Cucumbers

Since being here I have lost a whole 7 kilos, that's about 15 pounds for us Americans. It's the Middle East diet! Don't get me wrong, the food here is unbelievably delicious, it's just that it's all so much healthier for you..as long as you keep a healthy daily minimum pita intake. I only allow myself to have one piece of white pita bread a day...it's so hard b/c they are oh so yummy!

All of the fruits and veggies here just taste so scrumptious. They are all juicier, bigger, sweeter and more delicious than the fruits and veggies back home. I've heard it's b/c they don't use any pesticides here. Which is why we must wash them really well before eating them.

Back home one of my least favorite veggies was cucumbers...I just did not like them one bit. Here though I can't get enough of them. They are so good! And they are used in so many Arab dishes. Pretty much every salad here has huge chuncks of tomatoes and cucumbers in it, so if you don't like them then you're pretty much out of luck.
I hope that my obsession with cucumbers is able to continue when I return to the States...

There are fruit & veggie stands all over the city. There's one about a 10 minute walk away from out flat. I walk there once every other week to stock up. The guys there know me...I'm the American girl that comes in with her backpack and loads it up with bags and bags of goodies!

My bi-weekly fruit stand trip is also a good workout with that heavy backpack of mine! I'm sure I'm a funny sight to see walking down the street on the weeks I decide to buy a watermelon!