Whenever I am eating mexican food I think that I could be from Mexico because I like it so much-- salsa, chips, beans rice, hot, mild, burros, tacos, baja whatever-- I love it. Then when I eat Italian I think it could be my favorite-- pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, stromboli, crusty bread, salad, garlic! But recently when I got my hands on some good Middle-Eastern falafel and hummus I thought "I love this food so much you would think I was Middle-Eastern myself." What it all boils down to is that I love food, all kinds of food- with great zeal.
I went to Park City (just me and Sam) for a quick outlet trip. Literally quick, I had just dropped Alex off at school and had 3 hrs to get there and come back and the drive itself is about 40 minutes. So I didn't have much more than an hour and for me and the Tanger outlets, that is nothing. I had excercised showered and then run out the door, and it was past lunch hour so I was really, really hungry. Well I knew that Park City was likely to have something yummy and I decided to go see what I could find. When I saw Reef's Middle-Eastern Restaurant, there was no question, no choice to make-- I was there in seconds getting falafel to go. The experience thereafter can scarcely be put in words. I have to quote what my husband told me about his meal later that night (he was out of town) because it was exactly how I felt "I don't remember the last time my spot got hit like that" his was breakfast (yes for dinner) and it was apparently very good. A picture would have been nice, but impossible, it was gone way to fast. It had been a loooong time since I had some good middle-eastern food. We had tons in AZ and I partook regularly. Since moving to UT we don't have much. I know there is some in SLC but I don't drive that far into a busy city usually just for that. Although I seriously have considered a regular trip to Park City just for Reef's. To elaborate on the Utah thing and please nobody be offended, but a lot of my friends that are born and raised here would turn falafel down flat because it is so unusual to them (I am gauging this off of some opinions I have gotten in reponse to hummus). Lets face it if you want good burgers fries and fry sauce, then you can go to any UT town where they, no question have got something that will kick butt. Utah has a lot of other good food too. But if mexican or middleastern is what you are looking for then the butts...not so much. I had to search for over a year before I found some decent gnocchi. Anyway now if anybody was offended hopefully this will help. I sadly admit, that I am guilty. I too turned falafel down based purely on the description once. I was at a Whole Food Grocery store in AZ (we are getting Whole Foods here now BTW) and they had a little "to go" bar with various foods sold by the pound. Falafel was one of the things offered and it looked good (like a huge meatball) but the description turned me off I am sure it said something to the effect of "ground chickpeas and spices put in a ball and fried.], " because that is what it is. I was missing out, it is delicious. To help you picture how this can actually taste good is to compare it to a meatless patty something a like a gardenburger. It is like that but better! Served up warm in a pita with hummus or tzatziki, cucumber and tomato-- heaven. Okay so they are fried and that isn't so healthy so I came home and googled some recipes and found some that you could bake. So I tried baking some up tonight and Sam and I liked them. Ed was not here and the other kids thought they were allright, not their favorite. I think if they were fried they would taste better, but doesn't everything? I can settle for the lower fat VERY healthy alternative.
Ok now that I just bore my testimony of the falafel. I am going to explain why I am so proud to be an American and that is that I have the best of all the worlds! I can love all these foods and eat them all and I don't HAVE to PICK! In Italy you get Italian , in Mexico - mexican, and in the Middleast mostly falafel (it is like their burger) and lamb and well middleastern food-- you get the picture. In the US you can get all of that and Indian (love it too) and Thai and Mimi's Cafe and Crepes and well again , you get the picture ANYTHING! Now that is one amazing country.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
Posted by Alisa at 10:43 PM
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11 comments:
Welcome to blogspot :)
I totally agree -- I love being an American! I am so adventurous with food, it's Brady that has come a long way since we have been married. He'd order the same thing at restaurants and make/eat food the way he always did. I give him credit for my love of tomatoes, and he totally owes me for helping him experience new things(although sometimes burnt things).
BTW, I need your hummus recipe from our Christmas party. Yum.
Yes Kariann I, like Brady, have been exposed to so much more in my adulthood. Our family (trying to please 6 kids) ate fairly typical foods- the most unique of which was French Onion Soup and we rarely got to go out to eat- too expensive. If we did go out it was almost always Taco Bell or Burger King-- no exaggeration. I am lucky because Ed's food horizons have expanded just as much as mine in adulthood and we love all the same things. I wonder if I should blog my black bean hummus recipe or just email it too you. The chickpea (traditional) hummus I made last night turned out to be one of my best batches ever-- I used Roni's recipe and changed it a tiny bit adding tahini and some olive oil. I think (hope) I could leave out the olive oil next time and it would still be good.
I remember things growing up differently--I feel like Mom and Dad exposed us to lots of different things. Maybe not Middle-Eastern or Thai, but we had lots of Chinese (do you remember making homemade wontons?) and real tamales, and raviolis, and tons of different vegetables, even some of the less popular ones like eggplant or radishes. We always ate different kids of fish, too. Trevor had never even heard of cilantro at the beginning of our marriage, but for me it was just something we always had. And I don't remember going out to fast food very much. It seems like when we did get a rare chance to eat out it was Togo's or Camelot Pizza. Maybe it's just the difference in years between us, or my fading memory, or my perception of what "typical" foods are. I don't know. But I feel like we had a wide variety of foods in our house and many of them were not typical. However, that's not to say that there wasn't a whole world of food out there that we hadn't tried.
That said, it sounds like Trevor and I will need to take a trip to Park City to try Reef's. He LOVES falafel and hummus and hasn't had a good falafel since he went to Amsterdam several years ago. And I've never had the opportunity to try one, but I'd like to!
Sorry this was so long!
I just noticed that I said "kids of fish" ha ha
Julie-- ha ha I didn't even see the "kids of fish" I had to go look back for it. Maybe that means my errors get overlooked sometimes too. Now that you bring somet things back to memory I do agree we were introduced to a variety of things that maybe other people were not. It wasn't always mac n' cheese and hotdogs. And I think we were decent kids in that we accepted many things, but definitely not all. I can't eat beets to this day because the unpleastant (to me) smell alone reminds me of a time I gagged on one as a kid. I don't mean any ill will toward Mom, she tried, but we didn't always accept. I remember only one time (Dad apparenly doesn't like eggplant) and we had one in the fridge-- I was probably 8 or so and I stared at that thing in there like it was cow's tongue. I was literally worried for the day it came to the table- I had heard something bad from someone and that was it. That is my only memory of egglpant it was DEFINITELY not a regular. Now, I LOVE eggplant one of my favorite vegetables! So thanks for pointing those things out but I do think that because there were so many pallates to please that we usually ended up with the more typical family favorites-- then the occassional artichoke or wonton. Wontons-- GOOD, how can anybody not like a fried meat dumpling! I do remember Togos now and I remembered Camelot too after I finished writing. Still it was rare, we did not eat out a lot and that is to Mom's credit, it is hard to cook meals everynight which she often did.
Julie btw--Reef's in Park City was really good and authenic. I assume it was, because I was talking to the owner who also made much of my meal, took my order, ran my bill and handed me my order. She is from Iran and says she has been here for 3 years (I assume she meant the US- not Park City). So I figure its the real thing- she still had a thick accent. She also gave me something (can't remember the name ) to mix in with my hummus and it is amazing! It was cilantro and garlic and I think jalepeno (something hot)she told me all the stuff but I can't remember it all-- it was all ground up together. It was new to me, but very good. The falafel sandwich was $6, don't know if prices are different for dinner, but I figure $6 bucks is typical for a sandwich when you eat out. Only usually it come with some side and this did not. I didn't check many other prices but I do know the falafel was one of the cheapest things. Meat dishes were more. I need to check out some in SLC and see how they compare.
I just stumbled across your blog through Erin's and loved this post. I was thinking the same thing the other night how I love so many different kinds of foods.
What middle eastern restaurants did you love in AZ? There is one in Tempe (Haji Baba's) that Rob and I love but we're always looking for new ones!
And I think you should blog your hummus recipes. I would love to try them!
Lachelle sorry I just saw this comment. We loved Haji Babas. I also liked the Pita Jungle-there are two of those and they are really trendy and kind of funky. Efes was right by our old house and it was really good but a little more expensive. Ed likes the Princess Cafe but I have never been there. There is one other place up by Haji Babas but I can't remember the name but it is just a block or so from the Pita Jungle. I'll post the hummus recipes. My only problem is my recipes are so crazy because I add a little this and that to taste and then don't ever know how much. I'll get it figured out and post it.
ALISA! I am a big fan of falafel, you can buy a mix at wild oats (I have also bought it at smiths before but not always at every store, hit or miss) It is really good! Homemade Taziki sauce is pretty easy to make but not as tasty as Costco's! You are lucky because Utah/SLC area has dozes of greek resturants (pete and I used to joke that there was a greek mafia there!) Anyway, they are perfect place for such delectable dishes!
Kjrst- I will look for the mix. Our Wild Oats is far but I am having been wanting to get there. We do have a lot of greek restaurants and yes your Mafia joke-- right on. However all the greek restaurants sells mostly burgers with a gyro or two on the menu and maybe some skewered chicken. Never falafel. I want to go back to get more at that place now- I was already craving it, but as I write the craving worsens!
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