About This Culture: Food

Some people have asked us about the kind of food we eat in the Middle East. We love the food that we get to eat! We haven't had much of it since we've been in the States and we miss it. 

Often times it is chicken or lamb with rice. Our Arab friends eat a lot of rice and they always tell us that we should eat some more! 

One time a friend brought a meal over to our house and I took a picture. This dish is called Kibsa. Under the meat there's a lot of rice. The bottles that you see in the background are yogurt...they love yogurt with their rice! 

Fish is also common. This picture was taken when another friend brought over some fish for lunch one day. It's a complete meal with salad, rice, and fish! Instead of using salad dressing, our Arab friends squeeze lemon juice onto the salad. 

Something we had to get used to was using our hands to eat. Joseph is good at eating rice with his hands! It's also normal to sit on the floor to eat. Our Arab friends tell us that it's much easier that way! 

Hummus is something else that we have learned to love!! Joseph has loved it since he was little. Some places have better hummus than others and it's best with fresh, warm bread!! 

At the end of a meal it's the custom to bring out a big bowl of fruit. It's a great way to end the meal! Here's a fun picture of Megan with the bowl of fruit at one restaurant! 

Sometimes I have visited a friend's house when it wasn't meal time, but Arabs are great at hosting. They always have some food to bring out for their guests. Here's a picture of some food that I had during one of these types of visits. You see some breads, tea, and fruit! Do you know the fruit with all the red seeds? It's pomegranate! 

Recently we were sharing some hummus with some kids here in America and this is how they reacted!! haha!! It's okay with us that they didn't like it. That just means there's more for us!