I love my roommate (plus a food question)

[monkeybabe]

He came home from Jerusalem and the first thing he said when he saw me was, "I didn't bring you a present." Well, this morning he brought me this za'atar box to read, because the Arabic to English translation on one side was hilarious. Then he informed me that I had to share it with him, but he brought me za'atar, which is a blend of herbs, and the way he taught me to eat it was by adding olive oil to some of it and then you sop it up with pita. It's amazingly delicious. You can get it in the U.S, or make it yourself, but it's not the same. Every time his parents go to the middle east, they bring him back some and this time (his first time going to Israel) he went to a market and the owner mixed it up right there and then heat sealed the bag so he could bring it home. 

I could seriously live on Middle Eastern food and I want to eat some so badly, but I don't want to buy a thing of pita right before leaving town and have it mold or something before I can finish it.

So, what's your favorite style of food? I always thought Italian was my favorite until I moved to Portland and had Lebanese and other Middle Eastern food. North African food is really good, too. Mmmmm, Moroccan. 

[TrudyCampbell]

Middle Eastern food is my favorite, too! Yummm.

[The Foozzler]

Mmmmm! I love za'atar bread! I brought some back from my last trip to Israel.

[monkeybabe]

Also, one thing that made me happy was his experience there because, as a Palestinian guy, his family's opinions on Israel are often not awesome. I feel like our media blows shit up so bad, so it's hard to tell what's real and he while he doesn't like the government there, he said the Israeli people were really cool, and he wasn't sure what to expect on that front.

[The Foozzler]

While I love a good schwarma or falafel, it is not my favorite cuisine.

I love good Mexican food. An authentic Mexican street taco is delicious. I had a friend whose mom made some awesome food.

[shevacc]

I could eat Italian food every day -- my grandparents on my dad's side grew up in Italy. But I think I might have to pick Indian as my favorite. Everywhere I've lived around the country has had different stellar and sub-par restaurant cuisines. The Seattle area has great any-kind-of-Asian food, but I haven't found good middle Eastern. And the BBQ is terrible and Mexican food is nothing special here. In NC, I would probably pick Mexican food.

[monkeybabe]

May 16, 2013 14:14:58 GMT -5 shevacc said:

I could eat Italian food every day -- my grandparents on my dad's side grew up in Italy. But I think I might have to pick Indian as my favorite. Everywhere I've lived around the country has had different stellar and sub-par restaurant cuisines. The Seattle area has great any-kind-of-Asian food, but I haven't found good middle Eastern. And the BBQ is terrible and Mexican food is nothing special here. In NC, I would probably pick Mexican food.

It's so hard to find good Mexican food here. The best places I've found have been food trucks out in the 'burbs. I feel like every other restaurant in Portland is Thai, haha.

[katfco]

I love Chinese and Italian, but when we were in China, we visited the western province, which had strong middle eastern influences. While there we practically lived on lamb kabobs, homemade yogurt and naan (some type of bagel-like bread).

Our best food experience was having a street vendor cut a piece of mutton off a fully roasted lamb--the thing even had a bow on its head!

[The Foozzler]

May 16, 2013 14:18:09 GMT -5 monkeybabe said:

May 16, 2013 14:14:58 GMT -5 shevacc said:

I could eat Italian food every day -- my grandparents on my dad's side grew up in Italy. But I think I might have to pick Indian as my favorite. Everywhere I've lived around the country has had different stellar and sub-par restaurant cuisines. The Seattle area has great any-kind-of-Asian food, but I haven't found good middle Eastern. And the BBQ is terrible and Mexican food is nothing special here. In NC, I would probably pick Mexican food.

It's so hard to find good Mexican food here. The best places I've found have been food trucks out in the 'burbs. I feel like every other restaurant in Portland is Thai, haha.

My best friend lives just below Spanish Harlem. We go to one of the best Mexican places ever just a few blocks away.

[shevacc]

May 16, 2013 14:18:09 GMT -5 monkeybabe said:

May 16, 2013 14:14:58 GMT -5 shevacc said:

I could eat Italian food every day -- my grandparents on my dad's side grew up in Italy. But I think I might have to pick Indian as my favorite. Everywhere I've lived around the country has had different stellar and sub-par restaurant cuisines. The Seattle area has great any-kind-of-Asian food, but I haven't found good middle Eastern. And the BBQ is terrible and Mexican food is nothing special here. In NC, I would probably pick Mexican food.

It's so hard to find good Mexican food here. The best places I've found have been food trucks out in the 'burbs. I feel like every other restaurant in Portland is Thai, haha.

I've had good Thai food in Portland, that's true! I wonder if Seattle has decent Mexican food trucks too? I like getting seafood best in Portland, though.

[rileym2010]

Middle eastern is quickly becoming a new favorite. I have been cooking through the cookbook: An Edible Mosaic- the author also has a food blog by the same name- and have really enjoyed it. My other favorites are German, Japanese, and Vietnamese.

[imimahoney]

LOVE Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African food, which I include Moroccan, Turkish and some Greek dishes. I do not like Ethiopian food.. way too fatty and buttery. 

The best falafel I've ever had (and I've had a lot!) was from a hole in the wall store front in the Arab quarter in Jerusalem.  

[imimahoney]

May 16, 2013 14:09:27 GMT -5 monkeybabe said:

Also, one thing that made me happy was his experience there because, as a Palestinian guy, his family's opinions on Israel are often not awesome. I feel like our media blows shit up so bad, so it's hard to tell what's real and he while he doesn't like the government there, he said the Israeli people were really cool, and he wasn't sure what to expect on that front.

Yeah, the western media doesn't know a thing about Middle Eastern politics or day to day events.  

[fusion]

Tex-mex is amaze-balls. I also love Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines.

[devotchka]

I love middle eastern food but then I went to Israel and now I can't stand it here, it's never ever as good as it was there! Nothing comes close, sadly. MMMM... 

We actually had some amazing Morrocan food there too.  

[rjamz]

I looove Middle Eastern food.

You should pick up the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi. It's so good - it combines Arab and Jewish food from Jerusalem. Buy it now, thank me later!

www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=sr_1_1_ha?ie=UTF8&qid=1368796077&sr=8-1&keywords=jerusalem+cookbook

[rileym2010]

May 17, 2013 8:08:49 GMT -5 rjamz said:

I looove Middle Eastern food.

You should pick up the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi. It's so good - it combines Arab and Jewish food from Jerusalem. Buy it now, thank me later!

www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=sr_1_1_ha?ie=UTF8&qid=1368796077&sr=8-1&keywords=jerusalem+cookbook

It is in my wish list! DH said that I have reached my cookbook allowance for the year. I may need to sneak this one past him.

[rjamz]

May 17, 2013 9:01:30 GMT -5 rileym2010 said:

May 17, 2013 8:08:49 GMT -5 rjamz said:

I looove Middle Eastern food.

You should pick up the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi. It's so good - it combines Arab and Jewish food from Jerusalem. Buy it now, thank me later!

www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=sr_1_1_ha?ie=UTF8&qid=1368796077&sr=8-1&keywords=jerusalem+cookbook

It is in my wish list! DH said that I have reached my cookbook allowance for the year. I may need to sneak this one past him.

Do it! It's so good and so so beautiful to flip through

[monkeybabe]

May 17, 2013 8:08:49 GMT -5 rjamz said:

I looove Middle Eastern food.

You should pick up the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi. It's so good - it combines Arab and Jewish food from Jerusalem. Buy it now, thank me later!

www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=sr_1_1_ha?ie=UTF8&qid=1368796077&sr=8-1&keywords=jerusalem+cookbook

One of the featured recipes on Amazon is "Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts". That sounds amazing. I wish lamb wasn't so expensive, because it's soooo good.

[DesertMoon]

I love arabic food, I gre up on it, so it makes me feel at home. However I do not like za tar! Blah! But everyone loves it except me. If you like za tar, you should try lahim majeen its just like zatar but ita meat and a yummy sauce on the pita.