There really is no comparison. Middle Eastern food makes American food look like a joke. It's like trying to compare fillet mignon with Gerber baby food. Pointless.
I discovered something new about myself on this trip. I realized that I have my dad's adventurous streak, and that I'll try just about anything, as long as it's not trying to crawl off my plate. And no, there were no creepy crawly things to be had. Farrrrr from it.
I lived in the Jewish quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem, so all the restaurants in that part of the city are kosher. And MAN was the food good! On a typical day, here's what a casual breakfast consisted of:
To Drink: Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, orange juice, and lemonade. And I mean FRESHly squeezed. As in they took the orange, or grapefruit, or whatever fruit it was, and squeezed it right into the pitcher, no extra sugar. Just the way God made it, icy cool and sweet as juice ever was.
Starters: Freshly baked loaves of wheat bread, still hot enough to melt all the creamy butter your heart desires. And you haven't lived until you've put honey or strawberry preserves on it.
Main course: Vegetables are a big deal in the Middle East, so it's pretty common, if not expected, to have salad at every meal. But I don't mean that horrid bagged iceburg lettuce stuff with dyed purple cabbage pieces scattered in it. I'm talking about real, green lettuce, with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, with olive oil and herbs as dressing. Then on the side are plates of green or black olives (whichever you prefer), fresh tuna fish, at least four different types of gourmet cheeses, and omelettes.
To finish the job: Coffee, of course, the best to be had. Your choice: Café Americano, Espresso (so strong you could stand your spoon in it), or my personal favorite, cappuccino. :)
And that was just breakfast.
Even though the days seemed longer while I was there, I felt like it was always time to eat something! But I could never complain. My lunch and dinner favorites were anything that came with pita and hummus (I would slather hummus on just about anything... it was kind of pathetic), and shawarma laffa, a kind of wrap with marinated chicken, lamb, or beef, with hummus, cucumbers, onions, and spicy sauces, all wrapped in a thin tortilla-like flatbread. Just thinking about it makes me hungry again. Sad face. :( I also got to try Arabic food, which was also fantastic, although slightly different in some of it's preparations.
Besides just tasting amazing, the wonderful thing about eating food in the Holy Land is the fact that food isn't just about survival, or eating for the sake of it. Meals are about family, about conversation, about just enjoying being with people.
And that's really the most beautiful thing about it.
Precious, Yes! ! ! indeed The family ties are so strong that even you, a visitor, are made so welcomed, that you feel part a of their family. I wonder where along the way did we loose those sense of family ties in the West generally and Britain in particular.
ReplyDeleteSweetheart ! the FOOOOOOOOOOD. You made my mouth water as I recollect the table spread of food.