My favorite food as a youth

I wrote this as part of the Writing to Wake Up group that met in the spring of 2012 at Marty and Jerry's home. Mark encouraged me to post it.

My favorite food as a youth

I knew immediately what I was going to write about when I heard that food was the topic for this evening. When I was young, we used to meet as a family for lunch. My father would come home from work around 2:00 pm and lunch was the big meal of the day. I can't remember what happened after lunch but I am imagining we did not go back to school or work 

My favorite lunch was (and still is) what we call mujaddira, lentils and rice and more. It is a very simple dish and we were always told it has been eaten in Palestine-- where my father grew up-- since ancient times. He said it was the poor man's meal and that it is mentioned in the Bible. 

The basic part of mujaddira is the lentil and rice part but that is only the core. On top of the lentils and rice (which are cooked together) you put a fresh tomato and cucumber salad with a lime/olive oil dressing and, then, on top of that, go caramelized onions. It think I particularly liked this meal because it was a kind of construction with lots of parts/pieces and one could be creative in building it like one builds a curry dish with all those condiments-- hot and cold, sour and sweet, crunchy and soft-- and burritos the way we make them at home, also with a host of add-ons like shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, and lettuce. 

Another Middle Eastern meal that reminds me of mujaddira is mulukhiyya which is a green related to hemp and is very popular in Egypt but is also found in Palestine and other countries in the region. My Aunt (Tante) Marie had a very special way of building mulukhiyya and no one has ever been able to match it. She served it in a clear bowl so you could see all the layers. On the bottom went toasted pita bread which was topped with rice which was then topped with the mulukhiyya (usually cooked with chicken) and, finally, came a layer of red onions soaked in white vinegar (which came out looking pinkish). I loved those layers. Looking through the bowl was like looking at the geology of meal, the cross section of flavor and heartiness. 

Since Tante Marie passed I have never been able to recreate the magic of her mulukhiyya and I don't know anyone who approaches it. My wife grew up with mulukhiyya too. But, she is familiar with a very different style of preparation. When I tried once (only once) to suggest it be done Marie's way, I suddenly realized I was treading on dangerous territory. Mulukhiyya is one of those comfort foods one grows up with and which one one can never replicate the way it was made by your mother or your aunt. The best you can do is try to imitate. And if someone comes along with suggestions to make it different, well, that borders on blasphemy and sacrilege. It is like telling someone their childhood was a fraud. No, trust me, you don't want to go there...