The Culture of Food

When asked to label different characteristics of a culture, food is one of the first things that pop into my mind. I think about how we label food by its origin. On a lazy Sunday afternoon when I don’t want to cook dinner I think of what I’m in the mood for and where I will order my dinner from. Will it be Chinese, Italian, Thai, Mexican, Middle Eastern; the choice are limitless.  However while traveling, instead of having the warped American version of a countries traditional cuisine, you get to experience the real thing.

Personally I know that when I go to a new place one of my favorite things to do is try all the food. However while traveling in the developing world this can be a little risky. Of course one of the main fears is getting sick, however in Nepal my fear is how spicy the food will be. The Nepali people love a variety of spices, one of their favorites being chili peppers. I, however, have a very low tolerance for spicy food and am affected by the slightest bit of spice.

Also, in Nepal, food is considered sacred. Therefore whatever is on your plate, you must finish.  On my first day here, after a 27 hour travel experience, we all sat down to eat our first dal bhat (which is the traditional food here).  

This dish is meant to be eaten with your hands

Only moments later I regretted that decision. Before I knew it, my eyes were tearing, my nose was running, and my mouth felt like it was burning from the inside out. However I knew I needed to finish the food so I got through it and then spent the next twenty minutes eating yogurt and sucking on bread.  Dal Bhat is not only the traditional meal in Nepal, it is also the only meal people eat on a daily basis. Dal Bhat is served twice a day, everyday.  After a week of this drastic dietary change my body couldn’t take it anymore. However I was in luck! Our first weekend here we celebrated Shabbot with the Tevel B’tzedek community and were given the opportunity to make Dinner.
In my delusional state I filled my plate with all the choices and began to eat.

We spent the day making salads, mashed potatoes, eggplant with tomato sauce, and several other comfort dishes that reminded us of home.  That evening the Nepali fellows joined us for the ceremony and meal. They were introduced to several of the Jewish Friday night customs and shared some of theirs with us. We were all excited to share our food with them and hear what they thought about it.  When the meal was served, the Nepali’s filled their plates, similarly to how I filled mine on that first day. It was clear that, like I had, they immediately regretted it.  When someone asked them how it was, they gritted their teeth and forced a smile. They said “it’s very good, but very sweet.” As we watched them painfully eat their dinner someone had the idea of bringing out chilli peppers for them. As soon as they saw the peppers there faces lit up and were so thankful! This new addition clearly made their Shabbat experience more enjoyable. 
It’s interesting to think about food as more than something that we like and don’t like, but as something that we become accustomed to and develop around.  I’m sure that if I had grown up around spicy food that I would love it also, and I’m also sure that at the end of these 10 months my tolerance for it will increase significantly.

This dish consists of tomato sauce topped
with an over easy egg

It is also possible that this same culturally exchange will be mutual for the nepali fellows. Maybe after living with us for 10 months they will also enjoy a side salad or the traditional Israeli dish shakshuka.