Category — Groovy Thoughts From Others

Talk about manna from heaven. Israel is home to Jewish people from more than 70 nations — and of course, they all brought their food with them. Schnitzel from Austria, Moroccan couscous, and today, even pastrami from Brooklyn can easily be found on Israeli tables.

Manna from Heaven/anonymous

Check out these cool-for-summer recipes from The Daily Beast for dishes you’d find in Israeli homes (think beet-and-pomegranate salad…)

Ari, Jake & Amy, aka: The Nazarov Family (photo by: Jose Rodriguez)

“No, no, like this,” said Rohinikaku, swirling her hand in a circle like she was cleaning a window. This was in Mumbai, where I was staying in the flat of my husband’s aunt Rohini, the 74-year-old family matriarch, while I waited for our daughter to come home. We were making mango pickle, and I was plodding around in the slippery chunks, making a mess of it.

It’s no secret that food — making it, eating, learning it — brings families together. But for adoptive families like mine, food also bridges cultures, and closes time and space. Please check out this gorgeous essay by my friend Amy Rogers Nazarov about how bi bim bap helped introduce her to her son. Also check out Amy’s blog, WordKitchen.

Great stories this past Sunday — both in the main news section:

Harvesting quinoa (Equador)/by Didier Gentilhomme

A Food’s Global Success Creates a Quandry at Home: Quinoa is Now Too Expensive for Many Bolivians

Two thoughts: 1) we need to find a way to let the world benefit from a great source of nutrition like quinoa without taking it away from the people who have based their culinary culture on it, 2) will be interesting to see what, if anything, Bolivians substitute for quinoa

Black and White and Married in the South
Not about food at all, but couldn’t help wondering, hmmm…..what kind of awesome new twists on Southern cuisine might come out of this?