Photographer Mark Menjivar spent over three years traveling across the US examining food issues and culture. During his travels, he asked people if he could photograph their refrigerators and thus put together his latest project, “You Are What You Eat.”
It wasn’t an easy request for many of Menjivar’s subjects. Many of us treat our refrigerators as a private space meant only to be seen by ourselves. While asking permission, Menjivar often felt as if he was asking his subjects to pose nude. All refrigerators were photographed as-is, without any advance styling or arranging.
Menjivar’s subjects span many socioeconomic strata, ranging from a bartender to an anesthesiologist. He hopes people will look at the photos and think deeply about how we care for our bodies and ourselves.
Photos © Mark Menjivar. He can be found at markmenjivar.com and 20x200.com
Carpenter/photographer, San Antonio, TX, three-Person Household, 12-Point Buck, 2008
Bartender, San Antonio, TX, one-Person Household, goes to sleep at 8AM and wakes up at 4 pm daily, 2008
Midwife/middle school science teacher, San Antonio, TX, three-person household (including dog), first week after deciding to eat locally grown vegetables, 2008
Street Advertiser, San Antonio, TX, one-person household, lives on $432 fixed monthly income, 2007
Disabled, Marathon,TX, two-person household, weighed 390 pounds earlier this year, 2007
Photos © Mark Menjivar. He can be found at markmenjivar.com and 20x200.com
Retired train conductor, Jackson, MS, one-person household, started Meals on Wheels in his community, 2008
Red Cross board member, San Antonio, TX, one-person household, sleeps with a loaded .45 pistol on nightstand, 2008
Owner of defunct amusement park, Alpine, TX, one-person household, former WW II Prisoner of War, 2007
Restaurant owner, Waco, TX, one-person household, has a photographic memory for useless information., 2009
Documentary filmmakers, San Diego, CA, three-person household, efforts have helped send millions of dollars to children in Uganda, 2008
Photos © Mark Menjivar. He can be found at markmenjivar.com and 20x200.com
Botanist, Ft. Wayne, IN, one-person household, feels more comfortable among flora and fauna of his era than people, 2008
Community volunteer, San Angelo, TX, one-person household, completely blind and lives alone, 2007
Construction worker/house wife, San Angelo, TX, four-person household, wife wakes every morning at 4 am to cook breakfast for family, 2007
Anesthesiologist, Ft. Worth , TX, three-person household, youngest son works on lobster boat in Alaska, day after Thanksgiving, 2007
Short order cook, Marathon,TX, two-person household, she can bench press over 300 pounds, 2007
Photos © Mark Menjivar. He can be found at markmenjivar.com and 20x200.com
Graphic designer/print shop owner, two-person household, founder of www.DeliverUsFromLiberals.com, 2008
School crossing guard/nursing home assistant, Austin, TX, six-person household, parents and three adult children live in an efficiency apartment, 2007
Custodian/convenience store clerk, two-person household, Ft. Wayne, IN, ate nothing but donuts for over three years, 2008
Journalist/designer/school teacher, three-person household, Austin, TX, writes the obituaries for the local newspaper, 2009
Photos © Mark Menjivar. He can be found at markmenjivar.com and 20x200.com