When You Go, Be Sure to Try the.....

This afternoon I was watching the show "Top Chef" and it got me thinking about food--which is something I tend to think about frequently. I happened to be making tonight's dinner while watching (pasta salad--mmmm!!), and I was reminded of all the delicious food I've eaten when I travel.

In my sophomore year of high school I went on an exchange trip to Italy. Since it was my first trip outside the country, I was both excited and nervous. But I've always liked Italian food--or, at least, the American perception of Italian food. When I actually got to Italy I discovered that real Italian food is nothing like what you get here. It's way better. Of course I had the usual staples, pasta and pizza (my favorite was a slice that had tuna on it--it tasted a lot better than it sounds). Even they were better in Italy, and their origins are not even Italian (pizza I'm pretty sure is an American invention and the first noodles came from Asia). What made things a bummer however was that I was in the land of delicious bread during Passover--the one week when I'm not allowed to eat any bread. That year was the first and only time I broke Passover. I figured, "G-d will forgive me, I'm in Italy!" (But my host mom was really nice and bought me some matzoh anyway.) 

The summer after my sophomore year of college I did my archaeology field school in Cyprus. The seven weeks I was there was the best chance I got to experience the wonderful thing that is Mediterranean food. Olive oil is of course everywhere, but that's not a problem in the slightest. I finally got to try a gyro (pronounced "gee-roh", not "jai-ro"--it's Greek), with tzatziki (cucumber sauce), which was delicious. I got my choice of beef, pork, or chicken--I chose chicken. I also got to try souflaki (sp?), which is lamb. Now, there is a part of me that has a problem eating a cute little baby sheep (well, when you put it like that!), but it was quite yummy nonetheless. And I enjoy trying new food.

And speaking of trying new food: Summer of 2011 I got to go on a Birthright trip to Israel. Now, I have of course had falafel before (at temple), but everything always tastes better in the land from whence it came. I was in Israel, I had to try falafel. It would have been a crime not to. One night a group of us ate at a nice kabob place, and a friend of mine decided to be adventurous and order a kabob of chicken hearts. Yes, chicken hearts. Not normally a part of the chicken you would eat, but I decided to be adventurous too and asked to try one. Predictably, it tasted like chicken, and had the texture of any other bit of fat you'd find on a piece of meat (except it's a muscle). It really wasn't bad. Before I tried it I proclaimed myself Anthony Bourdain--"No Reservations". That was a great trip.

I always make it a point whenever I go somewhere new to try the food. You can learn a lot about a culture from their cuisine--and how people interact at the dinner table. 

So, where will I go and what will I try next? I hear Chicago's deep-dish pizza is to-die-for.....