The persimmons are orange lanterns on the tree, but the leaves have not changed color and the fruits are still hard, so not yet ready to harvest. No persimmon bread for Thanksgiving, but maybe persimmon cookies for Christmas.As Thanksgiving draws near one of the things that I am thankful for is being an American and being able to live in a sturdy home in a beautiful part of the world with a garden and fruit and nut trees. I’m also thankful for loving family and friends and for the opportunity to love them back. This year I’m especially grateful for the job I started in the summer. We help people who have been in pain to learn how to control and diminish, and sometimes to conquer that pain. I’m doing the clerical part mostly, but I do get to assist with the lunch prep, too. I'm thankful that I enjoy cooking.
We are having a clinic this week where I work and the folks attending come from all over the world. It is an eye-opener to talk with them and to learn the many things about their countries that are different, and sometimes better, than our country. Even folks from the other side of the United States remind me that I live in an area of exceptional natural beauty. I’ve never doubted it and am very grateful. Sometimes I do take for granted how easy it is to shop for the food we serve.
We serve a gourmet lunch each day for 25 or so people with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread baked at a local bakery, low fat poultry, hummus, goat cheese, and things like corn and bean, tuna, salmon, and lentil salads. Since we live in California, the availability of a variety of fresh fruits and veggies and herbs makes it easy to prepare these meals. Because a lot of the shopping takes place at Costco, we are buying foods from many other countries, too. Except for the hummus, all of the foods are prepared from scratch. As we cooked, chopped, sliced, stirred and grated, we happened to talk about some friends and relatives who have moved abroad and what U.S foods they miss. Today's local paper also had an article about ex-pats in France missing American foods as they prepare for Thanksgiving, and what they miss. It got me thinking.
Even though we have access to a lot of high quality, nutritious foods in the United States, the foods that Americans seem to miss when they go abroad are things like Top Ramen soups, Triscuits, and the classic, cheesiest dinner, Macaroni and Cheese with that bright orange cheese powder in the packet. That seems odd to me since I haven’t eaten those foods in ages. I might miss frozen pizza, one of the few fast foods that I eat, usually when I am too tired to cook. It’s not that I don’t like Mac and Cheese, but I don’t crave it and the sodium levels are pretty high for me health-wise. Pizza isn’t too great that way, either, but I guess I crave it more often.
Mostly, if I lived somewhere else that had regular seasons, I’d miss good salad greens year round, and a steady supply of melons, oranges, and lemons. Perhaps we should eschew them when they are out of season here, but melon in the morning is such a great way to start the day. Also, bananas are almost always at hand to have with the melons, as a snack, or in a sandwich. They might be hard to come by year round in some places. I’d probably also miss turkey. It is readily available here at the Willie Bird store, but might be a seasonal item elsewhere.
What would you miss if you were living someplace other than where you live now, especially in another country from where you grew up? If you already live away from your native country, what do you crave that you can't find where you live? What foods are you thankful for? Are you a fan of Macaroni and Cheese with the bright orange powdered cheese like many people are? Is it the Cheesiest?
We are having a clinic this week where I work and the folks attending come from all over the world. It is an eye-opener to talk with them and to learn the many things about their countries that are different, and sometimes better, than our country. Even folks from the other side of the United States remind me that I live in an area of exceptional natural beauty. I’ve never doubted it and am very grateful. Sometimes I do take for granted how easy it is to shop for the food we serve.
We serve a gourmet lunch each day for 25 or so people with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread baked at a local bakery, low fat poultry, hummus, goat cheese, and things like corn and bean, tuna, salmon, and lentil salads. Since we live in California, the availability of a variety of fresh fruits and veggies and herbs makes it easy to prepare these meals. Because a lot of the shopping takes place at Costco, we are buying foods from many other countries, too. Except for the hummus, all of the foods are prepared from scratch. As we cooked, chopped, sliced, stirred and grated, we happened to talk about some friends and relatives who have moved abroad and what U.S foods they miss. Today's local paper also had an article about ex-pats in France missing American foods as they prepare for Thanksgiving, and what they miss. It got me thinking.
Even though we have access to a lot of high quality, nutritious foods in the United States, the foods that Americans seem to miss when they go abroad are things like Top Ramen soups, Triscuits, and the classic, cheesiest dinner, Macaroni and Cheese with that bright orange cheese powder in the packet. That seems odd to me since I haven’t eaten those foods in ages. I might miss frozen pizza, one of the few fast foods that I eat, usually when I am too tired to cook. It’s not that I don’t like Mac and Cheese, but I don’t crave it and the sodium levels are pretty high for me health-wise. Pizza isn’t too great that way, either, but I guess I crave it more often.
Mostly, if I lived somewhere else that had regular seasons, I’d miss good salad greens year round, and a steady supply of melons, oranges, and lemons. Perhaps we should eschew them when they are out of season here, but melon in the morning is such a great way to start the day. Also, bananas are almost always at hand to have with the melons, as a snack, or in a sandwich. They might be hard to come by year round in some places. I’d probably also miss turkey. It is readily available here at the Willie Bird store, but might be a seasonal item elsewhere.
What would you miss if you were living someplace other than where you live now, especially in another country from where you grew up? If you already live away from your native country, what do you crave that you can't find where you live? What foods are you thankful for? Are you a fan of Macaroni and Cheese with the bright orange powdered cheese like many people are? Is it the Cheesiest?
