VeggieTalk

Israelis live nicely but more modestly (and less wastefully) than Americans, but one thing they seem to do much more generously is to entertain. We had dinner at the homes of many of my relatives, and it seems no big deal to set out a table with six to eight different dishes. This is how it is typically done; all the food is set out on the table at once, and is passed round and round until everyone is stuffed silly. At every last meal, at least twice the amount of food needed was served, but no matter, I’m sure leftovers are well used and taste nearly as good the next day.

Here is a meal we were served at the home of one of my American cousins, Elaine; her Israeli husband, Alex is the cook in their home. Elaine and I grew up together in the suburbs of Detroit; she’s only a year older than me, but her kids are grown and they have an adorable first grandchild! Here is what Alex made: A mixed lettuce salad with mung bean sprouts and onions; steamed eggplant served with tahini, lemon, and fresh garlic; broccoli; corn on the cob; a tomato and cucumber salad with pine nuts and scallions; a fruity rice pilaf; and the best okra dish I’ve ever had. The first course was melon and cherries, and fresh pecans in the shell—straight from a tree in their yard.

By the way, being vegan in Israel is still somewhat unusual (though vegetarianism is not), but no one made an issue of our diet. The typically Mediterranean ingredients (including eggplant and tomatoes galore, peppers, pine nuts, chickpeas and other beans, sesame seeds and tahini, lemon, olive oil, etc.) make it easy to create meatless, dairy-free meals. Middle Eastern specialties like falafel, hummus, and mujaddarah are vegan to begin with and we had plenty of those as well.

Excuse me now, I feel like going to make a tomato and cucumber salad for breakfast …