I just wanted to go to the moon….see the Earth from up above…..have the stars shining around me.

Was that too much to ask? Apparently, for NASA.

A family friend of ours works for NASA. Since taking Astronomy in freshman year with the wonderful Professor Dan Reichart (who had a marvelous way of explaining things, like “Imagine the universe to be like a big batch of blueberry muffin batter. The blueberries are the galaxies, and as the batter bakes, the blueberries get farther and farther apart. The universe is expanding!”), I’ve always engaged NASA Uncle in conversations about astronomy, space flight, and physics….to the limit that my legal brain allows.

So, when he recently told me I could apply to be an astronaut through NASA’s civilian astronaut application program….I….WAS…..PUMPED.

Seriously. What child doesn’t want to be an astronaut….and now, a NASA guy is telling me I CAN BE? WOOOOOOOT.

Except…..

I have to have a degree in math or science. And no, Political Science doesn’t count.

The progression of thought:
1. Stupid NASA.
2. I should’ve been a biologist like my parents.
3. Stupid NASA.
4. I wonder if I can still go back to school and get a math or science degree?
5. Am I kidding? Who’s gonna pay for that?
6. Am I kidding? I got a C in Geometry.
7. Stupid NASA.
8. Stupid NASA.
9. Now I just have to get really rich and buy a ticket.
10. Yeah, right.
11. Stupid NASA.

le sigh. RIP my childhood dream. RIP.

Chickpeas are not the most exciting legume ever. Sure, hummus has become popular at sandwich shops everywhere. (And, as another example of “lost in translation” cultural foods, “hummus” just means “chickpea” in Arabic, not “pureed chickpea-and-tahini spread”). And hummus-the-spread-or-dip is really a matter of personal taste (consistency? how much tahini? how much garlic? lemon juice?) so there is no guarantee that even “well made” hummus will be good.

BUT. There is one kind of chickpea food that I really do enjoy, almost every time.

“Wait, Cup of Tea,” you say. “Those look like donuts.” Well, authentic falafel like you can get in Syria have holes in the middle so that the little patty cooks evenly. Plus, you can also stick them on your index finger and eat around it (come on, you were thinking it. I also used to do that with Bugles. Remember those?)

Falafel is the plural of “filfil,” which means “pepper” in Arabic. The little golden brown, crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-and-savory-on-the-inside patties are popular at breakfast by themselves, or for other meals/snacks wrapped into a pita. The hearty, earthy taste and crunch of the little falafel rounds is highlighted by the fresh cucumber, tomato, and sour-sweet pickled radishes. Top it all off with a special sauce and….oh my…..you’ll miss it as soon as you walk away.

(All the pretty pictures won’t fit on the main page, so click for the rest of the post! (more…)

Some other pictures from around Makkah:

This was a bit of an experiment. Remember how our science teachers in middle and high school made us do everything with The Scientific Procedure? Okay, well here it is:

1. Problem: Will a swirl of the chocolate-hazelnut spread known as “Nutella” enhance the enjoyment of pancakes? (btw, did you know they have entire *cafes* devoted to Nutella? I saw a lot in Germany)

2. State Hypothesis: Yes, a drizzle of warm Nutella will heighten a weekend morning breakfast experience.

3. Procedure: Prepare boxed pancake mix, adding mashed over-ripe bananas. Warm the Nutella for a few seconds in the microwave until soft. Pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter into a hot skillet. Immediately drizzle Nutella onto raw-batter side. Swirl with a fork. Cook as otherwise directed.

4. Data: The Nutella swirl seemed to have been baked into the pancake on one side. The pancakes were blackened on both sides, much darker than usual pancakes.

5. Conclusion: This experiment reinforced two of the experimentor’s previously-held beliefs: (1) Nutella is delicious, and (2) the experimentor sucks at cooking pancakes, always burning them, and should just leave the practice to her father, the expert on all things pancake. The Nutella pancakes were very enjoyable, but would probably have tasted better if they weren’t burnt. The experimentor suggest cooking these pancakes on a lower heat, to prevent over-caramelization (a.k.a. burning) of the sugars from the banana and nutella.

Banana Cinnamon Maple Syrup

This is one experiment that turned out really well. The syrup doesn’t keep for a very long time, so stir leftovers into some oatmeal.

Over-ripe bananas, cut in a small dice
Cinnamon, more than you think you’ll need
Butter
Maple Syrup

Melt butter in saucepan, sautee bananas for a few seconds. Add cinnamon and stir (really, put as much cinnamon as you like. There can’t really be “too much” because the maple syrup is pretty strong). Once bananas are a bit softened, pour in as much maple syrup is desired. The more syrup, the pourable it will be. Less syrup makes this more of a compote, but equally as delicious. Let this simmer on very low heat (not too many bubbles) while you finish up the pancakes and set the table.

Greetings! World Tour 2008 was great, even though we were exhausted. It truly was a whirlwind - we spent 4 days in Saudi Arabia, 4 days in Syria, 4 days in Pakistan, and the rest in transit. I’m going to post some pictures of Syria and Pakistan on here a bit later.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this beautifully misspelled menu item for sale in Medina. There’s not much to be said about it - the picture says enough. Want some?