A Taste of Israel

Toothbrush: Check.
Passport: Check.
Excessive number of shoes: Check.
Excited traveller: CHECK!!

     Tomorrow at noon, I will leave the Wayland parking lot and head for Dallas. The next day is take-off. It seems like only yesterday when I excitedly told my roommate that there were only 150 days until departure. This was a fun morning because we soon counted forward 3 days to when she would become a beautiful bride. Congratulations to Cameron Harper and Courtney Warren, I wish I could be in two places at once!
     It is now that we come to an awful confession of mine. It is with deepest shame that I admit to my readers that I, Katie Jo Bice, am a picky eater. This term immediately gives me a mental picture of a rail-thin little girl whose nose is permanently turned up from regularly pushing her plate forward with her index finger. I'd like to dispell that idea. I want to like food! Unfortunately, my tastes are more at home in the kids' menu than fine dining establishments.
     I admit this to you, because I have gotten a few questions about the food in Israel. Come to think of it, I had no idea what I will be exposed to in Israel. It is my intention to try everything with an open mind and hopefully to enjoy it. But what exactly will I be trying? I did a little research.

Falafel are deep-fried balls of seasoned, ground chickpeas. They might be considered the unofficial national dish. You can find falafel served by street vendors, perhaps like we might see hotdogs or tacos in the states.

     Another common Israeli food is hummus. You can eat it as a dip for pita bread or I suppose anything else you can think of. Elena Ferretti says it's like America's peanut butter.
   
     I'm not gonna lie. Thus far, I'm nervous. Lucky for me, Israelis eat a lot of chicken. "And fish! Dead fish! From the Dead Sea!" Obviously, the Dead Sea is notoriously void of fish, but the Mediterranean is a source of plentiful seafood. Israeli cuisine also includes a lot of fruit. These all sound pretty safe for a Picky Pete. And for bread-a-tarians like myself, Challah looks like a delightful snack.
     These are just a few of the flavors I dug up. I'm sure I'll experience these and many more. Either way, I've already packed my animal crackers and pop-tarts to avoid potential starvation. Tonight I'll bake cookies to deal with my nerves and have a snack for the drive to Dallas. There are 41 other travellers and chocolate chips are a great way to make friends :)