Shoshana 🏳️⚧️Move over Eurovision, the true ranking of European nations is here: the cheese map of Europe!
Probertd8@LilahTovMoon "We should be ashamed!" Economist & part time Prime Minister Liz (she tanks) Truss.
@Probertd8 That's the weirdest part of the map for me. Most countries have pretty similar consumption to similar countries. The Baltics are similar, Nordics are similar, the north-central countries are similar… and then the UK and Ireland are so different.
Eva Chanda@LilahTovMoon @Probertd8 Greater proportion of lactose-intolerant or culturally cheese-shunning immigrants? More urban poverty? Impoverished social housing residents probably don't have money for cheese, especially now.
@echanda @Probertd8 Maybe? British demographics aren't that different from Irish demographics. As of 2011, white people were 87.2% of the UK's population and 94.2% of Ireland's population. Even if immigrant groups consumed zero cheese, it wouldn't explain Ireland consuming 3.4x more cheese per-capita.
Like, if all immigrants in the UK consumed zero cheese (including white non-Irish immigrants), it would mean that White British + White Irish folks ate 8kg per capita which would still put Ireland 2.8x ahead.
It's hard to overcome a 3.4x gap.
@LilahTovMoon @echanda Oh gosh you've gone all technical - firstly - you don't quite where your demographics come from?
Secondly Irish demographics - which Irish demographics?
Thirdly British - Is that full UK Inc N Ireland or what (you seen to use both) - not specified.
Fourthly Immigrant groups?
Secondly Irish demographics - which Irish demographics?
Thirdly British - Is that full UK Inc N Ireland or what (you seen to use both) - not specified.
Fourthly Immigrant groups?
The specific numbers aren't that important. Whether it's 70%, 80%, 85%, or 87.2%, it's not possible to explain a 3.4x consumption gap with differences in immigration.
Even if 50% of the UK were lactose intolerant, it would mean that the other half would only be eating 13.2kg/year compared to 22.5kg. 71% of the UK population would have to be zero-cheese for the remaining 29% to eat 22.5kg/year.
I just grabbed the 2011 UK census numbers and 2011 Irish numbers (the country, not the island) from Wikipedia. It is full UK. But the specifics aren't that important. The UK has marginally more non-white folks, but the gap is many times too large to be explained by that.
@LilahTovMoon @Probertd8
That's why I also suggested poverty: I suspect UK has greater income inequality than Ireland, which would also fit the pattern seen in Europe, with Russia, Moldova, and Serbia consuming even less.
That's why I also suggested poverty: I suspect UK has greater income inequality than Ireland, which would also fit the pattern seen in Europe, with Russia, Moldova, and Serbia consuming even less.