Food

Ironic, isn't it, that the United States hosts the cultural phenomenon of wanting to whittle the waist and tighten thighs, but it also suffers from a very high obesity rate. To balance another oddity on this tower, consider how food is consumed and valued in the U.S. versus in other countries.

In the U.S. food is big. Big Mac. Supersize. Big Gulp. Not only grande, but venti. We eat on the run, eat at our desks, I've seen people practically inhale food. Resturaunts serve enough food for an average person to have three meals, but often times leftover don't make it home. Thanksgiving is called "turkey day." Coffee shops fill our cups with sugar and flavors and lots of milk.

In France I saw very few overweight people (especially in Paris), but food was all over the place. Patisseries were at least two to a block, and you could always find a brassarie with its street-facing tables and chairs. To my great pleasure, the French understand some key foods very well: coffee (served strong, and if you order cafe au lait or cafe creme, it's still strong with rich milk), yaourt (yogurt- the best I've had in the world came from French supermarkets), pastries (try pain au chocolat or pain au amandes avec chocolat), and bread and soft cheeses. I hear that food is so important to French social life that many people would rather go all day without eating than eat alone. It's worth it to wait.

In Italy food and wine go together (in France wine is important as well, but I did not experience that first-hand). Even at our hostel they served (cheap) wine with dinner every night. Again, food was everywhere, in resturaunts, open markets, fruit stands, and grocery markets. We weren't in Italy long enough to pick up on their food traditions, but I have a feeling they are similar to those in France. I suppose the only way to find out for sure is to return for another visit.

And this brings me to Jordan. Food in the Middle East is diverse, but there are a few staples in every kitchen: couscous, bread, lamb, coffee, coriander, and mint, as well as seasonal fruits and veggies. Meals are a family affair, and if you happen to be in the house (regardless of whether you live in this particular house), you're family, and you will eat.

In the household where I am spending the summer, dinner time is quite the production and it takes at least most if not all the family to prepare and serve the meal. When we host guests, the kitchen is a lively place of simmering pots, hands chopping vegetables, slicing fruit, and scooping melon into neat little balls. Then we take food out in Palestinian serving dishes of blue and white pottery.

Today I ate "fast food" like no other fast food I have ever eaten (I must note, however, the posh atmosphere of McDonald's in Italy-- very nice, with free toilets). I went to Lebnani Snack, a Lebanese fast food chain. They have fresh fruit cocktails and fresh squeezed juices. The food is also fresh, made after it has been ordered. And oh so yummy. If they did fast food in the States like the do Lebnani Snack here, I would eat fast food.