The Madsens of Cap Hope, Greenland

            The Madsen Family consists of Emil Madsen, 40, Erika Madsen, 26 (not sure if that’s really true), Abraham, 12, Martin, 9, and Belissa, 6.  Residing in Cap Hope, Greenland, the family sticks to a traditional Greenlandic diet consisting of A LOT of meat, breads, pastas, various prepared foods, fruits and vegetables, and quite a bit of fruit drinks.

Grains and Other Starchy Foods à $34.07

Dairy à $4.87

Meat, Fish, and Eggs à $53.97

Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts à $8.67

Condiments à $25.66

Snacks and Desserts à $54.25

Prepared Food à $35.66

Beverages à $36.40

Miscellaneous à $23.49

Total à $277.04 (1928.80 Danish Krone)

            The Madsen family consumed 60.8 pounds of meat in the May week in which they recorded their diet.  This would ordinarily be extremely expensive but because the Madsens hunted 47.4 pounds of that meat themselves (a $221.26 local value), the weekly meat price is manageable.  Their most eaten meats are ox, walrus, geese, and polar bears, all four of which fall under the hunted-themselves category.

            The Madsens spent the most amount of money per pound of food ($35.66/8.64 lb) on prepared foods (no surprise).  They used chicken bouillon, Cup o’ Noodles, spring rolls, sausage, and dried soup bases to supplement their home-cooked/prepared meals.  They had three full loaves of bread and 12 dinner rolls throughout the week and they all stuffed biscuits into their pockets for quick snacks throughout the days.  The family ate cold cereal in the morning, and had two types of both pasta and rice.  All this for $34.07

            As for fruits and vegetables, the Madsens didn’t appear to be fans.  The extent to which they had fruits and vegetables were canned oranges and “fruit cocktail,” yellow onions, and preserved mushrooms.  The family spent three times as much on Condiments as they did on fruits veggies.  They had multiple different sauces, both sweet and not, along with salt, pepper, sugar, and of course, narwhal oil.

            The family had many traditional American snacks such as Pringles, Ritz crackers, and Milky Way bars.  Interestingly, the family spent the most money out of all the category breakdowns on Snacks and Desserts ($54.25).  The Madsens’ only dairy products consisted of milk and butter.  They drank quite a bit of fruit-based drinks throughout the week (11 qt).  They also drank 40 teabags worth of tea and instant coffee.  The family spent some extra money on Prince cigarettes (three packs) to “compliment” their diet.

            Each family member has different favorites: Emil’s favorite food is polar bear, Erika’s is narwhal skin, Abraham and Belissa like traditional Greenlandic food and Martin loves Danish food.

For a full lineup of the Madsen family’s one-week diet see the pictures below.

The Madsen Family (from left to right, Emil, Erika, Martin, Belissa, and Abraham)

One's week worth of food eaten by the Madsen family