Postcards from Around the World

Food prices are really going up. A meal that would typically cost SGD2.70 at my office cafeteria a month ago now costs SGD3.35. A whopping 65 cents increase! With oil costing over USD130 per barrel, pushing transport and power generation costs up, everything else is following suit, which makes the immediate future look really, really gloomy.

So it's a refreshing perspective to read about what's happening in other parts of the world and how other communities are coping with the price increases. It's particularly interesting to note how the families from Guatemala, China, Kenya and Egypt can't afford to eat meat everyday.

I am an agronomic engineer and my family has six members.

I spend approximately $250 a month buying meat, milk, fruit and vegetables, bread and tortillas, which is around 40% of our income.

The rise in the prices of all the basic food products here is alarming, and it is even worse for the families who live in extreme poverty, because they don't have enough food to live with dignity.

I have noticed the rise as well. We used to eat meat five times a week, and we can only do it twice now. The children don't drink milk three times a day but once for breakfast, and we don't buy some fruits that get too expensive depending on the season.

I like reading about what's happening around the world. It kinda gives me perspective to how my life fits into the larger scheme of things. And it helps to know that I'm not alone in the struggles that I face. It's also great to learn how others are coping and using their examples and tips in my own life.