...I missed my tomatoes!!!

So many tomatoes!!!

Since moving to Israel, I have loved shuk shopping.  I have eaten fruits and vegetables seasonally and taken their freshness for granted.  I grew up in Chicago, though, and there, I also ate fruits an vegetables.  Carrots and tomatoes were a staple in my diet.  (Mini carrots, the epitome of my childhood, have only recently become a thing here).  We had salad with dinner, and I had at least two fruits in my lunch.

On my most recent trip to visit my family, though, I was extremely disappointed with my vegetable options.  Everyone says the produce in Israel is better, but I had never been able to tell the difference.  Not only was it expensive.  Simply put, it was just bad.  I love tomatoes, but I didn't eat one the whole two weeks I was in town, and that wasn't for lack of trying.  I had become a spoiled Israeli used to fresh, good-tasting tomatoes.  It makes sense to me now why American salads are so heavily based on lettuce (the vegetables themselves don't taste good) and Israeli salads are not (our cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, etc. all taste so fresh and flavorful).

Upon landing I was grateful to be returning to a country of fresh veggies, fruits, and falafels!  I missed the berries of America--you can't find blackberries or raspberries here--but I was delighted by the tomatoes!