Lunch 3.20.13 - A Taste Of The Middle East

I was so excited to have lunch on Wednesday 3.20 because dining services would be serving Middle Eastern cuisine. Pictured above (ignore the to-go box) is Lebanese rice pilaf, kofta, spanikopita, kofta, shish taouk and naan. And I enjoyed every last bite of it.

In fact, it was the dining hall that first introduced me to Middle Eastern foods several weeks ago. While some of the foods differed from the first time they had served this food, I was a little less hesitant the second time around.

Although students ask for new things in the dining hall and complain about the food from time to time, I think that when the dining hall does attempt to release new items or try to present food from different cultures, it can come with some backlash. I appreciate that the dining hall giving students the opportunities to try new foods and I think most students appreciate the opportunity to try these new foods.

Middle Eastern food has a bold and somewhat salty flavor. It's also very savory and contains a lot of spices. I've found that with the specific flavor of Middle Eastern foods, people either love them or hate them because of the combination of spices, specifically with curry. Personally, I really enjoy the combination of flavors.

While salty foods can be delicious, too much sodium is bad for health. This week a study was released from Harvard's School of Public Health saying that too much sodium in the diet is responsible for 85,000 deaths per year in the United States. Too much salt can cause heart attack, stroke or other diseases of the heart. The dietary recommendation for salt, depending on the organization supplying the recommendation like the American Heart Association or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is between 1,500 mg to 2,300 mg per day. Most Americans are eating more than their fair share of salt in one day.

So while the Middle Eastern food may be delicious, it could be an issue if there is too much salt. But as long as salty foods are eaten in moderation, dig in and try new foods!