, family name and income) ... Gapminder is an independent Swedish foundation with no political, religious or economic affiliations.
Video (2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4L130DkdOw
[+] [-] oliwarner|3 years ago|reply
That much gets you a house for you and your butler in the UK. And it's expensive here.
[+] [-] KoftaBob|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Ekaros|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ciceryadam|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jan_Inkepa|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pif|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lelandfe|3 years ago|reply
The metaphor in play is to “imagine the world as a street”
[+] [-] nunez|3 years ago|reply
prepare to be amazed by what little you can get for $10k/month in NYC or SFBA
[+] [-] ricardobayes|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wooque|3 years ago|reply
into the trash it goes