Beef was not cheap in 1961. At least, not for most people. The American everything-with-meat diet started basically as conspicuous consumption, because living on gruel and forage (mostly in the old country, but also the Depression) was in living memory.
This stat probably reflects that most of the world isn’t on the edge of starvation anymore, like it was in 1961. (Now it’s just a notable minority)
I wonder how much of it might also have been to deliberately show off American wealth compared to communist countries during the cold war. Like the whole comparisons of having shelves of different brands of the same food.
Beef was not cheap in 1961. At least, not for most people. The American everything-with-meat diet started basically as conspicuous consumption, because living on gruel and forage (mostly in the old country, but also the Depression) was in living memory.
This stat probably reflects that most of the world isn’t on the edge of starvation anymore, like it was in 1961. (Now it’s just a notable minority)
I wonder how much of it might also have been to deliberately show off American wealth compared to communist countries during the cold war. Like the whole comparisons of having shelves of different brands of the same food.