On May 14, 3:13*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> From:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/bu...s/14food.html?....
>
> * * *The United States uses - or throws away - 3,770 calories
> * * *a person each day, according to data from the United Nations
> * * *Food and Agriculture Organization collected in 2001-3, compared
> * * *with 2,440 calories per person in India.
>
> * * *[..]
>
> * * *Pradeep S. Mehta, secretary general of the center for
> * * *international trade, economics and the environment of
> * * *CUTS International, an independent research institute
> * * *based here, said that if Americans slimmed down to the
> * * *weight of middle-class Indians, many hungry people in
> * * *sub-Saharan Africa would find food on their plates.
>
> * * *He added, archly, that the money spent in the United
> * * *States on liposuction to get rid of fat from excess
> * * *consumption could be funneled to feed famine victims.
>
> * * *Mr. Mehta's comments may sound like the macroeconomic
> * * *equivalent of "so's your old man", but they reflect genuine
> * * *outrage and ballooning criticism toward the United States
> * * *in particular, over recent remarks by President Bush.
>

The story goes on to be a bit more balanced. At a recent press
conference, Bush was asked to comment about food price increases here
in the U.S. He gave an ignorant response that has been widely
reported and discussed in India. Basically he tried to blame it on the
growth of the Indian middle class. This is the context in which this
Indian talking head made his snide remarks. The whole thing is not
substantive, it's just a dumb politician's remark evoking dumb
responses.

You didn't quote this apropos remark a couple of paragraphs later:

In response to the president’s remarks, a ranking official
in the commerce ministry, Jairam Ramesh, told the Press
Trust of India, “George Bush has never been known for his
knowledge of economics,” and the remarks proved again
how “comprehensively wrong” he is.