There I was fixing myself some avocado with a liberal squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt, ready to be smothered over a whole wheat cracker, when it dawned on me...since coming to Israel many moons ago, I've learnt to love a lot of food and drink that I previously hated or had no idea existed, but which are in abundance over here.
Some of the stuff I love today that you'll find in the average Israeli's larder (larder, eh?) but probably won't find in me Ma's...
- Avocado
- Tea (without milk of course, never used to touch the stuff prior to Israel)
- Watermelon
- Mango
- Strawberries (hated 'em in Blighty)
- Cottage cheese
- Sour cream
- Sweetcorn
- Peanut flavoured Wotsits (Bamba)
- Turkish coffee
- Pita bread
- Humus
- Pickled cucumbers
So, my previously limited culinary tastes (limited to my mum's cooking and a few Pot Noodles) have been expanded within a few years to encompass all kinds of goodies. It's got me thinking - if I had never left, would I still be noshing on Pot Noodles, fish and chips, Weetabix...? Would I have had the chance to experience Turkish coffee on a cold, hungover morning, or mango on a hot, summer day? I'm guessing that not and that's kinda sad, even though British supermarkets are stocking ever more exotic stuff and people are a lot more adventurous these days...